It Just Breaks™
The power cord for my laptop has been in bad shape for some months now. First the color-changing LED that indicates "charging" stopped changing color, and then slowly the cord got more and more fussy about which angle it had to be at so that the computer would in fact receive power. This afternoon I got home from school and was doing some of my interminable homework, and I realized that my battery indicator had turned red because I was down to 20% charge. The power cord had finally died.
The Professor, it turned out, had already ordered a new power cord for me, as a late birthday present, but it said it wasn't going to be shipped until November. So tonight I went out to ride many buses, to try to find a place to get a new cord on short notice. I tried calling the computer department of the University of Washington bookstore, and they said they had such a thing, so I went there. Nice and simple, lots of buses go that way. There was a problem, though. They had the right kind of cord, they were able to take out the box and wave it around in front of me, but they couldn't sell me one. Apparently, they have some deal with Apple where they can only sell parts to University of Washington students. Fine.
The guy there was very helpful, and called the Mac store, which is a few blocks away, to see if they had power cords. But they were out of stock. So then he called the Apple store, and they said they had one left. I gave them my name, asked them to hold it for me, and took another bus to the giant mall-complex where the Apple store is, next to J. Crew and around the corner from an enormous Crate & Barrel.
"Can I help you with something?" asked the guy by the door.
"Yes, I'm here to pick up a power cord for my laptop."
He talked into the small black wire strung around his neck and about his ears. "Oh, we just sold the last one."
"Yes. You sold it to me. Here is my name. Here is my bank card. Here are three unflattering forms of identification. Please give me the damn cord."
"Oh. Oh yes. Here it is."
"Thank you."
There was even a bit of a student discount. It was probably just about enough to cover my bus fare. So now I can plug my laptop in again, and am considerably less stressed out. And if I ever find myself possessed of a desire to shop at Crate & Barrel, I know where to find one.
The Professor, it turned out, had already ordered a new power cord for me, as a late birthday present, but it said it wasn't going to be shipped until November. So tonight I went out to ride many buses, to try to find a place to get a new cord on short notice. I tried calling the computer department of the University of Washington bookstore, and they said they had such a thing, so I went there. Nice and simple, lots of buses go that way. There was a problem, though. They had the right kind of cord, they were able to take out the box and wave it around in front of me, but they couldn't sell me one. Apparently, they have some deal with Apple where they can only sell parts to University of Washington students. Fine.
The guy there was very helpful, and called the Mac store, which is a few blocks away, to see if they had power cords. But they were out of stock. So then he called the Apple store, and they said they had one left. I gave them my name, asked them to hold it for me, and took another bus to the giant mall-complex where the Apple store is, next to J. Crew and around the corner from an enormous Crate & Barrel.
"Can I help you with something?" asked the guy by the door.
"Yes, I'm here to pick up a power cord for my laptop."
He talked into the small black wire strung around his neck and about his ears. "Oh, we just sold the last one."
"Yes. You sold it to me. Here is my name. Here is my bank card. Here are three unflattering forms of identification. Please give me the damn cord."
"Oh. Oh yes. Here it is."
"Thank you."
There was even a bit of a student discount. It was probably just about enough to cover my bus fare. So now I can plug my laptop in again, and am considerably less stressed out. And if I ever find myself possessed of a desire to shop at Crate & Barrel, I know where to find one.