A lot of bla bla bla about my computer.

I mentioned in my last post that I got my computer back from the shop. The poor thing broke down in February (I didn't know that offhand, I looked it up in my timeline) and I didn't bother getting it fixed till now. Well...



The thing is I didn't have a lot of files backed up. Terrible. After telling myself I would for so long. Then making it a New Year's resolution. Failing at that miserably, the thing goes dark in February. This was the last thing I remember doing with my computer: Zip!

Okay so the next stupid thing is that I'm a Mac owner with no Firewire cable. I had to borrow one from a coworker which I did for months with major apologies to him. It was a slow process. The only computer I could use to get my laptop in "target disk mode" was my office computer which is a slow, outdated piece of shit and I only had lunches and breaks to do the file transfers.

It wasn't TOTAL procrastination. As soon as it went dark--and by that I mean it didn't boot, make sounds, or show anything on the screen but did light up the power on indicator--I was researching. I determined that it was most likely a faulty graphics card and this was quite common on many computers that rolled out of the factory during 07-08. Mine fit within that window. I wasn't sure but I was ready to bet it all on the logic board. I Tweeted it. Friends, particularly Mac owners responded promptly. I was still under warranty thanks to the awesome hookup I got during my purchase and was ready to talk to the Genius.

A very helpful man named Eric Nakamura tried to talk me out of going to the Genius Bar the day my computer died and made good arguments for going to a 3rd party. I decided I should be super-knowledgeable before I took it to anyone. Ms. Kinije also had some helpful advice. Many other Mac users had empathy--I think this is common with Mac people? I even called a friend who used to work at an Apple Store--he agreed it was probably the graphics card. An easy fix. So why did it take me nearly 5 months?

At some point, I had a Genius appointment for a few days. I recall chickening out and canceling it. A coworker said something like, "Don't cancel! Those Genius appointments are precious!" (I Tweeted this quote also, if you need the exact words, scroll back a few months.) I thought I would buy an external, back everything up, then take it in--neither of which ever actually happened. This is where the hardcore procrastination sets in.

The thing is I have been completely traumatized by this same thing many years ago. A laptop wasn't working and I took it in for repairs. When I got it back, they'd lost my case, the display no longer worked, the company refused to fix it, my parents still paid for the labor. It made me physically ill to think about it and I hate remembering it even now. It got to a point where I didn't even want to look at my computer--the current one--anymore. I got most of the important files backed up but then I had the computer socked away out of sight for weeks. I couldn't bring myself to confront my disappointment from the past.

Eventually, some good sense got knocked into my head (my mother is partially to thank for this); I knew it wasn't doing any good in storage, but if my extended warranty expired (which it will in a few more months) I would really be SOL. It's true that the logic board problem was so widespread that Apple was offering to make the repair for free, but even that had a statute of limitations. And what if Eric was right all along and it turned out [or they claimed it] to be something else entirely? Unacceptable. I'd have to get off my ass already.

The problem was what I suspected all along. The repair was made in under a week. It all happened so smoothly, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Everyone was helpful. I even got the last graphics card in stock. They called when promised. They did the repair as scheduled. Now I have the computer back and I'm still can't let go.

Some of the computer's settings got wiped (as I expected) and for a solid 2 hours I couldn't get my date/time to read anything other than 2001 and could not connect to the internet. I look at my computer like it's a stranger. Someone else touched it, possibly defiled it? I look at my computer with suspicion. You've changed. The Genius knows more about you than I do. Seen parts of you that I never will. You like him better than me because he understands. I know it. 


What's it going to take? Time to rebuild our relationship? It's a computer! I know that. I'm not insane. If I don't get past this, I will know I have serious emotional problems. While it was in the shop, a friend in NY informed me that her MacBook was also down. I felt that Mac empathy very deeply.

Knowing that without AppleCare, this repair would have cost over $1,500 is a huge comfort. I'm doing something right in life that I didn't have to shell out that kind of money.