The Further Adventures of Deluzy

iPod update

So now that my iTunes library is housed on my work laptop (a lovely, media-friendly MacBook Pro), I thought I wouldn't really have access to my music when I worked at home on my desktop (which is how and where I prefer to work) unless I plugged into my iPod itself and listened through my headphones.

(Eventually I'd like to get the Bose docking station and speaker set, pictured here -- a friend has it and I like it a lot.  However, in a month in which my main computer went down for the count along with my old iPod, necessitating repairs and replacement of various kinds, I just don't see myself springing for this little set-up quite yet.)

While I was at Fry's this afternoon, scouting out temporary solutions, I spied a 1/8" auxillary mini-jack cable for $20 (it should have been about $2.95, but never mind). I stared at it for a few minutes: I'm not a particularly technical person, but on the other hand, I know the ports on the equipment I have pretty well and I have a good idea of what they can and can't support. My guess was that the cable would fit the headphone jack on my iPod as well as the headset jack on my actual CPU and allow me to route the music on my iPod through my computer's stereo speakers. 

Yup -- jackpot!

So I'm good to go for now -- and pleased at my economical solution for the present. It beats paying a still-significant sum for a lesser system than the Bose simply as a stop-gap measure, which is what I was (unhappily) considering doing.

In the offing

Okay, the iTunes thing is as done as it's going to be.  For now.  That was this weekend's project, and I'm moving on. Glad I did it, though.

I thought to check the official university calendar for the upcoming academic year, and then I thought to check the calendar for the submission of the retention-tenure-promotion files for faculty in my year.

I choked.

Let's just say that next month I will be dividing my time among research/writing, dossier preparation, and course preparation.  But I knew that.  I did panic for about three minutes as I contemplated the juggling involved, and then I determined that if I divided the work days into thirds, starting the first week of August, I would, indeed, be able to get everything done.

Panicking won't help.  Breathing will.

Take a leaf out of Obama's book ...

Yes we can.

Yes I can.

iTunes -- the great time-sink of our age

So I'm doing a very geek-like thing -- something I probably should have done 4 years ago when I bought my first iPod -- and am uploading every last CD I own into iTunes.

Then I'm packing away all the CDs into the attic until such time as I decide to sell or give them away.  (Actually, I have nothing anyone would want to buy.  I could donate them.)  But that'll be awhile because I don't trust hard drives not to fail (gee, I wonder why), and I'll need several versions of my iTunes library stored on multiple sites before I feel comfortable getting rid of the CDs themselves.

Now, I'm not doing a geekier thing, which would be to sit there and rate all my tunes or obsess on the organization of the iTunes library itself. First things first.

I'm sure I could get there in time, though.

Thankyoubabyjesus

After a little over a day of intense file restoration, uploading, downloading, and configuring, my computer is pretty much there.  Additional tweaks will occur as needed, but I'm back in the game.

And although I had to do it manually, I was able to retrieve and upload about 95% of my iTunes library from the back-up disks that the Geek Squad made for me.  This time I put it on my MacBook Pro, as it's probably a more stable computer at this point and it does better with media generally than my 4-year old desktop Windows PC -- but I'm so much more comfortable working at home on a desktop that I don't want to give that up (obviously, given the tech hoopla of the past two weeks).

I held my breath as I tried syncing my new iPod to the Mac laptop -- and it worked! Things were way dicier when I tried it all with my PC yesterday.

Thankyoubabyjesus. 

Now I can hie myself to a Starbucks tomorrow (Friday)  to write the brief conclusion to my article while workers are trotting around the back yard outside my study window (my husband is master-minding a small yard-improvement project) -- and I can tune out the world while there by tuning into my iPod. Come hell or high water, that article is going out the door this weekend.

Oh, and I'm continuing to get on my elliptical, and the nighttime dissociative eating thing hasn't happened in a couple of nights.  Step by step.

Life may be looking up.

