Gosh this is fun.

First I got to chat on-line with Runkami and now I'm hanging with Gopal (but call him Greg) because the kickin' experience that I've dubbed "The Mobile Joe Experience" is currently experiencing hardware problems. However, since I have more tech experience with such things, they aren't taking my word for it and are sending me through a bevy of tests to determine, that, in fact, my system is up Doody Creek and left me holding the paddle.

Now Greg has me on the on-line equivalent of being on hold. Joy. Go get 'em Greg. Check you KB and let it tell you I need to light some black candles and sprinkle the blood of virgins about and then recite the name of the Dark Lord and then contact support back if the problem still appears on my BIOS screen. (cue music from "The Omen")

A wise man once told me that the only problem with portable is that eventually "portable" just ends up meaning "broken." Thing is, I've been good. I haven't thrown the thing around or kicked, I've babied it like it's an expense piece of equipment with a lot of work on it. Go figure.

Greg just called me by my last name and thanked me for waiting, presumably as an indication that I would be waiting some more.

Oh look, it's a hardware problem. They want my laptop back. Gosh, you know what would be swell, is if I wouldn't have lose my freaking system for a month. I'm not sure which is more frustrating--since it's under warranty I have to sit around and wait for them to decide what they're going to do or if it wasn't under warranty and I'd just be stuck with a busted system.

I exaggerated, it's only supposed to be two weeks until I get my system back. Woo-freaking-hoo.

I'm not so keen on this whole dying in just over two months of actual use thing--especially since my warranty on this thing is for all of 90 days. Doesn't inspire me with the confidence that I'll have a working system come day 91.

Greg doesn't understand what I'm asking now. You know, outsourcing doesn't piss me off like it does some people, but it would be nice to communicate with someone more comfortable in American vernacular, or tech jargon for that matter.

This is the antithesis of awesome. This is the suck. Heck, it is THE SUCk. It sucks so bad it doesn't even deserve to be fully capitalized.

Hey, no additional warranty for a new machine. Imagine that. Nice to see Dell has confidence in their equipment. Not even going to warranty their work on it this time. Hell, if they just take an extra week to finish "working" on it they could just send it back in the same condition and complete the screwing.

Oh, wait, looks like they're giving me the 1 year warranty. Sorry Greg.

Still, if their equipment sucks and needs to be fixed or replaced doesn't it stand to reason that your warranty should start from that date?

In happier news, replacement gear has arrived and hopefully by tomorrow I'll have Crabbey Road back to its former glory which means there might be an end in sight for lilies of the field. 'Bout stinking time, right?

-Joe