Dell XPS

My Sony Vaio has finally bit the dust. Actually, the hinges gave out (sounds like some people I know). So, for one who travels a lot, this is the kiss of death. On the last trip I was afraid to open or close it. Here at home, it collects dust, grit, and grime (?) from being open all the time. I should really be thankful for this opportunity to buy a new computer. The sound system was atrocious, I could not play DVDs (and hence could not add recent software), could not burn DVDs (and therefore could not transfer or make backups of photos) and, well, it just wasn't up to snuff.

A new computer buying opportunity raised for me, once again, the issue of Mac vs. PC. I have wanted to own a Mac for many years now, and I spent an exciting hour at Foothill College bookstore admiring the Mac. It is so beautiful, and it's a dream to operate. How could one not buy it?

The problem is two-fold: cash and investments. After deciding to take some more time to think things over, we went to Costco for some groceries. While there, I checked out their computers once again. The decision had already been made to buy a small, light-weight computer. I checked out what they had, and found the Dell XPS was priced at $1109 for 4 GB/320 GB, compared to the 13-inch Mac at $1500 for 250GB. If you include the cost of replacing my PC software (my investments), the Dell was probably $4000 cheaper in cash, and perhaps another $1000 in investment. Sigh. For that kind of money, I can go to Europe - and take my 4 lb "Mini" (as I've christened her).

When I went to look for a backpack, to carry my new computer, I found a beautiful sky blue Cadence bag by Kelty, makers of "outdoor tech for urban and on-the-trail pursuits". This, my friends, is my consolation prize, for giving up my dream of owning a Mac (at least for now) - a backpack, a Dell, and a trip to Spain or Scotland. Hope I've chosen well!

By the way, thanks again to cousin Kaarin who gave me the Sony so many years ago. Loaded with Adobe software (Dreamweaver, Flash, and Photoshop), she started me on this path of artistic pursuit. With the money I saved buying Dell, I can upgrade to CSS 4 (software I can share with our desktop). Looks like I'm all set for another quarter of classes! Now if I could just decide what I want to take...