Eulogy for My 2014 MacBook Air
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My #ThemeSong today.
So, I guess I’m not doing so great at posting to my blog daily or even weekly. In my defense, I’ve also been trying to approach life more “organically” - to force myself to be happily flexible with unanticipated daily occurrences rather than disagreeably sticking to my agenda. And I have my Internet addiction to contend with - even without personal Facebook use, there are plenty of things that draw me to my screen.
Then yesterday, like a sign from the Universe, I accidentally killed my MacBook Air.
I felt the urge to be with my 7-year-old computer as it died there on the table. The software was still working like nothing had happened, but the hardware was clearly taking its last breaths. To pass the time, I logged into my blog and began typing the following eulogy to my old inanimate friend.
“My MacBook Air died today. Well, it's not gone yet, but it will be by the time I'm done with this blog article.
About 40 minutes ago, I tried unsuccessfully to carry the laptop and a full basket of laundry down the basement stairs at the same time.
It happened in slow motion. My beloved MacBook Air -my constant companion for seven years (that’s 87 computer years)- flew off the top of the laundry (yes, I should have lodged it in the side), then arced in slow motion over the stairs and onto the floor below. The corner of its plastic case hit the concrete first, sending the case and the laptop flying in separate pieces across the banister and into the concrete on the other side.
"My baby!” my mind screamed. I dropped the laundry basket and ran to the base of the stairs to discover that my laptop was surprisingly intact, barring the severely dented top left corner, which was unfortunately where the charging port and a couple of other important parts are. I immediately thought, When was the last time I backed this thing up?
I ran upstairs and, finding the charger still fit into the laptop’s damaged receptacle, I plugged it in and hoped for the best. But the little green light did not illuminate. I jiggled the charging cords at both ends, in case there was a bad electrical connection. No light.
I looked at the battery level - it was less than half. I ran for my external hard drive, which I had finally purchased just 2 months ago (!), plugged it into the working USB port on the other side of the damage, and copied my most essential files directly to the storage. Then I clicked 'Time Machine' (which supposedly backs up everything, so you don't have to) and saw that it was already preparing for backup. This seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time, the battery level shrinking all the while. I turned off the Internet and Bluetooth, turned down the display brightness, and force-quit all programs other than Time Machine. Then all I could do was wait and listen to my little friend groan.
I got the first low battery warning just after the back up completed (phew!) and then felt the need to be there with the old girl when she goes, you know? This hardy little piece of electronics has been my second brain, my storyteller, my mail system and my news source for 15% of my life.
It's amazing how long a battery can last when you're not counting on it to do so. Though the laptop has groaned for long intermittent periods - an almost human death rasp interrupted by punctuated silence - I’m amazed it’s functioned as long...
I have to end this last memory and eulogy to my sweet MacBook Air.
May she rest in peace (and may I do likewise without her).”
P.S. Here’s the ~1-minute video of my sweet MacBook’s passing (I never named her 😞 ).
