Brought To You By My New Laptop

Isn't irony a bitch?

One should not make major purchases while unemployed. But, if one's laptop is dying and one needs to remain attached to the job market, where one's laptop serves as the umbilical cord, then one's back is against the wall and the inevitable trip to Best Buy is forced upon one. Oh, the irony!

Now a laptop isn't a refrigerator, but the a la carte fashion in which a computer purchase is conducted can make you choke upon hearing the final total of all those line items. I bought the second least expensive of the laptops on display only because the least expensive model lacked capacity required by my pattern of usage. The machine itself was almost a bargain, and would have been if it could have been acquired complete. The cost of those high-end laptops would elevate to refrigerator levels - some anyway - when all the add-ons were finally tallied. Even with the $50 discount applied to the cost of the software when purchased with a computer and similar half price for a year of anti-virus/-spyware I still experienced chest pains upon handing over my meager savings to Sam, the helpful young associate in the computer department. He told me about the two versions of protection plans offered through the Geek Squad, but I declined, explaining to Sam about my near inability to breathe and how another line item might cause a medical event. He thanked me for listening.

This contrasts with my computer buying experiences in RI where I always had a friend, relative, or coworker to advise me and/or do the actual software installations. My nephew, an IT guy, performed service on my previous laptop - after I dropped it - and probably prolonged its life to this point. As a non-techie, or techNO, I always had someone to guide me, or provide some hands-on help. It's interesting to note how my computer confidence level has dropped without that old circle of support. This laptop was bought in a vacuum without the luxury of "a little help from my friends" and, as such, I had to accomplish everything in one store visit, paying near-retail for it all, or risk losing access to Craigslist and Monster, and paying more in the end by shopping around and losing those in-store discounts.

I do love my new laptop, though. It's a Gateway - from the company that packs them in the black and white cow cartons. I believe Gateway is owned by Hewlett-Packard. I hope that's correct because HP just topped the Newsweek list of greenest companies. I like that I can get a lower-end model that services all my needs while supporting a company that embraces the earth. There are probably some companies that make refrigerators on Newsweek's green list, too, but suffice it to say I won't be buying one of those any time soon.