IRL

Off duty

Hi! All is well, all is well. My computer just decided to die on me, casting me into the hell that is Dell customer support…..and I use the term hell loosely.

What I would like to say is much too harsh for your fragile ears. The bright side of it is after going through 3 techs, I finally found my Dell customer support match made in heaven…or India (edit to add, the man was living doll, a life saver and a pure genius). Let’s just say that I really feel like I know Antonio a bit too well. I mean, spending 8 hours on the phone with someone you do not know and watching them take control of your computer remotely and crawling all over your files feels like someone digging through your unmentionables drawer.

Antonio knows that I am a photographer. He knows I have 4 kids, like the ocean and what time I have to pick everyone up for school. I, in turn, know that Antonio is a DJ in his spare time, likes nightclubs and has a sister who is a photographer. When I asked what she likes to photograph, the following converstion insued:

Me: so what does your sister like to photograph?
A (insert Indian accent): Well, right now she is in Egypt shooting the pyramids.
Me (watching my mouse arrow move magiacally across my Safe Mode screen): Oh my, is she on vacation?
A: No, she is doing it for her job.
Me: Oh, so she is a pro?
A: Yes….have you heard of a company called The National Geograhic?
(crickets chirping)

Um, yes. Antonio’s sister is a pro shooter for National Geographic magazine. She spends more time directing the 23 photograpers under her, than actually shooting these days. Right now she is on assignment in Egypt doing a story on the pyramids. When Antonio was 5, she bought him a digital camera, and he dropped it in the dirt….she had told him not do get it dirty, so he washed it off in the sink. She was so angry at him. He never picked up a camera again.

(insert sound of my silent screams)

The temperatures were very warm in India on the day that I spent almost $200 and 480 minutes of my resources trying to rescue my computer.

There are more discos in America than India.

DJ’s are rare in India.

My daugter ate a bag full of lollipops while I talked with Antonio.

My daughter has had a stomach ache since then.

And I am back with a new hard drive, and the realization that the reason I have hated Windows Vista since the day that I got my new computer in January of 2008 is because my hard drive came to me corrupted. It wasn’t because Microsoft sucks….it was because Dell does. If it were not for Antonio, my computer would still be dead. But the other techs need to be re-trained at the very least.

In other news, the sun came out today. That glorious orb of magic that warms the planet. Oh my, I plan on climbing into my string bikini (it is not a pretty sight, but damn the torpedos, full speed ahead), spreading a big quilt out in my backyard and reading a good book. Sailing season is upon us, and I might be mistaken for a flare if I don’t get a bit of sun.

I have more to say, but for now I need to engage in real life, and disengage the Wifi.

Have a glorious weekend my little, imaginary friends!