Look on the bright side — Or, rationalizing why it's OK that my new iMac is so slow

Long story short: earlier this year my 2009 iMac bit the dust.

That's OK, 10 years of excellent service with nary a problem was a fine run.

I decided to replace it with the machine up top.

Nice price, $999 from B&H, what's not to like?

Got a minute?

At first I was all thrilled with it, great screen, but from the very first day I noticed that the SBBOD — Spinning Beach Ball of Death —

appeared whenever I did something like open a new window or drop-down menu or even preview a picture, just like my 2009 machine, only slower.

Huh. 

My trusty adviser on all things Mac, who likes to stay under the radar using the stealth handle adt, tweeted that I should return it and get a different version, with flash rather than a hard drive.

Doh!

I hadn't even noticed the hardware inside when I bought it, just the nice price.

After a number of months watching that beach ball spinning, I must say it's getting old.

Yesterday, watching the colorful rotating icon do what it does, it occurred to me that I could make lemonade out of my lemon by looking at it differently:

The SBBOD is the computer equivalent of slow food.

Once I added that lens, I was money.

'Cause while that ball spins, I can look over at Gray Cat and think about how it can be possible for her brain, about as big as a walnut inside her small skull, to create behavior which provides endless happiness for me, day after splendid day.