Relieved

that my computer didn't actually die.  It just ran out of battery and would not work for two days.

We went to a repair shop, and I learned several things:

Sometimes if the battery is not working, even when it is plugged in, take the battery out and put it back in.  The battery sometimes just gets things jammed up.   Once we did that, and the computer was plugged in, it worked even without the battery in it.  But, the battery is basically dead and can't be recharged.   So, the options are to always keep it plugged in (but then when I move it to other plugs it goes down completely) or get a new battery.  So, the nice man showed how we could go on Ebay and find a new battery for $39.00  Much better than a new computer with lost information!

The other thing I learned (even though Gary will say he has already told me this) is that at least once a month you should let your battery go all the way down to no power.  If you keep it constantly plugged in and fully charged, or let it only go down to half or partial power, then the battery has memory and starts to think that it can only recharge that much and won't recharge any more than that.

I'm sure there is a life analogy to all of this, but as I sit here at testing it's not really coming to me.  So, if you have anything wise to share, please feel free.