Ponder this:

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The old Dell

I wrote once about The Demise of the Dell, but in that post I concentrated more on Uniting With the New HP than on the death of the old laptop. 
Many photos and journal entries are still locked inside that old machine. The poor thing doesn't know when I've inserted a cd, so I can't pull off the memory. I need a professional to do that and I haven't asked one yet. Knowing what I know, I wonder why I don't do backup cds with this HP laptop. Silly.
Look at this poor old thing. 
 See where the arrow key at the lower right fell off? I was able to reattach it several times (it had little folding legs on the bottom that reminded me of an antique wood-and-canvas folding lawn chair) and finally gave up and became accustomed to using that key without the smooth flat surface of its cover/face/whatever it's called.
See the darkened spots at both sides from my forearms and the heels of my hands?  ...and how the blue is completely worn off on the left-click button?
See the dust and filth embedded in the corners of the touchpad and in between the keys?  
It's like looking at my life: Wounded and worn and cluttered up with the detritus of old food crumbs, old cigarettes, old dust . . . and inside, years of pictures and memories.  
The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been.  ~Madeleine L'Engle 

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

You might stick a cd in the machine and then shut it off. And then start it up and it should recognize it is there. Go to >Start >Computer and then to the >CD drive letter and see if it isn't there or showing up. It works sometimes.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Some very new agey type once told me that our 'appliances' mirror our life ... I thought of that this weekend when my washing machine let out a weird screeching sound and lumbered to a halt. I told my DH it had had its day and needed to be tossed (thinking I could be talking about my life!), but when I went to show him the darn thing worked just fine. That's me too - a lot of noise, and complaints, and commotion - but I just keep on going. :)

Fran Hill said...

That laptop tells a story of its own. I enjoyed this post.

June said...

Thanks Mr. L., I tried that. It's going to take a professional to put all my *stuff* on a cd for me.
Bye-bye sixty-five bucks.

Bonnie, if it's really true that that old Dell mirrors my life, I need a shower!

Fran, good of you to drop by... you're right. It does tell a story of its own!

Wanda..... said...

You make me glad our eye sight goes, when old, June! I would hate for my keyboard to be a reflection of me.
My E,O,A,S,H,C,N keys are fading fast.

Von said...

Gosh!our appliances mirror our lives, just taking a quick inventory...washing machine leaking a bit when it coughs, laptop still fairly new but with a few worn keys, camera newish but loosing lenscaps,problem now solved by tying them round it's neck.I believe it must be true!!!

Barb said...

Dear June, My laptop is old but looks like new... on the outside. After reading your fine metaphor - I'm beginning to worry!

Mary said...

Thanks for prodding my memory. I should do a back up. After my last Dell gave me the "blue screen of death", I started using an external hard drive to backup. What I regret most is the pictures I lost. Good Luck!

Lord Wellbourne said...

I have a Dell. I am on a first name basis with the 'blue screen of death'. Can't say the name in polite company, though. I certainly hope that appliances do not reflect our lives. The toaster would be a horrific epitaph. Crumby and too greedy and/or selfish to share what it's been given by the giver. And it's old--sooooo old.

June said...

Hi Wanda! I like seeing the letters wearing off keys...I think of that particular sign of age as "patina."

Von, yes, it's all a matter of accommodation so as to make it all work, isn't it?

Barb, no worries. You're obviously just a lot tidier than I! :-)

Mary, yes...backups. I still haven't burned a cd, although it's on my mind, and the spindle of cds is close at hand...

LW, I'm sure your toaster is your Portrait of Dorian Gray stand-in.

Joe Todd said...

I had nver done a backup of any king til couple weeks ago. Bought external hard drive about $100.00 just plug it in. Took several hours to do 1st backup Now I update once a week.. Have a great one and good luck

Patty said...

My computer is the same way, the "y" key and the "1" key are missing and all the letters are rubbed off but still can't part with my "old faithful"

Cindy said...

I too have a love affair with my laptop. It isn't current, but, who cares?