I hate Dell

My new Dell laptop heats so much that it almost burned my legs once. Not only from below, but also on top. The touch panel is barely that-touchable.
So I contacted Dell through a chat on its Web site. The agent No.1 offered to replace it right away. But the idea of me shipping my laptop didn't appeal to me, especially so close to my trip to Europe. I was actually planning on taking it with me.
So I tried to troubleshoot-clean the vents and upload something the agent told me, but it still seemed too hot.
Then I decided to go through the drag of the replacement, and I called them. The agent No.2, and his manager assured me that someone will call me in "one to two business days" to talk about the replacement. It's been more like a business week.
So I called again. Yesterday. I put my phone on the speaker and after about 55 minutes of a wait I finally got a person to talk to, who, to my great excitement, transferred me to another department. And then, that other agent transferred me to another one, and the third one to the fourth one, and the fourth one? Back on the automated system I was on five minutes before that, for almost an hour.
I was furious, but also had to go somewhere, and frankly, I could not have been on the phone for another minute-that's how sick I was from everything.
So I tried again, to chat, last night, and again, this morning. But this morning, I've had it with them. They still wouldn't replace it, but they offered to repair it. Repair? A brand new laptop?!
So I said, rather wrote, that I will contact the lawyer in the family about the fact that Dell's new laptop almost burned me. It's a safety issue. They called within couple of hours. And they are shipping it tomorrow. Please don't tell me intimidation doesn't work.
What doesn't work is niceness. With these companies. Only. Of course!

Unread of Hamlet

I had my last Shakespeare class last Friday. My wonderful teacher even teared up while telling us to continue reading Shakespeare out loud, and with each other, something along the lines of what we did in class. It's amazing how Shakespeare's words come alive when one reads them out loud. And you understand more.
You really do.
So I was laying in bed, thinking about that, and I found myself very motivated to actually organize a read with my peers. There's a great lounge in my building, perfect for this kind of occasion.
So I sent an e-mail to all my classmates. Most of them responded with excitement and confirmed. Some of them said they can't make it, right away. Some of them ignored the e-mail.
But at the end, almost all of them dropped out for one reason of another-health, rehearsals, travel...
Anyway, I didn't want to be the one to cancel. So I made a pot of coffee and went to the lounge to wait to whomever shows up.
One person showed up. C. Bless her.
We talked, had coffee and yogurt pretzels. We read a bit of Hamlet. It's much harder with just two of us. I became tired fast.
I actually skipped two good auditions to do this read. And people didn't show up. But they would pay $250 for more-less the same thing, and show up for that. Because they payed? Go figure.

French Hell

Yesterday was not a good day for me. Not at all.
I had to get the French visa for a brief visit at the end of August. Living in the States, I forget I need visas, so M. and I bought our tickets to Paris, and booked two hotels in Paris and Rouen, without a chance for a refund. All this, even before I even submitted for my visa.
I never had a problem with getting a visa before, in Belgrade nor in D.C. So, I figured, it won't be a big deal in N.Y.C. as well.
But, they wanted me to schedule it online. The first available appointment they had was Aug. 6. And I'm taking off on Aug. 12.
Not much room for error. Story of my life.
O.K., so I thought, I have all the documents they request, and the appointment, so it still should be the same day deal.
When I got there, there were 30 people in line already at couple of minutes before 9a.m. They all had the 9 o'clock appointment. Ridiculous!
And when you get inside, there's only four people working. But to get inside, you have to go pass a stocky African-American bodyguard, who looks and behaves like you're going to prison. No kidding. He cuts you with his eyes and has a sharp tone of the voice. No politeness. So when I managed to pass him, with his searing eyes on my appointment confirmation, I found myself int he line at the top of the stairs.
So we all waited and waited. Standing. Even though we had appointments. They had a technical "glitch," they said. They couldn't take fingerprints. For about an hour. Then they started working.
And in front of my eyes a French woman and a man, kept sending people back to get more information, more documents. I was starting to worry. And you pay $55 before they even take a look at your documents. Non-refundable!
So, after two hours of waiting, I finally got to the window. Guess what? He wanted me to call the hotel in Rouen and find out the zip code?!Oh, yes!
So I had to go downstairs, call Travelocity, and get the zip code. And come back up, so they can process my visa.
I was actually lucky. They told me to come back at 3p.m. I assumed, and hoped, it is to get my visa. That was at approximately 11:30a.m.
After a short wait in the afternoon, I got my passport with the visa. One woman is front of me did not.
Have I mentioned that there was no bathroom not even chairs for all the people who were waiting?!
I was completely drained when I got home.

