Gift Card Madness

So, as an indicator of my company's failings this past year, I present the following evidence:

In 2010, my Christmas/end of year bonus was $2K before taxes.

In 2011, I received a $30 gift card to the mall.

HA!  I find this hilarious. Some people, I'm sure, would count on having that large bonus again, but I never expect anything. So I wasn't disappointed.

I finally tried to use it last weekend. Yet another first for NZ for me: my first gift card. And yes, they work differently here. Worse. As usual. :)

You aren't allowed to use more than one card for a transaction, but my purchases added up to $60 something. I had to break my purchase as close to $30 as I could get it and then pay the difference in cash. It then added up to $31 something, but I didn't have exact change to make up the difference, so I ended up with 40 cents on the gift card that I'll never be able to use again. And it was totally embarrassing because a huge line was forming behind me as I tried to pay for everything. Why on EARTH would you not be able to use a gift card plus another card to make up the difference, as it is in the Best Shopping Place on Earth (America)?!  I sigh in frustration a lot about these kinds of things here in NZ. Why do they make life SO DIFFICULT?!!!!!!

So, in the end, yeah, thanks Company that doesn't believe I am loyal nor truthful. You have succeeded in frustrating me, even when trying to give me a 'bonus.'

I know, I know, I'm grateful for whatever I can get. This is all tongue in cheek today because I went to yoga and I'm not feeling as annoyed as usual. :)

Whew

Wow, is it ever nice to have a functioning large-scale laptop again! I can type more comfortably, all of my files are easily accessible, and I can view my pictures in detail!

While my netbook is adorable and serviceable in a pinch, it just isn't practical for day-to-day use for years on end. When this 5 year old laptop kicks the bucket, I will have to replace it with another large-scale one.

I love this laptop, though! And by now, I know it inside and out...literally. I've taken it apart almost completely.

I believe that because I initially couldn't figure out how to get into the fan assembly and clean it out, my laptop overheated enough that it warped the keyboard connection to the motherboard. At least, that is what was suggested by The Internets. So I had to figure out a way into that fan area. It was QUITE the job. Lo and behold, five years of dust had built up quite the dust bunny inside my poor computer's fan. Tsk tsk tsk. I've since cleaned it out, but I don't think Old Bessie will last that much longer, much to my chagrin. But knock on wood that she holds out a while longer. It will be a very sad day when I have to put her out to pasture. Does anyone else feel like that about their computer??

I have upgraded the RAM and replaced the hard drive and keyboard thus far. The upgrades combined cost much less than getting a brand new laptop, while refurbishing this one to nearly brand-new condition (AND no messy losing programs or having to install new programs, etc.!).  AND I got the chance to learn my way around a computer, so I'm pretty happy with that. For example, my new keyboard was $17 USD, including shipping. It looks exactly like my old keyboard (but much cleaner!!!), and installing it couldn't have been easier. Just had to unscrew 5 screws, pop off the top bit of the keyboard face, pull out the old keyboard and screw in the new one. Oh, and I guess I had to hook the keyboard connector ribbon to the motherboard correctly (apparently it is easy to mess up?), so it wasn't THAT simple. But nothing that any other computer illiterate person can't look up on the internet and do themselves. Honestly. If I can do it, you can, too.

The hardest part for me was that the screws on these laptops are very tiny and sometimes tightened down MUCH too far. I just couldn't get enough torque on some of them to loosen them at all, especially with the tiny screwdrivers you have to use! I ended up stripping the head on every screwdriver I used--must be made of some soft metal...

Does someone make tiny screwdrivers with a torque function?? Maybe a hole in the top to be able to slide something through and then twist??  If not, I want to make a few. I must have spent hours on one screw in some cases ("they" recommend super-gluing the screwdriver head to the screw). In the end, I just ended up breaking the keyboard off of the laptop because I could NOT unscrew a few of them. I knew I was replacing the keyboard, anyway, so it didn't matter too much that I was breaking the clamps on the old one.

I understand how to put things together mechanically, most of the time...now if only I understood how computers worked. ;)

Crossing My Fingers...

