My first Essay - The Broken Keyboard

I plan on writing a few works of essays. At first, I thought of creating my own site with my own ideas, but making websites intimidate me, and plus, I'm a beginning at writing. So just a little essay

My Essays                                                       

Introduction by a Broken Keyboard

First of all, please have no pity with my substitution for a MacBook keyboard. I’m just grateful I can still do my typing. Plus, it was mostly my fault. Let’s just say, kitties and water and MacBook’s don’t really mix.

I felt it would be a splendid idea to start my rows of essays, with an essay about my keyboard situation. Did you know, that if you had a MacBook, with a keyboard that just doesn’t work anymore, you have three options: 1, call support. 2, take the laptop into its company store for revaluation and diagnosis. Or 3, throw it away, sell it, do whatever. Buy a new one. I wish I could go with option 3, but I’m trying to be a bit conservative. And plus, much of my works are all stored on my computer. What is wrong with a few flaws right? I simply do my usual work, however, this Mac only has 2 usb ports, which are now being occupied by an old school mouse and a keyboard.

How did this happen you ask? Well….

I did, make a habit of watching movies while bathing in the tub. Taking a bath while watching Netflix has been one of my favorite ways to relax after working long twelve hour shifts. Nothing beats the sense of sore legs into a scalding bubbly tub, where I can be alone, surrounded by candles, the door slightly open so I don’t have to listen to the outside world. It was like my own personal meditative room where I could forget everything, and sink into the water till I felt all of my stresses were melting away.

Then the door popped open, and in tumbled my two kitties. I pictured them as toddlers for a moment, brother and sister storming into the bathroom and shouting, “Mommy mommy! What are doing in all of that water?!” And my relaxing had ended. Don’t get me wrong, I love my cats, but sometimes, I can lose my patience with them. In came the two kitties, poking their heads in, trying to get their little paws up to the edge of the tub from the other side. I had on a happy movie on my MacBook, as it sat atop the toilet, with towels underneath of course so that I could dry my hands to play with the controls. The floor was a bit wet, and even more so when I childishly flicked water at the kitties. The boy, Gizmo, as always, skitters off for a minute, but his sister, Gadget, loves to watch, loves to be splashed at, and keeps meowing her little mouth off.

And then she decided to jump up on my computer…..

Wet paws, cute as they were, stomped on the keyboard. I gasped and with a wet hand, brushed her off. I hastily dried my hands, dried the laptop, and then decided that it was good idea to close it and put it away. I didn’t even think twice about the damage that may have occurred. It was like the hot water put a tranquilizing effect on me, and I continued to try and relax, but with my own mind active and my wet fingers poking at the kitties. But then, the next day when I thought about typing up one of my novels, the keyboard and track pad have been unresponsive.

I was dumbstruck.

At first, I thought it would be a simple fix of googling and searching for ways to fix the problem.       A Bluetooth issue? Keyboard just locked? Customer service didn’t do squat. The staff had no idea what it could be, and suggested that I take the MacBook into its company store. After making an appointment so late in the day, I went into the company store for some help.

The tech guy I met, kept flipping through his iPad like it gave him all of the answers. First thing I like in someone whom is analyzing something of mine, is that I would like them to practically know right on the spot, or have the knowledge somewhere in their head, instead of at a manual that is carried around. So seeing my tech guy dive into his iPad made me feel like he knew little about the issue. With some works made and still no answer, he brought the Macbook to a group for some deeper-head-butting thinking. Came back a few minutes later and said, “Your keybard and trackpad needs to be replaced. If you want, we could take it in now, and fix it in a few days.”

First thought made me say aloud, “And how much is this repair?”

“About three-hundred dollars.”

I declined, not only because of the money, but it was finals week in school and I still needed to finish some essays.

I was furious. But at who? At first, at Gadget, because she was the one who broke the keyboard. But how could I possibly be mad at her? And how could anyone be mad at her cute little fluffy face?

It was my fault. I was mad at myself for not only risking my MacBook from getting wet, but for not thinking that kitties like to jump everywhere and they tend to break things. It’s just part of owning kitties, and it’s my first time dealing with some of those stressors. So now I type with a usb keyboard as I’m doing now while writing this. It’s not all that bad, but I can toss going to cafes and coffee shops typing my work, out the window, because I would actually be embarrassed.

I pictured two tables at some sophisticated coffee shop with some blues music playing. One table, a cute looking guy walks in in some preppy sweater, plops down, gets out his shiny MacBook, and opens it up with confidence. A girl comes in, with a surfer dude haircut, sits down at the table next to him. He notices her and smiles. She smiles back and gets out her own shiny Macbook, and opens it. That should be it. But no, she fishes out some five dollar usb mouse and connects it, and then plops a big cheap looking keyboard right over her MacBook. I don’t know about you, but I find the image pretty hilarious, and also a potential for a Mac Repair commercial.

End

Reviews

[Paul E Mahlum]

I like both the story and the way you write it. The narrator becomes the story, in a way, as if you're telling two stories instead of one. And I have kitties too.