And this little weirdo would be a modestly hot girl

So earlier this week my relatively new external hard drive decided to stop working. I did everything I knew of to fix it...which consisted of turning it off and back on in the hopes that it was all just some misunderstanding. It wasn't. I asked my brother for help, but he had a crazy week and didn't have time. Besides, long distance tech support rarely works for these sorts of things. I ended up getting help from the IT guy at work, but I realized something: I don't have any computer geek friends anymore.

I wasn't always like this. No, I once had lots of computer geek friends. How, you may ask? Simple: I advertised.

It started in the summer of 2003. My first boyfriend and I had just broken up, and I discovered that I didn't know any guys in my ward anymore. Inspired by stories from my roommate of the benefits of a group of guys to hang out with, I decided I wanted guy friends. One Sunday afternoon, in a rather silly mood, I put a sign on our front door. "Wanted: Guys apartment to be male companions for 4 beautiful women. Must be willing to hang out, swap an occasional Sunday dinner, and listen to our problems when needed. Experience preferred, but willing to train. Please bring a resume to Apartment 108 or call 371-6658."

I figured we might get a few comments, but nothing more. Instead, I got a resume. So I wrote up an acceptance letter, and Apartment 108, Inc. was born. For the next round of resumes, we required samples of their baking skills. The new recruits were accepted based on the excellence of their cheesecake.

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. That summer, we hiked Timp at midnight. We played frisbee. We ate a lot of popsicles and chocolate ice cream. We logged more hours playing Scum than working. And we didn't stop once school started. That year I became a 5th roommate (you know you have achieved this status when you start receiving phone calls at their apartment). I even met my next boyfriend through hanging out with them. They were some of the best guys I have ever known.

Alas, the youthful days when I would do something as crazy as putting a sign on my front door advertising for guy friends are past. Though if anything technical breaks again, I may be tempted to try again. 'Cause after all, a girl can always use a friend.