I keep thinking this is my new computer, but this was belied by realizing I actually bought it in 2016 -- and that my computer is so packed with dog hair and dust, the keys were sticking. The sticking keys were just part of the problem because the keyboard was falling apart. I had already lost the (:/;) colon/semi-colon key. I kept putting it back until I finally lost it -- it's probably under the sofa. Yesterday, the E fell off and I already couldn't read the M or N keys.

Trim those fingernails and keep your keyboard intact.

Yesterday, the E fell off too, but by then, I had bought a new keyboard and Owen, who used to do this stuff for a living back when people repaired (as opposed to throwing away) computers, was going to repair it today.

I didn't come out of my bedroom until he was done. i was terrified I'd have a complete meltdown watching my computer turn into tiny little pieces. It took Owen almost five hours to do what would have been a simple repair if the top of the computer were removeable. Which it used to be, but isn't anymore.

This was while I had the colon key lying in place and before the E fell out.

Now, to get to the keyboard, you have to take the entire computer apart from the bottom to the top. Then, put everything back together, tiny little screw after tiny little screw. If he could have taken the top off, it would have taken half an hour, but having to completely rebuild the entire thing -- and all those itty bitty screws?

The good news is that my computer looks like new again, the mountains of dog hair, pollen, dust, and grit are all gone. I also cut my fingernails down to the quick. I've had this problem with keyboards before. I have to keep my nails trimmed like I did when I was playing the piano. They are really, really short. Now, my fingers are hitting the keys rather than my fingernails.

Personally, for the amount of money computer companies charge for high-end computers, the keyboards ought to be better.

I knew this when I bought the computer. I liked the guts of the machine and somehow, imperfections in the keyboard didn't matter very much. Until I realized I couldn't keep using the computer without a functional keyboard.

I suppose if I have one piece of advice which is when you buy a new computer, everything matters. Even little things, Like the presence or absence of sufficient numbers of USB or other ports, or whether or not the paint on the keyboard is sturdy or easily scratched. Especially when you're spending a lot of money and know you won't be able to afford to buy a different one if this one doesn't work out.

The big problem is when you are buying online -- and most of us have to buy online because computer shops have disappeared. You can't really get your hands on them before you buy, so some stuff you won't know until you get the computer.

Some stuff lies in the hand of the computer gods.