brit_columbia

Here's my latest pet peeve. I absolutely HATE it when I'm having a dinner party and guests ask to use my computer. It seems like nowadays everyone's got photos or home movies on 'myspace' or their own websites that they want to show the other assembled guests. Call me weird, but it bugs me when other people touch my computer. All my personal private stuff is on there. It's not the same as asking to use, say, my phone. I feel like what they're really saying is, "Hey can I look in your underwear drawer and then in your personal file cabinet?" Yes, I have a guest screen for guests to use, but I often have open work windows and anime films that are loading from youtube in my personal screen. All my internet windows and whatever I'm working on, loading or downloading has to be lost in order for them to go to the guest screen. If I don't want to lose that stuff, I have to let people work in my own personal screen where I keep all my personal files. Not to mention my Yaoi stuff! Which my husband and most of my friends don't currently know about. Another problem is that the computer is in a small messy bedroom. That's the room where we throw everything when we're having a party. Suddenly, all the party guests are in my bedroom standing next to my laundry basket where my underwear really IS on display! I just stop having fun at that point. I don't want them in my bedroom. It's not party space as far as I'm concerned.

I think that if a guest doesn't see a computer in someone's living or dining room, then obviously the host/hostess keeps it in their bedroom. The guest should ask him or herself if it's really OK to lead the entire party into their host/hostess's bedroom just because they have a few photos they want to show the group. They should also not do anything that requires a download. I'm very careful about unnecessary downloads because I'm afraid of viruses. My computer is my lifeline to the fascinating world of anime, fan fiction, online friends, email, and just about anything I want to research and then store for later perusal. If a guest unwittingly invited a virus into my computer, I, low-tech peon that I am, would not have a clue what to do about it.

It's different if I know ahead of time that someone will be using my computer. I still don't like it, but at least it gives me a chance to prepare and clean up and hide things. I don't like having these requests sprung on me. "Hey, have you got a computer I can use? I have some pictures I'd like to show the guys." And I'm thinking, "Damn, I'm in the middle of loading a slightly pornographic movie from youtube...Do I dump it, even though it has taken quite a long time and I'm really looking forward to watching it later? Or do I let it load in the background and hope the guests don't click around too much and happen upon a scene that will make everyone ask me questions that will embarrass my husband?"

This has happened twice in the last two weeks. This is clearly my fault and my problem. I shouldn't have said yes and then resented everybody for going into my bedroom. It took the second time for me to be able to identify it as something that really bugs me. It's going to happen more and more, and I need to come up with a solution. The way I see it is that I have two options which are to either say, "NO, sorry, but you can't use my computer because it's in my bedroom and I will be unhappy if anyone goes in there right now," or... I can buy another computer. I've been wanting a laptop, anyway. The problem there is reconciling what I want with what I can afford!

Well, I've made a decision. From now on, guests are banned from my bedroom and my computer until I get a laptop. Except you, Blue. You can use my computer anytime. In fact I'll willingly show you all my yaoi files! All you have to do is forgive the messiness of the bedroom.