When 20-year-old-Girl was getting ready to start college, we realized that she was going to need a computer of her own. Husband Styro and I were sharing a desktop computer and the children were using a second, dinosaur-era contraption that has since been relegated to the nether regions of the basement (like all other electronic devices in our home that are no longer needed...old VCRs, fried stereo components, you name it, we don't get rid of it. Ever.)
Big Box Office Supply Store happened to have an incredible deal going on for Compaq laptops, $700 for a Presario C500, AND a $250 rebate! $450 for a really nice laptop? We'll take three! One for the Girl, one for the boy, and one for me.
And they served us quite well for several years. Mine is still in tip-top condition. 18-year-old-Boy's appears to have been run over by a truck, but it still works. Actually, I just found the part he needed on eBay for $16.00 to make it almost like new again.
Here's the problem...For a portable computer, I never found it very portable. It was torture to carry around at BlogHer last summer. Yes, I know I am a wimp, that just makes it worse. I have trouble sitting normally for very long, so I will prop myself up with pillows in a somewhat-more-comfortable position, and use the LAPtop on my LAP. And my legs will ache like mad after an hour or so.
18-year-old-Boy's best bud since preschool, Joe, is in college now, and is in the market for a computer to use for school. He has a very limited budget, and was looking at netbooks.
A light bulb went off over my head, just like in the cartoons. "Hey, Joe! Why don't you buy this totally awesome laptop from me, and I will get a netbook, like I've been wanting for ages?" See? Everybody wins.
Hence, the arrival of Jasper:
Jasper is an HP Mini 10.1" netbook, and I am already in love. He sat on my lap last night for a few hours as we installed and updated to our heart's content (thanks to Husband Styro, who did all the complicated migrations. I did the easy stuff.), and after several hours there was no ache, no discomfort at all.
Also, owing to the fact that Jasper sat on my lap all that time, and neither of us were bothered, I can only conclude that he is gay. Plus, he has a retro-cool swirl pattern on his lid, and everyone knows gay men have the best eye for retro-mod-cool.
Jasper weighs in at slightly over 2.5 lbs (in metric that 16.37 hectares-always thinking of my world-wide readership, I am) which means he weighs less than the typical Harry Potter book. And? He fits in my purse.
I foresee a long and happy relationship.
