Buy Me a Laptop – Please!

My Worn-out Dell Inspiron

This week, at Taylor Resources Writing, I have been working furiously on some fun projects for existing clients and some brand new clients. Let’s just say that I am grateful for the trust that small businesses and organizations have in me to allow me to write their content, manage their social media campaigns and help them come up with creative ways to get in front of the right kinds of customers.

Working from home at my little cherry writing desk along with my trusty Dell Inspiron, a cup of coffee and my cat Pepper to keep me company is something I look forward to on a daily basis. The familiar tapping sounds of my keyboard as I churn out web articles, blog posts and press releases is something I’ve gotten used to and sometimes I think my body and the Dell merge into one, much like a piano player in the rush of a concerto. This laptop has provided many hours of solid work, plenty of reliable service and its cool silver and white case inspires me for some reason. There’s a reason it’s called an Inspiron.

However, this little working from home experience is not without its ups and downs. In the past 2 months, I have noticed a marked decrease in the ability of my Dell laptop to keep up with the speed of my brain and the intensity of my wildly typing fingers. It tends to lag on a frequent basis, programs are starting to crash or freeze up, and I have had to take off many files, programs and clear cookies repeatedly to keep it going. The keys are worn very badly and the wrist rest is missing some paint now, as you can see from the picture. I get those alarming messages that my memory is low – whatever that means??? Every time I download an eBook, upload a photo or review a flash website, I swear I can hear it groan!

At first, I thought for sure it was the Internet service so I contacted Comcast on a few occasions and adamantly explained that it couldn’t possibly be my computer as it is top of the line technology and it’s their stupid Wi-Fi that’s the issue – not my precious Dell! I upgraded the mouse and checked the cables in our apartment to make sure they are hooked up right. After meeting with my partner in crime, Dwayne Thompson of Thompson Web Development, who showed me his cool Toshiba Satellite Laptop computer fully loaded with Windows 7 and a bunch of cool software tools, I began to realize that maybe the support tech at Comcast was right when he told me my Dell was “old school”.

So, I have come to the sad conclusion that I must retire my Dell Inspiron E1505, with its .99 GB of RAM and the Microsoft XP Home Edition operating system. I hate to admit this, but I did some window shopping, looking at the latest store models in our local office supply stores and low and behold, found something I liked! I saw this gleaming beauty of a laptop at Office Depot, you know the one right next door to Barnes & Nobles (my second home). The sales person raved about it, and after much hesitation I walked over to it, put my hands on the keyboard and I was hooked! And the price – oh my heavens – the machine was only $479 instead of the $629 price tag on the manufacturer’s website. The deal of the century for sure!

But, unfortunately, my budget this week is a bit on the scanty side, due to a multitude of writing projects in progress, car repairs to pay for and rent looming on the horizon. My husband gave me that pained look when I mentioned it to him and said “well maybe if you land a new client next month and IF it’s still on sale” and walked away quickly. I stood there embarrassed and screaming inside my head – but I can write it off on my taxes, use it for my business, be much more productive, and provide work faster for my clients!

So here is my proposition to all my wonderful clients this week: Buy me a new laptop PLEASE!

Help this hard-working freelance web writer to get back up to speed. I don’t want a shiny new Porsche, just a reasonably priced, practical laptop that I can use to do all that writing, brainstorming and researching for you. Yes, YOU! Think of it as an investment in your business and in the success of all that SEO friendly content that I’ve been writing for you. Help a broke small business owner get out of this predicament and get up to the current times with a beautiful, functional Toshiba Satellite Laptop that I saw for a deal at Office Depot.

If you do, I promise that I will be able to write much faster for you – your projects will be delivered in less time and I can work harder on your behalf. Besides, I can even deduct it from your next invoice. 🙂

So help a girl out – Help to Buy Me a New Laptop Please!