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Best computer advice ever: IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

So yes, I tried to update the BIOS of my Asus A7V8X-X (rarely, it would just hang when booting Windows, or at least that was my excuse for messing with it). I've done it once before, and the update went smoothly. This time, it froze while updating, and I rebooted. And guess what, it went through POST but didn't boot. So I tried to do an update to the previous version, and the update froze again. After restarting this time, all I would see is a black screen. So I RMAd the board to Newegg (I didn't get it yet, but I know the RMA went through). I put the RAM and video card in electrostatic bags, but the CPU (an Athlon 2500+) went into a ziploc bag. I cleaned the heatsink and the CPU with 70% isopropyl alcohol. When I get a definite ship date for my board, I'm going to CompUSA to buy Arctic Silver 3 (Ceramique isn't available there, which sucks, because supposedly it's safer, and I don't have time to wait for delivery). So, even though I haven't tried anything yet, I'm worried that my CPU was electrostatically damaged due to the ziploc storage and/or my handling (I'm paranoid like that) and that I might kill it with the AS3, which is slightly electrically conductive and capacitative. I'm also worried about crushing the CPU when installing the heatsink. Now I have to go to my aunt's every time I want to use a computer, which is to say, every day for a few hours.

To reiterate the moral, IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

If anyone has experienced a similar situation (messing around with your computer, causing failure) please share. Make me feel better. Or tell me that it's very rare for a CPU to be damaged. Also, feel free to call me an idiot.

Any Arctic Silver 3 application tips?