I spent several hours yesterday trying to nurse this laptop back to health. It’s old, but it still functioned reasonably well, until a few days ago. Suddenly I couldn’t download stuff, or even right-click and save a photo. I also couldn’t drag and drop; everything would just bog down and I’d have to reboot the bastard. Needless to say, I was about ready to go out on the deck, do a full 360-degree whip-around, and fling this thing deep into the woods.
But… I don’t have an extra $500 just lying around, eager to be traded for a new laptop. So, I ran a bunch of scans, and made sure the Windows update was current, etc. Nothing was really working until I got an idea: maybe I should shitcan Google Chrome?
That thing runs all the time, clicking and clacking and grinding away. Sometimes I open the Task Manager, and Chrome is sucking up two-thirds (or more) of the machine’s resources. You know, with its incessant grindage? So, what the hell. It was worth a try.
I uninstalled Chrome, made Firefox my default browser, refreshed it to make sure I had the most current version. And… most of my problems went away. Oh, it’s still not perfect, but at this point that might be asking too much. It’s back to functioning reasonably well. It doesn’t charge all the time, and sometimes shuts off for reasons unknown. But that’s been happening for six months or more.
So, I’m proud to announce that I’m back to shitty! For a few days I went sub-shitty, but things have improved to the point of mere aggravation and mild disappointment. I’m so excited!!
Yeah, our dryer isn’t working either. Well, it works for a little while, then quits. We had a guy look at it, and he said the motor is about to “go out.” He recommended buying a new machine, because a replacement motor would be around $200. We’re hemming and hawing. The guy charged us $65 to provide the diagnosis, and said he’d put it toward a new motor if we went that route. Hell, we’re almost halfway there. Right? …Hello?
Today I went to the laundromat, which is a treat. Every dryer was in use, and there was nothing but gibberish being spoken. Some sort of non-English… I’m unclear. There was a lot of yelling and uproarious laughter, and I decided they were talking about me. So I took my load of soppy drawers back home, and carried them back into the house. Then the brass handle fell off the screen door, and when it clanked around in the foyer it sounded almost exactly like those exotic foreigners at the laundry.
Yes, it’s a quite a life I’ve carved out for myself.
The thing about those Russians, or whatever they were… When I arrived two dryers were empty, one on top of the other. So, I separated my clothes into them, not believing my good luck. Yeah, they all knew that both were out of service, I’m certain of it. But they said nothing, and allowed me to go through the whole process, and also lose some quarters at the end. I had to get out of there. I was both pissed off and a little uneasy about the vibe in that place.
Hey, at least they were white, so I could dislike the whole bunch of ‘em guilt-free.
Last night both boys were working, so Toney and I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I’m sure there are plenty of highbrow sophisticates reading this, not approving. But I’m not here to defend my meal choices. I want to tell you about the steak I sent back.
I always roll my eyes when people send food back, almost without exception. I assume they’re pains in the asses, and deserve whatever the cook is going to do to their food now. But I literally couldn’t eat this thing.
I went with the 12 oz. rib eye, and it was loaded with fat. I’m not kidding, it was 50% meat and 50% fat. I understand rib eyes are supposed to be “marbled,” but this was ridiculous. So, I told the waitress and she said they’d “throw another one on” for me. She didn’t apologize, not at all. She wasn’t rude, but she also didn’t seem too concerned about the shit steak she’d dropped in front of me ten minutes before.
However, the manager who brought the replacement to me was very nice and apologetic. He told me the first steak should’ve never been served, and kept apologizing over and over. And the second go-round was close to perfection. It didn’t even look like the same cut. I don’t know what the hell they tried to pawn off on me. Perhaps badger? I’m not clear on it. But the second one was really good.
I can’t remember ever sending back food. Even if there’s a hair, I just eat around it. One time in Atlanta there was a bug in my jambalaya, at a New Orleans-style hole-in-the-wall joint, and I did mention it to the waitress. And she got mad, and accused me of bringing the bug in myself! I’m not kidding. She apparently thought I had a pocket full of bugs, and went around cheating restaurants out of $5.95 entrees. But because of the way the food is cooked, or something like that? I don’t think that’s ever happened, until last night. What about you? Tell us about it, won’t you?
