Notes on a Dead Laptop

Before I begin my next exceedingly long blog post, I think we should take a moment to reflect on the passing of my trusty old laptop. One morning I went to start it up, and it tried and tried, sputtered a bit, and never fully revived. We recovered the hard drive, put it in a case and now it is an external hard drive, so I still have all the files and pictures. And I have a large, flat paperweight. Oh, little lappy. You were a good companion over the last few years. So many hours of researching and writing for my thesis. So many files and presentations for teaching. So many grade rolls and video games to distract me from grading. So many videos and hours of music to keep Ellie and me company cooped up in our apartment all winter. So many emails and video chats connecting me to the outside world. Rest in peace little lappy. Enjoy that big laptop repair shop in the sky.

Well, enough sentiment. This is mostly to explain my lapse in blogging. It's not in the budget right now to get me a new computer, and I hadn't realized just how much I had gotten used to having my own computer. I googled "dead laptop" on my mom's computer to try to find some answers and came across a page called "Notes on a Dead Laptop." It ended up not being repair tips, but rather and essay on technology, etc. After citing continental theorists Becht and Mallarme, the author claimed "The death of the laptop is essentially the death of the self." I think I am recovering rather well, though I do see how life is pretty different without a computer of my own. I am finding, though, that the world keeps on spinning even if I only check email every couple of days and if I don't even log into Facebook for a week or more at a time. I am, however, a less-frequent commenter on other people's blogs, though I still enjoy reading them. I have kept up on the family and friends' blogs that I check regularly, lurking, but rarely getting a chance to comment. (Select appropriate comments for your most recent blog entry from the following: "what a funny story!" "such pretty pictures!" "looks like fun!" "I can't believe how big he/she is getting!" etc.)

Sorry. I'll try to be better. Anyway, I promise a big, photo-filled update very soon.