I had a Commodore 64 with a dot-matrix printer back in the late 80's that I used as a word processor. Since I never really did anything else with it, I don't count it. Later, in the early 90's, I had an old IBM at school that I used only as a word processor again. Finally, in 1996, the school offered a week-long computer basics course for teachers and I took it. Before that week was over I had bought my first "real" computer and went online. Been surfing the 'net ever since.

I have a love-hate relationship with these things. When it's working good, I love it ; when it doesn't do what I expect, it can put me into a screaming rage in a matter of seconds. I have threatened to stick my 12-gauge in the CD slot and blow it to Hell; I have threatened to throw it through the window behind it; I have threatened to pummel it with my 10-pound sledge hammer; I have threatened to plug it into some 220 power and watch it burn! The stupid thing just ignores me when I get like that which makes me even more irate. Actually I think this thing has a mind of its own and it likes to go visit the computer tech guy at the local Staples store. I take to him, pick it up a couple of days later, and the dumb thing is happy again for another year or so...