ok I should have gone with my first instinct and got the Xp fixed up. After work I got the train to Clairview and it had begun to rain and some hail. I like unsettled weather like this. So I’m at Clairview and I figured lets go into Fs and take a look around. I had another look at the Samsung SCX 4200 multi function laser printer. Fs had it on sale for $179. I was drooling at the mouth. I went home grabbed the reward points and a bit extra and picked the printer up. I had to carry it home a good 2 blocks away. This thing was hefty. I had to stop here and there along the way home. I worked up a sweat. I didn’t take it out of the box right away and this was my first error.  I had an enjoyable time though just sitting outside happy with my purchase. I thought maybe have a bit of a nap. That’s when Anne came in. She seemed happy with the big box I had recently brought home.  She prepared dinner because I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I figured why not install this printer scanner and have some fun? First problem. I needed USB 2.0. This machine only has USB 1.0. I heard them say Fs was open until 9pm tonight. Great while Anne is whipping up supper I’ll run over and get a USB 2.0 cable. I took the last $100 bill ran over feeling pretty good and I was surprised this was a $30 item. Yikes. Anyway it’s an item I can make use of another time.  Anne and I had a nice supper and she went out to do her thing. I began setting up this thing. Firstly the start button was un responsive. It took a long to time to warm up. Mostly the thing is as slow as hell. Partly because I don’t have enough Ram and I’m using usb 1.0. Things went from bad to worse. I tried installing the software again I got nothing. I even tried to get a test page and it wouldn’t even do that for me. Yes I had paper in the tray. I spent $200 bucks on something I can’t use and now I have to pack this thing up and haul it back over to Fs and hope that they will honor their 14-day return policy.  I don’t even mind it being an in store credit.

This thing was a real disappointment for me.  I should have took the thing apart when I had the chance around 4pm and I would have discovered the worst of it buy now and I could have had the chance to take it back and settled it with them tonight. I had such high hopes for the scanner and everything.

Anne wants to drag me downtown to this place called Rikki’s or something. She says that they serve brunch until 4pm but we’ll be heading out of here around 1:30 for 2pm here out by maybe 3 and home by 4pm. Then she’s going to hunt down a Wallmart cart for me bring it right up in the elevator and I can load it in and she’ll take the printer back to Fs for a refund. That’s a nice thing to do and I’m taking tomorrow off. Her recommendation. Then I go into work for a grueling 3 strait 7-hour days plus 6.5 Friday and Saturday.  This will give me 31.5 hours. 

I won’t get the full value of the refund because of the environmental handling fee of $8 on all computers and printers. I mean I don’t mind this fee. It helps the environment. Speaking of, which before I set out to Fs I lay in bed and caught the last part of a Ched radio show before the 4pm top of the show. The host had on a Green party member and they were talking about Kyoto.  The host was playing devils advocate and the Green some woman made a few statements that surprised me. She said something to the effect that they (Greens) don’t want to collapse the oil and gas industry they’d like to see soft targets as imposed by Harper and other G8’s.  If the Harper Govt is still around by the end of this month that is.  She was also saying something like Kyoto would only cost Canada 1% of the GDP.  If the oil and gas industry grows and Canada tacks on the 1% at the National level I don’t see a problem with Kyoto. This doesn’t change my position about “global warming.” The G8 has more pressing problems then global warming. Chief amongst these is the Russia.

Most likely if things work out well and Anne gets the refund, then I’ll see about getting myself a cell phone. This is what I wanted to do yesterday afternoon after I left the office but I was exhausted and I headed back to Clairview instead. I was nodding out on the train ride home even.

Friday night the Esks lost big time in an exhibition match against Calgary. I think it was something like 23-3. I’m not a huge football fan but since there’s no hockey except for every team other then the Oilers, are making off-season moves until the free agent market opens July 1st. I don’t think the Oilers are going to attract any big names this year but remember it was late August 2005 when the Oilers announced Pronger and Pecka. Also our “Cracker cats” lost in Calgary last night and they play their fathers day game this afternoon and that looks like it’s going to be rained out.

If any luck at all, tonight I’ll be able to do some more work on F and this is what I want to do after we come back from lunch later this afternoon.   

That’s all for now.

e. Jim