Welcome to the 90s, Mr. Banks

Or let's try welcome to 2011, Paige.

After 7 long years with my beloved PowerBook G4, she's been pushed into retirement. Let's just call it the Seven Year Itch. I actually didn't have much of a problem working with Microsoft Office 2004 and an OS that was at least 3 generations behind. I'm a loyal kind of girl and I couldn't find too many good reasons to break up with my perfectly functional - if not a little battered - PowerBook.

We went off to college together, typing up philosophy reports and sending emails while downloading music illegally (what was that program called that soon after inception became illegal/defunct?), clogging the hard drive with thousands of pictures from football tailgates and theme parties. She even came with me to Argentina, where I spent 6 months drinking Malbec and occasionally studying at UCA. Through thick and thin we were in it together.

Then I realized that when you want to update your Skype and a scary message that screams "New software not supported on system architecture" you're in trouble. What does that even mean? Architecture? But isn't this a computer? It happened again with Photoshop, and after some file conversion issues ... I reached a boiling point.

It's not you, really. It's me. We've grown apart. You don't satisfy my needs anymore. Sure, we've been though so much together, the good times and the bad, the late night thesis sessions and the compilation of photos for my "inspiration" folder. But I feel like we're just two ships passing in the night these days. I can't take you anywhere - literally, if I unplug you you throw a fit and turn off within 25 minutes - so I feel stifled. Time to move on.

Now I'm typing away on a MacBook Pro from last year that my Dad parted with in order to maintain my sanity. I feel like a modern woman of the 21st century now! Backlit keyboard! Glossy and sharp display! Skype for the new age.

I've hit a little bit of a roadblock, however. File and data transfer from seven years together. It's the equivalent of cleaning out "your stuff" from the house after a divorce. I definitely should have written my name in my books! (Annie Hall reference, anyone?) Despite what you might think, I'm not the most tech-savvy girl on the block. Today I've already had about three temper tantrums trying to get the damn Bluetooth to work!!!!

Maybe these are the consequences for breaking off a relationship so late into the game. My little PowerBook is going to make me work if I want to leave her. And that's ok with me. It's only fair to give her the respect she deserves. We catapulted ourselves into young adulthood together, after all.

It's been a good run.

RIP 2004 - 2011