Saturday, February 18, 2006

Saturday, 5th Week: The End Of 5th Week - Almost!

Well, last time I made an "end of 5th Week" post, it all went downhill from that point... not taking chances here, though so far 5th Week Blues haven't arrived.

Speaking of things that haven't arrived: am I happy with www.ChoicesUK.com? No. No, I am not. On the 21st January (that's nearly a month ago) I pre-ordered a copy of the excellent-looking Star Wars: Empire At War PC game, which was released yesterday in Europe (Thursday in the States).

Now, a bit of back story: originally, ChoicesUK has the release date as the 10th February. No idea where they got this from, everywhere else in the known universe was correctly giving the 17th as the right date. So, lo and behold, on the 10th I receive an E-mail telling me that "due to circumstances beyond our control, the despatch of this product has been delayed." Fair enough, though they don't tell me when they expect it to be dispatched.

ChoicesUK's pre-release policy says that "when you pre-order a title that has not yet been released we aim to deliver it to you on the release date." Which would be the 17th, right? Uh... no.

Seeing that my order had not been processed by mid-afternoon, I sent an E-mail enquiring as to when I might expect to receive the game. Credit where credit is due, the response was extremely quick (in fact, only three minutes!); but not the one I wanted. In fact, I learn that " The product is currently delayed until the 23rd of February." Why? They didn't say. Later that day, I received yet another generic "this product has been delayed" E-mail.

So, I wait for Thursday to arrive... and hope it doesn't get stolen by Rebel spies while in transit...

A scary moment earlier today when I used my last teabag. A quick trip to Sainsbury's relieved the tension, and I have a cup of tea on my desk right now. (Since I was ill during 4th Week, my tea consumption has been cut dramatically... time to make amends.

This last teabag was used to prepare a cup of tea for my mum, who came to visit with my sister today. Catherine seemed to be more impressed with the internet connection than with the architectural jewels of the City of Dreaming Spires. I have taught her well.

No tutorials in 6th Week; my tutor is away in Germany. Gives me a chance to catch up on the work I had hoped to catch up on during the equally tutorial-free 4th Week, which I was unable to do thanks to the "hyperflu" that Andy, fellow CompSci-in-crime, seems to now be suffering from.

Roll on 6th Week!

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