1st World Problems

The shower floor was filthy. It had only been a week or two (or perhaps three), since I had cleaned it. With a sprinkling of baking soda, I scrubbed while listening to Portlandia on my laptop. The abrasive was working, but I needed a bit of water. I removed the shower hose from the fixture and slowly turned the water. As the pressure increased, the hose whipped around the stall spraying water out the door. Not a problem I thought. I had a dirty towel on the floor, which I could use to wipe up the water. As I turned around to clean up my mess, I knew I was in trouble. My laptop had been drenched.

With the closest towel in hand, I gently mopped up the water on the screen and keyboard. I thought I had saved the device, since it continued to function. Foolishly I did not turn it off until a few minutes later when the screen started acting up. It never turned back on. I was devastated. Dave suggested putting it in a container with rice.  My brother called and reminded me that I have Apple Care. My hope was renewed. Dave made an appointment for the next morning.

With my three companions in tow, I headed to the mall and the Apple Store. I checked in with the concierge who asked me about the problem. As soon as I mentioned knowing why my computer didn't work, he told me that water damage was not covered by Apple Care. I was crushed. He tried to make me feel a bit better by assuring me that someone would check out my baby laptop to see if anything could be done. The kiddos quickly picked up the iPod Touchs and began playing. We waited. As the wait progressed, the knots in my stomach grew.

Finally someone was able to help me. He listened to the problem and then took the computer to the back. It wasn't good. The chime began and then it would immediately shut down. With my hard drive in hand, he told me the news. A huge lump formed in my throat as he showed me the screen indicating the cost. I started blubbering. He tried to help, but all I could say was that I didn't have $755, and I had to get my kiddos. With my new paperweight in hand and my bewildered kiddos, I left the store crying.

My brother called while I was leaving the store. He immediately deduced that there was a problem when he heard my voice. Openly crying at this point, I hung up as I had to leave the mall with some of my dignity intact. When I returned to the car, we exchanged texts. He reminded me of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life(the "always look on the bright side of life" song). That made me laugh. A lot. We also talked about the fact that my household is very fortunate to have other computer options available. The loss of my laptop is a 1st world problem. Also true. That youngest brother of mine is pretty wise.

So, I no longer have my laptop. With some help from my brother, I am hoping the data on my hard drive is salvageable. Despite knowing better, it had been too long since my last backup. I am posting as I can on our main computer, but I may be a bit quiet until I can scrounge up enough funds to replace my machine. I am embarrassed to even admit my sadness and anger, as well as my public breakdown. I know it isn't the end of the world. I will adjust, but for today I am sad.

Flowers I bought on the way home from the Apple Store. They make me happy.