mad rantings

BEST DREAM EVER.

mmejavert — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:34:11 GMT

I totally just had the best dream ever.

I was wearing expensive jewelry and an evening gown as part of the guests of honour to a private and exclusive dinner-and-a-show. Which included Aaron Lazar as the primary performance. During one of his numbers he pointed me out among the guests at the dinner tables and embarrassed me in front of the other guests (we're talking royalty. okay.) before singing a song.

And then there was a ... lounge with drinks and super expensive delicacies where Aaron and the other performers were willing to talk and do whatever. In my dream he sang "Les Temps des Cathédrales" from Notre-Dame de Paris -- out of the blue, as a request -- and I about died from joy. There were weird people who got thrown out for being creepers but he was really gracious about everything (because it's Aaron of course). I don't remember most of the conversation but I do know we talked about Pearl Jam. :)

...and then when I left after 4am even though the party was still going my father was pissed and made me attempt to run and jump into the passenger side of the cab of his truck, in the middle of Manhattan traffic in the rain. Whereupon I started crying about how impossible it was to run in this dress and these shoes and doesn't he care that I just had the best night of my life?!

Then I woke up. I am so sad this did not actually happen. :(

This entry was originally posted at http://mmejavert.dreamwidth.org/15238.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Goodbye LJ

mmejavert — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:52:57 GMT

http://www.fastcompany.com/1809674/the-return-of-livejournal

I have turned off my automatic payments. It was because I had no money. But now because I'm too disgusted to keep going. You have 10 million unique US visitors a month, but you don't give a shit about them, because you want to become Livefacebooktwitter or some fuck. The comments to that article quite nicely explain the trouble.

I'm done with livejournal. You aren't getting more money from me. When I am in a financial position to do so, I'm buying paid accounts on dreamwidth instead.

To my lj friends: I'll be cross-posting here from either of my dw accounts (I have two) but probably not automatically. My dw accounts are open to comment with OpenID, which you can set up with your livejournal account.

I just ... you don't actually admit to public media that 10 million current customers aren't worth your time. That's Business 101. Your existent customers are your first priority. Keeping your customers happy generates word of mouth and more money. Keeping customers pissed off just generates bad press and less money. DUH.

I had many wonderful years of discussion on here, lj, but you fucked up too many times. My fic is already hosted over at DW, and eventually I will move my more-worthwhile posts over there as well. Or maybe I'll import them all. I don't know. But I do know that I don't want to continue generating page views and income for a site that doesn't care about my opinions, needs, or usage habits.

...I should probably post this here, too.

mmejavert — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:00:36 GMT

So after some chatter on tumblr a new ficfest comm for Les Mis fandom has been born.

almosthistoric!

The first fest is up and ready to go. Feel free to pimp it around. :D

happy birthday 10littlebullets

mmejavert — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:43:01 GMT

Here's a silly little present to hopefully make up for the fact that you're stuck working overseas on your birthday.

http://mmejavert.dreamwidth.org/14067.html

OMFG

mmejavert — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:23:59 GMT

http://davesgeekyideas.com/2011/12/02/doctor-who-battlestar-galactica-and-zelda-hockey-jerseys-now-available-for-a-limited-time/

I would KILL for either the Zelda or the Who one. OMFG. Goddamn being unemployed. D:

mmejavert — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:45:57 GMT

Pretty sure I'm the last person I know who hasn't seen the new Sherlock Holmes movie yet. :( Being poor and unemployed kinda sucks.

:D

mmejavert — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:21:09 GMT

Today was mostly mediocre; I drove about 90 miles in total, got the new printer/scanner that I'd asked for, and now -- the best part of the day -- I am settled in the livingroom with a Bacardi Silver (stocking gift now that i'm a real grown up, apparently) and my computer and, most importantly, DOCTOR WHO. It's kind of cute so far, but I'm enjoying my Bacardi more at the moment.

PSA

mmejavert — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:52:39 GMT

If you guys DON'T follow the livejournal official communities, or don't read them regularly, please hear this.

Comment pages are totally redesigned. Do not BOTHER trying to load site-scheme comment pages if you are on a slow connection like dial-up, or if you are mobile. They have become so bloated that even on my extra-high-speed connection it took three times longer than usual to load. If you are a paid user with dozens or even over 100 userpics, you will be forced to scroll through all of them, full-sized, when you want to choose an icon on a site-scheme comment page. Let me tell you, I had to scroll down a LONG TIME just to find the end of my window.

