Slow slide...

I was sitting in my favorite chair this past weekend, laptop revved up, watching an NCIS rerun or something equally satisfying and browsing my favorite blogs. It was good. I wasn't completely satisfied though so I decided to get up another glass of water. At which point I went to put the laptop on the fabulous footstool to my favorite chair. Bad move, glass in hand, rising out of the chair I watched said laptop do a slooooowwww sliiiiiiddddeee off the footstool and onto (wait for it) the floor. Ouch. Laptop landed on carpet, good, but on the AC adapter cord, bad.

I don't have a great history with AC adapter and this laptop. Oh no. First adapter died on a trip to Massachusetts where I was to show a PowerPoint of a friend and his fiancee to family and friends the night before their wedding. Luckily Papa Bear was there and we transferred the file to his laptop and the day was saved. I contacted computer company and got a new adapter and went on my merry way...until the December 07 Mississippi trip.

Yes, on the December 07 Mississippi the new AC adapter decided it had worked hard enough and gave up it's life....after 6 months! ARGH!!! I was regulated to borrowing computers from others during that trip to update family and friends about our trip. So. not. cool. Returning home I gave up on the computer company AC adapter and went with the generic brand. AC adapter #3 and I have been working quite well together for a year. All has been harmonious...until the slooooowwww sliiiiiiddddeee.

See the generic brand AC adapter has a little thing they call a "smart tip". There are several smart tips that come in the generic brand box because not all AC adapters inputs are the same. To get the power from the AC adapter into my computer I need the right smart tip to plug into the computer. On the slow slide the smart tip broke apart. All the kings horses and all the kings men cannot put it back together again. Big sigh.

I quickly did an internet search of the generic brand AC adapter company and could not find replacement smart tips. Sadly, I resigned myself to purchasing a new AC adapter. Big, big, sigh. Tuesday I went and bought the adapter. I held off on using it though 'cuz I needed to look up some numbers and make sure all was compatible. Today, as I was looking up the numbers I decided to do one last search and see if by any chance I could find a replacement smart tip. This, my dear followers, is where I come to the glorious ending of my story.

There are, in fact, smart tips available for a much, much better price than a whole new AC adapter. I quickly ordered two (history says that the 2nd one may come in handy) and will be taking the much more expensive replacement adapter back tomorrow. So, may you learn from me and not be hasty in your search but look high and low and you just may find what you need.