Will my boyfriend dump me if I buy a Mac?

This is a serious question. I mean, I know Aramaic loves the ground I walk on and all, but his distaste for all things Mac is truly epic sometimes.

I've seen him in action. He and my friend Dane used to get in fights about PC vs. Mac alll the time (of course they fought about everything else as well, but that's a whole 'nother story). I'm pretty sure he thinks Steve Jobs is the devil. (I don't think so, but I found so many hilarious depictions of Jobs and Macs as evil incarnate that I've posted them throughout this blog)


But I'm about to buy a new computer (my daddy's buying it, technically, but I have plans to pay him back for it). My old computer is a ratty old Dell I've had since senior year of high school that works fine until I manage to fill it up too much with photos and files and such. Then it freaks out. It's bad, but it's still pretty functional as is.

The only thing is- as a blogger for UWire Youth Vote '08, I plan on releasing videos at least once or twice a week. I need something I can edit videos on. I can use the computers at Student Media and at Star Labs, but I don't want to have to depend on that- this blog is lasting at least 12 weeks- if I'm making 12-30 videos, I don't want to be tied to someone else's computer.

If I try to put video editing software on my current computer, I'm pretty sure it will resort to the ancient Japanese ritual of hara-kiri.

Thus, I'm getting a new computer. I need one with lots of memory, that I can edit videos on and also for...everything else I currently do with a computer.

Despite always having a PC before, I'm inclining towards a Mac at this point. I've used Macs extensively for journalism throughout the years, and I enjoy using them. They've never given me a problem (except for the crazy network shit, but that's another story). They're simple to use- I'm most familiar with iMovie as an editing software- and for what I'm planning on doing, that's okay. I don't need crazy capabilities- I just need to be able to put clips together into a fun little video.

So after discussing it with my dad, I'm looking at a few different desktop Macs. They're cheaper than the laptops and offer the same capabilities or more- plus I think I'm going to keep my ratty Dell around for traveling purposes.

The decision now is- iMac or Mac Pro? I don't know if I need a Mac Pro right now- but this is definitely the last computer I want to buy for a while. Hopefully it'll get me out of college and into the professional world a few years.

But I'm terribly nervous that Aramaic won't be able to look at me once I've bought a Mac. That would be distressing.

So people should persuade him not to dump me if I buy a Mac. Because I'm buying one (they're pretty!). And I like him. And I feel like those two situations (me buying a Mac, us dating) shouldn't have to be mutually exclusive.

Now check out this uber-cool portrait of Steve Jobs made entirely of Apple products.


I don't know who the hell did this but it's incredibly funny.




<3-R



-UPDATE-

I was informed by Mr. ZS that in no way shape or form is he going to dump me for buying a Mac, but he may make fun of me a bit. He'll be coming with me to buy it.

: ) Weeee!

New Yorker English is Different from Texan English

Interesting things happen sometimes when my boyfriend, who's from New York, and I (from Texas), talk. It goes so far beyond y'all.

(Just for the fun of it, I've put the definitions of a lot of the things I've talked about in this post at the bottom- words are marked with a *- tell me how many you knew before looking them up!)

For instance, it took me a long time to figure out what he meant when he said pocketbook*. Or what a jump drive* was.

We don't really have to worry about the soda/pop/coke divide- Aram doesn't even drink soda. And some of the other stuff I had already figured out- like what calling fives* means. Plus most of his Yiddish phrases I knew from going to a high school where a ton of people were Jewish, plus a previous boyfriend. So I know the obligatory, Oy vey*, chutzpah*, goy*, traif*, and shiksa*.

But every time I think I have it all figured out, some new word or language divide comes up. We went to a Mexican restaurant last night, where I ordered queso*. He had no idea what I was talking about. Plus I hadn't ever thought about it- Aram has no concept of some Spanish words I've known since I was very young- no clue what a sopaipilla* is.

Plus I randomly had to explain to him what beanie weenies* were. I think a childhood without beanie weenies is sad- thus, I'm going to make him some soon.

The weirdest one happened today out of nowhere. He was talking about how he wanted to get a pie* for dinner and I was so confused about what he meant.

I know it's happened other times too- I can't remember them all right now. But it leads to some amusing moments. I actually really enjoy it. A lot of it's based on where you're coming from too- for example, everyone in Texas, when they heard I was going up to Virginia for college, thought I was going 'north' for school. Some even made jokes about me becoming a Yank. Aram, however, thought he was going way south for school. I guess some of it's just perspective. Sorta like how, metro, subway, and train, mean almost the same things in my mind, mostly because Dallas doesn't really have any of them (okay, we have a DART rail train, doesn't really count). However for Aram, these all have distinct and different purposes.

What other regional traits have you encountered/experienced? I think they're so much fun.

Let me know! : )

-Rach



*Words used in this blog post*

Pocketbook- a woman's purse

Jump Drive- what I would call a flash drive or a USB drive

Calling Fives- the equivalent of "Seat Check" in Texas- a way of saying- I can get up from this chair and it better be empty when I can come back- I've got dibs on it first.

Oy Vey- an exclamation of dismay or exasperation, like, oh my gosh

Chutzpah- audacity, kinda like saying someone has balls.

Goy- non-Jew (goyim is plural)

Traif- non-kosher food, used famously by a character in Robin Hood Men in Tights to refer to a cooked ham

Shiksa- a non-Jewish woman- I've heard it used both in a derogatory manner and a friendly manner, so I think it depends on the context (I've been told that when an old Jewish mother says it, it's generally an insult)

Queso- a cheese sauce to dip tortila chips in that has jalepenos and peppers mixed in. I actually remembered this happening once on a mission trip to Colorado- at a Mexican restaurant a girl asked for queso and got a cup full of sliced cheese instead, since, well, that's what queso literally means.

Sopaipilla-A fried pastry that you can eat with honey- quite good.

Beanie Weenies-A recipe combining baked beans/pork'n'beans with hot dogs and ketchup. Kids love it. So do I. : )

Pie- In this case, Aram wanted a pizza- like, pizza pie. I really thought this was only used in movies with old Italians in them like, Lady and the Tramp.