Tech support employees rub me the wrong way

I understand that some jobs, particularly ones that deal with customer service, can be demanding and difficult. I get that. But I now have a problem with tech support employees.

UGH!

I called my laptop manufacturer today in an attempt to fix my wireless internet. I was on hold for a good while, then explained my problem (which is being UNABLE to connect to the internet) to a tech support employee, who then asked for all of my information and the computer's information. I spent 30 minutes talking with this man about my problem and listening to him repeat my email address 3 times to make sure he had the correct spelling before he finally says: "Well ma'am, the warranty has run out on your computer, so if you want to receive any further assistance from us today, you will need to buy a 14 day warranty for $49.99."

Ok.
1. Don't you think he should have told me that I could not receive any help from him after he already had my warranty information after 10 minutes of talking to me?
2. I am not going to pay $49.99 for him to tell me that I possibly have one silly little setting switched off.
3. What "further assistance" is he offering? I received absolutely NO HELP from him. To offer "further assistance" implies that I had somehow been assisted already.

So in response to this I politely say: "Alright, well I think I'd rather take my computer into a repair shop near me, but thank you."

He then has the balls to say: "Alright ma'am, if you like, you can always visit our website for troubleshooting."

Is that a joke? The whole reason I'm calling is because I CANNOT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET - which he is fully aware of.

"Well, I can't do that seeing as I can't connect to the internet," I say, in a suddenly less cheery and less polite tone.

"Oh, yes and I understand that ma'am. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"No, thank you."

Damn it, Taylor! Don't thank the man for doing absolutely nothing to help you and wasting your time!

I really have a problem being rude to others - especially people I don't know at all. Typically I think this is a good trait, because most things aren't worth getting into an argument. However, its times like these when I am frustrated and irritated that I wish I could be just a little more forceful.

Hopefully the Italians will teach me that.

C'est la vie

Today some family friends from France came to our house for dinner and catch up. We had some amazing discussions about Europe. I am now itching to get to Italy. They were describing all the amazing things to do and see throughout Italy and Europe.

Aside from seeing all the beauty that Europe has to offer, I am so excited to meet the people there. All the people I have met and spoken to from Europe are just so cultured and aware of the world around them. I cannot wait to be absorbed into that lifestyle!

More specifically, I adore some of the French mentality about life. Today, we were discussing how good things can come from bad, and our French guest made a comment along the lines "ah yes, well you know...sometimes thats just life." Now put a lackadaisical French accent on that and you have the key to my esoteric heart. It's true, everything can really be that simple - when something bad happens, thats just life. And when something great happens, well thats just life too. I love the complexity one can derive and apply from that simple statement.

I also got to exercise my French. I am glad that after 5 or so months without French practice, I'm still able to hold my own with a native French speaker.

Oh! An important note - my laptop is broken. Well, the wireless internet refuses to work (I'm using my family's computer). So tomorrow I plan to spend a good hour or two on the phone with tech support. Oh and my cell phone never wants to send or receive picture messages. On top of that, I must spend a few hours sorting out all my papers I need for my visa appointment with the Italian consulate - this includes spending a while on hold with my school's financial aid office as they attempt to sort out what money they will decide to give me for the school year.

I will also be planning a trip or two up to northern California to visit a special someone. :)
So that requires some travel arrangements.

So much to do! And all I want to do is laze around on the beach...c'est la vie, non?

Mom! I want candy for breakfast!!

I went to bed hungry and I woke up hungry. In between I had dreams of delicious foods galore...but I could not eat them. So when I woke up and finally had the chance to eat, I got my hands on the first food-item available - Sour Straws.

Whenever I start my morning off by eating candy (it happens more often than you'd think), the rest of the day is usually a slow and unproductive day for me. I think it puts me in a mindset where I feel like I don't have to achieve anything, because I sure didn't achieve a well-rounded breakfast.

So despite my long list of errands and things to do for today, I am already feeling lethargic and unmotivated to get out of the house.

Damn you Sour Straws. Damn your deliciousness.

I hate cleaning...for good reason.

Today as I slid into my boiling hot car, and my legs were burned by the hot leather seat, I thought to myself "Summer weather has definitely started".

