Equipment Failure

I think I had a blinding flash of insight.

I've been intermittently cursing my computer as I've had occasional problems highlighting text the last several months. I'd try to highlight and it either wouldn't stick or would move text somewhat randomly as I dragged the cursor with my mouse. Usually it worked. But not always. I cursed Internet Explorer--where I usually noticed the problem.

Then yesterday I noticed that a game I have was doing some strange things as I tried to left click on units. It would apparently double-click and issue two orders even as I held the left mouse button down trying to issue a single command.

Then this morning, as I had the same problem here, the new game problem came to mind.

My left mouse button is faulty.

It was a Eureka! moment.

Sadly, the several mice I have in a box are all old style and only useful for Lamb's older computer. So I'll soldier on today and head to Target or the office store (I honestly can't remember which one even though I go there fairly often) for a new mouse.

Mouse failure seems so odd. They last almost forever which is why I have several old ones stored away. I'd have more but I threw away some really old style mice with humongous plugs that I had to admit were worthless. This might be only the second mouse I've had that actually failed.

On the bright side, after I get a new one I can see if I can pry open the current one to see if I can mess with it somehow. Although I suspect I'm fooling myself if I think that it will be like cleaning the contacts on the control panels of those 1980s upright video arcade games.

I'm sure I'll look at the guts, have no idea what I'm looking at (much like I do if I lift the hood on my car), and toss the old mouse in the garbage.

And I expect I owe IE an apology for darning them to the netherworld these last several months. Well, for that reason, anyway.

UPDATE: With a new mouse, I've had no problems two days later. That was it. My mouse button was mis-firing, either clicking without me or failing to click. I did take apart the old mouse to peer inside. I put back the spring that popped out and brushed the guts, but there doesn't look like anything that I could do other than replace guts. Obviously, I'm not going to do that for a $10.00 mouse. But it goes in a box just in case I need even a faulty mouse for a replacement if I can't get to a store for a new one.

Hey? Will Obamacare pay for my new mouse? It was certainly raising my blood pressure the last several months.