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2002-08-13 Entry: "Unpacking Stories"

Tuesday (allegedly - I've lost the unpacking chronology so I'm bundling it all here - it's the 6th) sees me attempt to unpack some stuff. I get the computer out and realize I'm two cables short. The cable guy failed to leave a cable to run from the outlet on the wall to a TV (or equally a pc with tuner), and I don't appear to have a kettle to kettle cable for the monitor to PC run. I've got plenty of kettle to wall cables, which aren't much help with the sockets being different and all, and the new power supply unit came with a single cable, so I could theoretically test the PC, but I have no monitor output, so it seems a little stupid.

Of course, being discouraged from the PC failure, I give up unpacking...

Work sees me needing to send a fax to the car people, but I can't actually send one - they're a long distance number and I can't send long distance without a pin code which they're determined not to give me... they appear to have lost the application for one... so no doubt this'll lead to even more hold-up in the car... and I don't have the hire car for all that much longer.

I'm guessing that it's Wednesday that I buy the cables necessary to get the PC up and alive. I spent the day at work trying to track down nearby RadioShacks before getting the search right and finding there's one within a mile of my apartment (and immediately on my route home from work, which I'm sure is a really bad thing considering the amount of spare cabling I've acquired over the years). After wandering the shop aimlessly trying to work out what sort of cable I need for a cable outlet, I ask and the guy gives me RF cable. Now see, here I'm obviously being stupid - I thought cable was meant to be fiber optic cable, and not this co-axial stuff? Or am I being dense?

Anyway, hooking it up and running the "Search for channels" bit turns up not a single channel. So either I've got the wrong cable, the PC tuner doesn't work, or the cable wasn't hooked up properly. Knowing my luck it'll be the second one and I'll need to purchase yet another bit for my ailing PC...

Tidying up Wednesday events, I try the decent fish restaurant down the road - I'm confused initially by the presence of a bar (at which I end up sitting), but I settle into a really good bit of swordfish. I think I'll be coming back here!

And then I retire to the bar, and again manage to ignore my plan to leave early and get some sleep... no willpower...