Requiem for a BJ-200ex

I am a tech geek. If you know me, you know this is true.

Because tech geeks are early adopters, you'd think we'd discard hardware like last week's bread, without a thought. But this is not the case. Most geeks I know will develop strange, almost human attachments to particular pieces of hardware. There is usually one item that we've owned for a long time; one that has been trusty and reliable through thick and thin.

For me, that hardware is a Canon BJ-200ex printer. I purchased it in 1996--that's right, 12 years ago. Multiple generations of printers have come and gone, but my BJ-200ex has stood by me, and me by it. Sexier printers have tried to tempt me--with color, with scanners, with button and dongles and ports and displays. But my trusty B&W bubble jet has remained connected to my PC.

When I purchase my BJ-200ex, I was trading up from a 24-pin printer with a tractor feed. Yes, that's how long my BJ-200ex and I have been together.

Put another way, when I purchased my BJ-200ex, Independence Day and Twister were in theaters. Macarena was on the Billboard charts. And the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was on the tube. My Pentium I PC was connected from the 56k modem via a 36-foot long phone cord, which ran to the only phone jack in my home. Yes, times were simpler then.

We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but all good things come to end. For months, my printer has been unable to pull paper into the print mechanism. I've begged and swore and pleaded, and sometimes the roller would painfully yank a page through, but it was clear the end was near.

Today, I purchased a new printer. In honor of my humble BJ-200ex, I opted not for a fancy model that faxes, scans, dials, prints from cameras, and makes sushi. Instead, I purchased a simple printer in a dented box off a clearance end cap at Target. My guilt wasn't absolved, but it was minimized by the $27 price tag.

I haven't yet disconnected the BJ-200ex. It still sits on my computer desk next to my monitor, staring at me, waiting for me to put it down. When I do, it will be a sad day for both of us--my BJ-200ex and me.