An Hour and a Half at Apple Genius Bar

It started with a text at 6:21 am on Saturday morning.

Please fix, possibly today. (Referring to an iPhone 11 Pro with broken screen.)

iPhone 11 Pro with broken screen.

First I thought I should rent Apple Self Service Repair kit (https://selfservicerepair.com/), but t needed to be done today. So I made an appointment with Apple Genius Bar.

Even though it was a Saturday, my schedule was not surprisingly full. I was working on one MacBook Pro failing to start. At the same time, I was trying to figure out why Microsoft Outlook on a particular Windows PC kept crashing.

A few emails and texts came in for appointments. I also was tasked to pick up a birthday present at a particular retailer. It was indeed a busy Saturday.

I went in to the Apple Store 5 minutes before my appointment, and promptly seated at the Genius Bar. Finding out that the AppleCare+ had already expired, I knew it was going to be an expensive repair; $279 Out if Warranty repair vs $29 with AppleCare+.

iPhone 11 out of warranty Screen Replacement costs
iPhone 12 Pro Max screen replacement cost with AppleCare+

Knowing this I made a call to get confirmation for the pricing so I can proceed with the repair; it was approved.

iPhone 11 Pro with broken screen during diagnostic.

One hour later I went back to the Apple Store to pick up the the iPhone 11 Pro, with new screen. I paid $279 + Sales Tax and went on to my next destination.

July 3, 2021: The day before the Fourth

One day before the so called “let’s set off tons of firework day” in the United States, which is also known as one of the worst days for house pets. I could hear fireworks throughout the day. It started peaking around 21:00 hour, or 09:00 PM for most, as a local firework show started. One of the pets at home started panicking. One way he was coping with the absolute torture to the ears, is to rip apart one of the throw pillows from the couch. Tomorrow night is going to get worse.

Speaking of fireworks, some of you might have heard about the “controlled-explosion” of illegal fireworks seized by Los Angeles Police Department; that went out of control.

Anyway, I finally got to break the seal off Japan exclusive of Helloween self-titled CD.

Helloween Japan Exclusive CD with “We Are Real” track

It contains total of 14 songs on 2 CDs, with “We Are Real” as Japan exclusive track. Each Packaging comes with one out of seven randomly selected sticker featuring illustration of Helloween mark VII band member. This pack contains illustration of Andi Deris, on of three current vocalists, of Helloween.

The Fourth of July is coming up, and I have to find ways to calm all the pets in the house.

July 2, 2021: Piano for Sale

Second day of July 2021 and I’m helping an acquaintance selling a piano. It is not going to be easy because a piano like that sells about $12,000 and who’s buying?

Another thing I’ve been working on is updating a website for a friend. Unfortunately there were some issues with the hosting server that wouldn’t publish the changes. This is going to take longer that I expected.

On music, my friend had secured a few tickets to see Bad Religion and Alkaline Trio this fall. General Admission tickets were about $45 each plus a few hundred dollars in “convenience fee”. Now it has gone up to $85 each, labeled as “Verified Resale Ticket”. I hate the whole ticket reselling scheme.

I also received a CD in the mail.

In case you can’t read the band logo, it is “CADAVER”

I haven’t listen to it yet. CADAVER – “Edder & Bile” was released in November 2020.

First Quarantine, One Year to the Date

February 28, 2021 marks exactly one year to the date when I had to voluntarily self-quarantine. A flight attendant friend told me that she was ordered by the airline to quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19. Since I did have close contact with her, I needed to self-quarantine. Luckily we later found out that we were not exposed to this novel Coronavirus.

Yes, it has been open year.

2021, Day Three

Southern California Sunset

A lot of things happened on the first Sunday of 2021 in the news. I won’t get to that since you can search for them.

I was cleaning my 2014 MacBook Pro as it has accumulated a lot of dust inside.

Cleaning MacBook Pro
Cleaning MacBook Pro

Elliot is staying with us for the next few days.

Elliot Spritzer T. Kitten
Elliot Spritzer T. Kitten

The (funny) Allen Tire Company is at it again.

Allen Tire Company Private Sign
Allen Tire Company Private Sign

2021, Day Two

Shampoo and Prosecutor

Captain’s log, January 2nd, 2021.

Oh wait, we were watching some Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes on Amazon Prime Video earlier.

Found some wines from 2002 and 2004 under the counter. Hopefully they do not taste like vinegar.

2002 Rheinhessen Spätlese and 2004 Pinot Grigio Wine
2002 Rheinhessen Spätlese and 2004 Pinot Grigio Wine

Also saw a belt sander next to a motel that is under renovation.

Belt Sander
Belt Sander

Overall, it was a “too-early-in-the-year” kind of day.

2021, Day One

Prosecutor T. Kitten

So this is 2021?

How’s your year so far? I spent most of the day at home, then went to the office where no one else to be found.

I really did spend a lot of time at home on January 1, 2021… with two of the cutest kittens.

Shampoo T. Kitten
Shampoo T. Kitten
Prosecutor T. Kitten
Prosecutor T. Kitten

They officially became part of the family on Christmas Day, 2020.

It started with a blown tire.

Flat Tire
Flat Tire
Crack in the Tire
Crack in the Tire

The day became a lot better as these two finally join the family.

Shampoo and Prosecutor
Shampoo and Prosecutor

I’m trying to convince everyone to adopt the third sibling that I called Elliot.

Eliot Spritzer
Eliot Spritzer