Trip Through Your Wires

Back in late 2004, we bought the one and only model iMac that was incapable of converting voltage between 100 and 240. I investigated the matter when we decided we were moving here, drew the conclusion on my own, sadly came to terms with it, and went to the Apple store to make a purchase of a new one that would work here. I explained my situation and I perplexed the so-called geniuses. I had to show them one of their own online documents to prove it. Then there was debate over whether a new machine would work here. There would have been less doubt with a laptop, but I wanted the size and function of the desktop. The happy part is that we sold the old one for half the price of a new one.

Here in HK we found a store selling electrical things (really not a store but a stall on the street crammed between other stalls selling any variety of things) and bought an outlet adapter. What a relief that I plugged it in, turned it on, and everything works. 24 hours of loading music that I couldn't play would have broken my heart.

You start to realize how much you rely on instant information when you lack it. We arrived March 2 and the computer followed on March 13, part of our air shipment. They have a wireless network at the temporary apartment, but I couldn't connect the first day that I tried. The next day an IT person came and played around with the router, ended up replacing it, and here we are.

In the meantime, I did track down a public library to use the internet. I know a thing or two about libraries and the charming sorts that come for the free internet: I became one of them. It was sort of a bizarre experience, so in the following days, I ended up getting my fix from a local chain of cafes called Mix that offers free internet. But that had to stop because I quickly became addicted to their smoothies.

I guess we'll be down for a short time again when we move because we'll have to subscribe to a provider once we do.

We also got our mobile phones the same day the computer arrived. They are very cool phones that do a lot of things that our old phones didn't do. Now we have to make some friends so that somebody calls us besides one another.

Paul is free from work tomorrow for the Easter holiday, so our mission is to start taking photos. Then maybe the next post will be more entertaining than this one.