But at any rate, I'm finding Windows Vista to be extremely annoying and unpleasant to work with. I don't have it on my laptop, but I've been helping L (the one with the report) set up her newly bought laptop. I can find my way around it, but somehow, it 'thinks' too much, or tried to at any rate. Leland IV is getting old (with the DVD-drive and soundcard already being busted) and I'm honestly thinking about getting a mac next. But I did find a very nice (and purple) theme for my laptop while helping L with hers :-)

...before there were computers?

My access to the internet and to computers has been very sporadic the last few days. L is still writing her report on my laptop and it seems like she has managed not only to wreck WORD, but also to mess up my firewall :-( The deadline for her report has been moved back a few days, but I don't think I was very subtle when I stressed that I expect to have the laptop to myself again on Monday.

No laptop also means (mostly) no fic, no movies on DVD and no TV. I did write a short SGA piece based on a prompt that was posted to a mailing list and will post to my fic journal once I get things sorted.

Also, I have a headache that could turn into a migraine and it wouldn't be the first this week. All ín all, I had better weeks than this one. I think I'm going to lie down now.

As much as last week went by in a blink, this one is dragging on...

I didn't go to group last night. Instead I went to bed very early. For once I was actually able to sleep after I'd hardly slept the night before because of a bad migraine.

I don't have to be anywhere until this afternoon, so I'm using the morning to take care of some rl stuff. The wire transfer from my parents has come through, so I'm not so broke anymore and can finally get some not so necessary but still useful things like ink for my favourite pen, blank DVDs and batteries for my study/kitchen timer. What I really need to do is clean up a bit and take a bunch of cartons and old newspapers to be recycled.

I have redone my calculations for the s342 assignment. I have worked out everything the first questions asks for, but I'm not sure yet how to write it up, i.e. whether we need to derive the equations we use or can use them straight from the book. The second question I haven't tackled yet, except for jotting down some ideas, but I checked my calender, and the assignment isn't due for another month, so I have plenty of time and might have a few more insights along the way ;-)

L is still not done with her report (although it's due on Monday). We agreed that she can use the laptop while I'm working this afternoon. Somehow MS Word got screwed up and only starts in safe mode now and since I don't have the CD for it here, I can't reinstall it. But it still works, so I won't complain (too much.)

The SGA update is forthcoming, probably later today.

my apologies for being a bad lj friend

(  It just hasn't been my week so far (whining) )

My shipment from Tropical Foods arrived today and I can't say that I'm entirely happy. The mangoes are delicious - very sweet and the pineapple and papaya look and smell good too, but what am I supposed to do with 3 lbs of guavas? I'm not even sure how they are eaten! Same goes for the pomello. Juice it, maybe? And, what really ticked me off that instead of the avacodos I ordered, they simple sent me more mixed fruit. Without asking me about it. So far, Orkos seems like the better choice of the two. Better selection, better customer service, and lower shipping costs.

I also found a nice gadget that solves a computer problem of mine. Leland IV's predecessor died a mysterious and sudden death that didn't allow me to safe any data on it. Now I found a device that lets you connect a laptop hd to an usb port. I only hope that the old hd is still intact. There are quite a lot of writings and bookmarks that I would like to transfer.

This article on turning mp3 format audiobooks into ipod audiobooks might be of interest.

- although I had a craptastic headache by the time I finally got home, so I fell straight into bed and slept for almost 12 hours which is pretty long for me these days. Except yesterday when I had to get up early, I almost managed to fall asleep over my oatmeal.


I should be getting started with something productive like fine-tuning my presentation or getting on with reading, but I really don't feel like it, besides it occured to me that although Sis had powerpoint, I don't have any software to draw the pretty molecules. I really want to make some icon or watch Doctor Who or Supernatural or even CSI, but no laptop. I could of course plug my external hd into Sis' computer...

I might actually do that since I'm too beat to do anything that requires active participation.

Totally random side note: What really annoyed me is when okay is written OK in a book. That's just crappy.

I just noticed how shitty my lj-background looks.

The colours are all wrong.

I hope that's just Sis' ancient monitor screwing with things, otherwise I need to get busy with photoshop *shakes head*

The second borrowed flatscreen gave out yesterday, keeping me from watching Doctor Who or anything else for that matter.

