The month of Guy Fawkes night (which I hate), Melbourne Cup, NZ Trotting Cup and various other racing cups (which I love), the Super 14 final (also love, particularly when Canterbury’s in it), and of course, it brings us ever closer to Xmas (I’m still big enough of a kid to love that too). And I just shamed myself into a blog entry upon realising it had been about 25 days since the last one.

Though all I’m going to do tonight is have a whinge. I know, so unlike me. What I really want to do is swear – a lot, because I am seriously pissed off.  Last week I bought myself a couple of shiny new toys… a lovely MacBook Pro, and an iPod Touch.  So my dilemma was, how to connect to the internet on the laptop, because I have the iMac at home, so obviously the laptop is for taking out places. I checked out the Vodafone website and decided the way to go was a Wireless home and mobile broadband bundle with Vodafone, which was going to cost almost exactly the same as my current fixed package. It all looked and sounded great. So I popped into the Vodafone shop, talked it over with the very helpful shop assistants, and signed up.

Then I started to run into trouble.  I went out and bought myself a cheap USB mouse for the laptop. I would have gone wireless, but since I’ve spent way too much money this month already, decided on the cheaper option. Now, the MacBook Pro only has 2 USB ports, right next to each other. Which wouldn’t be an issue, except for the fact that Vodafone’s Vodem stick is too goddamn wide. Plug that baby in and ain’t nothing going to fit in the port next door. So I have a choice: connect to the net, or use the mouse. Just not at the same time.

Then, I decided I wanted to transfer some files from the iMac to the MacBook.  After a bit of research, I decided the fastest and easiest way to go would be a firewire cable. So, the iMac has a 400 port, the MacBook an 800 port. Can’t be that unusual surely, plenty of people must have one of each of these types of computers and want to transfer stuff. But do you think I can find one to buy anywhere?? Good one Christchurch.

Ok, these I can deal with.  I’ll just have to save up for a wireless mouse, or get myself a USB extension cable, that will sort the Vodem stick problem.  And I’m sure if I pop into MagnumMac they will be able to sort out a firewire cable for me – though it pisses me off I can’t buy one online from their website, cos I’m too lazy to drive into the city and they’re not open at hours that suit my work schedule.

But then yesterday, Vodafone switched on my home phone wireless, and disconnected my fixed line phone and broadband. I came home and set up the phone, and lo and behold, it all worked! Hooray! NOT. I discovered today that my ihug email address no longer exists.  Despite assurances from the Vodafone shop assistants that my email account would not be affected, apparently that information was all wrong. Apparently I can’t keep my ihug address without a fixed line account. So here I am, locked in now to a wireless plan for 24 months, and if I want my email address back, I have to sign up for a new fixed line on top of that. Yes, cos I can so afford that.

It took about an hour of being transferred between 3 departments and speaking to 5 different people at Vodafone, for them to impart that snippet of information to me.  One guy even assured me it would be no problem for me to transfer my email account to my wireless plan, then promptly transferred me to someone in another department in order to do so, who then told me he was completely wrong.  All I can say, Vodafone, is FAIL.

So tomorrow I have to take my wireless phone and the Vodem stick back to the shop who sold it to me, cancel my wireless plan, reinstate my fixed line, grovel so that I don’t have to pay the cancellation charges (though I really think they should be grovelling to me), and get my email address reinstated. Because EVERYTHING I do online uses that email address. I’m simply unprepared for losing it altogether.

Then, I have to find another way of connecting the laptop to mobile broadband while I’m out and about. Feel free to send suggestions. Just not to my non-existent email address at ihug.

So that’s my whinge for November. And to top it off, beach volleyball was cancelled for the 2nd week in a row, it’s fireworks tomorrow night and my dog will freak out, TV2 is playing yet another disaster mini-series straight after the last one, and I’m still fucking itching. Shite.

And now, we return to our normal, happy, upbeat and positive broadcasting. Pfffft, maybe tomorrow.