Perpetual Ruminations

The Missing Key; written to a WdC Writing Prompt

It's been over a week without an entry here, so time to write something; but what? It's the same old story at work and nothing I really want to write about. On the personal side, life's been interrupted by the problems at work, so not much there to write about. That means it's time to look through some of the writing prompts provided by WdC and pick one. Today I found one that states: "A key is missing from your keyboard."

I went through a few prompts but this one stuck out because there is a key missing and it got me thinking about my trusty old laptop with the missing key and how it's performed over the years. Purchased back in 2010 it was fast and up to date, a real treat from my previous computer. It not only was faster, had more storage space, and the latest Widows Operating system, it was portable and it went many places, a real dream come true for me.

The first thing to go was the power supply, but I found another online and soon was back to using my trusty computer. Shortly after, however, the battery began to degrade and soon I found that unless I had a plug in, I wasn't going to be taking my laptop with anymore. Not a big problem, since I could usually find a place to plug it in. The next thing to go was the keyboard. It worked fine, but the print had worn off most of the keys. Luckily, I do know how to type without looking and pecking at the keys, so I was still in business, but it was a bit of a nuisance.

Then, I spilled a cup of coffee on the keyboard. I quickly pulled the plug from the side and removed the battery, hoping for the best and fearing the worst. I did my best to remove all the liquid and dry the computer. Once I was sure it was dry, I put the battery back in and restarted it. It worked!

Well, it kind of worked. The computer was fine but the keyboard didn't function properly. Some of the keys stuck, others just didn't work. In desperation I researched removing and cleaning the keyboard. Removing it wasn't too difficult, but removing keys and cleaning the surface under them was quite a difficult task, but in time I had it clean and reassembled. I reinstalled the keyboard and found I no longer had any keys sticking, but some still did not work. Being a writer, this meant the computer was about worthless now.

Not being able to afford to replace it even though it was now four years old and a bit outdated, I found a replacement keyboard online and ordered it. Soon I was back in business and happy as a clam on Sunday. Doesn't make any sense, but it sounded good.

Of course, by this time, the old laptop was outdated and running pretty slow, but it served my needs just fine and I had no complaints. However, after a few years the new keyboard began to show signs of wear, letters were fading, and the computer in general just did not function as it should. The biggest problem was the Windows System installed had become outdated, been logged down with years of updates and additions. I should also mention that Microsoft no longer supported this version so it was time to move on.

But, money was tight and I made do until one day I got a notice that I could upgrade to Windows 10. My operating system was capable of the update, but just barely. I figured I had nothing to loose, and soon was surprised to see my old laptop given a second life. Not as fast and powerful as a new computer, but fast and powerful enough for my needs, I thought my problems were over for a few more years.

But, soon my system had a few updates and things began to work slower and slower. I found I had to remove programs I seldom used to make more room for other things, I also found myself waiting for web-pages to load and downloads to complete. Many of the keys showed a lot of wear and some had completely lost their letters. Then, one day while typing away, I reached my little finger up to the back-space key and when I pressed, it came right off.

I know, not that important of a key to lose, right? Wrong. I never realized how often I used that key until it was gone. Like I mentioned, I do know how to type, and do pretty well, but am no speed typist. My biggest problem is my fingers and my train of thought don't type at the same speed. This results in typos, and the need to go back and make corrections. I had gotten so used to just tapping a key with my little finger and correcting typos, I never even gave any thought to it until the key fell off and I couldn't back-space without stopping and placing my finger in the very small little rubber nib that pokes up through the circuit board that the key once sat upon.

I have adapted to the keyboard and do pretty well, but the little nib is difficult to hit without stopping, so it has slowed me down. Now, a few years into Windows 10, my system has also slowed down, I find I can't utilize any of the fancy props that came with the operating system, and am once more looking at having to replace my trusted friend and company. Can a computer be a friend and companion?

I say yes, we have written many items together, done lots of research, kept in touch with friends and family, and completed many tasks for work. Being my first laptop, I suppose there will always be a special place in my heart for this machine. But even so, I know it's time to move on; in fact, if this old laptop could talk, I'm sure it would tell me the same, "We've shared a lot and had our time, but now you must move on."