Here's what my last computer looked like:
Okay, that was fun, but really:
The old(er) computer is on the left, and the newer one is on the right.
And here is my new computer:
Am I happy with this new shiny (refurbished) MacBook? Yes, I pretty much am. It is running faster, more efficiently, and I can actually watch Hulu episodes without blips. (I guess I've been missing out on lots of TV shows, like the new one with Nathan Fillion. Dang.) Even my cat likes it so much she has to plot herself *right on top of my arm and cut off its circulation* just so she can be right next to the thing.
But, I must admit I'm sad - sad that my very first Mac has become obsolete. Yes, my iBook was my very first Mac. It was new (and refurbished) at the time. I was so enamored with it. You see, I've been a closeted Mac user my whole life, and when my iBook came in the mail, I knew I was finally coming out. At first my dad didn't approve, but I think he's mostly okay with it. Mostly.
I was so happy with my new computer, I almost never parted with it. I took it with me everywhere: work, school, camping, road trips to Montréal, concerts, you name it, my iBook came with me. We went on plane trips together - my iBook accompanied me on my first European trip to Croatia in 2006. I would watch my computer sleep. It looked so peaceful and beautiful, happily napping while a small white light near the clasp would inhale and exhale silently. When my cats came to join the household in 2007, my cats said hello, affectionately purring while rubbing their cute little noses on the computer screen.
But, alas, all good relationships with inanimate objects have to come to an end. After I downloaded Xcode tools for Tiger, I only had about 6 GB of hard drive left. It was so achy and arthritic: it would wince in pain whenever I ran Sibelius 6 or Max 5, showing me spinning beach balls of death each time these applications would run. Other applications would occasionally crash in frustration. Getting up in the morning was harder for my poor little iBook, for it was getting old. Or was already old.
So, it was time to take my poor little iBook and send it to a retirement home. (I am not pulling the plug, you sicko.) I have removed some applications since Tuesday. Unregistered my copy of Sibelius 6. And I am patiently transferring old files (like emails and iCal calendars) to the new machine. In a few days, my iBook will get a good reformating. And it will happy hum away when I turn it on to visit.