JCC ITT we complain about our 1st world problems...

What I thought was going to be a quick day helping someone move turned into a much longer day, I am physically spent, just worked a 60 hour week and am looking forward to another 60 hour week starting tomorrow.

 

I need to get back on a normal sleep schedule, not there yet.

 

So Franken-Philippe is now a thing. Thanks, Weather Underground.

 

Actually Franken-Philippe is the scientist's name...

 

I bought a new shower curtain. It wasn't until I got it home and opened it up that I realized I needed shower curtain hooks.

 

there is much too much candy in the office.

 

How can there be such a thing as too much candy?

 

i'm at capacity juliet!

 

I just found out that I my employer will not be continuing my insurance coverage for next year because I missed the required hours for the year. I did 1520 out of the required 1560 hours. I was so close and I don't really know how I missed it. I barely take any time off. I never get to travel or even go on vacation.

So now I'm looking at the healthcare marketplace at healthcare.gov, but the cheapest plan I can find is $300/month. Last time I used healthcare.gov, I paid $115/month for this exact same plan. WTH?

Looks like 2018 will be the first year I go through without medical insurance.

 

Good ol' PC World aka Curry's Digital.

I use to work for them.

 

That's awful. And yeah, the premium increases on the exchange are insane.

 

Dang...sorry to hear that.

Yeah, I just got burned by my now expired health insurance...since I rarely go, I had a deductible and had to pay the eye doctor after all. $162 to tell me, outside of being very nearsighted (and perhaps I should consider bifocals), my eyes are fine (same old story for the last 8 years.)

Twice today I got zapped for not checking bags / final product...I blame that on my dehydration and lack of eating until 3:00 p.m.

 

I'm visiting my parents. I live 15 minutes away. I have to go home because I have cats to feed but I just don't want to make the drive.

 

They were good til I picked up the machine at the store. No one was around at the Knowhow counter so a regular employee gave me the laptop. Got home and it wouldn't boot up - just had a black screen and 15 beeps. Called Knowhow and complained. Laptop was picked up on Wed by their delivery lorry and is back in for repair now. Knowhow guy on the phone said something must have happened in transit since they would have put the laptop through testing after the repair (which was a bad northbridge and clogged fan). Pretty sure it didn't happen on the way home since i didn't drop it or anything like that.

 

Oh to Curry Digital. Speedy repairs...can you call the manufacturer to get involved? The last time I had issues with a 3rd party repair place (faulty repairs and lying to me about availability of parts), I received a brand new replacement from the manufacturer. Of course, I had the manufacturer make sure that this replacement computer promise was in writing.

 

Good idea, but the PC has an extended warranty from Currys so the repairs have been free and it's also an old machine. If it was still under the manufacturers warranty I might have a case but that ship sailed about 5 years ago..

 

Is there a manager you're on good terms with at Curry's? Perhaps you could talk to this person as that is such a royal BS excuse to throw blame away from themselves.

And any possibility of getting a new computer?

 

I'll see what happens this time. The store isn't in the equation since Knowhow picked the PC up. The tracking site says the repair is finished and Tues is the delivery date. (I couldn't do tomorrow as I'll be in and out of the flat). I've been holding off on a new PC since I really like the laptop and I also don't really want to go to Windows 10. Laptop is Win 7 64 bit.

 

Oh dang.


Yeah, W10 is not nice. But you can buy still laptops with W7 installed, no? I've seen some stores in the U.S. still offer them so perhaps the U.K. do too?

 

I might be able to get one from Amazon UK with Win 7 but I'd really hate to buy something that expensive online without trying it first. Local Currys just has Win 10 - no Win 7.

 

I might be able to get one from Amazon UK with Win 7 but I'd really hate to buy something that expensive online without trying it first. Local Currys just has Win 10 - no Win 7.

 

When you're at a convention walking through Artist Alley, and as you walk through, literally every single artist or writer is giving you these desperate looking puppy dog eyes to come and check out their stuff...or at least it feels that way. Sometimes you can't even stop to take a look without feeling a little guilty that you didn't buy anything, especially as you see them in your periphery looking at you hoping that you would. Usually I just take a card and tell them I might be back this way, referring to the area of the Con they are in. Asking them a question or agreeing to listen to what their work is about can also be weird, because even if they are totally genuine and wanting to talk to you and have a cool interaction, you just end up feeling even more guilty for walking away and not buying anything. Which then also leaves you wondering if that was actually a cool interaction or if that was just their pitch. Last weekend, for example, I bought this guy's 3 issue comic series for $10 because it was about a guy who got cancer who was able to harness and control it and use the effects of the cancer on other people, a concept which he told me he wrote while his mother was battling cancer and how writing that comic helped him. How was I not going to buy this guy's comics for $10 after that? Granted, that is one end of the spectrum, not all are like that. Some of them will basically cat call you and try to bait you into coming over to their booth so they can just give you a sales pitch. I have no issue ignoring those types. But for the most part, these are all decent, hard working, and passionate people who just want to their show their product to as many as people they can. And without being there at these Cons face to face with people, that won't happen. A lot of times I will give someone my attention simply because I see myself in their exact shoes one day, as somebody starting out and trying to do the best they can with their material. I also get that these are grown adults who have placed themselves in this position and who shouldn't take it personally when some one is not interested. But, still, sometimes it can just be downright uncomfortable to walk through Artist Alley, especially when it's toward the end of the Con and you can tell they haven't sold a lot.

 

I remember that feeling, those hard sells are tricky to juggle. I was happy to support Sean Chen at one of the smaller cons here, haven't been to the monster comic con yet. I hope you had a great time.

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Time to take the garbage out. I hope the local critters haven't made a mess of the other tenants trash. I feel completely silly duck taping an egg carton closed, because the creatures love those egg whites.
Also dislike dropping a few chlorox wipes in with the food trash to ward them off. The mutant raccoons not withstanding, the squirrels have become mighty bold too.

 

I did. And I always do at these things. I don't intend to come off as condescending towards these artists. I have the utmost respect for them. Especially since I don't doubt that these artists are more or less aware of how they come across to the average Con attendee. But I don't know, I guess it was just a stroll down this one particular isle during that particular hour that I just happened to notice this.

 

Hey, no worries. Hard sells drive me up a tree no matter what it's for or who says it. But like you say, these folks want to make a sale and get their work out there (if they're not established.) And sometimes that feeling of just caving happens. It's pretty cool that people follow their dreams, I need to try that in earnest. Glad you had a good time.