distraction

this is when i started this entry... it was partly in response to your comments... pondering deeply was starting... and then i got distracted...

maybe it'll come again... there's always hope, after all...

thank you for being here :)

back to Dell again

it's actually after 3am and laundry continues, but you'll have to find the other entry written before this one to understand the concept of time as it is experienced during the writing of tonight's blog entry... meaningless, as usual, so do it for fun or forget it, as you wish...

meanwhile, in the latest installment of what may turn into a best selling book called travels with dell or something like that based on the wide assortment of published stuff filling book racks in this world, I received a few more emails from a few more Dell case managers and again they apologized profusely, reassured me that my experience is not up to Dell standards, and stated they would like to resolve the problem and satisfy me, the potential customer...

the Dell people appear polite for the most part, however something is very wrong with internal communication at Dell as they still haven't called [me] to resolve the issue and they still have a snafu in the return merchandise process... first, they sent yet another electronic mailing label... then i received a second email that appeared computer generated and once again, had the address incomplete...

simply, i still have the partial order i don't need without the complete order and the order, which smells of bait-and-switch tactics that Dell is being sued about by the New York State attorney general, is yet unresolved.... the previous Dell entry has a lot of links at the end about Dell in case you are curious or are considering buying a Dell product)… and this is where it began…

so what follows is my latest response in the hope they might fix what's wrong and perhaps actually give me a deal on a laptop or two that will leave me feeling all the time and effort i expended to help Dell satisfy me might be worth it... how do i get myself into these situations, anyway?... ah yes, trying to help people...

Hello . . .,

I appreciate you trying to help, but as I've stated to two prior Dell representatives, I do not have a printer. I requested a return label to be mailed to my address by post me in my prior correspondence. That did not happen. I was informed in an email from Dell that arrangements will be made to have the package picked up by UPS. That did not happen. Wait, I just received another email from Dell.

I also was told a Dell manager will be calling me to resolve to issue of the laptop that never arrived in a previous correspondence and that did not happen.

Referring to the first paragraph again, I now have yet another email from Dell Customer service that arrived after this one from you. It appears automated and contains errors. It tells me that UPS will attempt to pick up the package.

The error: Unfortunately, as Dell did with the original shipment, Dell did not use the complete shipping address that I entered on the Dell website and was confirmed in the order acknowledgement email I received from Dell. The apartment number is Apt 621. DHL had to call me to find out the apartment number. I expect UPS may have to do the same.

I can send you the original confirmation email if you doubt the shipping address was entered correctly on the website and acknowledged by Dell. I am not sure why the Shipping Address is not being used when shipping or picking up merchandise, but it is something you should look into as it's a repeated error that makes more work for shipping companies, inconveniences customers, and delays order arrivals.

Ironically, at work I am considering approving an order for a new desktop system for my use and my IT manager brought the specs and price from the Dell representative as our Dell contract is not up for renewal until next year. Perhaps I am holding out hope that Dell might still come through with the laptop that I ordered for my daughter via Dell's website and the second laptop I was considering purchasing for myself.

Lastly, I appreciate you forwarding my emails to management. I seriously wonder if anyone reads them. Or is doing any real managing.

I would appreciate even more the call Dell said I would receive back in November to resolve the laptop order Dell "lost" and an actual effort on Dell's part to resolve that laptop order that went awry.

Though at this point I question whether any deal Dell can offer is worth the time I've given trying to resolve this Dell website error, email tag confusion, and aggravation this Dell experience has caused in my family.

