New Computer

My Oregon tax refund showed up last week and I spent it plus a little this evening. After much prevaricating, asking for advice, reading articles, and having long conversations with myself in my head I purchased a computer this evening after work. The Mac Store had a special for a MacBook Air that included an option to get the external SuperDrive for it with a rebate that will make it free.

I have been delighted mostly at how fast it is compared to the old iBook I'd been using for a while now. The lightness of it is almost alarming since it feels like I'm going to toss it across the room when I pick it up. It flew through downloading my preferred applications for browsing and using Twitter, ordering a neoprene sleeve for it, and setting up De.icio.us buttons. Then running everything, lots of tabs open, two chats going, logged into webmail for work and Gmail -- and it hasn't felt slow once, in any way. All that and it is very comfortable to type on too and I am loving the wide screen.

One of my best friends from college was on Facebook when I posted a comment about making a big purchase and was one of the chat windows I had open. While chatting with her, laughing about how we both have books all over the place, it occurred to me that I've never really had a new computer for myself. I've always had used ones I've purchased. I certainly count this as new since it is fully refurbished and certified by Apple.

I really thought a lot about it since I was opting to spend a lot more money. In fact that was a lot of the conversations I had with myself again today. Feeling like I was being too extravagant, which is a way of saying "not worthy", should wait until it isn't so new & expensive, and shouldn't spend so much. I kept reminding myself all the reasons why this made the best sense for me. The full size keyboard lets me type very effectively, the wide screen is better suited for working on articles, and the ultra-light weight will mean I can carry it around with me without it being too heavy for my back.

Despite still feeling anxious during the whole purchase I'm feeling a lot better about having used it for a little while this evening. I know it will be a very useful tool for me and will be something I can use for quite a long time. It is a good way to celebrate the work I've doing too, in a lot of areas in my life, but finishing the teacher training especially.