Except this afternoon I let the kids play on the computer while I went for a much-needed nap, and when I came back, the pen -- not the whole tablet, just the pen -- no longer worked. I quizzed both Simon and Nicholas closely about whether they had chewed, sucked on, or otherwise mistreated it, and they both insisted (of course) that they hadn't done a thing.
Somehow I suspect that one child or the other is lying, because the pen worked just fine when I used it earlier in the day. But whatever the cause -- she's dead, Jim.
Which means that a) I will have to cut back my online browsing even more than I'd anticipated; and b) I can't do art or LJ icons until I get at least the pen (probably the whole tablet) replaced. Which, since we are still in the process of paying off the shed my husband built in our back yard this summer (I say "shed", but it's really more like a small cottage), may take a while.
Please be patient; we are experiencing technical difficulties. Operator may be sitting in the corner feeling sorry for herself.