cool, thanks for the responses guys. this is the mac in question:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93847024@N00/188793398/
i knew i could use this baby. the powers that be where i work have this mode of thinking that if it isn't new, is isn't worth keeping. that's a good thing sometimes, but very wasteful. when i was in college, i dreamed about having a computer like this. who knew years later, i'd get one for free?
also, nix, thanks for showing me the flikr.com site. very useful!