Disregarding Henry

Last night a good friend and I were talking about the new movie Extraordinary Measures.  It didn't take long for Harrison Ford's name to come up, and I asked if she'd ever seen the movie Regarding Henry.  She said no.  I almost bought it the other day when I was out shopping with kids 2 & 3, because I remember how much I loved that movie when I first saw it.  If you haven't seen Regarding Henry, I highly recommend it.  (Check the five dollar DVD section at your local Wal-Mart.)  So anyway, after our conversation I decided to name my MacBook Henry.

I'm not one to name things. My car is "my car" (though it's actually a suburban).  My husband's work truck is "the truck".  The washing mashing is "the washing machine", the dryer (say it with me) "the dryer".  We don't name anything like I've heard many (creative) people do.  But for some reason, I had to name this Henry.

We're two peas in a pod, Henry and I.  Lovemuffin laughs at me on a daily basis, shaking his head at our strange kinship.   Henry goes almost everywhere I go in the house - sometimes I take him with me to Panera Monday nights when the girls are at church.  Henry is my connection to the outside world, to writers and bloggers, twitterers and tweets, information I need at a moment's notice, friends who are miles away.  I don't know what I'd do without him.  

If Henry's battery is going dead, I feel sad.  Guess it's time to do dishes or laundry.  I'll have to watch American Idol with the kids instead of listening to it while clicking away on Henry's keyboard.  Those things just don't compare to hanging with Henry.  When he and the Internet aren't getting along, it makes me mad.  How dare it not want to connect with him?  I want to yell at stupid Internet and tell him he's being rude. I mean, come on.  It's Henry.

I've tried to let Henry go, to go back to my main computer, and work in my office.  But the chemistry just isn't the same. For one thing, she's big.  And stuck in one spot - she never follows me around or stays by my side like my pal Henry does.  I've had her way longer than him and yet, I still have no idea what her name is.

In summation, I could never get rid of Henry.  He lets people know how I'm feeling throughout the day, tells them what's on mind, helps me share information and learn a lot from others.  We're a great match, me and Henry, Henry and me.  

Now I'm wondering if I should name my cell phone - we're pretty close, almost as close as me and Henry.  I'm thinking maybe Tabitha or Annabelle or Clarice. Imagine the awesome high-tech offspring they could have if the two of them got together.  But no matter how many more electronic devices come through this house, my heart will remain true.  I wouldn't dream of disregarding Henry.