Charger Cable

My laptop's been down for a bit. The charger cable has been acting up for awhile. It wouldn't charge while plugged in, and would only do so if I had the cable sit kind of half-in half-out of the plug. It was giving me flashbacks to my old cell phone, which after gradual deterioration ultimately required me to tape a pen to a charger, then wrap rubber bands around the pen and phone to create a consistent charge. I didn't have any rubber bands large enough to stretch around my beast of a laptop, though.

However, I have a younger version of the same laptop as my brother, so any issue his develops likely happens with me as well. His laptop's charge cable had worn out and he had needed to get it replaced, which gave me hope that I wouldn't need to be getting a new computer or have it repaired in a serious way.

When I was in Guelph for Moss' funeral, we tried my brother's charger with my computer, and it worked fine, which seemed to confirm it was an issue with my charger.

It hit it's last when I was doing a job search. I'd picked up a number of leads, bookmarked them and was ready to start sending applications when I noticed it had stopped charging. I fiddled around with the cable, but couldn't get its sweet spot. Eventually I decided to power it off while it still had a bit of charge and accept that the cable no longer worked.

I went to Wal Mart the next day to see if they had anything. They had a universal charger that was supposed to work with any laptop, and it specified Toshiba. Brought it home and tried each tip. Only one fit, and it wasn't one of the tips that was supposed to work with Toshiba. But even though it fit, it didn't work. Brought it back the next day and went to Best Buy. Asked somebody about cables and described the situation. I'd brought my cable and my laptop but didn't want to show it, because it's so primitive and you know those guys are going to start pitching upgrades, and because they seem so much smarter than you, you often wind up walking away with some fancy thing that isn't all that functional. Happened to me at a Staples where I'd asked for something I knew was reliable and got talked into taking away something more expensive which broke inside a year.

Anyway, so the guy shows me a universal cable that specifies Toshiba. I tell him that I'd just tried a universal cable that specifies Toshiba, but he points out that this one is "Guaranteed Compatibility" and fully refundable. So I bring it home and it doesn't work. I get my brother (who is smarter than me at this type of thing) to look up which type of cable might work. He gives me a name and says it's in stock at the Best Buy I got the last cable at. I return the cable and go to the charger section (I know they're actually called adapters but I can't get used to the word so I'm not using it). I'm staring at the section when an employee walks up and offers her service. I puff myself up, determined to get exactly what I've come for. I tell her I need a very specific charger. She says I'm probably right next to it. I tell her the name and she points to exactly where I'd been staring.

Those displays are so mesmerizing. Too much information, my brain just shorts out. I probably would have stared at that wall, trying to comprehend what I was looking at for another thirty minutes before realizing what I was looking at.

Anyway, that charger didn't work either.

When my brother's had stopped working, he had brought it into an old computer parts store, the guy had looked at his cable, tried a bunch of different chargers, found one that fit and had given it to him at half the price that these chargers were. But I couldn't go to this place because I generally work every day of the week and without a vehicle I can't casually drive to Guelph.

So last Friday I looked up used computer parts stores in Kitchener-Waterloo, choose the highest rated, and head over. They ask if I've got my laptop and they try each charger but none fit. They ask if I've got the cable handy, and the guy gets excited "It's a bullet!"

Apparently my charge cable is rare because there's usually a little piece of metal in the middle that sticks into the computer, but mine is just the casing, like a bullet shell. Back of my mind I'm wondering if this is why mine and my brother's both developed issue.

So they contact the supplier and offer to order one for me, which I accept.

I like these people because they actually looked at my computer, worked out a solution, and described it to me. They also are ordering the cable, but don't require purchase until they know it works, meaning that if it doesn't, they've spent money on a rare cable that they may never need. The guy is very enthusiastic, and in my mind I wonder how a person can stay so excited about everything, but then I remember that my job requires me to be constantly in high spirits and focused on who I'm working with. So it's not that odd.

Met a couple getting something for their son, Gryffin. Poor kid, even with my spelling, the easy observation people always make about my name is that it sounds like "Gryffindor". This kid has the exact spelling. Apparently someone misspelled this guy's name. After they give the correct spelling, I lean over, stick my thumb to my chest and say "G. R. Y. P. H. O. N." They don't get it at first, thought I was trying to correct them. Little awkward. They ask me if I've ever met another Gryphon (All-inclusive on spelling, but I'm sticking to my version for the blog) I say that I've met plenty of people who have known a Gryphon, but not once in my life have I spoken with someone with the same name. Which is true.

