It has taken a long time to load for months now. For me, I basically have to have nothing running in the background. So I make sure I have a long article or e-mail open and read it while it's loading, or I walk off and wait for the music to start.
Even after I hear the music it takes a while. It just stays at the purple clock or a plain purple screen for a while and then after 2 minutes or more I finally hear Mr. Herriman's voice "Here is your list..." When I eventually see him, then I know it's safe to touch the computer and play the game. Otherwise it just freezes and has an error and I have to start over.
It sucks and is a pain in the butt, but, hey, the game is almost over, so I can live through it another couple months or more.
I don't recall having a plain white screen, unless I was moving between windows and it takes a while for the window contents to 'reappear.'
~Vicks