Joy to you and me

Christmas is coming, and the goose isn't the only one getting fat. Am I right? AHAHAHA [sobs] No, but Christmas has arrived despite my now living in a subtrobpical climate, and the bf and I have made it to some festivities, including this one in a beautfully decorated home in the Garden District. Of course we have eaten and dranken more fattening substances.

(The slender young lady pictured is unfortch not me, though she is another Brooklyn refugee in Baton Rouge.)

Unfortunately amidst the celebrations, it's also time for another goodbye, to my great aunt Aunt Nell in Dublin. It's not surprising to hear that a 90-something-year-old lady with lung cancer who refused to stop smoking passed away, and I won't take this opportunity to point out again the specter of cancer in most people's futures, but it's still sad.

The first time we met Nell in Ireland as kids, my brother picked her out at the airport because she was a dead ringer for my grandmother, who was her older sister. After my grandmother died, it was strange but cool to still be able to visit her doppleganger every few years when we visited the auld sod.

When I lived in Dublin after college, the house I lived in just happened to be right around the corner from her townhouse. It won't be the same going back (hopefully in the new year) without her there; she's the last of that generation. Now the younger generation of her family (who make their living with a butcher shop), will have to be the ones to tell me that it's not healthy to not eat meat.

I know it's a rule that people have to die at Christmastime, but I'm over it. There's too much of it this year, more so than usual, it seems. Has anyone else noticed that?

But let's turn sadness into rage: after the jump, vote on which relatively minor incident from the past week was the most annoying.

1. The noisy dogs whose owners don't care they're disrupting the world, as discussed on Monday. UPDATE! I went over there at 7:30 this morning! Now it seems like a dream. But I know I pointed out the proximity of our bedroom to her barking dog and the fact that it does that all the time when no one's home. She apologized, said she didn't know that, and sent it inside.

$. Dell sucking the big one, as discussed on Tuesday. UPDATE! Yesterday and today have brought even more problems with it--yesterday my keys were sticking and today my browser forgot all the settings I gave it. This is a brand new computer, people! Crap.

3) I tried to mail 12 packages and letters at once on Wednesday, waited on extendo holiday line at the post office about 20 minutes, then I had gotten one digit wrong on one of the zip codes and the postal worker wouldn't look up the correct zip because "it would take five minutes" and I didn't have my phone to call anyone to ask the Internet, "which would take five seconds." Leaving with one package still unmailed, I was denied my rightful feeling of accomplishment.

B. Also earlier this week, I was reminded of an old housemate from my stay in Ireland, who I hadn't talked to in years, then looked that person up on MySpace, wrote him a friendly hello message including brief updates on our mutual acquaintences, and he didn't write back. RUDE!? I don't understand that behavior.

%. At the request of one of my favorite superfunny friends, last weekend I scanned in most of the photos from a trip we took to Iceland in 2000, which took a good two hours, posted them to a web album, and replied to our tripmates to share the pics. I got like a three-word response from the friend who asked me to do it, an email response from another friend observing that the pics didn't quite capture how fun the trip was, and no response from the two other recipients. It's like, Sorry I didn't whip up gossamer dreamy funtime photographs that nobody actually took-- I DESERVE A MEDAL FOR THAT SCAN JOB. You'll take the photos of geysirs and Gulfloss and like it! Just kidding. It was a bit annoying, though.

Anyhoo, it's just about travel time and about time to see many loved ones, and just about Christmas, all of which I'm excited for, so I'll see you on the other side of all that. I promise to deliver on photos of fun times this time.

Comments

[roopa]

I'm annoyed, too. I want to move back to NYC. I think I'm going to.

[Therese]

That's Canal Street in NOLA, right? I so am glad the Joy sign is still there.

Sorry about Aunt Nell. If you want, when you're up in NY, we can go see my 102 year-old Great Aunt Cathy. She's Scottish, not Irish, but she'll be happy to criticize you.

[jew]

I'm also sorry about your great aunt :(

And i vote it's a tie between the Dell computer, and the non-responders. I hate when people do that! But it might be kind of selfish... i'm like "I chose to think of you! You should be GREATFUL!!!" haha.

I have off Dec31-Jan4. Hit me up!

-J

[Alison/Lilshametongue]

Tying in with the Christmas/death/cancer trifecta, I think the worst thing is that every year, I realize more and more (in kind of a really sad and dismal, I-don't-even-really-enjoy-the-holiday-anymore way)...Christmas is really only fun, special and magical when you are a little kid. :(

Indeed, I highly suspect this may be one of the primary reasons why people have children. They want to vicariously relive the anticipation of advent calendars, et al, any way they can.

[Latham]

Sorry Co I do appreciate all of your effort for the photo’s I did not realize that they all had to be scanned, I forgot that this was before the digital camera age. For the record I do have a picture of Gulfloss as the background on my computer. I hope that you and the BF have a very Merry Christmas.

[Latham]

Sorry Co I do appreciate all of your effort for the photo’s I did not realize that they all had to be scanned, I forgot that this was before the digital camera age. For the record I do have a picture of Gulfloss as the background on my computer. I hope that you and the BF have a very Merry Christmas.

