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an ode to my calculator

Posted by Laura J on 11 Apr 2004, 5:07 p.m.

Just this past week, my HP 28S broke. The row of keys on both sides of the clamshell, the row containing the Enter key, no longer work.

And now, a moment of silence…

I feel as I have lost my dog or best friend. Oh, how happy we were. We went to college together, calculating far into the wee hours, taking tests, working in the lab. We even went off to work together, my dear friend and I. Oh, the things we shared, working at the lab, estimating tube assemblies, even paying bills. (Well, maybe now I’ve gone too far…) Anyway, I had that calculator longer than my ex-husband.

To add insult to heartbreak, I can’t even use a non-RPN calculator any more.

I’d bury it in a hanky-lined box in the back yard, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t perform an autopsy on it; I feel I would cause it disrespect. Here I sit, contemplating replacing it with another on eBay, or perhaps replacing it with a 49g+.

How I miss you, my dear 28S. I told my boss I could no longer do any calculating for the next month, out of respect for the dead. All I got back was a cold stare. I knew I didn’t belong at my new job when, on the first day, one of my lab mates asked me if I liked big calculators upon first glance of mine.

Thus, my ode to my calculator is here at this page, where someone can understand. Thanks for reading.

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