A Near Tragedy

I have my laptop set on a standing desk in my dining room. From there I can see the world while I travel the world, so to speak. (My other computer is in the Cocoon; our office down in the basement. No windows.)

My standing desk was built by my husband. It is a two-shelf painted bookcase with a stained wood top. Very pretty, functional and...very pretty and functional. I keep my cookbooks on it. And road atlases. And other critical things that don't have a better home. The top was biscuited and glued. (Not sure how else to describe the oval slivers of wood that fit into slots on the shelf and top, holding it all together.) At some point, Mary broke the glue seal. Lately, when I lean on my desk, it will sometimes flip it's lid. (BWAHAHAHA!)

Yesterday I decided to finally glue the top back on. I carefully set my laptop on the half-wall against which the desk is set. I pulled up on the top...and knocked my laptop onto the floor.

This laptop was a big deal. I wanted one for a while, and really felt funny when I finally got one. I mean, who needs two computers? Well, I guess I thought I did. It's very handy to have one in the dining room that I can pull up recipes on and check the weather forecast while my morning coffee brews. When we watch a family movie, and have a question about an actor or historical event, we can look it up while still on the sofa. And Mary can check her e-mail without having to DRAG herself ALL THE WAY DOWNSTAIRS. (The inhumanity) But I feel decadent having one. And now it's...damaged. The corner hit the floor pretty hard, knocking out the disc drive and bending the thin metal plate on the wrist-side of the keyboard. The disc drive was fixed, really easily, but this metal piece... When I left click, I can't gently tap like I used to. I have to LEFT click, if you get my meaning; the bend causes the mouse to be lower than it should. Dirt and crud are going to get under that metal plate more easily now, and there goes my computer.

I should have known better than to let John spoil me in this way.

And the new wood floor the computer fell onto? Don't ask about the gouge. Just don't.