KYRA DAVIS: Why I Love My Computer & Why We Need Time Apart

No, I haven’t evaporated, but my computer did. It died a sudden and tragic death and I am still in mourning. I have now adopted a new computer into the family (at no small expense) and we are in the process of getting to know one another.

You don’t really know how important a computer is to your day-to-day life until you don’t have one. I know what you’re all thinking. You’re thinking that you know EXACTLY how important your computer is to you but trust me, you don’t. You don’t until you want to go on a road trip and you don’t have access to Google Maps. You don’t know how essential it is until someone sets up what may be the most important meeting in your life for you and you have no computer available to prepare for it. And finally you don’t REALLY know how important your computer is to you until you want to Google the location of the nearest computer repair shop and you can’t because your friggin’ computer’s broken!

Yes, a laptop is like a dog but much, much neater and nobody’s allergic to it. Plus Starbucks will let you take it inside their premises regardless of whether or not it’s a “helper animal” trained to help you with a disability. Because ALL laptops/Macbooks are helper animals and we’re all disabled these days. We’re disabled because we are now all incapable of functioning without a computer.

On the other hand there’s something to be said for taking some time apart from your beloved laptop. Not a lot of time but just enough to help you remember why you love it so much to begin with and to, you know, live in the non-virtual world for a moment.

Last weekend I was in Vegas for the second time in two weeks (long story as to why that is). On my first trip I had my computer with me. I don’t remember having so much as a minute to even turn it on. But I was glad I had it. It was a security blanket. This last time I went to Vegas after my last computer’s demise. On Sunday my friend had to head home and I was left in Vegas on my own for the night. For a brief moment I panicked. What would I do all by myself without my computer?? How would I live?! How could I possibly entertain myself?!

And then I remembered: “Hey, I’m in Vegas!” And it occurred to me that the very idea that anyone would need to have a laptop in order to be entertained in Vegas was sort of sad...actually it was downright pathetic. So I went to Bouchon and had an AMAZING meal on their gorgeous patio. I wandered the street and amused myself with people-watching. I checked out some of the hotels that I hadn’t been in yet. I stood outside the Treasure Island hotel and watched some seriously cheesy shirtless pirates gyrate around as they were serenaded by bikini clad “sirens” with boob-jobs. When I got back to the hotel I took a long bath in the Jacuzzi tub and then curled into bed with a book I’m reading by Ruth Reichl and ate the chocolates that housekeeping left on my pillow.

And I discovered, it’s sort of amazing all the things you can do without a computer. But I’m still very glad that I have one again. It’s like I’m Tom Cruise and my Macbook is Renee Zellweger, my Macbook “completes me” and I’d like to think I had it at “hello.” Well, okay, “hello” and a thousand dollars, but still.

Nonetheless I’m not sure I’ll be taking it with me on my next vacation. It’s one thing to spend some quality time with your laptop before bed on weekday nights but it’s another thing to bring it out to party with you in Vegas. I love me some Google but successful relationships need boundaries.

Kyra Davis