Technology, Logistics, and a New Computer During Mercury Retrograde

Technology and Mercury retrograde go about as well together as "government" and "decision-making". 

So remember the part about not doing upgrades during Mercury retrograde? Well...for some reason Apple decided to have an important iOS upgrade during this time. I installed it last night and everything appears to be fine.

One thing that's been happening to me that has Mercury's fingerprints all over it is that the process for buying a new computer is taking a lot longer than I anticipated. I was hoping to have it in place in my house this Friday, but at this point I haven't even bought it yet. I'm recycling the computer through Apple, and a 3rd party company sent me a big box for my iMac with a shipping label. The box alone too a whole week to get here; I mean, I could've driven out to CA in that much time. But since they're paying for the gas and the shipping I guess they can do it the most economical way for them, which is Fedex Ground.

Anyway, so I backup everything, box up the computer, and bring it into Fedex on Saturday. Then I find out Fedex Ground doesn't ship on Saturdays, so it really isn't going anyplace until Monday. I pull up my mobile Fedex app on Monday night and it's made it all the way to...Fairfax, probably less than five miles from where I dropped it off. And then I see that they've adjusted the delivery date to Monday, October 28th. Originally they said it takes five business days to get from my neck of the woods to California, so I'm thinking Friday the 25th. So now I'm irritated but not surprised, as Mercury strikes again. In true Mercury retrograde style, however, as I pull up the app Tuesday morning, it says it's made it as far as Hagerstown, MD, and the delivery date to the company has now been changed BACK to October 25.

With Mercury in retrograde, it might ARRIVE at the company on the 25th, but how soon someone will unbox it and evaluate it is a mystery. Once they do, they'll have to decide if my description of my computer's condition was accurate; I received a quote for a certain refund based on the information I submitted online, but of course everything is subject to the evaluation. Once that is done, they have to send me the refund information, which will be on an Apple Gift Card. I found out after sending it in that I will have the gift card "within three weeks". So the question is how long I'm going to wait before I cave in and buy it; looks like I'm holding onto the gift card for a future purchase.

And then of course is buying the new computer, which should arrive within 4-5 business days after it is ordered. Once it gets here, then it's time for a massive run of installing and re-configuring the system, which will also entail the installation of Windows on a virtual machine on the Mac.

I'm disappointed I won't have the machine in my hands sooner, but it may be a fortuitous event that everything is running behind schedule. Getting this computer ready for prime time in a Mercury retrograde seems like an accident waiting to happen. Mercury will be in its storm from the 10th to the 15th of November, and then we'll be back up to full speed again and things should be calm.

I'll let you know what happens. There is so much potential for Mercury retrograde fuckery that I can't even begin to consider it all, but hopefully I'll be able to get a computer here and set up fairly quickly. And with Mercury retro, playing it smart and getting by are about the best you can do with new electronics. 

Wish me luck.