And that’s going to do it, my friends.
Have a great holiday!
I’ll see you again soon.
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First? I was friends with a couple who never just ate what was served to them. One of them always sent it back, or got a substitution, and it was comped from the bill every time. I just wanted to hide, especially when the head chef would personally come out to discuss the meal in detail. What an evening-killer.
We have a friend like that. She’s also the exact change tip girl.
I worked in the food industry for many, MANY years. So I understand the business more than most. If I grumble that’s acceptable. If I request the manager, oh God, look out… I’ve sent meals back only a handful of times, when I did though…
I can’t recall ever sending food back.
Congrats, Jeff, on coming all the way back up to shitty. Firefox has always worked OK for me, so that’s what I use.
I started a new job two weeks ago, but my laptop still hasn’t come in, so I go to the office and read books. Just wrapped up a Stephen King trilogy.
When we lived in DC Clyde’s of Tyson’s Corner was our favorite resturant. We took a couple there that were friends from North Carolina. She sent back her pasta because it had TOO MUCH CHEESE! Then her dink of a husband chomped down on a chicken bone and “totally ruined his meal”. I guess we had bragged about how good it was and they needed to put us in our place. Nope, didn’t work. I was amazed at their rudeness because we were buying.
Ah, back to shitty. That’s the sweet spot, right there. Shitty is manageable. Can’t wait to get back there myself.
I won’t send food back. I’m afraid that it will return with “loogie” sauce or something else from a pissed off cook or waiter. Once, a while back at a local Chuck’s Steakhouse, my wife returned a baked potato because it had a cooked, 3″ worm dead center in the spud. The waitress recommended that she should eat around it. My wife sternly demanded that it be sent back. Both the cook and waitress came back with the spud and told my wife that it’s an “ingrown root” common in all fine quality, baked potatoes. An argument ensued. The manger showed up during this ruckus, apologized and comped us the meal. This Chuck’s went out of business six months later probably due to excessive comping. My wife still eyeballs every baked potato for ingrown roots, I order fries.
Eat around it??? At that point, I would have hurled that spud across the room.
Wow chucks steakhouse. Haven’t been to one in at least 20 years.
I sent a steak back once because it was way overcooked. The next one they trotted out was still mooing in a field. I just took it home. It was an Easter brunch and the place was under staffed. I think it was the first and only time we did a holiday meal at a restaurant.
Can’t recall if I’ve ever sent anything back, but I’ll bet I have. Only ever for a really good reason though, like bugs/incorrect order. If a waiter give you guff, it’s time to ask for the manager. Chronic complainers were ID’ed pretty quickly at the places I worked, and were kept a sharp eye on.
Laundromats. No. Buy the new machine. Our dryer started failing a few years ago and we replaced bits and pieces but it never fully lost the screech. It was wonderful to dry a load of clothes in silence after the new machine went in!
I did the same thing with our washer. Husband traveled for work and I was too cheap for the repairman so like the Little Red Hen I did it myself. That washer was a bitch to ‘rassel and I was so happy when a part too expensive to replace went out. (when we sold that house the buyer demanded we throw in most of the things I had fixed. Joke was on them, they were jerks anyway) When its a big dollar items we find who is offering a 3 yr no interest deal or have they stopped doing that?
Reminds me of Lightnin’ Slim’s blues version of the much-covered “Little Red Rooster” . . .
“Well the little red rooster said to the little red hen
Ain’t been around since God knows when
Hen
The little red hen told the little red rooster
You don’t come around now daddy as much as you used t’
Rooster
Oh yeah
We got to rock the night baby
Oh yeah
We got to rock the night baby
We got to rock the night baby yes we got to rock the night
Oh well the pink alligator told the old crocodile
Just hang around baby I’m gon’ kiss you after while
Crocodile
The crocodile said to the pink alligator
You got to kiss me now dad and I’ll hang around later
‘Gator
Oh yeah
We got to rock the night baby
Oh yeah
We got to rock the night baby
We got to rock the night baby yes we got to rock the night”
.
