A few weeks ago, I ordered a vintage manual typewriter from Amsterdam Finds on Etsy, and after a minor snafu with the ribbon remedied just now by transferring a new ribbon to the old spools, I now have my caramel-brown Tippa 1 portable typewriter on my desk and ready for the typing.

I also recently purchased a Cole Steel typewriter, from Craigslist in Raleigh. This machine isn't advancing, so will need the attention of typewriter repairman Chris Shaw, who operated a business machine repair shop in Chapel Hill for decades.

Yes, I have succumbed. While I'm blogging like it's 1999, I'm also about to compose old-school Zuiker Chronicles the way my grandfather, Frank the Beachcomber, did it for so long.