Not three days ago, I opened my laptop (a beautiful HP Envy that my next-door neighbor aunt gifted me a few years ago) to the screen cracked on the top center. To make matters worse, there was also (no surprised to anyone) an LCD leak. That’s about a $250 fee to fix, as one of my former kids told me (I think he was giving me the minimum price for parts and repair, because other people told me that it’s just cheaper to buy a new laptop). I asked Meester Binx if he could fix the dang thing, but he only told me that he was in possession of glue. Asked our IT guy (the assistant, not the actual IT guy), but he gave me an unsure shrug. Asked another coworker, and he said that it was a possibility for him, but he seemed unsure. Great.
As much as I love venturing into the DIY aspect of things, computer maintenance isn’t something I’m comfortable with. After searching online for the replacement screen, watching YouTube videos on replacing cracked screens, and window shopping on Amazon and Best Buy, I settled on just purchasing a Chromebook and getting on with my life. Because who needs fancy things like CD/DVD drives? I settled for an inexpensive Samsung item, skipped into the store this morning and felt crestfallen at the size of thing. Much smaller than my former netbook that I owned ages ago. Remembering all the crap that piece of shit machine gave me, I opted out of the decision.
While getting a bigger version of the Chromebook wasn’t out of the question, I felt torn. There were several “on clearance” items up for grabs that were around the same spectrum of the Chromebooks before me. So why pay the same price and get less when you can get something that’s worth it?
While I’m not married to HP as a brand (I’m in bed with Samsung currently), the best one was an HP Notebook. Without Microsoft Office because I don’t like the idea of paying a yearly subscription. Besides, I have Google Docs, LibreOffice, Hemingway, and (my favorite) FocusWriter for all my writing and blogging needs.
It will take some adjusting to a smaller laptop. I’m just glad it’s n0t painfully small.
Chapin City Blues 