Tech restoration

I was up late last night, beginning the long process of restoring to and configuring software on my repaired computer, and I'm continuing that process today.  (Yes, I'm being a bit OCD about it all -- though the rather neurotic benefit of being occupied thus in the evening was that it didn't occur to me to binge -- or even to eat.  In fact, I was hungry shortly after midnight, realized I hadn't eaten enough yesterday generally, and went for a banana. Relatively harmless choice, though okay, it didn't include protein.)

This process is likely to take a few days to be completed entirely, and I'm trying to approach it in logical, manageable, prioritized chunks:

• I contacted Norton Symantec and got them to reinstall the virus protection on my computer before I did anything else (which they did remotely, as I'd lost the product key to my subscription; watching my mouse race around on my desktop clicking on various screens through no action of my own  was like watching a possessed Ouija board, and it also brought home the reality that cyber-villains out there really can hack into your computers in live time -- only the chances are you won't see them doing it. Scary. (Once this subscription expires in just over three months, I'm going to opt for Trends Micro, I think.)
• I downloaded Firefox.  (Yes, I hate Internet Explorer.)
• I downloaded bookmarks onto the computer from Foxmarks (a great tool when you're recovering from a computer wipe-out, as your bookmarks are stored on a remote server, and it's also wonderful if, like me, you use multiple computers but want a consistent, updated set of bookmarks on each one).
• I copied key work and professional files to the computer (god, how many back-up copies do I have of my doctoral dissertation, I ask you?!  It's done, it's filed, it's old news ... )

This morning I've reinstalled Microsoft Office and set up Outlook to manage my two primary email accounts (that took me an hour, as I swear to god I entered the correct POP information for both accounts in all relevant screens because I honestly do know what I'm doing with that  -- but clearly I made a mistake somewhere. Haven't the faintest idea what it was, but after an hour I was suddenly deluged with email from both accounts, and yes, I can also send from both.  Hallelujah.)

I breathed a huge sigh of relief and offered up thanks to my BlackBerry because once I'd reinstalled the desktop software for it, I was able to repopulate Outlook's calendar, contacts, notes, and other data from that.  (The Geek Squad backed up Outlook data I had, but even after following instructions I was unable to import that data from the CDs they gave me -- and I've totally lost 4 years worth of work-related emails. Oh well ... maybe it was time for a purge, and this was going to be the only way I was going to do it because I'm a pack-rate with such files.

(Now  that my calendars are synced, I see that I've missed a hematologist appointment scheduled for this morning -- a three-month follow-up with an old guy whom I didn't like who's filling in for my regular hematologist on maternity leave.  She returns in September.  I'll reschedule for then. Now that I have my Outlook back, I see that there are any number of emails and matters I need to attend to that I lost track of in the past couple of weeks because I do depend rather heavily on a centralizing management system. If you've emailed me and I haven't replied, I apologize ... I'm getting to it.)

I'm leaving iTunes and my new iPod as issues to deal with later today or this evening. However, though the Geek Squad did back up my iTunes library, it looks as if only some of those files are viable, for reasons I don't totally understand.  At this point, I think I'm going to make my MacBook Pro my primary media computer, so I'll try to set up files there and see if I have any better luck with importing and syncing files there than I had last night.

Now, however, it's time to get on the elliptical, shower, dress, change, and write a conclusion to my article -- which is now about two and a half weeks overdue (according to my own personal time frame for sending it out) but which is also damn good at last -- if I do say so myself.

(That I even can say that and mean it [even for a nano-second] is progress on my part.)

Eyes

Results of today's appointment:

• Ocular pressure (a barometer of possible glaucoma) down 10 points from my pre-DS days (which is amazing)  -- but still a little high, either because I have thick corneas or because I may be pre-glaucomic. I go back for further tests in a couple of weeks.
• Left optic nerve looks a little thin or worn.
• Earlier minimal damage from Type II diabetes, pre-DS days, still evident (there's no turning back the clock on that one, but at least the DS stopped it in its tracks).
• Multiple cataracts in both eyes -- which surprised me, though my two older sisters have them.  These days in western industrialized countries, cataracts are not a big deal and can be easily removed.

