I sit now in a Starbucks where I have found a slow Internet connection; I had retreated here precisely to access the Internet as I have issues with wireless connections at home.

Sometime last night, the mouse on my iMac (my primary computer and the one only which appears able to regularly to connect to the Internets from my home) just decided to start working erratically, sometimes not functioning at all, other times choosing to work only in certain segments of the screen. I did call AppleCare and a very nice woman named Chimika (sp?) very patiently helped me track down the serial number (since, at that point in the conversation, the mouse wasn’t working on the left side of the screen where is located the Apple icon–I had to climb up on a chair to read the number of the box which, packrat that I am, I had kept*).

Since I had been able to use the Wireless keyboard, she determined it had to be the (wireless) mouse (and not the port on the computer itself), so we set up an appointment (for Sunday) when I could take it in to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. Fortunately, I have AppleCare so a replacement mouse will be free.

The long and short of this is that I do not have Internet a home. And the internet I found at this here Starbucks is slow. So maybe it’s a sign.

And with my fantasy epic backed up on a thumb drive, I can work on that (even on this laptop) at home. Or even here — because Starbucks’s slow internet shouldn’t impact the speed of Word.

I may try to post when I make an excursion to a neighborhood coffee shop. Or not. Next project now is to cut and paste a post that ILoveCapitalism has written for us.

* (more…)

In the past few days, I really grew to appreciate the value of good customer service.  I had to run a lot of little errands, buying necessities for my apartment, a DVD or two for my entertainment, oil for my car, books for my education and gifts for nieces and nephews celebrating their birthdays.

I was amazed at the number of stores I visited where I received excellent customer service.  The friendliness of my reception made those tedious tasks less trying.  It was in stark contrast to the chilly service I frequently receive at commercial establishments in the Hollywood area.

The greatest irony of this recent cycle of errands is that the one store where I normally get the best service was the only place this time where the staff seemed indifferent to my concerns.  Perhaps this was because the owner (and his wife) was absent from the toy store where I stop first when shopping for gifts for my nieces and nephews.  (I have patronized this shop for as long as I’ve been in LA and will definitely return.  The man who runs the place was born to run a toy store.)  The teenager working there Monday night was clueless about the newest Thomas engine which one of my three-year-old nephews just had to have.

Thanks to an amazingly friendly woman at the Toys ‘R Us on La Cienega, I was able to find just that engine which he will soon have. 

The customer service which most impressed me was that of the folks at Techrestore.com.

(more…)

Just got back from the Apple Store at The Grove where I bought a new computer. I had intended to get a basic MacBook so I could have a smaller, more portable laptop instead of my bulky Apple PowerBook Notebook 17″ . I thought I’d get a lower end model, largely because it’d be the cheapest. And anyway, the main purpose of the computer was to have something more compact so I could more easily grab it and go (to a cafe or similar locale) when I get stuck working at home.

But, when I had started playing around with the computers last week at the Store, I contemplated spending a little more money so I could get a little nicer computer.

Oh well. At least it was a lot cheaper than my current computer. Anyway, I haven’t yet had time to set it up, but this new smaller computer will have nearly four times the RAM as the one on which I type, perhaps making it easier and faster for me to blog when I travel and visit cafes.

It’s so much fun getting a new computer, especially when it’s a Mac. And I always end up getting the extras. This may well be the first machine I bought specifically to facilitate my blogging. We’ll see if it succeeds in helping me become a better blogger.

I should also note the amazing service I got at the AppleStore. It was a real pleasure to buy this computer; the cute (somewhat geeky) guy and quite possibly lesbian woman who helped me couldn’t have been more accommodating. I may have to write to Apple singling these two out for their efforts.