[Kartek]

Sorry to hear about your great aunt. And to top that off with so many annoyances. I hate when all the minor annoyances converge during the same time period. I'll have to vote for the Dell computer. Sorry to hear about that. Sometimes computers are just born a lemon...like my old Sony VAIO...Hal 9000.

[Jules]

I would like to vote for number %. I understand how time consuming that is! (And it was really cute how you demonstrated the dell button malfunction by numbering your issues the way you did. Made me smile.)

I hope you have a super holiday!

[Caitlin]

I think Iceland is one of my dream vacation destinations.

I definitely relate to you on the Myspace non-responder. My own cousin denied my friend request a few weeks ago!

[Pia]

Non responders really irk me. As do the super delayed ones. It is somewhat understandable through Myspace, but if you send an e-mail directly it really shouldn't take people a month to reply. And I know what it is to be super busy!

Thanks for the picture and for calling me a young lady!

[Just Wonderin']

Not that you really care, but have you noticed how KLSU keeps saying that Common People is sung by Shatner and Ben Folds, when it's with Joe Jackson?

[cokane]

roopa, for real? we must discuss...in real life!

therese, right you are. please do lend me your aunt cathy.

jew, i know, right?

alison, i am SO with you on that! i've been thinking the exact same things about Christmas!

latham, no prob i was just being a cranky poo. maybe i'll see you while i'm home? that'd be cool. if not hope you & the little lady have a great Christmas too!

kartek, i think i'm returning the bum computer.

jules, thanks & Merry Christmas!

caitlin, OMG, rudeness!

pia, thanks for modeling for such a cool looking photo. we did doctor it slightly just so you'd show up more.

just wonderin', i haven't noticed that because if i am listening to KLSU and that song comes on, off goes the radio! haha

[Amanda]

Ohh, Kane. If you're referring to me not responding to the Iceland pics, I didn't get any? I checked hotmail (which I don't use)and didn't see anything. Use my firstname.lastname@gmail.com for the future.

I WILL BE ACQUITTED OF THESE ALLEGORIES AGAINST MY PERSONAL REPUTATION AND PREROGATIVES!

[meanieT]

I remember when you went to Iceland and I really wanted to go but couldn't. Thanks for always inviting me, even though I'm lame.
I'm really sorry about your aunt, Colleen.
Alison is partially right. When I put my baby on Santa's lap, I was so overjoyed that it almost made up for all those sleepless nights.

[vl100butch]

have a wonderful holiday...if y'all have the chance, head down the river road to see the bonfires...check nola.com or the advocate to find out exactly where....

[larry@dell]

I'm not sure if you've tried to contact my team yet or not (since someone posted the Consumerist article about us) but I wanted to offer my help with your Dell computer.

If everything is due to a virus that Norton isn't seeing or fixing then, unfortunately, the best plan is probably to reinstall everything again. If you have any questions on the best way to do this so the virus doesn't come back just let me know.

From some of the problems you describe I'm not sure if the virus is the only problem or not. If you can let me know all the things it is (not) doing that will help me figure out what is needed to get things working again.

Larry
Dell Customer Advocate

[Jack]

Blah, blah, blah... I'm only now barely getting over "station babies".

[T]

Geez, nobody has anything good to say about Dell anymore, huh?

[the bf]

Larry-

What is Dell not doing? That's an easy one....Dell is not making a quality computer. Not to mention the fact that it took 45 minutes of my time to get directions on how to return the computer as well as having to assure the "Customer Service" agent 4 separate times that I did not want to take advantage of any "deals" I was being offered in order to keep the computer. They need to learn that people mean what they say when they have decided to return an item and do not need to be coerced into keeping the computer. Sometimes "no" is an ok answer to accept. After owning an Apple for 4 months now, I can tell you, Larry, that I will never own anything but an Apple for the rest of my life. I would have never said that about a Dell after 4 months or 4 years of owning one. I think Dell should take some lessons from Apple on many different things including customer service as well as building quality machines.

[the bf]

Oh, one last thing, Larry. The fact that Dell sold us a computer on a student plan and at no time mentioned that the computer did not come with Microsoft Office (a student would NEVER need that.....NEVER)which led us to believe that it was included really pissed us off when it arrived without the Office Suite.

Fuck

ing

Chintz!

Lame, Larry....LAME!!!!

[larry@dell]

I will forward your feedback about how you feel about the service you got. Feedback from customers is how Dell learns where it needs to improve, and I can honestly say I have seen changes made here based on customer feedback (e.g., 5 years ago the phone system for calling support was much worse that it is now; customer feedback got that changed, and I know more changes are being planned).

As for your other complaint, when a customer orders a computer from Dell, whether by phone or through the website, it will specifically list third party software such as MS Office if it is part of the order. Not everyone needs to have the system ordered with Office (i.e., site license, not required, etc) which is why it is an option for the customer to select. To the best of my knowledge all Dell computers have the option of having MS Office included (with the possible exception of the systems shipped with Ubuntu linux) but by default it is not selected.

If you still have the computer and need my help with anything on it just let me know.

Larry
Dell Customer Advocate