But the problem I went in complaining about? The blurriness in my eyes after reading at the computer or reading books?  Middle age (and not the cataracts, btw, which aren't yet visible to the naked eye or impeding my vision).  Less elastic eye muscles, and yes, I should make a point to look up every 20-30 minutes and refocus on things at a distance.

P.S. My computer is back.  Running like a dream -- because there's nothing on it, really. Slowly I'm restoring files and programs but it's going to take a couple of days.  I gave Starbucks gift cards to a few of the tech guys and the manager.  (Well, yesterday they really did do what they were supposed to do and went the distance.)

Oh, and ...

The Geek Squad told me that they were able to back up my iTunes library before wiping out my (now defeective) hard drive (which is being replaced).

So while I'm going to have to wait until January to get that scooter I want, I splurged and bought a replacement iPod Classic in silver.  It's the nearest thing to my 4-year old iPod that gave up the ghost a couple of days ago -- only for the price I paid 4 years ago, you now get 60 gigs more memory, a color screen, a cooler interface, and the ability to play video.

I was perfectly happy with my old iPod and wish it hadn't died -- but I guess I'll enjoy the new and improved features of its replacement as I get to know them.

The thing is, I listen to my iPod as I walk, work out, work in my office (faculty share offices at my university so frequently one needs to drown out tne sound of one's office mate and her students in order focus on one's own work), and work in public spaces such as coffee houses. I listened to my iPod in the hospital in the middle of the night as I was recovering from my DS. I didn't need the 80 gigs that the iPod Classic comes with, but I was using about 15 gigs of my old iPod, and that's a step up from the cheaper Nano.

I teach media, so I suppose I can deduct this as a business expense -- but still. Let's just say it's been an expensive month.

The Geek Squad

July 2

I take my 4-year old desktop PC into BestBuy (where I originally bought it) and tell them it's been infected by two viruses.  I tell them the names of the viruses, ie., Malware Protection and Antivirus Windows. They tell me they'll perform ADR (advanced diagnostics and repair) on it for $200, and they tell me it will be ready by July 5.

I call for updates. "Your hardware passed, but you have two viruses on your computer."  (I know. I'd even identified the two viruses for them, as noted above.) "We'll get back to you."  They don't. I call for further updates. Never once do they call me. "It's taking a little longer than we anticipated." No shit.

July 9 (4 days after the estimated return date of the computer):

I go to the store to pick up the computer. A nice boy, looking hassled and a litle overwhelmed, tells me he'd almost given up on the computer, but "compared to when you first brought it in, it's running great now."

A warning bell goes off in my head. "Er, so is it running well now, period? Is it fixed?"   I'm assured that it is.

I lug home the CPU, hook everything back up, and turn it on.  Windows comes up -- and freezes.  Can't do a thing.  (At least before I took it in, the computer was simply very slow.)  I do a hard shut-down because I have no other choice, wait, and turn it on again.  Blue Screen of Death.

Greatly irritated, I disconnect everything and haul the CPU back into the Geek Squad.  They plug it in and see the BSOD for themselves. They write up a new ticket. Estimated date of completion for whatever ails the computer: July 12.

July 12 

They haven't called me.  I call them. "Your hardware is fine."  (Okay, maybe they just had to convince themselves once again that it was still fine.)  "But it looks as if the viruses corrupted some of the core files, so we're still working on those."

Beyond angry now at the sheer redundancy, lack of efficiency, and waste of their time and mine, I go into Frightmare Customer mode because, really, I've had it.  I ask to talk to a manager.  They tell me one will call me back in 5-10 minutes. 30 minutes later, one does, and he repeats what I've already been told.

"Look, this isn't rocket science!" I exclaim.  "How about wiping out the hard drive, since it's okay, and reinstalling the operating system?  It makes no sense to keep tweaking corrupted software this way!"

Apparently he was just about to suggest this.(But you know, if I can figure this out, why couldn't they -- just a wee bit sooner?!)

I suggest that, given how long they've had my computer and how ineptly this order has been handled (I know -- I'd hate me, too, at this point, but THIS IS MY MAIN WORK COMPUTER!!!), they back up my personal data for free before wiping everything out and starting over again.  To be fair, they agree without a fight.

