2 Things

1-i have a silly assignment where i have to write a response to a writing about writing styles?  dammit i just wanna write my thesis draft.  sedgwick and moten and freaking adrian piper aren't gonna really overhaul my ideas/ways of writing at this point.  also i have like 4.5 inches of coursepack (1 coursepack sheet=4 book pages), 13-15 books, other online readings, a bish of a routine, and a severe case of being a hermit already.

while i wasn't actually doing my silly assignment, i was thinking of 2 of my favorite things, debussy and cats, which leads me to number 

2-The Debussycat Dolls.  What would they be like?  Would they be awesome? Ironic? Fierce? Or is this just a sign that when I have cats of my own I will inevitably name one Claude?

Woof.

Ok, at this point I want a dog not just for the standard furry canine companionship but for those sweet little puppy booties, too.  

Bless Your Heart Dan

Alright, now that Dan posted, I feel a lot better about posting again (I had a deep rooted fear that team face were the only ones on here alive anymore)

A complaint sent to apple. enjoy.

Order Number *redacted
Case Number *redacted

To Whom It May Concern:

As a lifelong PC user, I am absolutely livid about the product and care I received during my first two days as a Mac owner. After waiting five days longer to receive my computer than predicted, the MacBook I purchased did not turn on. After a seemingly simple call with Apple Care I went to the genius bar to fix my laptop. Although my AppleCare consultant promised not only that she had entered all of my notes into my case number, but also that the only way to receive help was to go to an Apple Store in person, neither was the case.

Upon arrival at the genius bar, a concierge placed my name on the list and told me to wait on a bench nearby. After TWO HOURS of waiting, a representative meandered over and asked why I was waiting. Apparently, he said, I had been mislead by both the concierge (someone would have helped me sooner had she alerted them) and by Apple Care. Indeed, my case number provided no other information than “referred to apple store” and as my computer was purchased online and was a refurbished computer, Genius Bar could do nothing.

The following morning I called Apple to explain all of the circumstances and frustration. After being put on hold for the majority of my near half-hour phone call (with the most nerve-grating music I have ever had the misfortune of hearing), I was told I would have to send my computer back to Apple.

As a freelance writer I find this whole experience to be absolutely unacceptable. To have a late, broken, and now incapacitated computer causes me more than just fury but loss of wages. There was a complete and utter lack of communication between the three branches of Apple that I spoke to.

It is an experience like this that makes me wonder why I ever decided to switch from PC to Mac. I cannot believe that your company clings to its user experience and customer care as selling points.

I am incredibly disappointed and upset by the past days as a failed Mac user.


With lost hope,

Charlotte *redacted
*redacted

heppy nooyear

Somehow amidst all the new years eve-y chaos (which was lovely, super loud handclaps to Cait Smith the Extraordinary), I only took one photo. It's pretty great though.

Brightening everyone's day.

State of Life

Life has eased into a gentle rhythm; work isn't very strenuous and the living is pretty fine, too. Cassie, Ryan and I are welcoming into the house a third roommate, fellow graduate Sarah McCann, sometime this August. Until then, Laura Allen--yet another W&M presence in our home--is our guest for three weeks or so.

Weeks pass by relatively quickly, and recent weekends have seemed like brief pauses between what have been enjoyable weeks at the News-Press--I'm at home there.

In other news, Taylor Rubin and I have spoken about heading to the Northern City sometime, which will be a relief from the D.C. area humidity and low-rise buildings. I will enjoy losing myself among skyscrapers and traffic grids--hell, anything is better than D.C.'s roads.

So my brief update must be a relatively mundane one: I can't be much more descriptive about my life. Perhaps more will come here when I've done more at work--speaking of which, there is a public mixer tomorrow open to anyone in Falls Church; plenty of wine to boot. I'll be able to schmooze with the Chamber of Commerce and some odd guests that have been described to me as large bearded men wearing garish white fur coats, who never talk but eat everything at the annual gig--good times! I can't wait for the White House Correspondents & Press Dinner; that should be good fun, too, meeting the big wigs.

I learned a lot about the em and en dashes today, too. Apparently the em dash is considered "Victorian" and outmoded. Alackaday! And the AP Style Book removed "Milquetoast" as a preferred word. O tempores, o mores!

Fin.

P.S. Went to the Botanic Gardens this past weekend. I was able to see the plant that gives us precious quinine--once known, of course, as "Jesuit's Bark," per the first European contacts with the plant material. Also, Microsoft Words suggests that "of course" is haughty. I agree.