Great...

I got a call from the repair shop telling me that the laptop is "economically unsalvageable". Effectively, there's a major problem with the board and fixing it would cost more than the laptop is even worth. So now I have to buy a new laptop in this very costly world. Fantastic.

Fortunately the actual hard drive is okay, so I can retrieve my essential files if I now buy an external harddrive. More money to spend but at least I'll have a better way of backing everything up.

On a lighter note, there is a coffee van turf war developing outside my workplace. The same van has come down and sounds his horn everyday since I joined, but now a new one has arrived who's horn is much more catchy. Today they arrived at the same time, bet that was awkward for them!