Mac Love (And Hate)

My Macbook and accessories came in the mail last week (the FedEx man woke me up 4 different days in a row since I had to sign for the packages that all happened to be delivered separately. He probably thought I am a disheveled individual; I made a habit of shoving on pants over my pjs while hopping to the door, my hair a mess, and not being able to see the box to sign without my contacts in yet).

But anyway, I have a love-hate sort of relationship with my new Mac. I love the design and setup; it's so sleek. I hate that you can't double click or push a the delete button to erase to the right; those two things frustrate me to no end. I love the new programs that I am still testing out from iPhoto to iChat. I hate that it takes me 10 minutes to do anything that on my old computer would've taken me 1. Argh. I think it's just the adjustment period. Soon we will have a love-only relationship going on.

If nothing else, every time I look at the computer, I swoon at how pretty it is. The glowing apple on the back is the best thing since sliced bread. And did I mention that the Incase cover is purple?

Just my style.

Mac and I will get along just fine.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

I have finally made my Mac vs. PC decision that I was ruminating about earlier (thanks to all of you who contributed your advice). Drum roll please...

A Mac. I listened to the majority, and ultimately, my brother-in-law's enthusiasm for all things Mac convinced me in the end. I am hopeful that I will make the adjustment smoothly and painlessly. The MacBooks just seem so modern, reliable, and design-friendly. I am ready for the change.

However, as I added things to my shopping cart, it seemed like more and more unexpected costs kept popping up. For example: I was advised to purchase extra GBs of memory for $100. And if I am buying more memory, I might as well just get the faster processor for another $100. And if I don't want my laptop to get scratched, I should buy a cover which runs at 50 bucks. And if I spend that on just the cover, I ought to buy AppleCare to protect the machine itself which amounts to no small sum of $350. Sigh. It's the classic lesson that I learned in elementary school: If you give a mouse a cookie, he will ask for a glass of milk.

And then he'll ask for a straw. And then a napkin. Followed by a mirror, scissors, a broom, and well, you get the point. (You've got to the read the book by Laura Joffe Numeroff. It is a childhood classic). The point is that soon the mouse will be living with you and asking for cookies all the time. There is no end to the chain of requests, events, or costs resulting from a seemingly isolated incident. All things in the known world are attached to strings.

For all I know, my new MacBook could be a marionette. I'll own one of everything the Apple Store sells by next week.

Mac or PC?

I am asking myself the question that every laptop buyer must ask themselves in the year 2008. Mac or PC? And the answer isn't as easy as deciding between the old guy in the gray suit or young skinny guy in the commercials. (Although let's be serious, I wouldn't date either).

So which do I pick?? Mac's are definitely more expensive but people say they will last longer and cost less in the long run in regard to software. PCs I already know how to use. I'm comfortable, you could say, with their operating system. Mac's are better for artsy stuff but PC's better for document-type stuff. Well, I want a computer that is good at both!

The research out there on the web seems to be passionately for one or the other, so how on earth can one make an educated decision? Oh, I don't know. What should I do?

DOS Games

Upon the recommendation of Tami I tried to find some old DOS games that I used to play before real computers were invented. While I found Pac-Man, I still can't find two that I want. My favorite was the one with aliens that were in a 9x9 block that came down until you shot them all. Only problem is, I have no idea what it was called. I also liked the block game that was like Pong, only you try to break away the little rectangles above the base with a little ball that bounces. Does anyone know what I am talking about? And what were their names?