Recently

I currently spend several hours a day in Harvard’s Science Center, using the iMacs in the basement computer lab.

When I’m at home, I’m either watching primetime tv or reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X.  This book is quite possibly the single most amazing book I’ve ever read.  I really wish I would’ve read it when I was younger, I’d be in such a better place right now.

I’m gonna go with the refurbished MacBook plan, and I’m gonna strip the HDD from my old laptop and sell it on ebay or craigslist or some shit.

I don’t expect to get that much, but it’s better than nothing.  I just need a camera to take pictures of it so people see the damage.

I haven’t done any work for Gov 1780 in almost two weeks, so I need to get back on that before the first paper assignments are handed out on Wednesday.

Still haven’t called that shrink either.  Readmission deadline is December 1st.  Sigh.

Why Procrastination is Bad

In mid to late July, the screen covering on my 17″ MacBook Pro started falling apart.  As the damage was largely cosmetic, I ignored it.

Then the bezel snapped.

I still ignored it, again because the damage was cosmetic.

When you closed my laptop, the back would open up and you could see inside.  I decided to take it to the Apple Store sometime in the near future, since my laptop was still covered under AppleCare.

This was several weeks ago.  As of today, I still hadn’t taken it to the store.

This morning, I woke up and turned my computer on to check the weather.

Apple boot up noise happens, I hear everything spinning up properly but, the screen stays dark.

After turning on and off my computer several times, I knew I was fucked.

Took it to the Apple Store, the damage is so intense that repairs would cost about a grand with labor.  Called a few independent shops, and normally they would be able to get it cheaper, but the damage on my machine is so intense….

At this point, I have three, maybe four options.

1. Get the laptop repaired.  Cost: $1k.
2. Buy a new Mac.  Cost: $1.4k
3. See if my video out still works and essentially turn my laptop into a desktop. Buy an eeepc to use in class.  Cost: $400
4. Friend of mine mentioned some sort of flexible screen that I can attach to my laptop screen and hook into the video out and “zombie” my laptop as he called it.  Cost: ????

Hopefully my video out will work fine and I won’t have to shell out a grand, because I really can’t afford that now.

tl;dr:

When something is broken, no matter how small, get that shit fixed pronto.  The longer you wait, the more it’s gonna break.

Also: Guess I’ll be spending more time in the Science Center, eh?  People say I live there as is.  :(

UPDATE:

Video out does not work.  New option set.

1. Repair.  Cost $1k
2. Buy a refurbished basic MacBook, since I’m not Course 6 anymore and I don’t need processing power. Cost: $850
3. Buy an eeePC with XP, and the use MacDrive or something else to pull files off my HFS+ formatted EHDD. Cost: $450