Also, most importantly, if you are a member of a community that does fic memes/kinkmemes, roleplay in threaded comments, or basically uses threaded discussion with subjects in the comments -- you're screwed. Comment subject lines are GONE. Yes, you heard me. GONE. Previous comments will have subjects in bold at the top of the comment text, but the option is gone for all future comments.

...increasingly glad for my dreamwidth accounts now.

Holiday cards!

mmejavert — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:32:27 GMT

Good day!

I have sent out holiday cards as of TODAY to anyone who has given me their address and also permission to mail them things, OR who has posted their address on their lj with the intent of giving people blanket permission to send them holiday cards. I would love writing more cards to anyone who wants some more cheer in their lives, holiday or otherwise.

Everyone who is NOT giventofly37 who has a holiday-card post with their address in it may link it HERE on this entry if they wish a card from me that may/may not arrive before New Year's Eve. If you do not have a holiday card post with your address, you want a card from me, and you have not dropped your address with me before, please do so HERE. That link goes to my "would you like mail" post, just so I have addresses all in one place.

If I have your address but you have NOT given me blanket permission to send you mail, I won't send you a card unless you give me permission to. I know some people have issues about receiving mail from strangers and I don't want to push any buttons.

(Also, note that I sent cards as of FRIDAY DECEMBER 16TH. This means you're likely to get it prior to the 25th if you live in the US, but I can't promise that you'll get it before New Year's if you live outside the US. ♥ I will send cards again later if anyone else wants them to arrive probably in January. XD)

good news!

mmejavert — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:31:43 GMT

Two things, actually, but the first I have to research a bit.

1) I got a call from someone offering me a contract job. I have to listen to the message a couple more times because the woman spoke quickly and didn't clearly enunciate the company name (and I'm still fuzzy from just waking up) but a job's a job. Plus, the area code is unfamiliar, so let's hope that if this person found my résumé they are willing to accept that I live and work in central PA...

2)
I AM GOING TO NEW YORK ON SATURDAY
while I was sleeping, Student Life called me and told me to bring my $$ in, so I'm going to put some real person pants on and drive my arse over there pronto. Anyone who wants to meet up with me, I'm arriving in Bryant Park around 10:30-11am, more than likely will be heading to midtown to wherever Book of Mormon is playing to lotto, and then probably off to TKTS. After that, who knows, but I think I have to be back at Bryant Park ~7pm to get on the bus back home. Anyone who wants to meet me and needs my phone number lemme know. :D

Oh yes, and I didn't sprain my ankle. Thank god. I think I must've just pulled a muscle, because icing it and walking (gingerly) on it seem to've helped. I couldn't tell last night, though, because it hurt like a mofo.

From tumblr

mmejavert — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:01:31 GMT

http://mmejavert.tumblr.com/post/12146942313/how-to-decode-a-person-with-an-anxiety-disorder

Because I thought this was important enough to share, I'm not even hiding this under friendslock.

For anyone who does not know what anxiety disorders are like.

Yes, I suffer from anxiety disorder. It has been VERY bad in the past, and it's a lot better now that I've got some weapons in my armament, but many of this still applies to me.

It hits so close to home that I feel myself tearing up as I read this post. So I encourage EVERYONE to read it. Not just because I feel like this and you, presumably, are my friend -- but because there are a lot of us (anxiety sufferers I mean) out there who deserve respect, support, empathy, and love.

random stuff

mmejavert — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 01:03:53 GMT

In better news ... the awesome bookstore in downtown Hburg is having a book sale and festival the weekend of November 11-13, and I'm pretty sure I want to go hang out one of those days and buy a bagful of $1/$2 books. >___> anyone want to meet me there?

Oh, and I have a Kindle again. :D (It is not an irresponsible waste of money, not when I use it so much.) I just realised that I never mentioned the lost-kindle problem again and I can barely tell the difference anymore. Hah.

I also got a call from Amazon about starting. So this guy Rich called me and asked if I was working day/night shift, and the first thing in my head was "um, didn't we sort this out at the application meeting?" but I said I was on night shift. He then said that the next starting date is November 4, BUT there's no night shifts available for that day, so... basically he was like "yeah we'll be back to you next week or the week after." Um, okay. I didn't expect to start until mid-November ANYWAY, but... you'd think if they were calling me about starting they'd've at least noted down when my shift was supposed to be? Oh well. A couple more weeks of ~~boredom~~ freedom.

Which means I can still write people letters! :D You can put your address here and I will send you one! The last batch have been mailed and I have a nice shiny new book of stamps, even.

