Tales from the Mundane

Some days I get so caught up in life that I forget that others may not know what's going on in my world. Now for the most part it's uneventful. Was on a bit of a long stretch at work. I wound up calling in sick at one point just to get a day off. Fortunately, this weekend I had 3 days off. It makes it much more tolerable to go back to work tomorrow. Then in for 3 days and off for 1. No idea what I'll be working the following week. I am hoping for two things: No long stretch, and either weekends off or at least consecutive days off... The consecutive days are much more likely on that one.

Not that long ago I was writing an email and the S key fell off the keyboard. Now how does that happen? So I had to take the MacBook Pro into the service provider. The good news was that it was a 5 minute fix. I was freaking out thinking that I was going to have to leave the computer there for a few days while they get in a new keyboard. Instead he had a spare keyboard that he uses to replace individual keys. So I was in and out in no time.

What made it more critical is that the other computer was in for repair at the same time. Not sure if I had mentioned before that when I installed Vista on it I had a nasty screen flicker. I thought I was going to have a seizure. If I left it long enough for it to go to sleep when it woke up it was fine. Eventually, I got sick of the flicker so I reinstalled Windows XP on it. Too bad it had the same issue. So we took it into Future Shop. They replaced the motherboard and it still had the same issue. In the end they decided to replace it. Now I must say getting a replacement was good news with a touch of bad news. It's always nice to get a new computer. Since they don't sell Gateways any more that meant they were replacing it with a different brand. Future Shops replacement policy is that they will replace it with similar features. So even though we spent $1000 on the computer in the first place they were giving us one that was selling for like $600. Something just seems wrong about that... Or maybe it's just because my MacBook Pro was replaced with the current model... so I didn't feel like I was getting screwed in the process.

Get the new computer home and go to install the wireless card... Back to this dejection over the experience. I knew that the features they were going by was the key components... Processor, RAM, and hard drive space. There was only one PCI slot. And many people wouldn't think that was a big deal except that I did have both a wireless card and an added sound card. It also didn't have as many USB ports. So the replacement did have some drawbacks.

I turned on the computer and it wasn't long before I had the blue screen of death. Things really weren't looking good. Spent 2 hours troubleshooting and even went as far as trying to reinstall the OS. Too bad even that failed with the loveley blue screen. So then the new computer had to go back. When Steve went in he mentioned the lack of an extra PCI slot. While they were deciding what to do he left the store since he had to go to work. Gave me the receipt in case I wanted to deal with it. I did my homework. None of the HPs fit my needs but there was an Acer that cost only about $50 more then the HP they gave us but it was a HUGE upgrade and one I would actually be happy with. And it had the extra USB ports and the PCI slot. I call in and initially he was going to give us the same model we had before... But I take the gamble and mention the Acer. He calls back about 15 minutes later to tell me I'm getting the Acer and to ask for the modem back. Oops... guess they wanted ALL the components back with the system. My bad.

When I went in I learned how useless some of the staff there are. I knew there was another Acer that was even worse then what they had offered the day before and I wanted to make sure that wasn't the one I was leaving with. So I ask the guy. He seems to think that he needs to actually open the box to find out. Just ignore the big sticker on the side.... And it was the wrong one. So then the guy I had actually been talking to comes out. It was supposed to be the upgrade but someone grabbed the wrong one. So now the one that has been opened is supposed to be sold as an open box system. Good job buddy. get the right one and I can go home.

Now I am happy.... This one works much better and really is an upgrade from the system that I had. Who cares that it's not an HP? You're really paying for the brand there any ways. Besides any PC still takes a backseat to my Mac. Would've been even nicer if they had been willing to replace it with a Mac. No luck there though.

Inadequacies of the English Language

Really this goes along with my last post but I felt it deserved it's own space. The other day I was having a great conversation with a friend of mine about friendships. We were discussing close friendships but then there are always people that don't quite make the grade. They're "friends" but not in the best friends forever sense. They're not really acquaintances either. So I went on the hunt for a word that was between friend and acquaintance. I really couldn't find one. It seems that in English the word "friend" means anything above and beyond an acquaintance.

In my search (God bless the internet and Google *lol*) I came across this article that compared the Russian word "Droog" to the English word "Friend." Or should I say that it compared the cultures, more so then just the words that were being used.

I look around and I think of North Americans as being soliary... It's all about the "me." And that shows in our behaviours and our interactions with others. It's the iPod culture where we just tun everyone else out. Most of my conversations now revolve around IM and email and not over the phone or in person. Now I know that I am guarded so I can't possibly extend my reluctance to be close to someone and share all the details with my life to society as a whole... Having said that, I certainly believe that the nature of friendships that we have in North America is quite different then those being described of the Russian culture.

“The intensity of Russian relationships surprises Americans. Russians share everything with their closest friends. They share each other’s sorrow. They commiserate and help each other. A male friend is a brother, a drinking companion, a soul mate, and a bulwark against the outside world... To a Russian woman, a girlfriend is a confidante with whom she shares things she may not share with her husband or mother. The women see each other as comrades in arms against weak men and a hostile world. Russian émigrés are even closer because they have their own problems and difficulties in coping with life in their new country... In Russia, friends were there to help you when the system got in the way, to help you get a job, to fix your car, or lend you money. Few Americans have the time or patience for relationships requiring such commitment and loyalty. These relationships are very demanding.”

I think back to my last post about Facebook and the "friends" that are on the list. Certainly when I think of the comrade in arms and sharing everything with these people I think no way. The closeness just isn't there.

So I think the word "friend" is often overused and I believe there really needs to be an English word between acquaintance and friend... or a word more like the Russian word "droog" to represent that inner circle of friends... those people that we truly let in... if we let anyone in at all.

Why I Hate FaceBook

Really it could apply to any social networking site but I don't use any of the others. I already know that some people who read that are going to go on the defensive because they love FaceBook.... Good thing it's my blog and my point of view then. :)

I look at my "friends" (and I use that term loosely) list and see 153 names. But then I click on someone else's profile and maybe they have 200 names. Suddenly I start to feel a little inadequate. The comparison begins. It's like being back in high school again... where you want to be one of the cool kids with all the friends. In reality though I look at the list of names and some of them are family members, some of them are acquaintances, some of them little more then acquaintances, and then there are the gems.... These are the people that I truly call friends. So while I am lamenting about how someone else might have 200 names on that list I am still blessed to have at least 1 true friend. Some people don't even have that.

Lately I have been reminded to cherish those people that you truly call friends and don't ever take them for granted. I am going to end this post with a forward that someone sent to me...

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on. Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season. LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.