The office did not NEED a new network and certainly we didn't need to be 'virtually' part of the new corporate office's network halfway across the country.

And we--or at least I--absolutely and positively did not need to be so-called "upgraded" to the latest disaster Microsoft Windows is foisting off on the brainless buyers of software for companies.

I've been beating my head against a wall--and my fists against the computer--for two weeks, trying to make this new software STFU already, stop popping up memos and reminders to do things I'll never want or need to do, and let me actually open the only three programs--and five documents--I really actually need to use on a daily basis. As too often happens, the people at Microsoft have decided what users want to do, how they want to see things, and what they should not be allowed to change--and those decisions seem to have been hard-coded in to the most recent version of their lousy Office suite.

Add to that the joys of having every, single document, report, and piece of data I've been accumulating for the last three years mysteriously wiped out in the migration to the new network and you can just imagine the kind of rage-induced psychosis I've been suffering from today. Given anything remotely resembling a weapon, I would have joyfully beaten this stupid computer into confetti. (Okay, it's not fair to blame the box, but software is ephemeral and can't be clubbed into rubble.)

OMG, do I hate Windows. It astonishes me, how strong this hate is. Especially considering that a recent version of the OS, the XP one, was really quite a pleasure to use.

Anyhow.

Crabby.