An old piece that has never appeared on the website.
Certainly I didn't mean to do it.
Really, it was an accident. I do, of course, confess to carelessness. In that regard, I am guilty, but I have learned my lesson. It is clear to me now that I can't chat on the telephone, look at sites on my computer, and drink a refreshing liquid, all at the same time. A human being has only two hands, and I was trying to use three. My disregard for my own human limitations led to Mac's early demise. Death is always a terrible thing, but to witness this death by drowning was a terrible trauma for me.
Certainly I didn't mean to do it.
Really, it was an accident. I do, of course, confess to carelessness. In that regard, I am guilty, but I have learned my lesson. It is clear to me now that I can't chat on the telephone, look at sites on my computer, and drink a refreshing liquid, all at the same time. A human being has only two hands, and I was trying to use three. My disregard for my own human limitations led to Mac's early demise. Death is always a terrible thing, but to witness this death by drowning was a terrible trauma for me.
Ah, Mac—he had lived less than fifteen months in my home. Once I became accustomed to his presence and his peculiar ways, he became the best of house-guests. He was always there when I needed him, night and day; he was a treasure-chest of information; he absorbed my words and thoughts like a sponge. When I became dull or weary, he livened me up with various entertainments, movies and songs. When I needed to send out letters, he was more faithful than the Post Office. When I sought information from others, he helped me track it down. Mac was, as they say, a good and faithful servant.
Mac went by the name of Pro, but he was anything but a professional. A professional, after all, is paid for his services, and though I did pay a fee to acquire Mac's services, he never charged me a penny after our first meeting and performed admirably in every tasked assigned him. He was agreeable when I suggested sleep at night; he was agreeable when he woke in the morning. He was always there, always ready, always dutiful.
And now he's dead. One splash of unaccustomed liquid refreshment, and this good and faithful servant bought his ticket and went West. Only his brain, what some call his hard drive—and he was a hard driver all the way—remained alive.
That mind will soon be installed into a new version of Mac. So I suppose, in a way, he will experience a certain sort of resurrection. He will live again, though in the Air rather than as a Pro. I'm sure he will work as hard as he ever did, but I will miss the Pro. Old Mac was a good Pro and a true friend.
Requiescat in pace, Mac.
Moral of this little tale: don't drink (anything) and drive (your computer) on the same desk.
Mac went by the name of Pro, but he was anything but a professional. A professional, after all, is paid for his services, and though I did pay a fee to acquire Mac's services, he never charged me a penny after our first meeting and performed admirably in every tasked assigned him. He was agreeable when I suggested sleep at night; he was agreeable when he woke in the morning. He was always there, always ready, always dutiful.
And now he's dead. One splash of unaccustomed liquid refreshment, and this good and faithful servant bought his ticket and went West. Only his brain, what some call his hard drive—and he was a hard driver all the way—remained alive.
That mind will soon be installed into a new version of Mac. So I suppose, in a way, he will experience a certain sort of resurrection. He will live again, though in the Air rather than as a Pro. I'm sure he will work as hard as he ever did, but I will miss the Pro. Old Mac was a good Pro and a true friend.
Requiescat in pace, Mac.
Moral of this little tale: don't drink (anything) and drive (your computer) on the same desk.