Goodbye, beige boxes; hello, stylish black and silver

Setting up the new computer proved to be far less trying than I imagined and we were up and running within about 90 minutes of getting it home (including time for untangling the cords of and removing the old one, dusting and vacuuming on and under the empty desk, and unpacking and plugging in the new stuff). It helped that I had a four-legged assistant for a short time, who insisted on poking her head into every box before curling up to sleep in the largest one. Still, I should chalk it up as a lesson in not being so resistant to change; it's not always as difficult as I imagine it to be. I should probably also make a note not to anthropomorphise things quite so much - I even apologised to the old hardware as I unplugged it, assuring it that it's going to a good home (which it is; I wouldn't lie to it).

I'm spending this afternoon getting to know the new computer, which I'm starting to think of as The SyncMaster (that being the inscription along the top of the monitor); installing things and getting used to the feel of the new keyboard under my fingers and generally fiddling about. I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't really like my new mouse. I didn't realise before now that I've got a habit of picking the mouse up with my thumb and pinkie finger when I'm thinking, and the new mouse has ergonomic winged sides that make that quite difficult. So do I use the old one, or do I change my habit?

Apart from that, I find myself showered in unsought objects today. First I opened the back door this morning to find a large parcel on the mat: some patchwork fabric I had ordered, which unexpectedly came with a bonus 1,000 piece jigsaw of a kitten. Then I went to buy the papers, which came today with a bonus blue canvas shopping bag. What's next, I wonder?