A Laptop Just For Me

I've resisted the allure of a laptop for... ah... since there were laptop computers. I used the first generation Compaq Luggable back in computer prehistory. Yet it was exclusively for work and wasn't exactly a lot of fun.

I want to thank my dearest friend Bernard for once again being outrageously generous. I've been in school for over two years and haven't worked in something like two and a half years. Items like a laptops aren't in the budget.

I can't imagine how I ever survived without it. I won't go into geeky details, but it's a Dell Inspiron E1405. So far I have nothing but wonderful things to say about. Much faster than my desktop, large high-resolution screen, good battery life (especially if you turn off the WiFi).

I find myself writing email, working on homework, writing papers and just wasting time web surfing at the oddest times and places. It's great! I was about to replace my cell phone with a used Treo 650, however with the many WiFi hotspots and the power of Yahoo Mail (plus its simple calendar function) I'm not sure I need the Treo.

School is keeping me quite busy. I've found my English Class to be amazingly enlightening. The writing work has been very useful, but the reading has been the surprise. We're making use of a custom collection of essays selected by our instructor. The works are written by a wide array of writers; Plato, Johnathan Swift, Martin Luther King Jr., Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Thoreau, George Orwell and many more. This exposure has (re)opened many doors. I just wish I had more time to follow-up many of these authors.

I'm taking a fascinating class on California History and Politics. Learning some of the history of California explains much about our existing dysfunctional system. Early in the century many good meaning people created laws and processes to reduce the often corrupt influences of the major political parties. Those changes successfully weakened the power of the political parties. Now the power of special interests dominate. I doubt that was the initial intent of the reforms.

Until next time... :)