So in preparation for the summer, I cleaned out my dresser and closet in hopes of finding bathing suits from summers past so that I wouldn't need to spend money on a new one this summer. While I did discover 4 perfectly good bathing suits, I also discovered a lot of my clothes from high school when I had absolutely no body fat and could squeeze into a size 3. Now let me say, I am skinny and small and have a good body. I am confident in my image. BUT pretty much all women can find something they don't like about themselves or some excuse to hate their body; and for me, trying on those size 3 jeans again didn't do anything for my self-esteem. I just hope that one day, when I'm older, I don't find my current size 5's - that would most likely throw me into a mid-life crisis.

So here I am, boxing up my jeans that remind me of a...skinnier time... Soon they will be given away to some girl who will also, one day, grow up to hate those awful size 3's for reminding her of the effects of time.

Hello summer time.

I have an aversion to being productive during the summer...

I have been far too lazy over the past few days - laying around the house while the 20 or so boxes and suitcases I have from moving back to San Diego for the summer sit, unpacked, in my room.

But instead of achieving productivity through unpacking, I have decided to focus on my upcoming trip to Italy. Which brings me to the main point of this post:I need to start learning some Italian.

You know, just a few key words to get me around the airport and the bus station before I get to Tuscany in a few months. While the whole point of my studying abroad is to learn the language, I am still a bit apprehensive about dropping myself in the middle of a foreign country without knowing how to say anything aside from "Ciao!".

I have an interactive Italian language CD/DVD (something similar to Rosetta Stone) that has been sitting on my desk since Christmas time. Every time I look at it, the linguist in me wakes up and I get a rush of excitement at the thought of learning Italian, but then comes this feeling of extreme guilt because in all honesty I know I probably won't ever break from my lazy summer routine to use the CD...

Oh well, even if I don't start learning the language now, I'll just have to use the country of Italy as my classroom - which is really one of the best ways to learn a language.

Alright, the sun is shining outside and I best go enjoy it.

Ciao!

Travel Tip: Cheap Flights

So as of late, I've been doing a lot of searching for cheap flights to various places: Italy, Sacramento, San Francisco, Tahoe, etc. Now, after spending much time trying to find good deals on flights, I've found a few (logical but sometimes overlooked) tips that I'd like to share here to help you out.

1. USE MULTIPLE TRAVEL SITES

Now if there's one thing I've learned about finding the cheapest flights on the web, its this: search the same trip through as many different flight search engines you can find. Not all the prices are the same on each website - certain websites list more flights and airlines than others, thus offering you a bigger price range.

2. TRAVEL DURING THE WEEK

You can save a good chunk of money if you can manage to travel during the middle of the week, rather than the weekend when a considerably larger amount of people are traveling so prices for flights are higher.


3. DON'T BE PICKY

If you're on a budget, you can't afford to be picky and write off extremely cheap flights. So what if the airplane is uncomfortable and the service is mediocre? If it's cheap and gets you safely from Point A to Point B, suck it up and save some money.

Happy Father's Day!

Today was a relatively sunny day in a string of cloudy, overcast days here in (supposedly sunny) San Diego. And it is also Father's Day!

It's been a pretty low-key day and my father (who never takes a day to stop working because there's always something to clean or fix around our house) has - hopefully - been enjoying himself.

Here are some chocolate covered strawberries I made today to celebrate the holiday!




My dad plays a very unique role in my life. Sometimes I feel most similar to my father than anyone else in my family. Its from him that I think I get my appreciation for things such as classical music and art. I'm more inclined toward creativity, such as my father, rather than methodical and calculated approaches towards situations.

But the trait I most enjoy that I've inherited from my father is my natural pessimism. Now, If I had to classify myself as an optimist or pessimist, I would say optimist. But underlying that cheery outlook on life, is my natural negativity that causes me to always see the worst case scenario that can arise from specific situations. For example, what if I fail my German class? Or, if I'm going on a trip, what happens if I lose a contact lens?
When making plans, I always identify these negatives. And then I worry about these negatives.

Now why would this be a good trait for my father and myself?

I see it as an asset. Because of this natural, underlying pessimism, my dad and I never rush headlong into situations without first assessing all the negatives - and then preparing for them. We clear the path before sprinting ahead. So if I fear I may fail my German class - I study harder. Or, if I'm afraid of loosing a contact lens, I pack extra.

Don't get me wrong. Spontaneity is great, but so is planning ahead (at least within reason).

I'm glad to be my father's daughter. Aside from the excellent parenting he has provided to me over the years, I would be nowhere without this healthy dose of natural pessimism that I learned from him. Love you, Dad!