Big Machine is officially being held hostage by the repair guys.

“Yeah, it’s with another tech, he’s not the most reliable…”

Wait. What?

You gave my beloved Big Machine–a computer I upgraded WITH MY BARE HANDS–to an unreliable tech? That machine is part of me, dude. I gave it a new hard drive, new OS*, new RAM. I got a busted wire repaired when someone else would have cast the whole thing aside in favor of a Macbook Pro. You gave it to an “unreliable tech” AND YOU ADMIT THIS TO ME, THE WORRIED COMPUTER-MOM?

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Okay. I feel better now.

Let this be a warning to all of you who try to make a living via computer. You may become unnaturally attached to your machinery. The problem here is that my laptop is not just a “work” machine. It is also the way I tell my stories, my research buddy, and my gaming machine. It’s a portal to the outside world when I’m strapped to my desk. That’s not to say it’s a replacement for real people (or pets) because it isn’t. But to a writer/editor/geek, it’s a lot more than just a bunch of circuits. It’s how I earn my livelihood.

It’s also the recipient of a lot of time and money spent upgrading, and if that unreliable tech harms any of its circuits…then I will blow the Horn of Gondor and summon the armies of the west, and they shall attack with the wrath of Achilles…aye, verily.I think the tech heard the ire in my voice when we were talking, because he hurriedly said they’d honor the warranty. So that’s a good thing.

With all this said, I do think I need a proper “work” machine, and hence, when I return to the parental abode, I will see if my poor desktop can be saved. My father, bless his heart, has silenced many a good machine before its time. Where’s Thoros of Myr when you need him?

*To be fair, Ben installed the OS. But I did the rest!