Brideshead Rivisited

M. and I have seen the new Brideshead Rivisited today. We both wanted to see it due to the great preview on TV and Emma Thompson. It also reminded me a bit of two of my favorite movies-Atonement and English Patient.
It was a good movie, maybe even very good, but not perfect. The acting was, however. Perfect, that is. I wish Thompson was more in it, though. But as M. rightly pointed out, this movie is based on a book.
It just seemed a bit too fast. Everything was going on fast, with trailing on some important aspects of relationships in the story. The viewers are left with not really knowing what happened to some characters and why. And also, with questions at the end of the movie, and not just the existential ones.
Anyway, you should see it. The acting is brilliant, or lack there of. The story is interesting. There's no boring moment. And it's not too long. If anything, it feels unfinished, hurried.
Oh, yes, and with some stunning shots of England.

A year?! Already?

It's August 1. It's exactly one year since M. and I moved to New York City. And we both agree on the impression that the year went by so fast. It's a bit scary, actually. I don't want my years to go by fast. I want them to last forever. Especially the good ones. Like this one.
So many things happened in the past year. We moved. M. changed his job. I tried to find a journalistic job. I failed. I started taking acting classes. I started auditioning for the first time in my life. I got my first part in the States. I got payed for the first time to act. I was in the same room with Mr.Big:)
Went to Aruba. Got another cat. Got my niece! Got to know this amazing and cruel city really well. Went to two Broadway plays. Went to three Off and Off Off Broadway plays.
Showed New York, proudly, to my parents. Started writing my book. Failed to get a UN job. Read my first Shakespeare in old English....
Today was also my last Shakespeare class. It was a good course, all eight weeks of it. I loved the teacher, and most of my colleagues. And I've learned a lot.
Now I know a monologue from Julius Cesar. Among other things. I was Portia, Brutus's wife.
And I might take another one in the fall.
When I look back at it? It seemed like it was too years ago.

Devil Wears Prada

I realized tonight that I actually love all the movies Meryl Streep is in. Well, maybe not all, but most of them, at least the ones I've seen.
M.and I have seen Kramer vs.Kramer several weeks ago, and tonight-Devils Wears Prada.
The only reason I wanted to see the Devil is Streep.
During one of my early auditions, someone asked me who my favorite actress is. "Meryl Streep, " I said, without even giving it a second thought. She absolutely gives herself completely to the every part she takes. And she's always brilliant.
She's absolutely the star of the Devil. She actually is the Devil.
The movie is very entertaining in general as well. Stanley Tucci is in it too, as well as Anne Hathaway, and they're both good, Tucci even great, as is a minorly known British actress, or an American, acting with a British accent.
Anyway, if you like Streep, and fashion, in a good, light movie, see it.

Not enought cells?

You know how American doctors only call you when there's something wrong?
Well, I got that kind of call yesterday.
Sometimes, I don't answer my land line when I'm busy doing something else. If it's really important people will call my cell phone as well.
And when I heard my Nurse Practitioner Surrogate-For-A-Doctor leaving a message on my answering machine, I sank into my sofa.
I really got scared. And then I ran to get the phone.
It seemed like an eternity while she was introducing herself again to me and starting to explain why she's calling me.
She's talking, and I'm thinking:"It could be bad, really, really bad..."
And then she said:"The first test was fine,but the lab ran out of cells to perform the second one..."
I swear to you, it's the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
I asked her, nicely, feeling revived, for an explanation.
She said that there's a law that requires the lab to use 100,000 cells to perform a test, and they didn't have enough for both, and she didn't know how many she was getting since they are invisible..."
I thought for a second that I was dreaming. Or maybe watching a Sci-Fi movie.
Nope. It really happened.
She asked me if I want to come back to the office so she can take more of my cells.
I wouldn't go back there if they would pay me. Well.
Anyway, the first test was important, That one is fine. The second one is just a formality.
For that one I need to find a real doctor. Hopefully the one who went to school to take cells.