Today, we had a nice family brunch at our favorite diner, and then went over to ShopRite for some weekend grocery shopping.  Geez, the place was wall-to-wall people.  I guess Sunday is a popular time for folks to go grocery shopping.  I was at the deli, holding my ticket number 63 in the queue, and I watched everyone talking to the deli clerks, ordering their meats and cheeses.

[Before I describe further, I should explain what I'm doing on the deli line, as there is a backstory to this.  I have an agreement with my wife that if I bring lunches from home, I take the theoretical money I would have spent, and place it in a virtual cookie jar.  The theoretical money in the virtual cookie jar goes to our future HDTV.  There's also an accounting spreadsheet that I am tracking all this.  I have been standing on the various deli counters weekly.]

I have noticed that it’s not a formal affair ordering at the deli counter. You don’t just give them your number, place your request, and walk away at the end.  There’s a lot of…. conversation.  Everyone is talking, the deli clerks are giving recommendations on the cuts of meat and cheese, they’re asking how you want it (thin or think sliced), and the deli clerks will even give you a slice or two to taste before you get locked in to your 1/2 pound of oven-roasted turkey.

Maybe this is normal, but doesn’t it strike you as odd? I’m not saying it’s wrong at all.  Frankly, the way we spend our workdays screaming at backstabbing each other, it’s mildly refreshing to see such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere…. at the deli counter. I wonder why it’s so friendly and jovial? You wouldn’t chat this much while placing your order at a pizzeria, would you?

I am the proud owner of a newly-alive, Dell PC, with a completely new engine and applications!

I never found my missing Windows XP CD.  I debated briefly (briefly!) to buy a copy of Vista Home, but I fought off the temptation.  If I could wait another two months, I could get the new Windows 7.  Why pay for an OS with many customer complaints, and then blow it away in two months? Release Candidate has been out for a while.  In the end, I decided to install Windows 7, and rebuilt my machine Saturday night with it.  It was surprisingly easy.  After doing one last search through my C: drive for errant data, I started it at 1:35am Saturday night, and it finished about 45 mins later.  I spent the next few hours checking out the OS, and installing my new apps.

Through an employee program we have at work, I purchased MS Office 2007 for a great price.  I then went back and installed a fresh copy of most of my other applications. I also spent time researching and, with mixed success, installed updated Win 7-compatible software. While most apps were compatible, I didn’t find a compatible version of Logitech’s SetPoint software (replacement for their previous Mouseware keyboard/mice utility), and my Acronis backup software is not compatible either.

Lastly, my McAfee Antivirus/Firewall software was free through Comcast, but obviously that’s not available now.  I didn’t want to spend more money to buy replacement software, as my cute-as-a-button wife would attack me physically with extreme prejudice. How can I live without anti-virus software in this age of botnets and trojan worms? Was there a solution, besides cheapo AV software?

You won’t believe it, but I found it — a beta program. McAfee offers a Beta Lab testing program, where consumers can sign up to beta test their new programs. I signed up, and am using McAfee Total Protection 2010.  So far, not one issue with it.

There are many reviews of Windows 7 out there (with quality screenshots), so I won’t post them here or go into that kind of detail.  I will say that Windows 7 is really nice and fast. If you’re interested, download and install Microsoft’s Upgrade Advisor, and find out how your PC stands.  If it gets flying colors, get Windows 7.

Screenshot of my new Windows 7 desktop