Monday, August 31, 2015

A comparison of shipping (and other things)…

For the past couple of months, I’ve upgrading my computer. Nothing big, just making sure that when Windows 10 came out, I’d be ready for it. First, it was extra RAM, then it was a larger bard drive. Then it was a new TV tuner, and a couple of other items. Among other places I ordered them from Worst Buy, Spamazon, Office Depot, and Newegg. Things were shipped brown, dhl, Fedex, and the US Postal Service.

Office Depot delivered there item to me in an Office Depot box truck, via a uniformed Office Depot employee. The next day….

With Spamazon, I have Amazon Prime, so as long as I ordered it by two, it’ll show up in two days. Usually it’s via UPS, but they’ve been know to us the Postal Service. My opinion with them is do not use overnight shipping at Amazon! The last time I did it, I paid extra for shipping, and it was misrouted and over a week late with no explanation from Amazon. But they do have a very wide selection, and like I said I have Amazon Prime. The free shipping pays for itself…

Best Buy does offer free shipping if your purchase is over a certain amount. Depending on the item, and whether or not you’re buying off the marketplace, it’ll be shipped UPS Fedex or USPS. I remember ordering two different things from them one time, and they both arrived via different carriers….

Newegg has great customer service. Their Android app is just like the website. If you’re say looking at a specific tv tuner model, they’ll tell you if they have a newer one on hand. When it comes to shipping, they usually ship via dhl, who then hands it off the the local post offcie for deliveries. Not a bad thing, if they get the right post office (ups does the same thing, but I’ve noticed) that it takes a couple of extra days.

Probably the best online shopping experience was with Office Depot. Like I said, send overnight to my doorstep via Office Depot and delivered by a uniformed Office Depot employee. I was so impressed with them that I actually went back and filled out a job application (if they’re that good, then that’s probably a company you want to be a part of), and they actually called me for an interview. But I had to pass on it, due to a nagging foot injury (I’m not really worried yet. I’m happy where I’m at, and other opportunities will come. Perhaps it was just the fates decreeing that I shouldn’t work there…)

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The end of another weekend….

Due to a schedule shift, this weekend was only going to be one day, but foot problems led me to call out. This past week at work, especially Sunday was stressful. But a new day starts tomorrow. And a new workweek. And more importantly, my foot is better (sometimes, I need to just rest it. Previous experience with trying to work through the pain has been rather counterproductive….).

Monday, August 24, 2015

All for a cheeseburger….

Today was my day off. I was scheduled to work tomorrow. And I wanted a cheeseburger. Not that much of a big deal, as there’s a McDonalds and a Jack(ing off) in the Box right down the street from my apartment. Wanting volume over quality, I decided on the $1 cheeseburger at McDonalds (and a considerable quantity, too…). I walk over there, and I get my food. On the walk home, I realized I was limping on my left foot (the same foot that I hurt a while back). It wasn’t the same injury as before, but it was on the same foot….

Back to being scheduled tomorrow. If I can’t walk to the local McDonalds without pain, then I probably shouldn’t stand for 8 hours at register tomorrow. I’m now even more grateful for paid sick/personal time that my employer offers…..

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Another year older, another year wiser (I hope)

Today is my birthday. I’m trying to keep the celebration low-key, even to the point of telling my roommate that I was cancelling it this year. I’m not really cancelling it, I just want to celebrate it with a day of contemplation. I don’t anticipate any cake this year (for the obvious reasons of Type I diabetes). But I’m enjoying my day off with NFL preseason football (The NFL network is showing reruns of every preseason game). And putting my computer back together (I’ve finally decided to stick with Windows 7, with some space partitioned off for Linux down the road).

I’m another year older today. Hopefully, I’m wiser than last year,,,

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

I don’t know what it is…

Twice I’ve sat down to write something, and both times as soon as I started, my mind just drew blanks. Perhaps the posts aren’t ready yet. I suppose I could sit here, and force them out, but I think it’s better to let them write themselves when they’re ready.

Maybe next time…

Monday, August 10, 2015

Another try at it….

I installed Windows 10 last week. I wasn’t ready for it, so I put Windows 7 back on. But this is progress, I must adapt or perish. Not really perish, but 10 is the future. I’m sure that not all of my games will run on Windows 10, but I still have a Windows XP disc, and I know how to set up a virtual machine. I still have a Windows ME virtual machine, mainly as an exercise in system administration….

And yes, I do have space left on my hard drive for Linux.

Tuesday, August 04, 2015

Could you check your spam folders, please?

So I check my Gmail this morning, and I look in the spam folder, as I do on occasion. And I noticed a spam mail from me (nothing unusual in an of itself, as this is a common spammer tactic). But what concerns me was the other addresses that it was sent to. They were all my contacts. At first I thought my google address book had been compromised, so I immediately changed my Google password, and my yahoo (not that hard of a feat, since I'm in the midst of a system rebuild). But still I fear the damage has been done, and my address book is 'out there'. But then again, I only noticed it from checking my spam folder.

Btw, if you get an email from purporting to have been sent from my iPhone, know this: I don't have an iPhone. Never have, never will.

Anyway having said this, could you check your spam folders, and let me know what 'special offers' I have sent you?

Monday, August 03, 2015

Underway on Windows 10

Ok, I’m now running Windows 10. This was the straight upgrade from Windows 8.1. Right now, I’m redownloading it to a flash drive, so I can do a ‘clean’ install. Normally, I’d just stick with the upgrade, but I want to do a clean install so I can repartition my hard drive so I can play around with Linux. With the System Restore from HP, I can restore my computer to factory condition, but that also wipes out any partitioning I’ve done….

And now on the next adventure: I’m out of ink for my printer….

Opportunity knocks, but I have to pass….

Yes, I have a commute from hell. Yesterday, it was a 4 1/2 mile walk just to get to the bus stop, and then another mile and half to two miles to get to work. Needless to say, my feet were in agony. Normally, I get home, and I can rest my feet, and be ready for the next day. However, last night I tried on a different pair of shoes. And they literally rubbed my feet the wrong way.

So I wake up this morning, and I can’t move my left foot without pain. I look down, and I’m greeted by a horrendous scab. So, orders today are to stay off my feet. Which means that the job interview that I had today is cancelled. And I’m not going to reschedule it. My philosophy is if I (or any other potential candidate) can’t make it to initial interview, then it’s not going to pan out. Besides, notwithstanding the issues I have with my current employer, it’s still a good place to work for…