New Laptop for Nerd Wars

Nerd Wars is one of the very most important parts of my life.  And I know, over time, it has become important to you, too.  It's not just a game anymore - it is a community.  I have created some really incredible friends here I know will be a part of my life forever.

I have some big ideas for the future of Nerd Wars that I am really excited about, and am hoping to unveil to you in the next year.

One thing that is holding me back, though, is the unreliable nature of my computer.  I love this thing, but it has gone through the ringer.  It has done me well in its nearly six years of service, but now it is entering its twilight years.

Should it die, as it seems to want to do, I will be unable to work on Nerd Wars at home, and will have to spend Nerd Wars time at the office, which would mean being away from my home, family, and cats late into the night.  This would make Nerd Wars no longer fun for me, as being in a dark office alone at night several nights a week is sort of terrible.

I spend probably between 15 and 30 hours a week working on Nerd Wars-related things, including solving disputes, checking in with the mods to make sure their needs are met, building complex spreadsheets and databases for tracking scores and other data, maintaining the off-Ravelry website, and countless other tasks.  While I do some of these things at work on slow days, much of it happens at home.

And now, because my personal funds are tight and this is just not an expense I can afford right now, I am very humbly asking for help.  Help me buy a new computer that will last for another six years.  Help me be able to work on Nerd Wars from home, so I can do it at the same time as cooking dinner, spending time with my family, and maybe sometimes knitting.

Specifications:

15" MacBook Pro

• 2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory
• 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
• 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display
• Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide (English)
• Accessory Kit
• AppleCare Protection Plan