A Forced Hiatus · 12:46am Aug 25th, 2021
I was planning on making a summer retrospective blog when I had the time, and maybe put out a few reviews on some of the many horse books I’ve accumulated throughout the pandemic. I’m almost as behind on those as I am with revising my to-be-printed works and writing my ongoing stories.
By the title, I’m sure you’ve realized that this will not be the case. Today I went to the tech center at my university to fix an issue with my email account and the student portal shenanigans. Entirely normal things that can be fixed after a lot of fumbling around with the settings and all that. It was pointed out to me that something else was wrong with my computer, namely that the middle of the laptop was swelling like a damned landwhale crammed into child-sized skinny jeans. I hadn’t noticed that any of this was off because the laptop didn’t look any different unless you examined it from a really odd angle, and I didn’t notice anything off about it since I got the thing (sometime around early 2019, I want to say). Running my hands over the keyboard and mouse area didn’t make it feel any different either.
I was immediately advised not to use my laptop further, especially when I had to admit that I was not sure for how long this had been happening. The issue was with the (internal) battery and the damn thing could fucking explode. I’ve taken it to be repaired and everything on it is going to be backed up. Nothing will be lost, no writing, no commissions, no data, etc.
However, to get it repaired and the battery replaced I’m going to have to get it mailed out. It’s not an in-store job. Which means I won’t be getting it back until mid-September.
My classes start tomorrow.
The repairs are going to come pretty fucking close to reaching $500 and will only be reduced if I am able to verify I have an specific kind of insurance. I’ve always had software insurance and a backup copy, plus the hard drive of my old laptop. But whether or not I have the kind for Physical Afflictions of This-Fucking-Thing is something I’ll need to track down.
And classes start tomorrow.
All my writing is effectively put on hiatus. My reviews are going to be on hiatus too. My editing and pre-reading are going to be put on hold as well. Anything and everything you can imagine I use my computer for is going to have to wait until September, since I am confined to my phone and will be living out of the library until further notice.
Here’s to hoping that the paperwork I got to show a) that my laptop is out of commission until September and b) why it is will be enough to convince my professors I didn’t just toss it in the shower like a toaster or some other likely excuse.
It’s all good.
This is only my third year.
Pour one out for my bank account y’all.
Shit I'm really sorry to hear that :(
Sudden expenses like this always blow. Are you going to be able to pay for it okay?
i'm so sorry to hear all this ice, pouring one out for ya. really hope that insurance comes through, and that the turnaround is somehow quicker than was quoted.
Best of luck!
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Thank you!
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I’ll be able to cover it all, but having to pay this much money in days is a sudden blow. Normally it’d take me eight months, minimum, to find a way to spend that much.
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Unfortunately the date did sound pretty set in stone. But depending on how much that insurance offers, this might only be $200~ which I’d gladly take.
Aww... well take care, dude!
...Though at $500, it's gotta be cheaper just to get a new laptop.
Unless you're looking for hardcore gaming you can likely get what you need for under that.
Tell your instructors as soon as you’re able what’s going on with your tech situation, and how it might impact you in the classroom. My experience has always been that instructors want students to succeed, and will try to work around your tech limitations. You could also look into whether or not you’re able to secure a loaner laptop from the school; a lot of programs will hook up students with resources if they have limited tech access.
Good luck with this.
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Just doing a quick check, it’d still total to roughly $500 to totally replace the laptop. Just by looking online, getting a new laptop similar enough to my old one (brand, roughly the same storage, touchscreen, and so on) looks like I’d be pushing the upper 400s in price range. Throw in a data transfer and any updates, insurance, or software business and I’d be looking at a minimum of $100 there too.
Back to school shopping sure is fun!
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Tomorrow is the first day, which means I’ll get to tell 3/5 of my professors, and from there I can email my remaining professors, advisors, and research supervisors. The school store is open Basically Forever and has rentals, which I might be able to afford, and I can think of at least two other offices to consult. This year sure is off to a helluva start.
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Ah, see I was just thinking of the basic bitch craptop that can run basic steam games and get you online. If you be using a touchscreen that be another kettle of ponies.
Real sorry to hear about your predicament.
A very similar thing happened to me last semester, my laptop died right in the middle of classes. I ended up getting a new laptop (the one I'm currently using), because any repair would take way too long and it wasn't worth the inconvenience. I agree with Rune Soldier Dan, getting a new laptop is probably equal to the cost of the repairs, especially since you've already got all your files backed up. (Do you have it on an external hard drive or something?)
I don't know your financial situation, but you might save a lot of frustration and time by just not getting any repairs and buying a new laptop, even if it is a small downgrade. Frustration and time is, after all, equivalent to money lost or gained.
But of course the decision is yours to make.
In the meantime, is your university department able to provide you with a loaner laptop for schoolwork? My university department gave me a pretty decent loaner laptop for a few days while I was waiting for my new laptop to arrive.
Once again, sorry to hear about your laptop and hope you can get things resolved quickly.
Well, shit. I'm sorry about all of this, Ice. Hope everything goes well.
what the fuck c.c
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I don’t know what counts as basic especially relating to games, but mine might have been it. The cheapest ones (not counting Chromebooks) don’t have much in terms of storage and what mine had. I can only guess that means they probably won’t run games too.
Either way, I’d eventually need a better laptop and getting a basic one for now and then a proper one later would be way too much money, probably more than any other option.
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This same laptop actually stopped working in midterms of freshman year, during the lockdown. But ever since then it’s been doing great, minus the battery issue. My last backup on a drive is from then, and that was Spring 2020. It’s not exactly up to date.
I checked the school store; they don’t offer rental laptops at all. There are still some other places I can ask around. Repairs are looking cheaper by about a $100 at this point, and that’s without insurance confirmed yet.
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Tech sure is fun.
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I don't remember mine exactly but it's a cheap Dell one and does all the usual computer stuff (email, writing) and retro steam games fine. A quick peruse on their website shows new options from $300-$450, but whether they're good fits really depends what you want it to do.
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Whelp. Turns out I have great software insurance and absolutely no hardware insurance. Time to see what Best Buy can offer.