AWOL

There really is no excuse for my lack of posting. But, it happens. I am sorry. I will try to keep up. Here is the current excitement in my life:

I was able to return the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle and downgrade (but more like upgrade) to the 2nd generation. Unfortunately, I had to pay a 10% reshelfing fee. This is ridiculous to me because the product was broken. And I was only returning it so I wouldn’t have to repeatedly get it replaced. Oh well. I learned my lesson. This shuffle’s name is “the third” as in the third shuffle I had gotten in the past two weeks. So far, it has been good. As you can see, it looks like Shuffley, but pink.

In other news, I did not do anything really special over Memorial Day weekend. Part of this was because my boyfriend and I were so busy going back and forth to Ikea. On Saturday, we drove to the giant blue playground of cheap modern furniture and meatballs to buy a desk for my bedroom. It was a madhouse. With my anxiety high, I chose the desk I wanted and we left as soon as possible. I was a little worried about buying the right parts because there were six separate products I had to find in their warehouse section: the top, the frame, and 4 legs. I quickly asked an Ikea worker if I had chosen the appropriate parts and if it was all I needed to make the desk. I also asked if the tools and screws were also included. He reassuringly said “Yes, they are included in the frame box.”

We got home, exhausted and drained, and attempted to build the desk. Immediately, we realized there were no tools, just an empty compartment for where they should have been. I should have known better. I always encounter problems at/from Ikea. Everyone always encounters problems at/from Ikea. My boyfriend did not want to drive back to Ikea that night, so we went to Casa Escobar and had margaritas instead. The next day, we woke up and drove out to pick up the tools necessary.

At first, I did not like the desk in my bedroom because it felt cramped. But having a few days to adjust, I have learned to like it. I just now need a new comfortable chair (NOT FROM IKEA).

Bad Apples

1. I bought some apples at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and they were expensive, terrible, and went bad in 2 days. Not in season, no bueno.

2. My new iPod Shuffle (3rd generation), Mr. Shuffles, had to be replaced early last week because the volume and tracking button located on the headset stopped working (the music would still play though). They gave me a new one and told me it was unlikely that I would have the same problem. Well, it’s four days later and I have the same problem. In fact, it seems to be even worse. The tracks are fast forwarding and/or skipping through. Today at the gym, I was listening to very low volumed stop and go songs. It was awful.

3. My iPhone screen died on me Thursday night. It wouldn’t light up. The phone was still working though because I could hear the beeps when people txt messaged me. It also made it’s normal noise when you plug it into the wall/computer to charge your battery. I ended up having to restore the phone. Fortunately, it worked and the screen is back. Unfortunately, I lost some information on my phone because I don’t regularly back it up. Lesson learned.

4. There should be a Genius Bar application for the iPhone. Like Onstar, but for the phone emergencies. It should allow you to find and make appointments at Genius Bars that are either closest to you or that can take you the earliest. Also, it should offer quick suggestions on how to make sure if your product really is having problems (such as restoring or even something as simple as turning off/on).

So I have had a tough week with Apple products. Tomorrow will be the 4th Genius Bar appointment I have scheduled in the past week and a half. I hope that it works out and they let me return the iPod so I can get a 2nd generation iPod instead.

Meet Mr. Shuffles

Apparently, I have owned Shuffley for over a year and it was no longer under warranty. Sad for the retirement of Shuffley, I bought the 3rd generation shuffle and named him Mr. Shuffles (I am not original, but I love to personify). Here is a picture of Shuffley and Mr. Shuffles hanging out on my table.

I didn’t register the fact that there would be differences between 2nd and 3rd iPods until after I used Mr. Shuffles. As you can see, Mr. Shuffles has a monolithic stature making Shuffley look short and stout in comparison. While all the buttons on Shuffley are located on, well, Shuffley, that is not the case for Mr. Shuffles. The on/off and music sequence order button are both still on the iPod itself, but the volume and track control buttons are located on the headphone cord. This detail is going to take awhile for me to adjust to since I am so accustomed to using Shuffley. Overall, I am very excited for Mr. Shuffles and am hopeful that he will be a great replacement.