...my keyboard has arrived!! I have to install it, good luck to me that it is straightforward and there isn't nonsense with drivers or the wrong model or that I lose a (or another) screw! I hope to be back online for real, with my huge widescreen laptop, SOON!!

Keyboard still broken...

I ordered a new laptop keyboard for my main (large) laptop off of ebay but it hasn't arrived yet...there is SO much to talk about though:

2011 spending and savings
Mom's trip and spending
happenings at work
travel plans for 2012
Sister's descent into (more) madness
My dad's spending
Nutritionist and yoga/health lately
...and so much more!

This little netbook keyboard completely aggravates my carpal tunnel, though, so I can't spend too much time typing. I'm reading your blog entries and commenting back, though. :)

This netbook is great for traveling, though--never will I ever again travel with my huge, heavy laptop!

One of Those 'Worth It!' Experiences

To me, saving money isn't about scraping every penny into a jar for a rainy day, it means balancing saving while spending on the things that mean something to me. Long has it been heralded that it is better to spend money on experiences, like travel, rather than things, like a new handbag, for example. Research backs this up, even. For me, one who not only doesn't care about labels or even the clothes that I wear (it just needs to be clean, no holes, and not clash, bonus if it fits particularly well or is a flattering color), I agree wholeheartedly with this statement, although I love buying things that save me time or effort (new pans that food doesn't stick to), help me reach my goals, like eating healthier (my blender), or capture my experiences (my new waterproof rugged camera). Basically, everything I buy needs to have a purpose, and my cheap, 5 year old purse that looks brand new will hold my stuff just as well as a Fendi. I have no room for labels in my life. They have no purpose, and it doesn't fit my INTJ personality to care about these things, either.

Basically, all I'm saying here is, I spent a total of $100 tonight on an evening with David Sedaris ($64), and one of his books ($30) so I could meet him. (I'm sure he would have signed my ticket or something, but I wanted to support him.) I've been wanting to go to one of his readings for years, and so when I found out last Saturday that he was coming to Auckland this week, I squealed and immediately bought a ticket. No questions asked--I can afford it, it's on my list, the opportunity is there, so I'm doing it. No thinking was involved, just action. And that is what saving gives me: the chance to not have to think about spending the money on an experience.

I am so excited I finally got to see him! He was delightful and down to earth and relate-able and just as funny as I thought he would be. He can crack a joke at the most boring statement--he left me smiling after I got to meet him. I totally geeked out on him and he took it in stride and left me feeling complimented about it. He is the first author I've ever met, heck, the first famous person I've ever met. And I would have paid twice as much to have that experience.

Trials

Oh boy. Work is kind of stressful lately, what with the confrontation last week, and me trying to prove to everyone that I'm NOT a crazy liar/cheat. I make sure the CEO of the company sees me first thing in the AM and last thing at night (anywhere from 7 to 9 pm every night). Tomorrow, I talk with my main supervisor. I just hope she can clear things up for me or help me deal with the situation or pull me off any projects that that one guy is on. Any one of those three options would be nice.

Honestly, I'm at a loss as to what to do. I can't make someone think I'm loyal/honest, so why bother, right? He has made up his mind about me, and has been incredibly disrespectful about it on several occasions. I know I need to show that I can work with difficult people, but is this a situation where I should cut my losses and refuse to work with him?! Employees everywhere, please weigh in. I don't want to put myself in a position to be disrespected like that again, and I don't like how he takes everything so personally. The day he yelled profanities at me I wasn't sure that he wasn't going to come by my office after most people had left (I often work late) and threaten me somehow. Maybe that is an overreaction, but his reaction was so out of proportion it left me wondering about his mental state and what he is capable of. This isn't good at all. There is one project that contributes 10% of my salary that he seems to think he is in charge of me for (he's not listed in my contract and has never interacted with me about this project before but held this over my head over Xmas break) and I need to figure out if I should ask to be pulled off of that project...

STill Alive

keyboard broken--sorry--...more later.