I've always wondered how people with the same name relate with one another, if it's a unifying quality that draws people together, or if it's divisive, with each person somewhere inside wanting to be the more prominent example of their namesake. I've always felt like I'd hate meeting another Gryphon, as if it would take away from my uniqueness. That said, supposedly people with unique names do less well professionally, statistically, and not for reasons applying to demographics. Supposedly just entering a job interview and having the boss  unsure on how to pronounce your name creates a feeling of vulnerability in people who generally enjoy a feeling of authority, and even just that can be damaging. Plus I could see having a common name creating a feeling of familiarity and comfort.

But after being required to remember as many people as I have, I've grown thankful for the Habibas and Nyadukus of the world. There's too much name overlap, and that can actually get confusing. At one time I was working with a Chris, Chrissy, Christy, Christine, Christina, and a Tina. Maddening. I know way too many James', Michelles, Dans, Dannys, Daniels and Danielles.

Anyway, that's unimportant. Back to the charger story. It's ordered on Friday and shows up Monday. But I don't have the foresight to pack my laptop that day and don't have time to drop by my place after work and get to the store before it closes. This means I have to pick it up and can't test it at the store. So I spend all my work shift thinking about this cable, go to the store, pick it up, and start heading back, the suspense just killing me. I run into a friend downtown and he wants some support doing something. Not complicated, I just need to be a presence. But it still requires me to postpone getting home, and the suspense thickens.  As I come back, I miss my bus and I have to wait another thirty minutes. Thoughts are running through my head about how I think it's the cable but I never confirmed it. It's weird that the computer light is shining that says it's plugged in when it actually isn't. I'd powered down my computer when it still had charge but it wouldn't turn on again anyway. Maybe there's a deeper problem. Finally get back and...

...It works. Jeez, this whole saga can't have been more than a week, but it's felt like a year. I'm typing from my laptop right now.

You remember how I said I wanted to get a poster for my door, to cover up a hole that got kicked into it by my old roommate, but that all the posters I could find were too tacky? I eventually settled for a map of North America, which was neutral enough. Went to an art supply store. Everything I liked was a horizontal image when I needed vertical (map of the world, that Japanese tsunami painting with the rowing boat, and some abstract art) and it came down to the map of North America or an image of the Eiffel Tower. There were three takes on the Eiffel Tower, and I couldn't bring myself to do that one that said "See You In Paris". I've technically been to Paris France, but only in the airport. Sometimes I mention having been to Paris casually in conversation and pretend to be surprised that the person I'm talking to has never been, before admitting to only having transferred at their airport. Would be a kind of cute in-joke but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then they had an image of the building specifics of the Eiffel Tower, which was really cool, but let's be real, I'm no architect and it means nothing to me. Then they had a neutral image of the Tower, but on closer inspection, there were some stars and frills and it was just too gaudy. So I took the map of North America.

But recently I came across a Gryffindor poster! It's great because it's the most common observation of my name, but it's also cool because I put it on my door. So Gryffindor is on Gryphon's door! Hahahaha!

I've had a time getting it to stay up though! I tried Scotch tape, masking tape, and duct tape. first with masking tape rolls in the corners, then with rolls of duct tape dotting the entire frame of the back side with Scotch tape bordering the entire thing, but it just wouldn't stay up! Almost as upsetting as the charge cord thing.

Four rolls of masking tape was enough to keep up my map of North America, even when I pulled it off one side of the door and placed it on the other. The rolls of duct tape fastened strong enough to the poster that I couldn't pull them off without causing damage, but they wouldn't fasten to the door. Thumb tacks wouldn't go in the door, either. Eventually I sucked it up and just framed the whole poster with duct tape. Didn't like the idea of the tape being visible, but it's a deep purple masking tape, which kind of goes with the deep red and gold of the Gryffindor image. It's all royal colours, at least.

Borrowed the duct tape from my roommate after he caught me cussing loudly at the poster, which snapped me back to reality.

Recently, this blog has been having record traffic. Which is pretty cool because I've been neglecting it and when I have posted, it's been done quickly and without much thought. But some recent posts have over 130 views! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!

My highest viewed post was the one about Jenga, and the second highest was the one about those 15 guys who showed up in unmarked vans with assault rifles, who took away three guys from the community. That's actually super intimidating, I hope they aren't monitoring this blog now!