Office supplies and those who love them

The DH and I went to Office Depot today. It was a simple errand...I was nearly out of paper. Get the paper and leave.

A single title manuscript is about 400-425 pages for me, which is nearly a ream of paper. I do print on the back for drafts, so that saves me some, but I go through a lot of paper in a year. We buy it by the case.

For me, a trip to an office supply store is a fully joyful experience. Some of it is the on-going belief that yes, with enough bins, folders, drawers and colored pens, I can organize the world, or at least my life. But we had other things to do, so it was going to be just paper. Get in, get the paper, get out.

Except on the way to Office Depot, I remembered I need the 2006 week by week pages for my Day Runner. It's how I keep track of everything. So two things...get in, get out. Then the DH remembered that he really wanted a USB Flash...flash something. I can't remember. Basically a memory stick with a USB port. Okay--three things. But that was it. I mean, hey, Marie Callendar's is having their pie sale--which only happens twice a year. We have our priorities.

But then I saw the lovely post-its. So many pretty, pretty colors. And disks--I save every book onto a disk. I know I'm going to have to change to read-write CDs, but I don't trust them yet so I'm still using disks. I was down to my last three. I now have 50. Well, 53. And I needed a 2006 desk blotter/calendar and then we need the big dry erase calendar that goes up on the wall for all our trips.

Then I saw it...an ergonomic *wireless* keyboard with wireless mouse. Oooooooh. I had a wireless mouse already and if you don't have one, give in to the moment and set yourself free. I had no idea what a thrill it would be not to be tied up in that cord. So I stood there, wondering. Would the wireless keyboard feel as good? Would it be special? Would it change my world?

No one will be surprised to find out I'm typing on it now. It's...interesting. My 6 is in the wrong place. After all these years, my 6 is now on the left side of the ergonomic split. And the home/end/delete keys are all twisted and wrong. But I'll learn and the wireless is kind cool. I can put the keyboard in a different place, if I need to, and you just never know when that may happen.

Now I happen to love my old keyboard with a level of affection that borders on unnatural. Unfortunately, they stopped making it. Had I known I was at risk, I would have bought 2 or 50, just to have them. But I didn't. So I worry about it failing me. If I can get used to a new keyboard, then I can still know the old one is there, waiting for me to need it and I can sleep easier at night. Okay--this hasn't been keeping me up nights, but I would like a replacement. So maybe this one will work.

I'll have to let you know.