If you don’t have a laptop in college, are you even a student? If you don’t have a laptop in general, are you even a person? Buying a MacBook Pro…or at least convincing my mom to buy me one…was easily the best decision I ever made. Yes, laptops are expensive. Yes, they are scary at first. But once you and your laptop make that special bond, they practically become your child; well at least that was the case for me.
I was so excited when I held the white box from Apple and the potential of the contents inside. I was going to take the best notes in class. I was going to watch the clearest picture on Netflix, and my whole life was going to be completely organized…and believe me, it did!
I went through the phase where I put a bunch of preppy stickers on its gel hardcover case: bowties, vineyard vines, and even the “Don’t Tread on Me” Logo. But now that I use my laptop for absolutely everything and anything, anywhere and everywhere, I have since removed my markings of freshman year.
I absolutely hate paper. I think if you are still using notebooks, reading newspapers, or giving out paper exams, you need to re-evaluate your life. We do not need paper. I repeat, we do not need paper. Nothing irritates me more than when we have to wait to move ahead a slide in class because people cannot write fast enough with their pens. Where is your computer? Where is your brain? What is a scantron? Why do I have to wait for you to grade something? I should be able to take a test online and see my results immediately. Do I need a copy of the syllabus? Is this a joke?
I take my laptop to class. I take my laptop to work. I take my laptop to appointments, restaurants, and even on quick errands. Whenever I buy purses, I always ask if my laptop will fit in it. Whenever I think about places to eat, they have to have Wi-Fi for my laptop. Even sleeping at night, my laptop has its own side of the bed. My roommate and me always joke that my laptop gets more action then my boyfriend (which is kind of true).
But what is the obsession all about? Why do I need to have a constant attachment to technology? To be honest, my laptop allows me to think. It is the biggest stress reliever I have in my life right now. It has a calendar that copies to my phone and my iPad, so that I don’t have to be constantly thinking of what is next. It even sends me an alert of what I should be thinking of at the moment. It has a reminder system so I don’t have to carry around an agenda and worry about forgetting tasks. It has over 10 different movies on it in case I am stuck anywhere. It has all my textbooks for school, music, photos, email (which is a whole other obsession), books, notes, lectures, and anything else I could possibly need.
My laptop doesn’t judge me for working on things at 3 in the morning. My laptop doesn’t mind that I keep hitting the “Continue Playing” button on Netflix. My laptop knows that I have a crazy schedule and understands that I can’t always be available on a Friday night. My laptop knows when I need to work. My laptop knows when I deserve a break. We understand each other.
I admit sometimes it can be annoying when I pull out my sidekick while people are talking, but only because what they are saying is important to me and I want to make note of it. Please don’t take my technological relationship as an act of being rude or offensive. People must realize that this is the world we live in now. Technology is helping us move forward and to be the best we can be. I am still in touch with reality. If anything, I am more in touch with reality because I am choosing to embrace the tasks at hand as opposed to putting it off and worrying about deadlines.
I do live life to the fullest. I can have fun. I am spontaneous! Just let me check my calendar first, ok?
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