The image on the box was white. The sales clerk, keeping the sealed box in his hands at all times, told me the product was white. We paid for the item and picked it up two days later after the onsite professionals had worked their magic. As we drove away from the store I opened the box, slipping my new midnight blue mini-notebook computer from its protective packaging.

Dark blue, not white, covered in fingerprints.

I’ve been in that store five, count ‘em, five days this past week. The first three were at my choice, the last two were to pick up the computer, and now I’ve got to call, once again putting on the doofus has that I wear so well as I search for answers.

We are downsizing with this notebook and changing brands, so there is already some anxiety surrounding this purchase. We decided to go ahead and pay for the experts to ‘optimize’ the computer, which reminds me of how mechanics used to simonize cars and makes me feel like I’m admitting to the world that I’m too dense to figure out which programs to delete in order to help the limited processor run faster.

Hello, my name is Patrice and I am too lazy to figure out which programs to delete on my new computer. For that matter, apparently I have also lost the ability to distinguish white from near black.

Of course, it helps if you are actually able to view the product prior to purchase.

A little exploring online revealed that the color is partially indicated in the product number, BLU, and that a white version, WH, will be ‘Coming Soon.’

Please, as if making a technological decision isn't complicated enough, you've got to give me color codes and false pictures?!

My husband seems to find the color confusion a non-issue, other than thinking it seems only fair that you get what you think you are buying. He may be overlooking the fact that parts of our house are near cave-like in terms of lighting and it might be helpful to actually see the keyboard without perching under direct lighting like a chickling.

I know, in the grand scheme of things, not such a big deal. The more important factor is that the computer works well and meets our needs.

I think it just might be a great computer, maybe; smaller and lighter, definitely. And I’m grateful that someone who knew what s/he was doing loaded the antivirus and deleted the junk—ads, trial software--on the hard drive. Now we just want to make sure that we have the software we were told we had, the software listed in the specs, the software that the user’s manual says we have for sixty days. (?!)

I also learned that I shouldn’t rest the notebook in my lap while using it due to the heat factor. The last thing anybody in Arizona wants during the summer is more heat, especially in your lap.

I miss my old computer.