Will you mend my computer please? NO

Anyone who is even remotely competent with a computer must be familiar with the role of computer help/hardware technician/first line support. Unfortunately I have played this role so many times I'm bored bored bored by it - I was going to register the domain name computerfairy.com until Andy pointed out this might sound like I enjoyed mucking around with people's machines in my spare time (i.e. the 45 minutes a week I get to myself).

So I took a moratorium and started saying no to all my friends or giving them details of a guy who makes his living that way - £30 an hour - at least it made the friends place a value on my efforts. I have one friend who does buy me a lunch or a present and another friend where we barter - she does my garden in return for her computer maintenance. So that's kind of fair enough. But there's another breed who expects me to just love it and these are the ones who I have shaken off, as dust from my feet.

After all how much fun can you have removing trojans from someone's hard disk - especially when you've told them not to use file sharing - or setting up a wireless broadband network for someone who has thrown away the login details and the setup instructions because she didn't think they would be needed? You're right - not much fun at all. Especially when you spend all your hours at work trying to coax the computers into a state of co-operation - they're like a bunch of spoiled children, there's always one feeling sick or got earache.

I suppose I have a problem like lots of people in saying NO - although it's a problem I'm working on. Another friend has the concept of a full diary - she automatically says 'I think my diary is full for that week' whenever she is asked to do anything, even it's full of her eating cream buns and lying on a sofa. I can manage to say that for work commitments but not for friends - not a good enough liar.

So what's a girl to do? I guess become incompetent with computers would be a start. Or have no friends. Let's hope the march of technology overtakes me.