r.i.p. laptop

i don't remember what i've said about my laptop, but basically for the last month or two i've had to firmly hold in the power cord so that the battery can charge.

for the first while, i could jiggle it and it would connect. then, it would only charge when it was pressed in. it has now ceased to charge and the battery has drained. my mother-in-law has practically the same computer so i'm hoping to swap batteries and do any final cleanup. yesterday, i went to best buy and found a hard drive enclosure kit so i'll have my data, but i've really become dependent on the laptop. there's a lot of freedom in being abl e to type notes in class and surf the internet from the couch. i've got a plan to replace with a macbook (they can run windows natively now as well) once the new processors come out (supposedly this holiday season), but first a friend from small group is going to try to help me fix the power connector on the main board. he does micro-soldering with work/school and we may be able to reconnect the power connector. who knows...