Almost six years ago, in the spring of 2007, I got my first laptop.
It was my high school graduation present, that all-important piece of technology I would need to do my work in college. I had chosen a pink 14.5 inch Dell Inspiron 1420, and it cost my parents somewhere around $1000. Now, all those years later, my little Dell is still running, but I’ve decided it is time to let her retire. So this is my eulogy for what has probably been my most valuable possession for the last six years:
Dear Dell,
You have fought the good fight. You have finished your race. Day in and day out, through countless hours of movie viewing, web-surfing, online shopping, essay-writing, and Skyping, you have been my constant companion and friend. Each quarter when I rose at first light to register for classes, you were with me, and you only froze up once or twice. Every day, when I logged in, you kept me connected to the world around me and were infinitely helpful when it came to digging up all kinds of interesting gossip on facebook. You saved thousands of documents I needed for my four years of study—oh, how many late nights we spent together in the undergraduate library! I could always count on your battery to last just as long as I had the motivation to work.
On your hard drive are saved innumerable photos, the memories of the years we spent together. You helped me find jobs and research everything from Frankenstein to wedding dresses. I loved setting you up on the kitchen counter when I was cooking or cleaning and letting the tunes blast, and I remember gathering around you with my roommates to watch The Bachelor each week.
You accomplished it all with amazing stamina; never once did I have to replace a part or take you in for repairs! There was that one time freshman year when you decided to display everything upside down, but even that was a challenge we managed to face together. I confess, I never treated you like the treasure you were. I ate my morning cereal over you so many times that your keyboard is crammed with crumbs, but still, you kept typing away. Now, even with your F3 key missing, your speakers dirty, and your casing somewhat cracked, you are beautiful. You are a champion. You have traveled the world with me and gotten me through a Bachelor’s degree and half of a Master’s. Truly, I never expected we would have this many years together, not when I often saw my friends’ computers biting the dust after three years, or four. Even now, I know you could hold out for another year or two, but it’s getting harder for you every day. Your battery now lasts only a third of the time it used to, and Microsoft Word has a frustrating habit of locking up. And so, it’s time for you to power down. But it won’t be goodbye forever. This way I can keep you close to me, and when the time is right, I know I’ll hear the whirring sound of your overheating fan again.
Sure, my new laptop only cost half as much as you and easily outmatches you when it comes to technical specs, but to me, nothing could ever outshine my first. Little Dell laptop, rest in peace, and thank-you. Thanks for the memories.
Love,
Cinderslut
lol. This is awesome. I can’t believe Delli is still running! My first one was gone by Thanksgiving Junior year. I can DEFINITELY still picture you eating your cereal over the keys.
Haha, love it. My first laptop had the same lifespan as yours, but I decided to let it retire one year earlier. It still runs, but it’s awfully noisy about it, and it was suffering from a few other minor ailments. I hope your laptop enjoys retirement! I know mine is having a blast in the corner of our spare bedroom.