I also bought some yarn -- there's a website that does daily deals for yarn and knitting supplies, and I got it today -- it is the most gorgeous laceweight alpaca in this bright fiery-red colourway. I can't wait to knit with it. I think I'm going to make a delicate stole. :D I've got almost 900 yards so I should be able to make it a decent width. One skein would make a gorgeous scarf, but since the deal was for two I can make a nice stole. Mmmmm. I need blocking boards though. Oh well, I'll worry about then if when I finish it.

mmejavert — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:50:29 GMT

There is a boy in my tai chi class who looks exactly like Enjolras. He's tall, maybe a shade over 6'. He's got thick, full hair, slightly wavy, gorgeously blond (but not white-blond), that frames his face and falls to just an inch or two above his shoulders. I got to gaze at him for a few minutes today without being thought creepy because it was his turn to give a wellness presentation (we all have to give one wellness presentation and write one 1-page wellness plan). Oh god, but he's gorgeous. His name is Weston and he doesn't look a day older than 19. His eyes are brilliantly blue and his is easily the best speaking voice in the entire class. His voice is slightly deeper and his facial features a bit on the strong side, but otherwise he is an exact match for the Enjolras who lives in my head.

I'm not just reaching for straws, here. This boy is utterly gorgeous. Normally he wears long shorts and band t-shirts and today he was wearing athletic sandals. We're all supposed to adhere to gym dress code (no jeans, sneakers, etc) but half the class doesn't bother and the instructor doesn't say anything about it either. Either way I, hem, definitely see no reason to skip any classes. :D

And ... as gorgeous as Jeremy Hays is (and as much as he is an exact personification of coloneldespard's Enjolras drawings!), my mental image of Enjolras doesn't have truly curly hair -- it's straight or slightly wavy, and it's definitely thick and luxurious. And I swear to god if I were five years younger I would definitely try to chat him up during class, but now I feel slightly weird considering he probably isn't older than 20, and I'm not really the type of girl to go after younger men. Although if I were--oh.

stuff

mmejavert — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:01:37 GMT

Anyone else want letters? :D (...please give me something to do?)

In other news, getting a job with Amazon is a pretty slow process. My application was successfully processed and they will "get back to [me] with a start date in a couple weeks." They had told me at the application/drug test session that it takes 3-4 weeks for Amazon to process on their end and get people started, so... here's hoping it's fewer weeks rather than more. In the meantime, I think I'm good re: unemployment since I get 26 weeks of it, and that should go through the new year unless I start this job. So I think I'm financially stable for the moment, if not in the greatest of shape -- I'll take stable over uncertain anyday.

Unrelated, I kind of love Google Books. I can get epubs/pdfs of books they have on full preview. So I can read things googlebooks offers without having to squint at my screen and fail at avoiding other distractions. YAY FOR KINDLE. (I download the epub and convert to mobi, rather than the pdf. I find epubs convert better than pdfs, and my Kindle's screen is generally too small for unconverted pdfs)

yes, I do have lots of free time just now, even with 4 classes...

mmejavert — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:51:46 GMT

Apparently I have a pretty nice collection of adorable and/or pretty stationery-type note-cards. I keep forgetting I have them and sometimes pick up a new set, especially if they're only a few dollars.

So, does anyone want a letter? :) International addresses happily accepted.

(comments are, of course, screened.)

...:D

mmejavert — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:02:37 GMT

For the Temeraire fans on my f-list: Pre-order Crucible of Gold, the seventh book in the Temeraire series, due out 6 March 2012.

I am so excited AND I have an Amazon gift card that my bank card rewards points earned me that I have already ordered this! :D Especially since I've pre-ordered it for Kindle -- which unfortunately means I will not have it available for sharing unless Kindle-lending is allowed. I do eventually plan to get the whole series on Kindle, and when I do that means my paper copies will be available for someone to buy off me. ;) Not that I don't love paper books, it's just that I'm more likely to read anything if it's on my Kindle. It's lighter and easier to carry around and takes up SO MUCH LESS SPACE. At the moment I just don't have the luxury of keeping lots of stuff, even books, which is part of why I am so in love with my Kindle.

(this post needs a Temeraire icon. I shall have to get one or two. >___>)

science! and an idiot on facebook.

mmejavert — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:53:57 GMT

...

