I did it.

I've never had a new computer. Never. I've always said that I didn't NEED a new computer - after all, I don't play computer games (except for Master of Magic, but you really don't need a great system for that, just a DOS emulator, but that's neither here nor there), I don't download a ton of music and all I really do on a computer is write, and surf the web. So the old hand-me-down computers that I have (laptop from a friend, desktop from hubby) have been fine.

Except that Merlin's been cranky lately. His touch pad is going (it's VERY erratic), he refuses to talk to the desktop OR the printer, and he absolutely, positively won't go NEAR the Internet. AT ALL.

Which doesn't really work very well.

So, I got the Sunday newspaper, which I am wont to do, for the coupons and the sports and the comics. And one of the ads was a Dell ad.

Hubby has a new Dell desktop that he got in October, to replace the Dell desktop that I'm now using. This specific Dell ad, however, was for laptops.

This laptop, in fact.

Which will be winging its way to me on the 16th, or thereabouts.

I am very excited. :p

Now comes the really hard part - what do I name her???

So, I'm holding a contest. It will be going up at the website as well, but I'm announcing it here first. I'm soliciting names for both the desktop and the new laptop. I'll be running this contest until the end of March. The winners (there will be 2) will each receive a signed copy of Not Your Father's Horseman (or, if you have that one already, a signed copy of either The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy or The Fantasy Writer's Companion, your choice)

Send your entries to vg_ford @ yahoo dot com, and put "Name the Computer Contest" in the header.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!!!