all i need from my boat is that it floats

as anna observed this morning when i was walking around all grumpy & shit is that i am a simple man.  a little food & i am suddenly a-ok [including other simple bodily pleasures/necessities/whatevers too].  no great angst.  no existential despair.  no spiritual longing.  i am a physical being in a physical world [a la madonna, right?!], but also wallace stevens who observed that the greatest poverty is to not live in a physical world.  

as for things & equipment i don't need no fanciness.  all i want from my boat is that it floats.  all i need from my vehicle is that it stops & starts when i need it to.  all i require from my airplane is that it stays aloft during the flight & it takes off & lands safely.  i don't need anything more.  

my laptop is an older [say around 10+ years] dell.  if you saw it you'd think, whoa! early 2000s.  it's been my reliable companion & tool.  now it is showing its age.  the hard drive & software are fine.  i think!  but the physical thing, the place where the screen & the body meet, is coming apart.  & there is nothing more frustrating than when your longtime companion is falling into pieces. 

i tried duct tape but it is a small fix.  eventually the monitor will go one way while the keyboard & guts stay put.  i''ll eventually get a new laptop.  i have to.  because it is a tool & companion that is necessary in my kind of lifework.  i have a phone & i do a lot with it.  but my laptop is where i do most of my writing.  i use my phone, yes, but often i fire up my laptop, watch or read, stare off into space, then open a file, or my blog, & begin the process of composition. 

i must warn ye.  should this blog go quiet, say after 2 weeks, it is because this laptop gave up the ghost & i haven't purchased a newer version.

nick is a very bright kid & a wiz with electronics.  he told me that he will see what he can do to keep my old dell going.  i still have some files that need to be transferred & archived.  

but nick agreed with me that nothing is more frustrating than not if your tools, & companions, don't work.  & yes, it may seem odd that i continue to refer to my laptop as my companion.  but it is.  the internet, & the tools we use to access the internet, are no longer luxury items.  they are necessary tools to live, love & work in our 21st C.  i've been a DIY blogger/poet for over 16 years.  for me, it is essential to have a space where i can write & publish directly.   

i don't need fancy equipment.  i need to be able to rely on my tools, & companions.  all i need from my boat is that it stays afloat.