My laptop had to be sent off for a repair. It was still under warranty so all good. Still, it’s an expensive piece of kit so I was worried to do it. First I phoned the vendor, then ended up in a one on one discussion with some guy in Swindon. He arranged for DPD to pick it up, and they did so and packaged it carefully in front of me and cable tied it all and made it look shipshape. I still felt a bit odd sending it off that way. Then it sat for weeks with them. Apparently they needed a part.
I was waiting in all day for it to be delivered, and went out for a moment to go to the shop leaving Brian and Maddy in the flat just in case. And it was on the fucking doorstep. I rang the bell in case it was broken, and it was answered. I get that DPD are on a tight turnaround. But they were one button away from not leaving a very expensive piece of kit outside near a main road. Chelsea is pretty safe, there’s not much footfall where I am. But there’s plenty of traffic. It would have been a lucky opportunist, but it might have gone. “Just tell them it was nicked,” I’m told. “You’re not gonna bring down DPD for the cost of a laptop.” I was tempted. But I suspect for something of that value CCTV might get checked etc. On principle I think it would be a good fucking lesson to DPD and a shot in the arm for me financially at a time it is needed. But it’s too trackable, and I don’t really fancy being caught in a lie like that.
Laptop is back and working anyway. Just in time for workshop season, which is bloody marvellous. I need to make some money as you know. These ones for Grain LNG are great – much much better than that one I had to run for years with the terrible video about all the posh kids stuck in a forest.
I spent part of the evening opening the contents of a Magic the Gathering : Final Fantasy Booster Box that I bought in less lean times with the intention of selling the contents. I have a good history with selling individual magic cards online, and really it is a form of gambling. There are some extremely rare cards that can command prices in the thousands. I was hoping to open one. Some numbered golden chocobo go for 70k or more. Christ, The unique One Ring sold for 2 million bucks to Post Malone. I wasn’t so lucky. But with a bit of eBay time it’ll be money I didn’t spend on fun, coming back in a fallow time. And right at the end of the opening spree, when I really thought I’d lost money, Cloud showed up – a playable commander “mythic” card in a rare borderless version. Not a big one, but an easy £25, maybe more.
This geek is going for a bath. Right now I even smell like people who know a lot about trading card games.
AlBarclay 