ode to my old laptop

My old laptop died.

Not really. It just wouldn’t wake up. One day, I turned it off to rest from working and when I tried to turn it on after an hour it wouldn’t boot. The message on the screen said a file has been corrupted which is necessary for it to boot. I wasn’t surprised.  It was an old laptop as far as laptop goes. I had it for four years but before that it was owned by someone else. Two people, in fact. I bought it third-hand.

I know I could still have it repaired.  There have been near misses like this in the past. It has survived the blue screen of death twice and still it lasted this long. After looking at the laptops sorry state, I knew it was time to let it retire. The battery no longer works when I bought it and I had to keep it plugged in which limited it’s portability. The CD ROM and two out of its three USB port no longer work. The left click on the mouse pad was already broken when it was purchased, and pretty soon the right click followed suit. I cannot move the screen when it’s turned on because the screen would go blank. The F8 key is missing and the downward direction key is held in place with a tape. The list goes on.

Battered as it may seem, that laptop has served me well.  Countless lectures, handouts and examinations were made using that laptop. I’ve used it to download numerous journal articles, teaching materials and music. It has been used in many presentations and teaching-learning activities. That laptop has accompanied me in four out of my now five years in the university. Several reports, papers and audiovisual presentations were crammed with it. My life as a teacher and grad student would not have been easy without that battered computer. It has been by my side, almost literally, for four year but now, it is time to rest.

Recently, I bought in instalment my first brand new lap top, a Toshiba Satellite C840. It cost me close to 31k which is roughly 2,600 per month for 12 months.  Not bad. It has an Intel Core i3 processor, a 500 gig memory, Bluetooth and the works! It was a toss between buying a Samsung with a 1 therabyte and this. I chose sturdiness over space knowing how I am with electronic gadgets. I hope this one will last as long as my last computer.

Right now, the old laptop sits quietly in one of my cabinets in my cubicle at the college. I’ll leave it there for a while. Fortunately, I was able to back-up my files in my external hard drive before it decided to sleep permanently. Perhaps, I’ll have it fixed and give it to my nephew to use in grade school. Perhaps not. I still haven’t decided. For now, I’ll let it sleep and get its much deserved respite.

Rest well, old friend.

my niece and nephew playing with the old laptop