Laptop

We have decided that we will replace my laptop. It's a bitter-sweet decision for us.

Bitter because we will have to interrupt our debt snowball to purchase it and I want to be finished with my student loans in a desperate way!

Sweet because my computer has had nothing but problems from day 1 and I will be grateful to have something more reliable and of higher quality.

My limited internet/computer access as of late has really complicated my world. I didn't realize quite how much I rely on the computer until it was no longer at my disposal. There's so much about the world that I can't figure out without it. Like how to cook chicken legs. Or what kind of new lap top to buy.

I've also been unable to blog. I have so much catching up to do! Rob went to bed without me tonight so there's a good chance I'm going to be up way too late trying to catch up on all the things I haven't been able to do on the computer lately. I'm expecting a number of blog posts will appear shortly!

This is what I'm looking for in a computer, any suggestions?

I have $500 to spend, not a penny more. I want a 15 inch (or so) screen. I don't like Dell or Vista. I'm not overly concerned about the storage space because we have an external hard drive and I'm just now running out of room on this computer and it's 3 years old. I think it's only like 80GB. Of course, I'd like the most bang for my buck though. I'd like a webcam, though it's not necessary, and I wouldn't mind something with decent battery life. I'm not inclined to refurbished unless it comes with a super warranty. I'm not inclined toward a mac (and they're not available in this price-range anyway).

I watch videos, create publisher documents, blog, facebook, and store pictures... and that's about it. Any recommendations?