toys as salvation

Being tired because of the many constant projects, it's more than a little amazing that I have not caught a cold. That's typically what my body does to and for itself. So when the home Mac crashed, that was likely to put my immune system over the edge. The passing of the old Mac was no surprise: how many professors keep a computer for six years? I was prepared to make a new purchase and it was hastened by having the iMac on life support.

It has been a hassle: trying to transfer files, reload software, remember passwords, and to re-establish Internet access. But I have been uncharacteristically calm. Sure the new Mac looks swell. However, I must confess that something unusual and lovely is at play. Apparently the campus computer center has been running a promotion and I lucked into it. While their intent was to lure parents and their proto-freshmen who are on campus for summer orientations, the Computer Center has delighted me with a new toy. I bought it all with my own money rather than sneak it into a grant.

My soul is soothed and my fingers love dancing across the screen. Sure there's still plenty of email to read, papers to grade, and correspondence to maintain -- especially with the imposed embargo while I try to transition from computers. But the iPod Touch makes me very happy. I would not have considered buying it for $300. And yet now that I have it, everything else seems less tense and urgent.