(no subject)
Hoo, boy. It's winding down to the last few weeks of the semester, and I've got two major papers and more tests than I can count to work on. Much of this preparation involves research and reading on the computer. So what happens?
My fucking laptop dies, that's what.
I'm serious. About a week and a half ago, my laptop spontaneously turned itself off when I had [i]just[/i] booted the little bastard up about an hour before. So, I'm thinking, "Okay, I run this thing all the time for research, e-mail/forums, and music. Maybe the fan's overworked and I'm running hot. I'll leave it turned off for a couple of days and see where we go from there."
So, I leave it turned off for a couple of days.
I go to turn it back on again and nothing happens. Nothing. Zero, zilch, nada, nein, no-freakin-thing. I took the battery out and tried running it on A/C, still nothing. I put the battery in and take out the cord to run it on battery power alone, and once again, the unit remains inert. Well, this time, I'm pissed. You see, I bought this laptop from Best Buy about a year ago. I purchased a maintainence agreement with it--two years for $200, or some such thing--and within a week the screen freaked out and went dead. Oh, the laptop itself turned on, there was just no display. So I sent it off to get fixed; Best Buy kept it for a month, and sent it back to me with a little note saying that the $200 maintainence agreement was null and void (and non-refundable, how convienient) because the laptop was "water damaged", and that while they had repaired the screen this one time, I would not be able to get it fixed should problems arise in the future. I'm thinking, "WTF, I never got this thing wet. How did it get water damaged? They sold me a defunct unit and then bilked me for an extra $200!" But I had a working screen, so I stupidly did not bitch about it at the time. Now I wish I had, as I have a broken laptop and no recourse for it's repair. And I'm too fucking poor to replace it, too. So, I'm stuck trying to use this broke-ass, virus-ridden P.O.S. desktop that my 'rents left behind for my younger sister to use, and Oh. My. God. It is so slow. I can't even play iRO on it, and more graphicly complex websites take forever to load. So, yes. The next month will be an interesting one indeed. I hope I get enough Christmas ca$h to put a downpayment on another laptop with a more reputable vendor.
On top of this, I work at a coffee shop. Christmas shopping season has kicked off, which means that there are a ton of people everywhere except where I work. And when people occaisionally do come in, they often "forget" to tip the poor barrista behind the counter that just made their fucking triple shot-extra chocolate-extra whip cream-almond cherry amaretto Mocha to PERFECTION. This means that 1) my shifts are boring as Hell, and 2) I get no tips. People, I LIVE on my tips. My paycheck is barely enough to pay my gas; everything else, I have to use my tips for. I'll take a penny, if that's all you have. Don't be stingy.
Also, Christmas shopping season means that the traffic--always a nightmare--worsens considerably as people run around like chickens with their heads cut off to get their grubby mits on the hottest fashions, coolest toys, and most cutting edge electronic gizmos in order to buy the affections of their family, friends, and co-workers this holiday season. This makes me violently angry, and I swear that the next asshole that cuts me off in traffic will be followed to the next parking lot and beaten with a sack of oranges. In fact, I will go -get- a sack of oranges, just so I can do this.
So, in short, I am overworked, underpaid, and stressed to the point of developing certain urges for chocolate and anarchy. Head, meet desk. *wham*
My fucking laptop dies, that's what.
I'm serious. About a week and a half ago, my laptop spontaneously turned itself off when I had [i]just[/i] booted the little bastard up about an hour before. So, I'm thinking, "Okay, I run this thing all the time for research, e-mail/forums, and music. Maybe the fan's overworked and I'm running hot. I'll leave it turned off for a couple of days and see where we go from there."
So, I leave it turned off for a couple of days.
I go to turn it back on again and nothing happens. Nothing. Zero, zilch, nada, nein, no-freakin-thing. I took the battery out and tried running it on A/C, still nothing. I put the battery in and take out the cord to run it on battery power alone, and once again, the unit remains inert. Well, this time, I'm pissed. You see, I bought this laptop from Best Buy about a year ago. I purchased a maintainence agreement with it--two years for $200, or some such thing--and within a week the screen freaked out and went dead. Oh, the laptop itself turned on, there was just no display. So I sent it off to get fixed; Best Buy kept it for a month, and sent it back to me with a little note saying that the $200 maintainence agreement was null and void (and non-refundable, how convienient) because the laptop was "water damaged", and that while they had repaired the screen this one time, I would not be able to get it fixed should problems arise in the future. I'm thinking, "WTF, I never got this thing wet. How did it get water damaged? They sold me a defunct unit and then bilked me for an extra $200!" But I had a working screen, so I stupidly did not bitch about it at the time. Now I wish I had, as I have a broken laptop and no recourse for it's repair. And I'm too fucking poor to replace it, too. So, I'm stuck trying to use this broke-ass, virus-ridden P.O.S. desktop that my 'rents left behind for my younger sister to use, and Oh. My. God. It is so slow. I can't even play iRO on it, and more graphicly complex websites take forever to load. So, yes. The next month will be an interesting one indeed. I hope I get enough Christmas ca$h to put a downpayment on another laptop with a more reputable vendor.
On top of this, I work at a coffee shop. Christmas shopping season has kicked off, which means that there are a ton of people everywhere except where I work. And when people occaisionally do come in, they often "forget" to tip the poor barrista behind the counter that just made their fucking triple shot-extra chocolate-extra whip cream-almond cherry amaretto Mocha to PERFECTION. This means that 1) my shifts are boring as Hell, and 2) I get no tips. People, I LIVE on my tips. My paycheck is barely enough to pay my gas; everything else, I have to use my tips for. I'll take a penny, if that's all you have. Don't be stingy.
Also, Christmas shopping season means that the traffic--always a nightmare--worsens considerably as people run around like chickens with their heads cut off to get their grubby mits on the hottest fashions, coolest toys, and most cutting edge electronic gizmos in order to buy the affections of their family, friends, and co-workers this holiday season. This makes me violently angry, and I swear that the next asshole that cuts me off in traffic will be followed to the next parking lot and beaten with a sack of oranges. In fact, I will go -get- a sack of oranges, just so I can do this.
So, in short, I am overworked, underpaid, and stressed to the point of developing certain urges for chocolate and anarchy. Head, meet desk. *wham*