Life Without My Laptop

This is a very very lonely day. My laptop, Troy, has to spend a few days in IT getting a new fan because I am irresponsible and don’t always keep Troy on a flat solid surface. I’m not ashamed to admit that without Troy I am very uncomfortable.

In case you don’t know, every freshman here at the college is required to have a laptop on campus. I received mine as a graduation present so I had the whole summer to get to know the joys of having a laptop before coming to school and discovering how quickly my laptop became my security blanket. Troy is the last “person” I talk to at night, and the first in the morning as I check the weather for today’s attire. (I promise I have real people friends too!) Whether it’s checking the temperature for the day, emails from professors, facebook messages, or the under appreciated but highly used Microsoft Word, my laptop connects me to the greater world.

I am not the kind of person who carries their laptop around. I prefer hand-written notes in class and as little as possible in my backpack, so Troy mostly hangs out on my desk all day–patiently waiting for my return. Some of my friends do take their laptops everywhere, but I like to think I’ve developed a little more independence. Still, I always know that Troy is there… until Troy gets sick.

Normally I have a very happy healthy laptop. Sometimes, however, we all catch a cold. Freshman year Troy developed BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH syndrome when the screen would suddenly wipe blue and announce fatal error. If you’ve never experienced BSoD syndrome, I am happy for you, but believe me it’s very upsetting when it happens in the middle of writing a term paper. I believed Troy could beat the BSoD alone, but eventually I had to conceed and take my laptop to IT.

I’ve already told you that every freshman requires a laptop on campus, now may I strongly reccommend that you get a laptop through the William and Mary program. There are lots of benefits to getting a W&M laptop, (like the lower price tag) but the most important one is free IT care. Being able to walk over to Jones Hall and have IT instantly give me a new charger when a wire in mine came loose and knowing they will take good care of Troy everytime I need them to makes a big difference.

I am currently sitting in Swem waiting for my cell phone to ring and hoping when it does that it’s IT calling to reunite me with my laptop, because without Troy I am very lonely. (Seriously, I do have real friends! They’ve even been kind enough to lend me their computers because they too know the stress of laptop separation anxiety.)

Lesson of the day is treat your laptops well. They are always there for you, and when your laptop needs someone to be there for them, head to IT then sit by the phone.