The precious...

It was too good to last.

Apple released a 17" MacBook Pro this week (still loving the hardware, still loathing the name), something I've been waiting on for a little while now. My own laptop, an old Dell, soon to be approaching it's 5th birthday, is, how to put it, a little past it's prime (well, falling to bits really). I don't really need a new laptop at the moment, however, since my work laptop is more than sufficient for my needs, and the general rule with Apple hardware seems to be wait for the second revision so they can iron out the kinds. But desire is feisty creature and not so easily tamed. And I really, really, really want one.

So began my battle with an extraordinarily bad case of technolust. I valiantly pulled forth reason after reason why it would be wise to wait rather than splurging out on a shiny new (and, oh, ever so desirable) laptop now. Such would be the sensible course of action, after all. And then I discovered I had a little more money in my bank account than I'd realised. It was obviously a sign! And who am I to ignore such a blatant sign that the universe wants me to be happy with a new laptop?

At that point I became rather like Steve Martin in The Man With Two Brains, during the scene in which he stands in front in his dead wife's portrait and begs her for a sign that he shouldn't marry Kathleen Turner. In the film, the portrait starts spinning, lightning crashes, winds howl and a ghostly voice can be heard to moan "no!" over and over. In real life I asked for reasons why I shouldn't buy shiny new laptop and in response an envelope plopped through my letterbox containing a letter asking for the first instalment of an obscenely large sum of money for work that's required on the the building housing my flat.

I regret asking, truly I do...