But then we go around the block about getting my signature on an authorization form.  Rules and regulations.  They need that signature.  They'll fax it to me.  (Um, no, I'm at home where my only access to a fax is via the software on the computer that they're about to zap.)

How about a phone authorization or email, I suggest, anger making my voice admittedly shrill (I am not walking into that store a third time until my computer is fixed and ready to go)?  They don't like that idea.

In full Frightmare Customer mode now, I demand to speak to the manager's manager.  Who authorizes an email exchange so that i can okay the data back-up, wipe-out, and system software restore.

Oh, and it'll be another 2-3 days for this back-up and reinstallation of the operating system to be done. 

Whatever. By this point I'm so bitched out, I agree, coldly, and hang up.

July 14, 9:04 p.m.

I get a voice-mail from a low-level Geek Squad guy telling me, somewhat incoherently, that they've backed up the data, they've restored the operating system, everything's fine.  So the computer will be ready the next day -- well, all they have left to do is the Windows updates, and then I can pick it up.

So is it ready or not ready?

July 15: 10:30 a.m.

I call around 10:30 a.m. and get the guy who left the message.  He repeats the content of his message.  I repeat my question -- ready or not ready? 

Not ready.  But it will be ready.  He'll call me later today when it is ready.

By when? 

Probably by 3 p.m.

Frightmare Customer comes raging back.  "Nope, this needs to be done now.  You've had this computer 12 days."

He says he'll call. We hang up.

Are we having fun yet?

You know, I love the concept of the Geek Squad. I love the name and the imagery, and I've got to say that all the guys I've dealt with there have been ... nice.  And the higher up the chain of command I've gone, the more responsive and able to think things through the individuals have been.

But something is seriously fucking wrong with this store's work flow, communication, and performance.  I know I'm only one of many customers there, and that the world does not revolve around me or my messed-up computer. But that's no excuse for the sheer ineptitude of how this whole thing has been handled at each step along the way. I mean, you kind of have to work hard to fuck up this much.

What's the deal? Too many part-timers and hand-offs with no accountability?  Too few employees?  What????

I've taken my cmputers -- including this one -- to the Geek Squad for upgrades and repairs in the past, but once this is over I'm sure not going to do it again.

Ya know?

My 4-year old iPod died this afternoon. 

This lovely little graphic indicates hardware failure.

I can either buy it a new hard drive or I can just buy a new iPod.

Oh, and my PC?  It's still in the hands of the Geek Squad -- 10 days and counting. And my iTunes library?  It's on that computer, and my guess is they're not going to back it up that portion of my personal data.

I'm fucked.

(Somehow I think that scooter purchase I'm fantasizing about is just going to have to remain a fantasy for the foreseeable future ...  in fact, I'm going to reframe that goal now and aim for January 1 rather than September 1. That will allow me a reasonable time to get the cash together, still meet other obligations, possibly strike a good deal during an off-season, and continue to research my options. It kills me to pay what we';re paying for gasoline, just on general principle, and I hate driving an SUV on a daily basis.  But I need to bide my time on this one.  I'm still going to take that motorcyle safety course next month, though, and get that license.)

BSOD

So I got my desktop computer back from the Geek Squad this afternoon, carried it home, plugged it in, and turned it on. Windows came up, froze ... I did a hard shut-down because there was nothing else to do, and golly, all I got after the was the Blue Screen of Death.

This, despite the fact that it had passed all hardware tests and had its viruses removed.

One very irritated phone call later, I was lugging the thing back into the store.  They wrote me a new service ticket.  They'll call me when they have news. I'm not pleased.  At all.

But I'm grateful I have alternatives.  If I have to sink additional money into this CPU to get it back up and running, I may just let it die.  It's four years old, I'm hard on computers, and I have a beautiful MacBook Pro with PC and OS X capabilities that's virtually untouched. 

We'll see.

On a more positive note, I had a good writing day today, despite the technical difficulties. That's something, anyway.