It’s the little things. March 6, 2008 ~ 11:22 am
Posted by Julie in : Uncategorized , comments closedThings that have made me happy in the last few days:
- I spent yesterday’s lunch hour watching Marie Antoinette on my laptop while also working on a grant. I intend to spend today the same way.
- Lori re-discovered our old quote notebook from about six years ago, and re-reading it makes me howl. Classic quotes from include “That’s why I like cats. Very independent, no shearing involved,” said by me and “You know what’s funny is monkeys having sex, but I don’t want to see it on stage,” by our friend Ryan. We have renewed the tradition of writing down funny and ridiculous quotes.
- As you may have heard, the recruiting station in Times Square blew up last night (no one was hurt). Lori lives about four blocks from there and heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, the thunderstorm the night before woke her up and kept her up all night. Okay, that doesn’t make me happy, it just makes me laugh.
- Target across the street from Some College opened and I went there after work last night. It is a thing of beauty. I lurve it.
- Last night when I got to the bar we have our stitch’n'bitch at, I found out the Onion was having an event and they were telling people at the door that there were no more seats. I got up to the bouncer (we chat with him when we’re there) and said “I’m with the knitters in the back.” And he said “Oh, yeah! You haven’t been here in weeks!”, gave me a hug, and let me in. Knitters get the VIP treatment, friends.
- Tonight I’m meeting up with Jordana and Samang for Thai food. Tomorrow night Lori and I are going to Dave & Busters to play skee-ball. No matter what happens at work today or tomorrow, the thought of those two things makes me very very happy.
Adventures in tech support. March 5, 2008 ~ 12:20 pm
Posted by Julie in : Uncategorized , comments closedI spent three hours on the phone with Verizon last night, trying to figure out why my brand new laptop wasn’t connecting wirelessly to my home network. Verizon walked me through many steps, but none of them were working, so I called Vince. Because Vince knows his shit, unlike Verizon, and he also has a brand new MacBook Pro. Vince knew what the problem was inside of ten minutes: my modem/router from Verizon was basically ancient (four years old is prehistoric in terms of tech), and wasn’t playing nicely with Leopard (Mac’s operating system).
I called Verizon back. I told them that Apple told me their router wouldn’t play nicely with my operating system (yeah, so Vince isn’t Apple. Sue me.). At which point their tech guy said “Oh! Do you have one of those MacBook Airs?” and I said “No, I have a MacBook Pro. The ones that were just released last week.” A lightbulb came on over his head. “Yeah, the old modem-routers aren’t compatible with Leopard. You have to get a new one. You can buy one at Best Buy or call our billing people tomorrow. Ask them for a discount, and if the person you’re on the phone with says he can’t get you one, ask for a supervisor.”
Well I sure as hell wasn’t going to spend money on something at Best Buy if I could get a discount or a freebie through Verizon. I called them this morning. First, they hung up on me (accidentally, I think). Then I was on hold for a very long time and the guy in billing told me he didn’t know what I was talking about. I spelled it out very clearly for him, complete with “your tech guys told me to call you.” “Oh, yeah, I see that modem-router-thingie now. $65.99.” Um, no. Put me on with your supervisor if you can’t give me a discount, your tech guys told me about this scam, too. Talked to supervisor, who tried to tell me full price again. At this point, I believe I burst out with “Look, it’s not my fault your tech is obsolete and doesn’t play nicely with brand new tech. I should not be penalized for that, I’ve been with you for four years.” Suddenly, the supervisor told me that while she couldn’t give the router to me, she could give me a discount. $40 off. I said that was doable, and then sweetly asked how I would be billed, what my confirmation number was, when I could expect delivery, and how they would be shipping it. UPS, 1-3 business days.
Damn skippy, people. You do not fuck with my tech. Thanks, Vince, for pinpointing the issue far faster than Verizon ever would have, and for breaking it down for me so I could break it down for them! You’re a lifesaver!
The TARDIS has landed March 4, 2008 ~ 1:52 pm
Posted by Julie in : Uncategorized , comments closedLetting my geek flag fly proudly, I christened the new MacBook Pro “The TARDIS” after Doctor Who’s ship. Time Lord technology = bigger on the inside, just like this computer. Unfortunately, I then had to come to work and leave the TARDIS charging (not on the rift in Cardiff, but rather boringly on my sofa).
I did get a chance to play with it a little bit, and it is lovely. Rick has TARDIS envy. Even though his MacBook Pro is only a few years old, it doesn’t have a glossy screen, or a touch trackpad, or a built-in camera, or a remote. As he said, “It’s so pretty!”.
One thing that annoyed the shit out of me is that the TARDIS wouldn’t connect to my home wi-fi network. I’m still not sure why, since Rick’s computer was connected to it just fine. I expect to spend time on this tonight, so Vince, if you get a phone call, you’ll know I have reached the end of my rope. Also on the menu for time-killing while waiting for election results to come in: installing Photoshop Elements and Office onto the TARDIS and moving my entire iTunes library and photo library over from the desktop PC. Which, I just realized that I never named despite having had it for several years now.
And for anyone who’s curious, yes, my iPod is named The Doctor. That thing casting its shadow over you right now? That is my geek flag flying high and proud, blocking out the sunlight in its enormity.
Fed Ex is on my shit list March 3, 2008 ~ 11:05 am
Posted by Julie in : Uncategorized , comments closedAs we all know, I ordered my MacBook Pro last week. I also ordered some software with it. Everything ships separately, but I got the first software package with no problems. Second software package? The Fed Ex website said no one was home and they couldn’t deliver it, which is bullshit. My landlady was in the house all day, but apparently Fed Ex didn’t feel like ringing the bell.
Today, my computer finally made it from Shanghai, China. And Fed Ex fucked me over again. I know that my landlady was home, because she put the dog out just as I was leaving for work. Yet when I got to work and checked the Fed Ex website, it said no one was home. I don’t know what the fuck these people are doing, but thoroughness obviously isn’t part of their job description.
Now I have to figure out how I’m going to get it tomorrow. I can’t take the day off, but maybe Rick can stay home and watch for them out the window like a hawk. Because it seems like that’s what it’s going to take. Bastards, I just want my laptop!!
