Monitoring monitors

I am sorry for my lack of updates recently. It is all down to my monitoring problem.

A while ago the power pack on my tft monitor gave up the ghost but luckily my sister had a spare one to lend me. It wasn't up to much though as it was an old compaq 14inch CRT monitor. The stand was dogdy and I never could get it to sit right so it dipped and that meant I couldn't work on it long without getting a stiff neck. It was better than nothing though and it meant I could get on the internet when needed and do the important stuff.

But then disaster struck when I was sat here working away and I could smell something like burning. I jumped up not knowing what it was. I sniffed the candle behind me but it wasn't that, so I investigated around the back of the monitor and sure enough there was smoke coming out the back. So I immediately unplugged it.

There we were left without a monitor. The computer was still on and we were unable to close it down.
I emptied my piggy bank in the hope that I might be able to nip to a local electronics shop and buy one second hand. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough so I was stuck.
You know what it is like to go 48 hours without being able to go on a computer at all? It is sure Hell. OK it was fine for Bill cos she has her own Laptop but for DS and me it was the longest 2 days of our life.

I gave my friend Dot a ring and asked her if she would put a wanted on Freecycle for a monitor for me. Within a couple of hours she got back to me and told me that her sis in law had 9 monitors going begging at her work.
By Friday lunchtime everything was right with the world again and Dot and her SIL brought me my new 17inch monitor.