Sure you do.
I wrote all about it here, how my super-duper, lightning fast touch typing had worn the letters right off the keys on my little Mac laptop. I wrote about how, when I was recovering from shoulder surgery, I discovered for myself the difficulties faced by OH when I asked him to fix a problem for me. Oh, how he would curse and carry on! Understandably, because he can’t touch type and he had no idea which key was which … I would laugh (affectionately) at him, but then suddenly, there was I in the same situation – only worse, because of the opioids and the pain.
Well, I healed, as one does, but of course, my laptop didn’t. It didn’t matter much to me, because I was soon back to full speed on the lightning fast typing front, and as time wore on, more and more letters wore off …
… until the day came when OH had had enough. And lo! Among my birthday gifts was a smallish flat package, all done up with pretty silvery blue paper, which opened to reveal two sheets of corrugated cardboard sellotaped together.
What could it be?
Was it the key to Johnny Depp’s hotel room?
Sadly, no.
Well, okay, maybe a letter from him agreeing to OH’s (hefty) bribe to take me to dinner?
Unfortunately, not.
But look what it was!
See? A whole bunch of shiny new replacement keys for my poor, battered keyboard!
Now, I don’t know if anyone has ever tried replacing the keys on their laptop, but it’s a little daunting. I mean, how does one do it? Do you have to unscrew things and expose innards?
*Horror!*
Or do you just stick a screwdriver under them and twist, just supposing you can actually do that with your fingers crossed?
We did the sensible thing and called Son No. 1. He went to university, you know, and did Computer Studies, so he knows about these things.
And in due course, Son No. 1 came round, and I handed my precious laptop over to him, and OH said -
“So, you know how to do this, do you?”
And Son No. 1 said -
“Yeah, I think so. I looked it up on Google!”
And sure enough, after a wee bit of complaining and a lot of rather interesting irritated noises (he doesn’t swear much, at least not in our presence), the old keys came off and the sparkling new ones – the ones with letters actually printed on them – were snapped into place!
Yay! I have a fully functioning, perfectly legible keyboard again! Yay!! Happy Dances!!
Except there’s just one small thing. One teeny, tiny, smidgeon of a problemo.
Can you spot it?
It is of course, no inconvenience to me, since I am (after all) a super-duper, lightning fast touch typist. But, boy, am I going to have fun watching OH try to use it next time. Tee hee.
By the way, if anyone wants to know, you can order these keys individually from The Bookyard, who are specialists in Mac spare parts. They’re actually recycled, but none the worse for that. They are as good as new.
Haha . . MNMNMNMNMNMNM! Just as well you’re a touch typist. So am I but I still look at the numbers . . .
Baino´s last blog ..The Clayton’s Friday Fuckwit
Hnnnnn, that would be a bit of a problen for ne, simce I an mot a touch typist.
Don’t Bug Me!´s last blog ..It’s Not All About the Boobies
That is hilarious Jay, wish I could be there next time you OH types….
I didn’t know that the keys could wear like that..uhg it’ll probably happen to me..
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
Dorothy Stahlnecker´s last blog ..The Mind and Body needs sleep
I would complain indignantly about how my degree was called “Computer Science“, not “Computer Studies”, but… well, [most of] Computer Science isn’t really science either.
superior info I wish I had known that ordering info in the past I’ve worn many down.sk
how is Sid??
Oh, I already feel sorry for OH! I can understand him not wanting to have tar in his hair, but to punish him like this…;)
Mara´s last blog ..Saturday Archive 2
Aha! Spotted!
I did this once too. Flipped all the keys off to clean biscuit crumbs from between them – and couldn’t remember where they were all supposed to go back…AARRGGHH! Had to google up a picture of a keyboard to guide me (silly woman).
My problem is not worn keys, but STUFF underneath them. Most notably, cat hair. The stray popcorn hull has also been known to find its’ way under there, and I’m still not sure that a fingernail I bit of isn’t hiding somewhere in there.
Great gift. I thought for a minute, just scannning the photos, that it was Scrabble pieces!
ethelmaepotter´s last blog ..My Invitation Into Society
Baino – Oh, well .. the numbers! No-one touch types the numbers, do they? Only people who work in accounting departments!
DBM – HAHAHAHA! Very, very nicely done, my dear. I’m glad I wasn’t drinking tea when I read that!
Sistertex – Wanna come over? Feel free! LOL!
Dorothy Stahlnecker – I think it’s only some people who wear their keys away. Perhaps we have more acid on our skin than other people? Son No. 1 always suspected my nail varnish.
Jake – And you wonder why we call you Mr Pedantic.
Sandy – I’m going to put the link in my sidebar, I think – but remember, it’s only for Macs!
Mara – Tee hee! Yes, indeed, but it will be FUN! LOL!
Geri – Well spotted! But it was a good idea to Google keyboards! Nice bit of lateral thinking, I’d call that! Just so long as you could do the Googling with a non-functional keyboard.
Ethelmaepotter – Ahahaha. Yes, Son No. 1 has also been around here with his airbrush, blowing gunk out from our laptop keyboards for us. I think it was mostly crumbs and dog hair under mine, with the odd human hair to make life interesting. OH specialised in tobacco shreds and ash.
I had no idea you could replace keys. If I’d known, I’d have been tempted to ask about it when the computer was in the shop too weeks ago. After having to replace the hard drive, how expensive could keys be?
I think your swapped keys are very funny. (Or is that fummy?)
Ruth Hull Chatlien´s last blog ..Little Gratitudes
Ruth – Haha! Yes, ‘fummy’ it is! LOL!
Yes, I don’t know about PC keyboards, but you can indeed replace those on a Mac laptop!