Dr. Mike Computer Therapist to the rescue!

(Above: Mike Kroll, owner of Dr. Mike Computer Therapist.)

Anyone recently following my blog knows that I've come to Galesburg, Illinois for a month long art residency with the Galesburg Civic Art Center's Studios Midwest program. During this time, I've planned to do three things:
1) Conduct a public art project called LOOKING FOR A MATE ... a unique art quilt made with the public and their donated "mateless" socks
2) Create a giant canopy with four fiber bedposts from vintage and antique crochet, lace, and household linens
3) Blog about my experience ... both on my blog and on the Studios Midwest blog.

Well ... my elder son Mathias Dingman (a newly promoted "First Soloist" with Birmingham Royal Ballet in England) was visiting us for the first time in two years. He drove me to Galesburg. We spent the first two days exploring Galesburg and then he flew on to visit my parents in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. I was able to blog about our time at the historic Carl Sandburg birthplace, the local train museum, going to Dick Blick's outlet store, watching hot air balloons, and even my first day in the new studio space ... complete with abstract images of paint splatters on the cement floor.

THEN DISASTER!

My laptop died. I took it up the street to Dr. Mike Computer Therapist who tried to boot it up with some mysterious disc before pronouncing it officially "dead". He recommended a refurbished Lenovo laptop ... a sweet deal with plenty of "bells and whistles" for a very good price. We ordered and hoped that I'd be back blogging in a matter of two or three days. But the next morning the company's security program noticed that my shipping and billing addresses were in two different states. They cancelled the order; the "sweet deal" was immediately scooped up by another savvy on-line shopper; and I was out of luck. Thankfully, my husband Steve (back in Columbia) noticed the cancellation email message and took matters into his own hands on South Carolina's tax free holiday. Steve had already shipped my Photoshop CD and other software programs directly to Dr. Mike. We hoped I'd be back blogging last Monday or Tuesday.

THEN MATTERS GOT WORSE!

Dr. Mike's mother past away in Tennessee. He would be "out of the office" until this past Friday (yesterday). While I was able to get the shipped laptop, my program CDs ended up locked into Dr. Mike's shop. I had to face facts. I wasn't meant to blog until today. As promised, Dr. Mike returned to Galesburg yesterday and got my brand new laptop up and running with all the programs to which I'm accustomed and also restoring all the documents and images from the old laptop's memory! Yippee! Thank you Dr. Mike!

Now ... I'm going to blog ... because my first and second priorities for this residency (the public art quilt project and my giant canopy) have been underway and are GOING GREAT!