Bromo dawn 1989  (C) PJ Croft 2016

I bought MS Office Home & Student 2013 last week and it installed and activated fine on my desktop PC. Then I just  moved the installation file, all 480MB of it, to the laptop and installed it there. When I tried to use it, it wanted me to activate it again. But when I tried, it said sorry, you’ve already used your activations. Funny, I’m sure it says you can install it on up to five devices.

OK, so I started again just now and let it download from the web and install again, about an hour’s worth. Again, it wanted me to activate. I used the ID I’d been given but got the ‘Sorry’ message again. OK, try the phone activation.

You phone a 1 800 number, but then you have to enter eight (8!) groups of seven digit (7!) numbers on the phone key pad. Bloody hell. OK, then you’re asked to enter another set of numbers in boxes, six digits in six boxes (I think). But which digits? By now I gave up and asked to speak to a human.

When I did that (Indian accent, of course. Her, not me), I had to read out that set of 56 digits again to her! Then she says she’s going to give me a new set of numbers to enter into those empty boxes. Hang on, I said, I’ll write them down. “Oh no sir, this is a one time set. You must enter them now.” Oh bloody hell.

So I did it, and now it’s activated OK. What  rigmarole.

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I’ve just had a coffee visit from my great friend Barry, who has a client at Two Rocks, up the road from here. I told him I’ve booked a rental car for next week to get to the airport. No, he’s going to drive me. Baz, it’s OK, I don’t want to put you to all this trouble each time. But he  was adamant – cancel the rental car, he’ll be here at 7.45am on the day to take me to the big bird place. What a guy. This saves me $84. He’ll probably be able to do the same when I get back at about 5pm on the day, too. Not sure yet.

I’m being cagey about days and dates because I don’t want to broadcast to the world when I’ll be away.

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Dieng Plateau, Java 1989  (C) PJ Croft 2016

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Ramping up the preparations. Mosquito spray: check; luggage scales, new batteries: check; walking stick: check (do I really need it? Naaaaah.); weigh my two suitcases – which is lighter? Turns out one is 4.98Kg and the other is 5.06Kg, no difference in other words. One looks as if it’s bigger, but it’s hard to judge and it’s a bit hard to measure volume – no, I’m not going to fill them with water and measure it 🙂  I’ll use the one that looks bigger.

Still annoyed at that hotel that’s charged my credit card for the full amount, $440 approx., when I’m not staying there until 17 May. And it’s not refundable. Grrrr. Thinking about what to do.

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A visitor

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