Saturday, November 10, 2007

Waiting for the Mac

So it was two weeks ago yesterday that I put in the order for my brand new MacBook Pro. And I'm writing this on my...same old iBook.

I know I shouldn't be surprised. It's the north and this is the way things operate. Patience is the watch word. If you're not patient with the way things work up here, then you won't last.

Still, it's a touch maddening. I think the tracking information that UPS gives you actually makes things worse. For example, it left the factory in Shanghai on the 29th of October. After some shagging around in China, it finally made it to Hamilton, Ontario after stops in Anchorage and Louisville on Nov. 4. According to a little distance calculator I found online, that's still roughly 12,500 km in about five business days. Not great, but not too bad. I mean, there was a time when you would have to wait months to get something shipped from China. Now five days is considered a bit on the slow side.

But the maddening thing is how long it's taking to get that last few thousand kilometres. Two days to get from Hamilton to Montreal. Where it has been sitting since last Tuesday, the 6th. Neither UPS nor Arctic Express can really tell me much other than it might arrive on Tuesday. But, you know, don't be surprised if it doesn't. As for why it takes a week to get a package From China to Montreal and another week to get it from Montreal to Iqaluit, well, welcome to the north.

sigh I just want my toy. This weekend would have been nice. Cathy's busy with report cards, so I would have plenty of time to play with it, transfer files, install programs and whatever.

Anyway, listen to me whine.

On an unrelated note, Mireille asked me to bring back an old thing I used to do on the blog, that being listing the last three to five tracks played on my iPod. I got out of the habit of doing that, but now, why not. As a bonus, I'll put an asterix next to the song that is my favourite of that bunch.

Last Five
1. Sucker Row - Mark Knopfler
2. Know it all - John Rouse
3. Tried to rock - Lloyd Cole
4. Controversy - Prince
5. Elegy for Elsabet - The Weakerthans*

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised that you've had to wait so long. I've had very good luck with any of our Apple orders.

tanker belle said...

Thank you!

towniebastard said...

You're welcome, Mireille.

And Claire, the problem isn't with Apple, it's with the courier companies they use. If they ship using Canada Post/USPS, then it normally gets up here promptly. If they use anything else, it doesn't.

The difference is that there are Canada Post flights up north every day. UPS, Fed Ex uses companies like Arctic Express who only fly up packages 2-3 times a week.

My copy of Aperture arrived a week after I ordered it via Puralator (Canada Post). It's taken 2 weeks+ for UPS. There you go...

Anonymous said...

Hey Towniebastard: As a newbie Nunavummiut, I'm finding your blog very illuminating. Hope you get your Mac soon! Thx for your comment on my blog (Northern Chirp), btw. Also, I LOVE your mascot, its make me LOL everytime I look at your blog (particularly because my partner is a writer too)

Jackie S. Quire said...

Townie:
I feel your pain. I've been waiting for my wii for weeks now. And to make matters worse... it's now "officially lost" because the numbnuts in Winnipeg scanned it (upon leaving their hands) as being DELIVERED in Rankin (as in, in my hands) rather than destined for Rankin. So it never made the flight it was supposed to, and no one knows where it is.
And you're right, the UPS tracking system DOES make the waiting game worse. Because no matter how helpful it might have been "Down South" the unexpected delays that crop up here are just endless... and it makes me want to smash my face against my computer... much like your little mascot there
So needless to say... I sympathize...
This would have been the perfect weekend to have it...
"I just want to play with my toy!!"
Agragh.

Jonathan said...

Ordered a MacBook Pro for my brother in Vancouver on Oct 28 and we're still waiting as well. Sigh.

We should've just hopped to the local Apple store and picked one up :-P

towniebastard said...

Jackie, Jonathan...I've got to say, neither one of you cheered me up all that much...;) Although I think you're having the crappier northern shipping experience so far.

On Tuesday I'll start raising some hell with UPS and Arctic Express.

Jaime said...

Very interesting...I purchased a MacBook exactly one week ago today and I am having the same damn Shanghai problems. Apparently Apple brought it to UPS too late, but then apparently it got on a plane but then taken off again.

I've never owned a Mac before so I'm pretty excited, especially for Leopard.


Jaime

towniebastard said...

Jamie, I got the exact same wording with UPS...about it arriving too late, and then taken off a plane. I hope I'm wrong, but I imagine you have at least another week to wait.

Jaime said...

I would assume so, too. Which is crappy, because we're going to Yellowknife for a week next Friday and I wanted it before then. I hope it makes it!