Latch, buckle, clasp

Flourbook, my laptop, has been kicking around with me for over three years now. The first thing to go was the latch that holds it closed. When you push the screen down to the keyboard, this little hook is supposed to pop out of the screen part and latch into the lower part (i think it's magnetic). But one day, the durn thing just up and broke. I actually still have the latch, in a little glass jar somewhere, but it has long been divorced from the computer.

After that, it was the battery. I can now get about five minutes of time on a full charge, though i don't know whether it's full or what, because it doesn't communicate that correctly to the battery display either. They have an inherent finite life. Also, the feet, such as they were, came off at various times (i got furniture feet from Bed Bath and Beyond and superglued them to the bottom-- works great). Finally, the `/~-key, the one just to the left of the number 1 key, fell off (i have that in the jar too). But this post is about the latch.

For a year or two-- well, i don't know what i did. You can still tap the thing down and it will go to sleep, as it's supposed to. But it doesn't fully close, just sort of stays ajar. If you try to put it in your shoulder bag, to go to the coffee shop, invariably it gets tapped again and wakes up, just as you ready to go.

At some point, i got the idea to construct a strap to go around the laptop and click closed, using the sort of plastic buckle your hiker's backpack might use. The two feet or so of fabric strap and the buckle i got from Piece Gardens, run by Amy Moore, a friend of the family. It works well, you close the computer, wrap the strap underneath and over the computer, careful not to tap it awake again, close the buckle, then sinch the strap tight. Works well, but it's a bit bulky and elaborate.

Last week, i got around to the idea that i could use a clasp. Since i've already superglued feet to the computer, why not add some more personalizations? The clasp i had in mind was the sort you can find at a crafts store for to go on little jewelry boxes or whatever. This time, it was Hobby Lobby which supplied the hardware, for 99 cents. It's small and unobtrusive, and now the computer stays firmly closed until un-clasped. I just don't know why i didn't think of this years ago.