Celebrate more stories to come
It’s a gloriously sunny Saturday morning and the Tits are already at work in the garden. And you know how much that makes me smile. The solitary (and aloof) Blackbird is unconvinced that he wants to join in the party this morning and he’s not up for singing at this late hour. No doubt he’ll be back this evening and in the meantime the Tits have obviously bought their day passes, to come and go as they please. I’m so grateful to have a garden and to enjoy the pleasures it affords me. I’ve been a little quiet of late – April Fools anniversary, Easter, then a laptop “fatal error”. And seeing my Mum back home from hospital, finally after eight months. It’s certainly been an eventful fortnight. Suffice to say, I missed an opportunity to celebrate my company’s anniversary and to thank everyone who got in touch. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved at work and I’m grateful for all the friendships made.
My consultancy career took off 17 years ago and spurred on by my own sense of fun, I thought I’d celebrate with a “round up” of my dalliances with mobile technology. Daring to be different (well there’s a surprise) my first business laptop was selected for its functionality, as well as its remarkable royal blue hardware (matt black didn’t do it for me once I could choose). I never really loved it beyond its purpose and colour, and it was heavy. When the technology (and my business) shifted up a gear, so did my expectations. Next on the scene was a rather fetching burnt orange Toshiba. The screen quality was outstanding, although I never liked the keyboard. Having learned to touch type on a qwerty keyboard early in my career, the Toshiba “shift” key was in the wrong place and caused much irritation. Despite its screen clarity, it was quickly relegated to the “subs bench” at the first opportunity.
If I’m entirely honest, this decision was precipitated by a colleague. We frequently collaborated on corporate projects and I developed laptop envy for a stylish Sony Vaio which was easily “handbag friendly”. At the time portability and elegance were at the top of my list along with speed. Yes, that was the one for me. Spurred on by the graphite and violet casing, I just knew that my work would be all the better for this stylish and responsive solution. It served me well, looked impressive and didn’t weigh me down unnecessarily. Like all good friendships, there wasn’t much we didn’t know about each other. We didn’t really grow out of love until reliability faded.
Then my head was turned by a new kid on the block, an Acer Notebook. Speedy, stylish and sleek, this was a thing of beauty to be cherished. OMG how I loved that my Notebook became an extension of me. It was compact and so readily transportable that I finally ditched paper completely (despite my love of Moleskine notebooks). We worked well together although it finally slowed to an almost unproductive pace! I found it hard to let go and didn’t warm to the newly purchased, top of the range, HP Envy until necessity won the day. This coincided with work assignments which required far less screen time but pace, homeworking which didn’t rely so much on transportability and a distinct requirement for document creativity. The Envy’s touchscreen eventually became my creative space, rather than my laptop. I was converted, for the next few years at least.
All that changed after Easter when I encountered a fatal blue screen (an Envy not to be envied). I was relieved that I didn’t cancel the monthly maintenance contract as I’d intended earlier this year. With the help of the “telephone support” contract, my husband (my hero) was able to dismiss the blue screen for just long enough to back up the week’s data before the blue screen reappeared. I hauled the almost antique Notebook from the cupboard (its final resting place) and after typing just a couple of emails I knew a trip to the non-essential PC supermarket was inevitable. This time it was not fashion or whim which determined a purchase, but absolute need and functionality. My new love is a Dell Inspiron. It’s not blue, or orange, or violet, although it’s convertible (to a tablet). It’s understated and responsive.
So, there you have it, 17 years of HW HR Consulting on six laptops and some wonderful insights into my consumer choices. Who knows whether Inspiron will satisfy my ongoing desire to work, to write and to create? For now, at least the keys appear to be where they’re needed. Let’s celebrate.
I hope that this piece has made you smile and reminded you of some of your random laptop purchases – or is that just my quirky sense of humour? Why not get in touch and tell me about your laptop envy, or just for a natter?
Postscript – thanks to everyone who has supported my storytelling on LinkedIn over the past couple of years and for all the encouraging private messages you’ve sent to me. I’m pleased that my musings have spurred you on in challenging times.
