Everything Technology!

I tried desperately to conceal my yawn from the handsetas he went on about how well he was doing in his latest venture in web site design. I loved mybrotherto bits, but he always had something new, exciting and different going on every time I made my weekly phone call. He'd been doing this new on-line job (after doing just about every other possible on-line job!) forall of five daysand already it was going to make him a millionaire by next year....

"How are the kids?" I asked, trying to change the subject without making it too obvious.

"yeah, alright" he replied "got them all back at school now, they all had the virus thingy that's been circulating, nasty it was, have you had it?"

"Nope"

"Aaaw good, I am pleased, right messy one it was, here talking of a virus, have you not been unlucky enough to get that new Bongocranka one have you? Think it's caused by a pop-up, evil it is, here listen to what my mate said about it......"

I shut off, as I invariably do when my brother manages to get back onto computer talk, it happens every time, I used well over an hour of my free minutes each week and the majority of it is spent listening to a barrage of online jargon, computer hardware, software, 'don't click this pop-up, do block that pop-up, make sure you have this software, don't get that software' .....to be quite frank, it annoyed me most weeks, and I oftenhad the burning desire to scream that he should be using his own phone bill to go on about this rubbish, not mine. He'd not even asked if I was ok yet, let alone anything else, obviously I was alive, think that's all he ever needs to know.....

About twenty minutes later, whilst busy painting my toenails and having managed to slip in the odd 'yeah' and 'hmmm' and 'oh right'I realised that his constant drone had come to a stop...

"hmmm, really... That's good then" I said, pretending with fantastic acting abilities that I had the heard everything he said and had lots of interest in it...... Whilst also praying that was about the right thing to say.

"yeah" he replied "so make sure you remember that if you come across the Bongocranka won't you, its evil, remember what I said to do"

I acknowledged that I would, not having a clue what he had said about it, or what to do, but not caring as when am I ever going to need that useless piece of information anyway? Along with most of the useless pieces of information that he regularly bestows upon me.

After another five minutes of me desperately trying to get a word in, and change the subject we ended the call with the usual 'I love you's' and 'love to the kids' business. Quietly relieved I hung up and admired my perfectly painted toenails as I swung round to my laptop and clicked to go on-line and do my various bits and bobs of the day.

Imagine my dismay when after only a few minutes of surfing my virus software started going mad, throwing warnings, boxes, flashing text at me, it was like some kind of light show! the only word I managed to pick out was Bongocranka.... Great....

Laughing quite loudly to myself I picked up my phone and slowly started to dial my brothers number.....