I hope your day goes better than my Dell experience has so far.

fascinating, isn’t it?... maybe they'll give me two laptops for the price of one and i'll go out singing the praises of how Dell is genuinely trying to resolve their internal mess and actually start providing good customer service through fair business practices… heck, i'd even testify for them in New York if they do that and pay for the trip… yeah, i'm a cheap date…

stay amused, errrr, i mean, stay tuned :)

back to work

I fell asleep in the big green chair after eating the salad I did not eat for lunch and two veggies burgers... about four hours later (my sleep rhythm, that is sliding in and out of the deeper stages of sleep, has consistently been four hour segments throughout this life)... and a wonderful (and quite sensual) dream woke me as I touched consciousness and brought the dream into reality for a few seconds... after about an hour of enjoying breathing and being in this body (in spite of it's relatively constant semi-bloat state of late), I stretched and came out here to say hello...

hello J

everybody seems to be sick... Rasputin is still hacking on everything, not to mention licking his fingers while cooking and licking spoons while cooking and while spooning out communal foods like peanut butter, mayonnaise, and so on and almost never washing his hands... Precious has the same habits... and they wonder why they are frequently coming down with colds and flu bugs... and the people I work with closely are also sick with cold and flu symptoms (par for the course in a hospital)... my officemate was out sick today...

of course a healthy respect and awareness of the microscopic world in which bacteria, virii, and parasites thrive can also spoil some of the more fun things in life, life wild sex with strangers or even the intimate (and once quite socially acceptable) greeting of kissing a hand, a cheek, or lips... seems the Europeans have survived a long time doing that, but on the other hand, there were those plagues...

I heard it might snow around here tonight...

so I headed back to work today and was bouncing with energy... while I am not nearly as rested as I'd like to be (and my immune system is working overtime trying to keep all the winter cold and flu bugs from moving in and getting comfortable in this body, hence the recurring nagging sniffles of late), still want that extended vacation of a month or few, and did not re-kick-start my metabolism during the recent week off do with any exercise, life in this body is a big YAY (sniff sniff)...

and the best thing for me now would probably be lay down and sleep for another four or more hours, but I am feeling rested again... the body craves more exercise while the brain is in ultra-lazy mode... or is that vice-versa?... well, whichever part of me that is in ultra-lazy mode is definitely in charge of things and has been for quite some time now (ever since the 2004 hurricanes... weird, huh?)... of course my heart has been mostly sleeping (or is that mostly dead... ironically, I just deleted by mistake the most recent entry in the land of the mostly dead... sucks when I do that, especially when I don’t' have it backed up anywhere... grumbles shall follow)...

and it doesn't help that Rasputin just woke with his usual habit of sitting on the couch and farting a few times... tonight it sounded like he really should have gone to the bathroom before he came out to nod off on the couch before getting ready for work... smells like it too... luckily I found a can of vanilla floral air freshener while cleaning this week... well, not this week, actually, just last night after writing the entry here (yeah, I decided it was time to start cleaning and doing laundry the last night of my vacation so I didn't get to sleep until after 4am... that's when I wrote the entries in mostlydead... one of which I deleted... that really bugs me...

anyway, from my experience with roommates, there's always something not desirable and poor health habits are challenging to live with, but that's the nature of compromise when not wealthy enough to live in space and comfort on one's own... the pondering I've been doing about relocating next year is obviously bringing me back to paying attention to my immediate environment, which is not always a good thing...

I think I'll go get some yogurt or something now... I don't think there's any chocolate in the house... maybe I am swinging back around to a bit healthier (and more economical) eating habits again... how many times have I thought that in the past couple of years... and I just let the roller coaster roll along as it will, knowing I can do as I please and control it, but I just let the human influences of this culture (and roommates) continue to drive the bus off the cliff...

this entry is way too long for this place... and way too whiny... the oddest thing about me is I am still enjoying the moment, even as I am dang pissed off at myself for deleting an entry (it was a Valentine's entry Tim Burton would have been proud of) and nagging sniffles are crating post nasal drip and the kitchen is a germ factory (with dirty dishes in both sinks again and counters almost never wiped down) and I'm not as lonely as usual but still wish I had a partner (one with healthy habits and a will and energy level and strength on every level to actually inspire me to wake up and optimize this body and life once again cuz I don't seem interested in doing it myself at the moment and have never had a partner who would take the lead, or a mother, for that matter... not that I want a mother... I want a teammate who, at the moment, is way ahead of me because I've slide down into the bush leagues, so to speak)...

this entry is obviously destined for btc, eventually...

and so, for RealTime™ here, I say g'nite...