Anyone who knows me knows how badly I've wanted a Mac. Ever since I got to LSU and saw all the shiny apple computers scattered across campus, I've desired one over my silly Dell laptop. I felt inferior. I felt less tech savvy. I felt nerdy. I know this is ridiculous, but again, anyone who knows me knows my desire to have what everyone else has. It may be one of my greatest personality flaws, but I don't really care.
I knew I was going to make bank in graduation money. I also had a good excuse as my inferior Dell has been slowly and surely dying since last year. I decided that now was the time to leap onto the Mac bandwagon. I wrestled with the pros and cons of the varied Macs available, and eventually decided (after the new line with the price cuts was released; I am also cheap) that the 13 inch MacBook Pro was the right Mac for me.
I ordered it on June 11 along with an iPod touch (I took advantage of the student discount which not only knocked off $100 from the Mac price, but also offered a free iPod touch* *restrictions applied). I also paid $15 for two day shipping, because I knew that I would be going out of town, and I wanted to make sure I would be around when it arrived.
On June 13th, I recieved an email from Apple saying that my Mac had been shipped. "Oh joyous day!" I exclaimed. Apple ships through FedEx, so I was provided with a tracking number. My Mac's estimated delivery was June 18, 2009. "OK, that's fine. A little longer than two days, but whatever, it will be here before I leave." I thought. Oh, little did I know that God had different ideas.
For ease of reading, I have provided a timeline:
Jun 13, 2009 12:09 PM: Picked up in Shanghai, China. It was picked up after FedEx cut off, which apparently means it has to sit around while FedEx employees are unproductive.
Jun 13, 2009 12:21 PM: Left FedEx origin facility. Allegedly.
Jun 16, 2009 9:51 PM: In transit. Three days AFTER FedEx reported it as hightailing it out of China, it was moving. Somewhere. Now, granted, one of the days was Sunday, but I digress.
Jun 16, 2009 2:34 PM: Arrived in Anchorage, AK. Where it proceeded to sit around while FedEx employees twiddled their thumbs or watched sindicated tv sitcom re-runs, I'm sure.
Jun 16, 2009 2:51 PM: In transit. At this point I thought it had left Alaska. I was wrong.
Jun 17, 2009 8:12 PM: Int'l shipping release. IT WAS IN CUSTOMS FOR 5 HOURS. OH MY GOD.
Jun 17, 2009 4:00 PM: In effing transit. Probably being used as a soccer ball, or something.
Jun 17, 2009 5:01 PM: Departed Anchorage. Well, it's about time.
Jun 18, 2009 2:09 AM: Arrived in Indianapolis, one of my least favorite cities, even though I've never been there.
Jun 18, 2009 4:53 AM: In transit. At this point, we (and by we I mean my dad) called the FedEx customer support people, who basically gave us the finger and said it wouldn't arrive until tomorrow even though I PAID EXTRA for two day shipping because, get this, a volcanic eruption in China had caused their freight to be delayed. A volcanic eruption. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? God, why do you hate me? We end up moving it's delivery date to Monday, when we will be home. Screw them, too.
Jun 18, 2009 4:53 AM: Leaves Indianapolis.
Jun 18, 2009 11:10 PM: Arrives in Memphis. Good for it.
Jun 19, 2009 3:18 AM: Leaves Memphis.
Jun 19, 2009 4:08 AM: The Mac is officially instate.
Jun 19, 2009 7:35 AM: In Covington.
Jun 22, 2009 8:45 AM: DELIVERED. Victory is mine!
Granted, they probably would have had it to me on Friday, which only put it about a day behind schedule (their schedule, not mine; it was never on time according to my schedule). But it's the principle of the matter. Oh well. At least I have it now. It arrived well traveled, at least.
And in case you care, it is everything I ever imagined it would be and more.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
My first impression of BU
So, I finally have a little more Boston action to report:
I spent the past week in Boston/Plymouth. On both Saturday and Monday my parents and I took the "T" (for those of you not accustomed to MA mass transit, the "T" is the subway, but also encompasses the commuter rail) into Boston.
On Saturday, our day mostly consisted of getting a little of the lay of the land. I accepted BU's admission offer sight unseen, so I was pretty keen to see the campus I will be calling home for the next year and a half. I have to say, it was pretty damn impressive. It's a totally different type of campus than LSU is. Obviously, it is located in a real city (let's face it, Baton Rouge was built around LSU; BU was built within Boston), and it looks like it. Boston is a really old city, so naturally, BU has acquired some really old buildings. Lots of elegant brownstones that they have converted into offices and classrooms; in fact, I have been told that Alden Hall, one of those brownstones, houses many PR classes. The only downside? No AC! In fact, I found that many buildings on campus do not have AC. I guess that's part of what they call culture shock.
On Monday, we actually met with a couple professors. When I say that they are as different as day and night, I mean it. However, both were really helpful, and I really look forward to working with them. After my visit, I actually feel smart enough to go to BU. For a while, I was under the impression that I didn't really deserve my acceptance, and that I was not quite up to par. I don't have that feeling anymore. And let me tell you, it is a nice feeling! In fact, all of my worries about school, internships and jobs have evaporated. I feel really good about my future. I know that I made the right decision and the best decision. I can't wait to start!
In the meantime, though, I have a lot of packing to do...
I spent the past week in Boston/Plymouth. On both Saturday and Monday my parents and I took the "T" (for those of you not accustomed to MA mass transit, the "T" is the subway, but also encompasses the commuter rail) into Boston.
On Saturday, our day mostly consisted of getting a little of the lay of the land. I accepted BU's admission offer sight unseen, so I was pretty keen to see the campus I will be calling home for the next year and a half. I have to say, it was pretty damn impressive. It's a totally different type of campus than LSU is. Obviously, it is located in a real city (let's face it, Baton Rouge was built around LSU; BU was built within Boston), and it looks like it. Boston is a really old city, so naturally, BU has acquired some really old buildings. Lots of elegant brownstones that they have converted into offices and classrooms; in fact, I have been told that Alden Hall, one of those brownstones, houses many PR classes. The only downside? No AC! In fact, I found that many buildings on campus do not have AC. I guess that's part of what they call culture shock.
On Monday, we actually met with a couple professors. When I say that they are as different as day and night, I mean it. However, both were really helpful, and I really look forward to working with them. After my visit, I actually feel smart enough to go to BU. For a while, I was under the impression that I didn't really deserve my acceptance, and that I was not quite up to par. I don't have that feeling anymore. And let me tell you, it is a nice feeling! In fact, all of my worries about school, internships and jobs have evaporated. I feel really good about my future. I know that I made the right decision and the best decision. I can't wait to start!
In the meantime, though, I have a lot of packing to do...
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