Earlier today I read a news article about a bunch of CERN scientists who, in the course of their experiments, discovered that the results showed neutrinos moving faster than light. Einstein's theory of relativity posits that nothing can move faster than light. The CERN scientists put their findings out into the community and asked for other scientists to independently confirm/refute their findings. Only the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and Chicago's Fermilab actually have the facilities to test this. Some particle physicists are scoffing and insisting that it can only be measurement error or instrument error or some kind of mistake/misreading. After all, it's very difficult to detect and measure neutrinos in the first place -- they are very small and very non-interactive; after all billions of them go through our bodies daily and we don't even notice!

So I'm kind of looking forward to seeing if this can really be true, if this is going to further our knowledge of the cosmos and particle physics and so forth. Someone hypothesized that this happened due to the neutrinos "taking a shortcut through a different dimension" which could really be interesting if it's true, but god knows how that could be measured. And nearly all physicists are agreeing that even if the neutrinos WERE correctly recorded and therefore ARE generally capable of moving faster than light, it does not necessarily mean we are wrong about everything, that we now have to throw out Einstein's theory as being totally incorrect -- because Einstein's theory actually DOES work in explaining relativity and the cosmos. It's been proven over and over and over again. Just because one part of it was deemed to not be correct, it doesn't necessarily make Einstein wrong.

And all of that is being said because some dipshit on my facebook friends list -- who may/may not be in high school but I'm not bothering to find out right now, as I only friended her because of a game we mutually play -- posted an MSNBC (MSNBC?!) link discussing the findings and her comment? EINSTEIN WAS WROOONNNGGGG!!!

I just want to rant all over her facebook page. I doubt she knows a fucking thing about particle physics, theoretical physics, or how the LHC even works to produce these findings/experiments. d'oh. But, as I said, we don't know each other except through that stupid facebook game, so instead of ranting on the wall of somebody I don't even properly know about her ignorance, I'mma just going to post it here. After all, you people are apparently far more intelligent than she is. XD

Writer's Block: Hey Mr. DJ, keep playing this song…

mmejavert — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 03:31:03 GMT

ahem.

floods

mmejavert — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:47:23 GMT

I am not sure how widespread the news is, but Central Pennsylvania is flooded. Badly. We are currently undergoing the worst floods since at least 1972. In other words, I have never experienced floods of this severity.

I am okay, if a bit trapped, and I believe everyone else I know around here is okay. That's the best news I could have, pretty much.

Hersheypark and its environs are underwater. I am stuck in my house because, as many of you know, I live halfway up a big hill, and the road at the bottom of the hill is mildly underwater. I say mildly because it's not something my car can handle but it's not nearly as bad as the flooding that killed two bison in Hersheypark's ZooAmerica, and destroyed the Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, and diner at this little plaza about a mile or two from the park. The photos from the area are absolutely astounding. This is not something I really expected to happen here. Yes, the Susquehanna is a major river subject to flooding, but Hershey is farther east than I am from the banks of the Susquehanna and they got it worse. It looks pretty awful so I'm going to keep monitoring the situation. Obviously job hunting isn't possible until next week at the earliest since I can't really leave my house and I'm betting a fair number of the people I'd be contacting have similar problems anyway. At least I'm not like those poor kids stuck at a couple area schools who went to school in the morning yesterday and then the waters rose on so many roads that the buses could not take them out of school at the end of the day.

I don't have pictures because, quite frankly, I'm not going anywhere. But for the curious, here's a sampling of local pictures and news and info:

From PennLive, the Harrisburg newspaper's website comes a whole gallery:
http://photos.pennlive.com/4503/gallery/flooding_in_central_pennsylvania/index.html#incart_hbx

Lots of video and pictures:
http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/54806/more-photos-from-wednesdays-ho.asp

The abovementioned Pizza Hut:
http://twitter.com/#!/iWitnessWeather/status/111770985543372802

An article from an Atlanta newspaper:
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/more-than-100k-told-1162982.html?cxtype=rss_news_81963

Pictures from Hersheypark and Knoebels, another amusement park north of here:
http://behindthethrills.com/2011/09/tropical-storm-lee-floods-knoebels-and-hershey-park/

The article on those poor bison:
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/09/2_zooamerica_bison_drowning_in.html
(Side note: to the people blasting ZooAmerica for having to kill the animals humanely because of the flooding -- would you prefer they just drowned on their own and were left behind? The ZooAmerica staff loves their animals and takes great care of them, so shut the fuck up and the next time there's a flood, you people who complained will be the first ones we call to save all the animals, and then you can see how difficult it is.)

As of now most of the flooding rivers and creeks have NOT crested, so we're in for a few more days of this. Here's hoping the floods don't get too much worse.

we're faithful / we all believe, we all believe

mmejavert — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:52:19 GMT

Epic weekend is, at last, quite over.

