Everything’s Coming Up Rose (Gold)
Technical Difficulties
My first laptop was purchased for me by my brother as a high school graduation gift. It was a little Acer Aspire, 12” screen. It was pretty lightweight and easy to bring to class. Sure, I had to do my Netflix binging on a small screen but I didn’t mind. One summer morning, I sat at my mom’s kitchen table and was working on my laptop. I’m not sure what I was working on, but I had just woken up, my mom and her boyfriend were asking me a billion questions and I just wanted to be left alone. She comes into the kitchen and manages to knock over my glass of juice. Onto my laptop. We cleaned it up quickly, but from there on out, the shift key was always sticky. Not a big deal, right? Wrong. This meant that it was difficult to log onto my computer because the stuck shift key capitalized a random letter in my password. It was a constant annoyance. One day, I got so frustrated that I button smashed. You know like when you play Super Smash Bros and you just hit all the buttons? That’s what I did. I decided to turn my computer off and deal with whatever it was later. And that’s when it happened. The blue screen of death. I erased my operating system. You may be thinking, “Brittni, you shouldn’t be able to do that.” And I would agree with you. After getting some assistance to restore my operating system, the battery would no longer charge, and I purchased a new laptop.
The second laptop was larger and lasted me through the rest of college and into my post grad life. I didn’t use it too much post graduation as I was hired at a biotech start-up that supplied me with a brand new MacBook Air. And it’s a good thing I had a separate work computer because Laptop #2 died after a small fall, maybe a two foot drop. But that was enough to do it in. Although it gave the option to hard reset, it was too broken to even do that. My brother attempted to fix it, but plans A-H failed and we gave up hope. When I made the decision to leave my job for grad school, I asked HR if I could pay to keep the MacBook, and unfortunately I was told I couldn’t.
Shortly after I arrived in Miami, I ordered a new computer off of Amazon. Keep in mind, I hadn’t actually picked out any computer on my own. I don’t know what any of the specs meant. I picked something affordable cheap with decent reviews, the Acer Aspire 1 14”. I thought I would love it, based on my previous Acer Aspire experience. What I got was a POS laptop with less memory than my iPhone. I mean, I couldn’t have more than two tabs open without my computer telling me my memory was full. Forget downloading Microsoft Office, let alone programs for data analysis. I went to Best Buy in hopes they could upgrade my hard drive or something (I really truly have no idea how computers work), but was told it wasn’t an option. I reset the computer and returned it to Amazon and ordered a new laptop.
Laptop #4 was a monstrosity - the Lenovo IdeaPad 330. With almost a 16” screen, it weighed around 5 pounds and no longer fit into my backpack. While this laptop wasn’t terrible at first, it very quickly slowed down and made every task a painful experience. I truly dreaded creating powerpoints or opening multiple PDFs. It became worse with the pandemic, when I had to rely on my computer for virtual meetings. It would take 5+ minutes just to get Zoom connected. While this computer made work miserable, there was one upside to it. This thing is sturdy. Not just oh it got bumped around a bit, and there’s no scratches. I’m talking, this thing blew off the balcony table, hit the wall AND the floor, and worked perfectly after.
Apple of My Eye
There are a few things I’m getting used to, such as the keyboard layout. My last laptop had a number pad on the right side; I don’t particularly miss it, but it is weird not having it. I wish there was both a backspace and a delete button. Since it’s been a few years since I’ve worked on a Mac, I’m relearning the different commands and layout of the software. This will come with time (and assistance from my boyfriend). Not having an actual USB port is a bit of a design flaw in my opinion, but the adaptors are easy enough to use, despite being a money scam.
Of course the major con to this laptop is how delicate it is. There’s no way it could withstand any of the blows my other computers took. I’m still trying to pick out a case, but in the meantime, I’ve been holding it close and tight. I basically spent all of my savings on this laptop to improve my quality of work life. If by chance you’re interested in helping a broke college student, I’ve shamelessly placed my CashApp code below for you to scan.
Things I’m looking forward to doing with this laptop:
Editing -- Now using Photoshop and Lightroom isn’t the hassle it used to be. I wish I was kidding when I say it took 20 mins to open Photoshop for a 2 min edit. I’ve primarily used Photoshop for adjusting brightness on my immunocytochemistry images (big lab words), but with COVID, I’ve been producing a lot of my own content. While I’m not an expert, iPhone photography has been doing the trick.
Writing -- In addition to my weekly blog, every month I write an article for PhotosUnboxed Magazine, based on the theme. This coming issue is titled “Through the Looking Glass" and will feature fantasy art of multiple mediums, including an excerpt from Mynk Baylor’s book, Neophyte.
Customization!
I’ve changed my Dock Apps a little bit to better represent the apps I use more frequently. Additionally I turned hiding on so I didn't have to see the bar all of the time.
I’ve started by selecting this Desktop wallpaper from The Everygirl, and made my file folders black.
What kind of customization have you done with your MacBook? Comment below!
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