Frustrated Computer Shopper

My optimal drive on this Dell is probably dead, so says the computer repair person. As far as he's concerned, I should just purchase another desktop and leave the matter done and dusted. No-one will actually come and examine this technological dinosaur, but everyone has an opinion.

I spoke at length with an Apple representative online whose best suggestion was a refurbished iMac for $1700 or so. That is a good price in Mac land. She diligently answered every question I had and then some, an experience which left my brain gyrating in fourteen directions at once...

Then, there was the abbreviated chat with the woman from a well known computer store in my immediate vicinity. I asked what size monitors were available for the HP desktop being scrutinized, and she typed "any."
The specificity boggles...

Dell trumps these by sending tech support  jobs overseas. It was difficult making myself understood and when the "refurbished" speakers arrived to take the place of the cheap versions used with their machine, all the Dell representative could tell me when neither worked was and I am speaking English here, "throw them out." I went to a neighbourhood computer supply for replacements from another company that still function.

Of course, I am the type who loves to see, pick up and examine everything before purchase. This makes online shopping an exercise in aggravation. The reps will tempt with, "This deal is for today only, so grab it while you can!"

Something in this approach reminds me of used car lots and the salespeople that lurk there looking for custom...The only thing I want to grab after hearing those words is the nearest exit.

Until Next Time...

Southern Exposure...

On Sunday, my neighbours and I headed south. Our trip ended in the town in which my mother was born and where large chunks of the families of  her parents lived. I was able to see two great-aunts, both in their nineties, and a cousin, each of whom I enjoy. After an overnight in a quaint hotel, we awoke to gray skies and rain, so my plan to visit the beach a stone's throw from my room did not pan out.

The lovely dinner and conversation of the night before was worth the travel and the sheets of rain which hampered visibility on the way home. Never a fan of interstate driving, I was amazed at how deftly the younger of the two neighbours negotiated the roadway. I'm sure it was a bit hair-raising for him.

This "mini-holiday" is it for the summer and possibly the remainder of the year. Time or money constrain all things, unfortunately. Below is a favourite beach photo.

Until Next Time...