There is a post forthcoming but I'm so silly with sleep deprivation and sensory overload and ALL THE AWESOME and the unpleasant adventure that ended this thing, that I can't really think straight enough. So I'll be reading through some of the PJ forum posts as well as browsing some of the weekend's tweets to help me cobble together a proper post for the PJ20 fest.

I've never felt so happy to be a fan of the greatest band in the world. It was a joyous experience, one that I doubt will be equalled anytime soon, if ever. I'm not going to call it a religious experience but it was on another plane of existence entirely. I have never been moved to tears at Pearl Jam and yet both nights there were multiple points when I just let the tears come. It was overwhelming and wonderful and beautiful, and to all the assholes that complained about all or parts of the weekend... in the immortal words of Ed: "Well, fuck you then!" I adore my band and their shows and I know this was quite special for them, so in turn it was quite special for the fans as well.

Spent a portion of money that I'd be horrified about if it were anything else. I've barely even batted an eye, and it's because it's Pearl Jam and they pretty much own my bank account by now. They're worth it. They're also worth 12-hour drives through four states and rain just for a weekend festival. They're even worth being 50 miles from home and hitting a pothole. Yes, you heard me. It was raining, visibility was low, the roads were pitch dark, and I was terrified of deer since it was Middle of Nowhere, PA. I hit a pothole, destroyed my right front tire/rim, and had to have roadside assistance put on my donut tire so I could go the remaining 48 miles at 35mph IN THE POURING RAIN. I ended up spending my entire afternoon half asleep and reading at the mechanic so I could spend $300 to fix that mess. That pisses me off, but it's sort of a vague annoyance at this point because I'm so exhausted and this weekend was something else entirely.

Anyway, there are photos on facebook for those who know me on there, and eventually I will have a proper post up here for those who want details. :D I just needed to get something out. More than likely I'll have a new set of PJ icons for the occasion as well. XD

* The Pit, the official forums at pj.com, is notorious for being full of entitled douchebags who bitch piss whine and moan about the slightest little thing they didn't get at shows. seats, songs that were played, songs that weren't, special guests/opening acts, basically every little thing. It's mostly offensive to anyone who actually goes to shows to enjoy the show, to be honest.

I am a huge dork.

mmejavert — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:32:08 GMT

Drinking + the awful 1996 Doctor Who movie + fangirling = SRS BSNS plan to make my own set of Time Lord robes. With the extra-ridiculous fancypants high collar/hat thing, not that fancy collar on Roberts!Master's robe in the movie (although I must admit it was pretty!).

There is a website out there that has doll-sized templates and instructions for creating that monstrosity. And enough photos for me to work out that the robes are really just fancy velvet huge-and-flowy bathrobe type things in earthy colours? And another gown/dress underneath. I think mine will be in shades of red/burgundy. :D To, of course, go with the Season 18 scarf that I will knit as soon as I have money to buy the yarn with. And though google did not helpfully provide a full tutorial on the robes + ceremonial collar and all the accoutrements complete with patterns and notion recommendations etc., there's still enough hinting and photos and a few discussions that I should be able to get a good idea of it on my own.

AND THEN I realised, if I wear the Time Lord robes and ceremonial collar, and pile my hair on top of my head to hide it under that silly little skullcap ... rather than being that random Time Lord in robes, I could be Ten in his Time Lord robes, because I've got the brainy specs and the hair on top of my head sort of removes the "but you have too much and too obviously girly hair for Ten" argument and I plan to make the robes look not-girly. Pretty much all I'd have to do is find a eyebrow pencil in mostly the same shade as my hair to draw sideburns on. :D I feel like I win.

Only problem is I don't own a sewing machine and I can't afford one now, so I'm just going to leave this post here so I can come back to it. Let's not even mention that I've never sewn anything in my life, though thankfully the actual robes part of the costume doesn't appear too difficult to work up so long as I get a nice pattern and possibly practise on non-expensive velvet fabric first. I honestly think putting that collar together will be a nightmare and require fucktons of work, creativity, and time -- but if I can pull it off it will be SO WORTH IT.

(And yes, someday I plan on putting together a Four outfit, especially since the scarf is easy to make and at least some of the pieces for that costume appear easy to find or cobble together ~~or half-ass~~.)

