Ha! Me again.

I have got my act together somewhat, by virtue of the fact that I finished work early today and I've made my way to the internet cafe instead of making my way home to hibernate.

Unfortunately there is no progress with the aforementioned laptop. I finally got called by the guy from HP only for him to tell me that the Logistics department had decided that they weren't prepared to replace the laptop. Hmmm, unimpressed to say the least, more like totally fuming. Needless to say I wasn't about to accept that. So we've had a little game phone calls and emails where he asks me to do all sorts of things with the laptop and I refuse. Basically he wanted me to switch the thing on to see if it worked. I politely declined his offer. Frankly, I don't care whether it works like a rocket, it's damaged, it was like that when it was delivered, they can take it back. So I agreed to take pictures of the offending item. I'm sure they think that I dropped the laptop, but since the damage is in the centre of the machine, I'm hoping that when they see it like that they'll accept what I'm saying without any more fuss. I can see it now, there's going to be trouble.....

Umm, so it's still raining cats and dogs which is getting a bit tiresome really. There's only so much umbrella carrying which ought to be necessary. However, apparently the water shortage is being abated by all this rain. The dams have filled up by 10%. We're due another 3 weeks of this, so by the summer we should be back in business.

Nothing else to report. About to go swimming, indoors obviously in this weather, mind you, it can't be much better than being outdoors, it's *that* cold. However, it inadvertently incentivises you to keep swimming else you get cold. Maybe it's deliberate????

Still no laptop

The other week, I ordered a laptop from HP. I was impressed when it was delivered to me four days later - good huh?? Only slight downside was that it looked like it had been impaled and had a dent in the side of the screen. If it was a cheapie, I might have accepted my fate, but since this baby is worth $4000 I decided to get it replaced. So I call them up to get them to fix it up - thinking I'll be online within a few more days and they tell me that it takes two weeks to get a replacement. I don't entirely get it. New order = 4 days, replacement of brand new laptop, never even switched on = 2 weeks. Frankly unimpressed. Even more unimpressed that the call centre is in India, although I concede that since I am in the Asia Pacific region that it's not entirely unreasonable that the calls are centrally diverted to somewhere else in Asia. But still.

So it's been two weeks since they peddaled me this two week story and I called again. Yes, madam, the indian guy promised (I could imagine head bobbing from side to side) I will call you by the end of the day with an update. Needless to say I am still waiting and since they finished work approximately three hours ago, I think the phone call is unlikely.

So watch this space. Once the replacement laptop arrives in immaculate condition I will be signing up for the internet and I'll be back to blogging on a more regular basis. Currently this is running on a best endeavours basis - much like HP's order replacement program.

In other news; went to Melbourne last weekend - glad it was *last* weekend after hearing about the shooting there earlier today - it seems so out of character for Melbourne. Weather in Sydney utterly shocking, rain for the next 25 days. Getting my money's worth brolly wise. Foxtel is providing me with considerably more crap to watch on TV than ever before, today I actually watched an episiode of Eastenders, after seven months you'd think that not a lot might have changed, but it all seemed the same. It was Christmas there, so I guess it goes with the crap weather here. I hear Pauline Fowler kicks the bucket in the next episode.....

Anyway, I ducked into the Internet shop on the way to the supermarket, which I need to get to pronto, so will leave this post for now.

More soon......

Mmmmm, Foxtel

At last I have joined the ranks of the expert TV watchers over here, I have acquired Foxtel. What this means is that I will now be able to watch the utter crap on TV that I'm used to. It's going to be great.

My friends have joked that they won't see me for the next month while I take advantage of the juiced up Foxtel package they sign you up with for free for the first month.... it seems like they know me too well.

Next weekend, Australia celebrates the Queen's Birthday - we are going to celebrate by taking the weekend and going to Melbourne. We're staying in a pretty good hotel, I hope - it cost enough - so we should have good times.

Not much else going on, clip-clop woman has been clipping less, perhaps she reads my blog. It's getting really cold over here now, well about 8 degrees. I still don't quite believe it. Off to lunch later in Wooloomoolloo, off to the pier where some famous aussie has a condo - however as you can see, so famous that I can't remember who it is..... it might be Russell Crowe....