Phone Support Warranty? Really?

Hey guys, sorry I'm late.

Seriously, I apologize for my absence for the past couple days (weeks?), I've been having some serious computer issues, and I've been Internet-less for longer than I was comfortable with.

It all started shortly after I finished my latest YouTube video, actually: the computer shut off, and any attempts to resuscitate it ended in nothing but failure. My roommate Austen and I spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong with my poor Macbook, but you can't just open up the hood and see what the problem is. We eventually concluded that it wasn't a battery issue, and that Macs are very, very difficult to fix.

So, I decided to call up the fine people at Apple. Surely they would know what to do... right? Well, the woman I reached on the other end asked for all my information, punched it all into her computer, and informed me that my phone support warranty had expired. Phone support warranty? What the fuck? She wouldn't even tell me what was wrong with my computer, she just told me that I had to make an appointment at the local Apple store. The local Apple store happened to be 30 minutes away by train. I made my appointment and left.

Having arrived at the Apple store, the place was packed with unhappy customers. Apparently NO ONE knows what to do if their Mac breaks. Anyway, I approached the desk, where they took my name an kindly informed me that my clock is 10 minutes slow. I pointed out that their clocks are 10 minutes fast, and that they could at least take a look at the damn thing, at which point I was promptly escorted from the premises. Swell.

So we took it to one of Austen's fine female friends, Kat, a tech support person at the school of computing and digital media. After a quick once over and an in-depth description of why the computer is fucked up, she deduced that it's probably a monitor issue. Although she's mostly a Windows expert, she explained that many laptops are wired in such a way that the keyboard and the monitor are wired on the same circuit, and that the problems I had described with my machine were indicative with a wiring problem. This was very, very good news, because it meant that the issue probably had nothing to do with my processor and hard drive, so the repairs would be fairly simple and, more importantly, all my files would be a-okay. Probably.

Well, I wanted to get a second opinion at Best Buy and try to get someone to repair the damn thing, so we stopped by the Geek Squad booth. There was no line, and the Geek Squad employees were actually very helpful. They explained that it may very well be the wiring, but that they weren't authorized to open up the silly little box because Apple says so. They offered to send it in for repairs, which would take up to 2 weeks, but I decided that I would rather hold onto it until I got back home (I was still away at school at this point, and in two days I was headed back home).

Fast forward past two of the most awful, stressful days/nights of my entire life, and I'm at a different Apple store. Still crowded, still late for my appointment, but these guys knew me, so I at least received an audience. After a short wait, an employee came out, I explained what the problem was, and he said it was most likely an issue with the logic board. So they got my info, sent it to the shop, and less than a week later, ol' lappy was back, good as new!

So that's why I haven't posted anything in awhile. Again, for everyone who actually read this and cares about whether I write something or not, I apologize, and I'll try to get back to a more regular schedule.

Also, regarding vlog entries: blah. I'm not inspired, so whatever... for now. Likewise, I'm thinking about introducing the last couple of characters to Vertigo, as well as a surprise addition to the cast, before I completely screw up the plot by tossing them all into a mine shaft in Greenland. Connor, I think you know what I'm talking about, and believe me, I'm totally doing it... maybe.

Ok, I'm done now. Oh, and happy Friday! If you did anything fun this Friday, tell me about it in the comment! (Oh my god, audience participation! That's new!)