This Is All Andrew's Fault

As I sit listening to the dull whine of my video camera playing back a tape and sending its digital signal into my computer via firewire cord, I am taken back 365 days to a cataclysmic event; an event which future generations will, no doubt, regard as a turning point in mankind's tumultuous history; a date when the great mysteries of life slowly but surely began to be solved, the answers compiled for the benefit of all the world, leading to a brighter future and a better tomorrow.

So I started my blog a year ago today. This is, naturally, cause for a minor degree of celebration, because I've never kept a blog going for this long before (frankly, it's hard to believe a whole year has gone by since one Andrew Clark finally persuaded me to join his sinister blogging ring).

I also find it poetically fitting that on the birthday of my blog, a faithful sidekick of mine for this first year of bloggery finally went home to be with the Lord. The adapter to my laptop power cord died today, after a seven month fight with internal wire degeneration. Frequent repositioning of the cord and electrical tape therapy helped stave off some of the symptoms of the disease, but the end was inevitable. In a desperate attempt to save the cord's life, Dr. Chris performed an experimental soldering surgical procedure, but alas, the miracle we hoped for was not to be.

It is with a heavy heart that I lay my adapter to rest; this was the adapter that came with the first laptop I ever purchased, the laptop that came to my rescue in a dark hour. It was early October, 2008, just hours before the official start of Fall Break. As I made my way ponderously back from class, anticipating the freedom offered by a long weekend in Damascus, Maryland, little did I know that while I was gone, my beloved desktop had gone into cardiac arrest. It died shortly thereafter of power supply failure, sending a surge of electricity through the entire machine and frying everything in it, rendering it completely unusable. Unfortunately, time stops for no grad student, and I had assignments to finish. It was necessary to purchase a laptop to help me get through the rest of the semester, so after a long and thorough search (aided by the wisdom and car of Danny Latin), I decided on a shiny new Toshiba. At that point, I intended for it to be my primary computer for the rest of the semester, until I could get my desktop fixed. I was unaware, however, that my desktop would have to be completely rebuilt, and because of that, my laptop became a constant companion for the rest of the school year.

The good news is, the laptop itself is not dead. Right now, it's in a medically induced coma, patiently awaiting an adapter transplant. Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, the new adapter should be here within the week, and my laptop will be restored to its vibrant life once more. Fortunately, my deceased desktop has since been rebuilt, and although its original innards are no longer functional, the case still stands as a monument to its four years of selfless service. It is with that desktop that I type this blog. This is as powerful a computing machine as I myself have ever possessed, and it is superb for video editing, but I've grown accustomed to the sleek keys of my laptop, so typing on this mountainous and klackety keyboard feels about as natural as doing calligraphy with a crayon. For that reason, I'm gonna hold off on any more blogs until I get my laptop up and running again, but I wanted make sure I documented this simultaneously joyous and solemn occasion.

Finally, to bring this post full circle, I'd like to give a big shout-out to all the girls out there who make life so utterly, obnoxiously confounding with your irrational, impulsive, emotionally driven disregard for practicality and common sense, and most of all, your impetuous inability to recognize real value, tangible or otherwise. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have nearly as much to write about, so this blog owes you all its deepest thanks.