Anger.

So, I figured what better way to do my inaugural post then by ranting angrily about something. Unfortunately, I've been angry most of the day, and now it's simmered down to a low slightly acidic rumble in my stomach. But I'll give it a shot anyway:

I ordered a Macbook to replace my Dell desktop I got freshman year of college. There are many reasons for why I'm getting rid of my Dell, and going for a laptop - a Mac, no less - and I'm pretty excited. I'm excited for the change; for the extra space we'll have by chucking a desk; getting to share Mac jokes with Kate; have Mac parties; share stories about Macs; and all the other fun things that PC users can't even begin to fathom. I know there's all sorts of cool stuff for Mac users to do, but Kate has been denying them because, until I've got that new piece of hardware in my hands, I won't officially be a Mac user.

In any case, it cost a lot of money but it was okay, because our tax refund (http://www.unwords.com/unword/intaxication.html) covers the large majority of the cost, and Robert and Audrey decided to co-sponsor an upgrade in RAM as a belated birthday gift. We ordered it last weekend, along with some other Apple hardware, and expected the Mac to get here sometime next week. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered that FedEx and Apple had gone above and beyond and my new toy was going to get here yesterday morning!

In fact, Kate heard someone buzz up yesterday morning... she couldn't hear who it was because our intercom has had some issues (for quite some time, actually) and she mostly got feedback, but it sounded like it was a delivery. Turns out, she was right, it was FedEx with my surprisingly early Macbook. Unfortunately, I guess my 5 lb laptop was a little too much to walk up a couple flights of stairs, and the FedEx deliverywoman decided that it was easier just to say that NO ONE WAS HOME and leave a slip. Thanks FedEx.

So Kate gchats me and decides to make an angry call to customer service. A very nice gentleman named Dennis spoke with her and told her he was directing the driver to come back and deliver the package. Fast-forward to that evening, and surprise surprise, the cargo has been scanned in again back at the processing facility. No worries, says I, as it will be sure to be delivered tomorrow morning!

Now we're to today, and me getting late for work because we're waiting for FedEx to come down half a block. I could see the truck out the window! I get fed up and leave, walking to the truck where I ask for my package. Evidently it was in a different truck, and there are a lot of trucks that run through our neighborhood. Dejected, I'm off to work.

Evidently, FedEx sucks quite a bit. http://goinside.com/98/1/fedex.html; http://fedex.pissedconsumer.com/. For example, when I got back from lunch this afternoon, I compulsively checked the tracking status and, evidently, no one was home at 1:44pm today, when Kate hasn't been out all day... in part because she's waiting for an important package from FedEx. Gee.

So Kate made another angry phone call (I only managed a passive aggressive one to customer service) and got the manager of the distribution center here to promise to have it delivered tomorrow morning. The problem? I now have absolutely no trust that they will actually follow through. So, I will soon be going out to the warehouse and I'm going to pick it up myself because delivery companies are hugely unreliable and I'd rather not sit by the door like an abused puppy waiting to get smacked again. (I'm not sure if abused puppies actually do that and I'd rather not find out...)

Yeah.