The man's side of it!

My sweetheart's power supply fan seized up this week. Cassie told me there was a funny smell and noise coming out of her computer and asked if I would check it out for her. Funny smell? I thought I'd better run in and check the PC out right away. Sure nuff the fan was fried and if I hadn't shut down the computer the motherboard and processor would have been fried as well.

We are still playing catch up with our bills so I had to wait till today to pick up a new power supply. Cassie's been using my laptop in the meantime and I know she's not as happy with it as she would be with her own computer. I would've run right out and picked up the part and to heck with the bills but fortunately one of us has better sense than that. (nope not me!)

After work today I drove all the way to CompUSA in Moorestown to get that stupid thing. I was on the road for almost three hours because of the holiday weekend traffic.

I get to CompUSA and ask one of the sales people where I could find a power supply and she sends me all the way across to the other side of the store. I spent a few minutes browsing until I realized the girl didn't have a clue. I went back to where I originally thought I might find what I want when I almost run into this guy wandering around looking at all the computer peripherals, parts and software with a look of wonder, desire or lust.

This guy looks at the old power supply I had in my had (I brought it with me to make sure I got the right one) and asks if he could help me. All the employees in the store wear red CompUSA shirts so I wondered who he was and how he was going to help me, but I told him what I needed anyway. "Power supply?" he said. "I know right where to look." and with that I followed him to the isle right where I was headed when the ditsy saleswoman sent me to the other side of the store.

The guy squints at the back of the PS and says matter of factly, "you need an ATX 300 watt power supply and they have one right here!" He grabs one right off the shelf and starts giving me all the specs without even looking at the box. Boy was I impressed, So I asked him how long he worked for CompUSA, "Oh I don't work here." He said. I just come here everyday to browse around and plan for the next computer I'm going to build.

Then he goes into a very detailed description of parts specs and I am thinking about how I have to get home for dinner and how can I escape with out hurting his feelings. After a break in the conversation (he had to catch his breath) I told him I had to leave cause I had people waiting for me. He talked to me all the way to the checkout line and while I was waiting to pay for my stuff. Then when it was my turn he said goodbye and wandered back into the parts section. I didn't even get his name.

And I always thought I was a knowledgeable geek. He was a geek's geek.

Friend, if you read this I thank you whoever you are. And may all your computers be powerful ones!

PS: Cassie's PC is back in action!