Look, a new supernova!

mmejavert — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:27:25 GMT

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/08/25/astroalert-type-ia-supernova-in-m101/

:D This is so cool. I'm all excited now. Because when I say "new supernova" I mean it literally just happened and astronomers are studying it RIGHT THIS SECOND and, seriously, in terms of cosmic events, this doesn't exactly happen all that often. Most cosmic events are so far away and take so long that you don't have to rush or anything. THIS IS NOT LIKE THAT. I love it. :D I can't wait to see what all comes out of this.

SO. COOL.

mmejavert — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:04:02 GMT

TIME CLOAKING.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26992/

Can I just say, physics is THE BEST ever?!

pretty sure I'm decided on doing this now

mmejavert — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:59:48 GMT

Soooooo, who wants to meet me at Feinstein's Sunday, June 19th? :D I promise it'll be worth the money. And the time.

(...also, please tell me no one has to ask why. ;)

FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL

mmejavert — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:14:35 GMT

So in a previous entry, I mentioned that I would not have Aristogeiton for ten days because the cooling fan inside had died a noisy death and needed to be repaired. I had been assured it was a pretty quick and routine affair and so surrendered Aristogeiton, confident I'd have it back by Memorial Day weekend and all would be well. A week passed, then two, and now the third week is nearing a close. I was promised a phone call once it was received. I didn't get one, but it was returned to me today.

The computer tech support guru who gave me my computer said that according to the report from the facility, there was damage to the mouse that would not be covered under the warranty. You can imagine the expression on my face that resulted. Especially as I tried to rein in my fury while telling the guy "...there was no damage when I left it at this store 3 weeks ago." He consulted with the records and his manager, and sure enough... the inspection that was done prior to shipping it which they said they always do did not indicate any obvious damage. Which this is VERY obvious. The damage? The mouse button is VERY indented although it still presses (sort of) and the part at the front where the touchpad/mouse attaches to the rest of the body is all mashed in. Honestly, it looks like someone held it by thumb and forefinger at the mouse button and dragged it around that way, and then tried to hammer it back together and failed epically.

I told the guru that, I apologise for seeming angry but it's not at you, but they WILL repair this and they WILL expedite it and do this asap. In an attempt to placate me the guru said that a) this 3 weeks I had to wait is, in his experience (and he claims to have sent back hundreds of computers for this warranty service) I waited two or three times longer than average for this repair. He said that he would've expected me to have it back before Memorial Day (as per my previous expectations given to me by the original Staples support manager). He also said that most computers go through within 10 calendar days between drop off and pick up, and he seemed surprised I had waited as long as I did. Then he told me that they have to mail another box back for this to be reshipped for re-repair, and I said if I could keep it until they have the box to ship back I might as well since it'd just sit in the Staples computer room until it shipped otherwise. They use 2-day UPS ground (since the repair facility is 200 miles away in MD) so the box will be sent tomorrow and arrive by Monday morning, which means I'll return it over the weekend.

Either way, I'm catching up on some fucking Doctor Who and House before then. And then it's another 10-20 days of Asterion. I won't have Aristogeiton back before June 13 at the earliest, more than likely. I fucking cannot describe how angry I am. $160 so that, any time something happens to my computer in ordinary use and wear/tear, it will be repaired free of charge. The FIRST time I use it eight months into my 2 years they return it in worse shape than it was sent in with! FAIL. This was just a fail all around. I really need to get on buying myself a tablet/netbook. (I want the Dell Inspiron Duo -- a tablet that transforms into a netbook! :D) Asterion is about to send me around the bend, quite frankly. At least today and tomorrow and Saturday I can watch Who and House and pay my bills and update my iPod and put everything onto my external hard drive this time (last time apparently I deleted the backups I had, oops), and HOPEFULLY it won't take another 20 days before I see it again.

On the plus side the damn thing runs silent as a lamb. And I'm leaving a sticky note that says, "If this leaves your repair facility with damage again there will be hell to pay."

(Infuriated doesn't seem like a strong enough description for my current mood but it's the best lj seems to have. Oooh that reminds me I have a Rory moodtheme to upload later)

edit
Oh now I am even more pissed off. I just now opened Chrome to play about on facebook, and there's a bunch of tabs that I didn't open, and all my regular tabs are closed. According to history, someone spent several minutes fucking around on facebook and the internet on Thursday May 26 at 2:20-2:30pm. Guess what date was listed on the warranty report as the repair being finished? May 26. SOME FUCKER AT THAT REPAIR FACILITY USED MY COMPUTER FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL USE. That's just the icing on the cake along with it being BROKEN. And there's google searches for terrorist shit on there. WHAT. THE. FUCK.