Despite the missing job title/pay scale/etc. in my offer letter, I re-signed my contract. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this ends up being a good idea as I’m now committed through to mid-May 2009. No going back to work in the private sector for another year. I’m just going to sit here spending my time fantasizing about my mythical job reclassification and retroactive pay for a few moments. Ah. Wasn’t that nice?

It just would not have been a good idea for me to be unemployed a full-time student while Drew is off playing in the Sandbox. It’s a good plan. I just need to keep telling myself that. I’ll continue to have dental plan coverage and near weekly visits to the torturer dentist. I’ll be paying into a pension plan. I’ll continue to build my CV and work on papers for conferences and journals *I hope*. I’ll spend my days frolicking with super geniuses (and maroons) and playing in Second Life. There’s an educational methodology to it, honest!

Signing the contract also means that I’ll still be on track to graduate in 2011 (is it really that far away?) instead of finishing up earlier. It means I’ll be 40 before I can finish grad school – providing I can knock the socks off of the reviewing committees and gain entry to a Master’s program. Drew’s eligible for retirement at 41 and I’ll just be *knock wood* getting out of school!

But I’m getting way ahead of myself and my current dilemma. I want a shiny new MacBook. I can get a shiny MacBook (or Pro) at an educational discount as a payroll deduction at work. I didn’t buy a computer through the academic plan last year because I had just bought a new *ptooey* Dell laptop. It’s got Vista on it. Piece of pooh. I know. I’ve said that before. It bears repeating. Anywho. The mouse house doesn’t really have sufficient space for desktop systems. When we bought the house a few years back I gave all my desktop systems to friends.

Minus one.

My Mac. I LOVED my Mac. The sun rose and fell on my Mac. By the time we boxed it up for the move it was starting to show it’s age. An old G3 beige, it could only upgrade to OS X.0.5. Leopard was never in its future. When we moved in and set up the library/office (after culling many books; an exercise in pain and suffering)there just wasn’t enough space in the room for a desktop computer system, printers, etc. Something had to go and unfortunately, my beloved Mac made room for a series of PC laptops. At the time I convinced myself I couldn’t afford to buy an iBook or MacBook laptop because I worked in a PC environment. Mac’s cost significantly more than PC laptops at that time. I’d succeeded in convincing myself that if I purchased a Mac I wouldn’t have been able to install company software, access the corporate VPN, link up with co-workers when I was traveling, etc. This was, of course, before the days of decent Windows emulation software.

Since I’d purchased a new PC laptop in January of 2007 – prior to the exodus – Drew flat out refused to allow me to purchase a Mac at the college when I accepted the position here. I had to wait until the new year before he’d bend to my begging and pleading. Once the new year rolled around I didn’t want to purchase the MacBook because I through the payments would be too high. I’d have only had the option of 12 payroll deductions (6 months) instead of 24.

That’s where today’s post title comes into the mix.

Since I re-signed the contract yesterday I need to make a decision asap as to whether or not to march down to the Tech Store and buy the MacBook. The earlier I place the order, the more payroll deductions I can make in the year and the lower the payment will be. Drew refuses to weigh in on the battle I’m holding with myself as my piddling salary covers both the payroll deduction for the MacBook and mortgage payment. Ever since I quit the slave factory, accepted the el grande pay cut to work at the college, returned to university part time, and we managed to (finally!) finish paying off all non-mortgage related debt, we’ve been following the standard if we can’t save for it and buy it in cash, we don’t need it rule. It’s in play for the new garage – which we desperately need – and plans for the backyard gazebo. It’s dictating whether or not we go on vacation for the next few years. The rule may even come into play when Drew gets a new (to him) vehicle next year. The little devil on my shoulder is busy preaching that, technically, a payroll deduction isn’t a loan and it isn’t credit. The angel on my shoulder is busy reminding me that there’s nothing wrong with my PC laptop. It’s still functioning (mostly) and I have most of the software on it that I need.

Drew usually inherits my old laptops when I upgrade but he’s started murmuring about a revolt. He too wants a MacBook. Of course, he wants the 17in Pro while I want the 15in Pro. My current PC laptop is a 17in. and I find it too big for my liking. Two laptops before that I had a 13in and I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would…Off topic again. I know. I just can’t seem to make a decision. Perhaps it’s a good thing. The longer I wait, the less likely I am to buy the new laptop. The more I’ll be able to curse Vista and stop around complaining about my Dell.

Maybe the new Mac is a good idea after all…

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