This is what begins playing in my jukebox head immediately upon hearing the phrase, “Little Red Hen”.
Been listening to BB Kings channel on the radio lately. I’ll keep my ears perked for this one.
I can’t find a steakhouse where the asshats who cook can cook it right twice in a row.
I order medium every time. Over half the time it comes out still making noise.
Send it back? You bet your ass I do.
What’s up with these cooks? Don’t work at a steakhouse if you can’t cook a steak.
1. Gonna take your advice and dump Chrome for Firefox. Same issue, always grinding away.
2. Dryer repairman ain’t lying, those things are cheaply made (lucky to get 8 years out of one) and you may as well just buy a new one. Went through the same thing with a washer last Fall.
3. Love Rex’s Toadhouse, have never had a bad meal there. Surprised your steak was nasty, glad to hear they made good.
Piso mojado!
Last time I sent a meal back was due to the fact that it was just delivered too late. I was eating with a group of work colleagues, and my order was apparently never put in (?). Everyone was finishing up and asking for checks when the waiter finally brought out my meal. He just couldn’t figure out why I was refusing the meal at that point. Seems like there’s an increasing amount of half-assery in the restaurant biz these days. If there is a legitimate problem with a meal, you shouldn’t be forced to grin and bear it. Sending back a meal for replacement does have its risks, though. It’s probably a safer bet to return later when the restaurant is empty and burn it down.
That laptop just shutting off is probably a thermal issue. Replacing the fan should fix that and it is not too hard of a job but then again if the screen door handle is falling off can’t be fixed you may want to punt on doing the fan replacement on your own.
Definitely Firefox.
And take a can of air and blow the dust and dog hair out of it.
What version of windows is on this laptop? If its 7 or 8 don’t be surprised if windows 10 is still working in the background waiting to spring on you.
I sent a steak back that I requested well done that was still oozing blood when I cut into it. Chef didn’t like the fact I wanted my steak done more. Too bad, I’m eating it, not you.
What do you expect for $15 an hour?
On that. Have you ever noticed that someone who works at a low wage job and complains about the pay is always the first to want to leave for the day?
I rarely eat out but when I do I ask for my food to be served in a to go box. Even if I eat it there.I have seen too many things, such as mopheads being run through “not up to temp” dishmachines.
as far as chrome, I continually get the “unfortunately facebook has stopped” message when I try to read all the messenging things that have showed up in messenger. I’m wondering if chrome is the problem I’m sure they are all related to my sons demise but the are twelve of them in there I can not read.
No matter who is elected, we’re fucked! My angry two cents .
There’s fucked, and then there’s fucked and left for dead…
I really try to stay away from steak eating at restaurants. There are way to many variables to make it a good meal. Unless totally inedible I won’t send food back and bad food will get you blackballed…I’m looking at you Applebee’s and Charlie’s …and Joe’s Crab Shack is on the knives edge.
Life is too short to eat at Joe’s Crab Shack.
I know you don’t have the scratch to plunk down on a new machine right now but when you do, wait a bit longer and get a Mac laptop. Yes, you will pay twice as much but they last 10 times longer. I’m typing this on a 5+ year old 27-inch iMac. I bought ten of them for my company in the summer of 2011 and all ten are all still very much in heavy use by software developers. I’ll probably jinx it but we only had one hard drive failure and that was just a year ago.
I know, I know, everyone hates the Apple fanboy. I personally hate iOS and wouldn’t have an iPhone if you paid me to carry it. But Macs are da bomb. It always boots instantly and I probably only have to reboot it once every two or three months. It’s on 24/7/365.
The latest OSX version is actually faster than the last. This machine runs better than the day I bought it.
I bought Mac laptops for my kids when they went to college. Two of the three are still in use 7 years later and the other is no more only because my daughter left it on the roof of her car and slung it off somewhere on Interstate 95. I’m sure someone found it and is still using it.