The Poinciana Powerhouse

On pitbulls, "aromatic" garages, and the thrill of the hunt.

The Starbucks Filter

With the heavy lifting down here in Florida finally behind me, I did what any sensible retired man does when he suddenly has breathing room: I found myself a project.

Both of my old laptops had reached that quiet, sad stage of life where Windows support wanders off without so much as a goodbye note. They still technically worked, but in the same way a flip phone technically works—you can make a call, but you feel judged while doing it.

I wanted backbone, not fluff. I wanted something built to work, not to impress a teenager at Starbucks. That is how I ended up prowling Facebook Marketplace and spotting a used Dell OptiPlex 7020 with an Intel® Core™ i5 processor 14500 , 16 gigs of RAM and Windows 11 Pro. Good bones. The kind you can build a life on.

The price started at $650, dropped to $300, and after some polite silence and strategic patience, landed at $200 flat. I later found a portable monitor for $60. Suddenly, I had a full desktop setup for less than the cost of a tourist dinner at Disney Springs. Providence was clearly paying attention that day.

Backups and Locked Doors

Marketplace is a mixed bag. I will take a risk, but I will not take a foolish one. I arranged to meet the seller at his place in Poinciana to test the machine. Jan came along as backup.

The moment I stepped out of the car, Jan locked her door with the speed and confidence of someone who has watched every true-crime documentary ever filmed in Florida. I didn't take it personally.

The seller was a young, soft-spoken guy who went by his initials, KBB. This gave me an opening to launch into a story about the original Kelley Blue Book, back when used car pricing involved a dog-eared paperback and pencil smudges on your fingers. He smiled politely, which told me he had no idea what I was talking about but was too kind to stop me.

Then his dog arrived. When I say dog, I mean a pitbull roughly the size of an ambitious Thanksgiving turkey. He nudged my elbow like he was trying to decide whether I was made of meat or computer parts. KBB told him to sit. The dog mostly complied. “Mostly” was good enough for me.

The High-Altitude Garage Test

We set everything up in the garage. The door was wide open, which was good, because the table inside bore clear signs of heavy "creative thinking." Ash piles, bongs, and the unmistakable aroma of a late-night philosophy session.

I kept my comments to myself. Life’s best stories rarely unfold on tidy surfaces.

The Dell powered up beautifully. Quiet. Fast. Solid. Exactly what I was hoping for. I shook KBB’s hand, gave the pitbull a respectful nod, and retreated to the car—where Jan unlocked the door only after visually confirming I still had all my limbs attached.

Bare Metal and Fresh Starts

Because I prefer things clean from the root, I’m doing a full "bare metal" reinstall of Windows 11 Pro. Fresh USB installer. Drive wiped clean. I want to know that every file on that SSD came from Microsoft and not from whatever that garage table has seen over the years.

What I end up with is a machine that will outwork most laptops and outlive them, too. No swollen battery pretending it isn’t a fire hazard. No tiny fan begging for mercy. Just a small steel box designed to work for a living.

The Tidy Command Center

Picture the final setup: The little OptiPlex, barely bigger than a thick hardback book. A slim portable monitor. Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I can drop it on the dining room table and, in two minutes, I have a tidy command center. When I’m done, it packs away in a closet like a magic trick.

Anyone who thinks I would stroll into a big-box store and buy a cheap plastic laptop does not know me very well. There is no satisfaction in the easy path. I would rather build something clever—something that outperforms and outlasts what is on the shelf.

And if it comes with a good story, a pitbull cameo, and a locked car door for dramatic effect? Well, that just makes it a proper Lenny project.

I am not an expert. I am a generalist. I notice things.