Miscellaneous laptop discussions : Trying to figure out what I need to buy.... Please help~~~~!

Trying to figure out what I need to buy.... Please help~~~~!

I don't know what to do as in laptops; I just know I need one for college. I can hardly just tote around the computer I have now.

I'm okay with computers- I hardly know as much as ya'll- it's just I have never had a laptop. I've never even really played on one (other than the ones that there are at school, which although are meant to be decent, but are clunky and awkward.)

Price is not an issue, really, but I don't want it to be horribly expensive. I've some loyalty to Toshiba, but that's negotiable. I've used XP all this time (I imagine I'll get vista whether I want it or not.) So, first of all, what I need is a computer that'll function.

Since I'll be a college student I'll need it to withstand vibration and the occasional disaster, have a longer battery life, but I don't really care if it's heavy (maybe I'll regret that later.) I'm kind of hard on stuff. Something that has particularlly irked me is when I've moved my computers (I've had two) both of them, although I swear I didn't kick them down the stairs or anything, have had their rewrite drives screwed up. I really need a rewrite drive, but I'd like one that can live through occasional transportation (seeing as how its a laptop...). >_>
It'll also need to be wireless.

It'll need to have a lot of memory, or some way to have a lot of memory, because I word process a lot. I'm majoring in Japanese, and I need the computer to be able to support Japanese, which I have NO idea how to request. I've looked at the sites, and I just don't see anything that says anything about it. (Now that I've said so I bet I'll find it.) Since English is my first language, and I'm accustomed to English, I'd like to have it in English; however, the Japanese support that can be downloaded doesn't really go the full mile. It doesn't display in many programs- in fact you can't move a file if it has a Japanese name.

I don't need any room for games, but if its not visually pleasing it'll bug me.
I really don't know what I need at all. Jargon is confusing me.
If anybody reads this, I would appreciate the help if you have any suggestions.
(I already read this website's guide to buying laptops, so please don't refer me there,)

Also: (A noob question Embarassed) Can you hook up a normal mouse to a lap top? And, a normal keyboard? My mouse is weird, but I'm used to it, and I type really fast (when I have worked with laptops the keys were too shallow and they wouldn't keep up with it.)

Thank you! Exclamation Exclamation