Well, I bit the bullet and purchased a new laptop (Toshiba Satellite; I got a rather excellent deal on it), since I have homework that necessitated it. My Tecra is still broken, and prospects are grim. I still have not gotten word as to whether or not it can be fixed. I am out a fair sum of cash--a full third of the money I possessed--but far less than I feared. There is still a chance I may be able to earn enough between now and a certain date in the future to afford conveyance to that certain thing after all, so I am optimistic.

Regardless, thanks to this minor miracle of sorts, I have returned, and in some semblance of haste.