fix the toaster

The bad news: my laptop is on the brink of collapse. The good news is two-fold: technically, it's not my laptop and there is a fair chance that it will be replaced with a Mac. A Mac, b*tches! Because I am both a luddite and a corporate slave, I have been stuck in PC-land since graduating from college. And let's just say the Macs back then were considerably less, well, sexy.

The bro-seph and most of my extended family would be revolted by my jubilation over all things Apple. Actually, they'd likely be more revolted by my shocking lack of tech savvy. Or maybe that, even given that tech savvy, I find myself publishing these idiotic ramblings semi-regularly on the web. Let's just say, in general, my family is revolted by me. The bro-seph gets particularly peeved, because he believes Apple markets for style over substance. But riddle me this: he doesn't own an iPod, so which of us is really more tech-tarded?

It is important to note that the computer crashed twice during the writing of this post, and I still have not managed to come up with more interesting things to tell you. Instead, I will just point out that some personas muy importante are celebrating birthdays: Abhi kind of had one some time in between yesterday and today, and Maitri, being more concrete in nature, is celebrating hers today. Go wish them many happy returns of the day, as my grandfather would say. By the way, if anyone understands what that really means, let me know. My cousins and I all like to say it to each other, just because we are cheesy like that and are fond of mimicking phrases we do not understand.

I have been thinking about the family a lot lately, and not just because I have been imagining their horrified expressions at my possible Mac. There was a time when much of my family lived in a two-mile radius of each other. When I was nearly ten, I went from having no family in EBF to all family, all the time. And as stifling as that could occasionally be, I do not mind admitting that I never feel more comfortable, more fully myself, than when I am with my extended family.

That is particularly strange, given that they really do not understand me, and are often diametrically opposed to me in terms of views. It is nearly laughable, as my opinions are usually swept aside as completely outlandish. I sometimes think it is because women's opinions are not prized possessions in my family, but I have to conclude it has more to do with them believing I come from an entirely different planet. Maybe there is a comfort in being on the outside though, or having a defined role.

Some people are even more on the outside though. My mother called me today, having just returned from India. She mentioned my cousin J, who runs with the rich and fabulous in Mumbai. J has only come out to a few of my cousins, but it was not too hard for most of us to guess anyway. My mother reported that she harassed J about getting married, which immediately caused me to laugh. And then she tried to explain to me that J thinks marriage is archaic, and this made me laugh even more. I sort of yearn for him to come out of the closet, because he is so well-loved by my family that they would have no choice but to get over their issues. Plus, my mother would stop thinking I laugh at stupid things. Actually, I do laugh at stupid things, but at least my mom would stop thinking so.