The hits just keep coming. I have had a flaky power socket on my personal laptop (named EvilGir on the network for the evil Gir sticker that graces its case) for a while now. I haven’t worried about it because I figured when it totally crapped out I would take it in for warranty repair, and besides, I did all of my day job work on the work Mac laptop.
Guess who held the extended warranty on my laptop? That’s right, Circuit City! They also held the warranty on my newer desktop which is currently making groaning sounds of death when I boot it up. These were Firedog warranties which as far as I can tell will no longer be serviced. Someone correct me if I am wrong here.
Now, I could send the laptop in for repair–if I had the money. As it is, it basically doesn’t work as a laptop. If I move it at all, the AC power starts going on and off, which of course means the screen flickers because it likes to lower the screen brightness when on battery power. I have to wrap the power cord around the corner and pull it tight to get any AC charge at all.
I’m sitting here looking at my (formerly my) closed Macbook Pro. I closed it on Friday and haven’t opened it since. A box will arrive this week to return it to my former employer. I am wishing to any deity that will listen that I had the money to buy one of my own. I’ve been slowly becoming a mac convert through work these past five months. Now I get to go back to crap Vista that locks up every day and crap laptop which is about to permanently die–at least until I have a job and can afford to send it to Gateway for out-of-warranty repair. It’s going to make everything that much harder.
Hope is in short supply around here right now. I probably won’t sell my camera at this point, as I think I can get by a little on unemployment. But my prospects for freelance are going to be seriously hampered without working machines. A working laptop was one of those things that makes being stuck in the hosue that much more tolerable. And I had this secret plot to try and raise money to fund my driving through the southwest camera and laptop in hand, blogging and photographing the whole trip. That’s pretty much not going to happen now.
Hey, maybe someone from Apple will see this message and take pity on me, right? I was a PC user for 20 years. I had to use one of your machines for my day job and you sold me. I’ve convinced several friends to buy computers from you since then. Maybe you could loan me a 15″ macbook pro until I get back on my feet?
Wishful thinking I suppose. Wishful thinking is the only thing keeping me out of the pit of despair and self-loathing right now.
