As of this writing, I have returned my faulty IBM Thinkpad T21 to USANotebook.com and informed them I want my money back. It's been less than a week since I did so, but not even a response to my email has shown up. Maybe they're backlogged.
So! I've decided to do away with the notion of getting a "professionally refurbished" laptop and just get one brand new. Personally, I have my eye on a Gateway M405: it's light and compact (<5 lbs, 14.1" screen), it runs all the apps I need (ObjectDock, WindowBlinds, Notepad, Firefox, JCreator, and Starcraft), nobody else will have the same one (most of the other people on the hall use Dell or Compaq, as well as one IBM, an Averatec, and a tablet PC), and for only another $150, I can add the docking station/KVM/ethernet switch system I described in the previous blog entry.
Unfortunately, all the money necessary to make the purchase is tied up elsewhere: $300 is coming from parents, and the other $600 is supposed to come from the refund from the Thinkpad. So I am left here without a laptop and without my money. Wish time went faster...
