my brain-transplant patient comes home today

The computer-repair guy didn't text me all day Tuesday, and he had said he'd be done by Wednesday, so I assume I'll be able to pick up my computer later today.

The laptop is now "my computer" in only the loosest sense, for the Mac will have an entirely new SSD (solid-state drive, the type of storage device used in thin laptops like my 2011 MacBook Air). At least I won't have to contend with the annoying storage problem I've been dealing with over the past few years. Among my recent purchases were the Norton Security package for Macs and a copy of Clean My Mac X, which hunts down and deletes junk files and other things that might potentially clog the machine. I won't need to re-buy those programs for another few years. Assuming the guy installed a recent Mac OS, I ought to have iTunes back, which means I should be able to get right back to watching "Burn Notice."

Life without the laptop has felt stifling, and it's been only a few days. I don't think I realized the degree to which I'd become dependent on my Mac as a vehicle for self-expression and as a way to explore the ever-evolving universe of cyberspace. The few times I've turned my cell phone off have felt freeing, as if I had been released from slavery, but going without my laptop has been the opposite: it's been a bit like losing a limb or going blind.

Here's hoping the repairman doesn't text me to say he needs another day or so to acquire the necessary part. He wouldn't like me when I'm angry.