Unable to function laptop-less, I caved and ordered a replacement display. I just hope I can figure out how to remove the old display and put in the new one. Prolonged googling did turn up two tutorials that make it look actually do-able and if all else fails, I know a guy who makes a living fixing computers.

With any luck, I'll have Leland III running again next by the end of next week. In the meantime, I'll just have to use Sis' computer to work on presentation and preferably get starting on my final project for S197.

No work tomorrow as I'm going to a chemistry tutorial/revision class. Bit nervous about getting there, but I have been to the place before, so I should be able to find my way there.

LJ refused to let me post/edit/comment etc the last few days. Sad thing is that nothing really happened to write about. The moods have been rocky, the muse working and school busy.

Pretty much the only thing I have to show for the last two weeks is new fanfic, posted to my fan-journal hexicode. Other than that, I haven't even watched last weeks Doctor Who episode or much else for that matter.

In looking for the latest version of Maxthon, I came across the pronounciation aid. :-)

SGA update here


I think I get younger with age...or I'm just mentally regressing.

I have fallen out of love with TV. I just don't think its worth effort to watch anymore. After Without a Trace and Stargate Atlantis went down the drain, everything else just kind of followed. It must have been watching CSI with my mother to open my eyes to the relative stupidity of it. (okay, so Mom thinks that sci-fi is stupid, period. The only thing she likes is Cordially Yours and soap operas)

No offence to anyone who still is a fan. Maybe I'm just having a down phase :/ But TV used to me a lot more fun.

( Misc Stuff )

Sidenote: The harddrive seems to work fine after all. The plug-in-into-the-wall thingy seems to be broken. Shame, it was pretty handy and it sucks having to sit in the basement to use the internet. Ordered new ones for replacements.

I am mad at myself and at my computer. My ailing and recently repaired laptop has finally died for good and I have no idea what is wrong this time. So I decided not to sink any more time and money into it and get a harddrive for my other laptop instead. Got it yesterday and everything worked nicely, except for the internet. Took me all morning to figure out that the hd seems to be to blame If I disconnected it and reboot, the internet works.

Somewhere, I read that not all systems can handle very large harddrives. I should do some googling on that (or should have done before I bought a 400GB hardrive)

But with the increased hd space, I can finally put together all the watchables that I owe people. gledster2000 and ninnui, you should get mail next week.

Work yesterday was utterly frustrating when I realized I couldn't work out forth grade maths. I didn't know I was that dumb. I wasn't going to go to work today, but someone else called in sick, so I have too. At least get paid :/

But...

the laptop is working again. The computer business guy came by last night, did some magic and made my baby work again. I'm thrilled! Lots of TV to catch up on.

Also, not only do the Oernen Season 3 DVDs come out this month, but so does Waking The Dead Season 4 (which I haven't been able to find online anywhere).

Work yesterday turned from 2 hours into 6 hours. Afterwards, I only showered and fell into bed at 6 p.m.. Slept till this morning. Sometimes, I hate being so low on energy.

Checked out the warranty information for my laptop and it turns out there is only a 90 manufacturer's warranty. Now, to get the thing checked out, I have to fork over $50 in fees plus postage to California (and probably back). I should gave bought a laptop from a place that gives decent warranty terms, but I couldn't afford that at the time.

Considering what it cost in the first place, I could end up paying as much as the laptop cost in the first place to have it fixed. I could always have it fixed by a local dealer, seeing that the warranty is void as is, but there is no one in the city who does laptop repairs. Found that out what the predecessor of the dell started spewing smoke and smelling of fried plastic. Since the laptop died after Christmas and my birthday, I spent most of my Christmas money on other stuff, mostly DVDs. I wish I had known earlier that I'd need a new laptop.

There is always getting a desktop PC, although I don't like them very much, but I don't need a very powerful machine, so I might find a used one somewhere. During NaNo, someone posted the addy of a supposedly reputed place selling used machines over the net. The one I looked at so far www.karani.de has some cheap ones, but what to do with all of 300Mb harddrive? My very first computer didn't have harddrive at all. you had to run everything off floppy disk, but my parents bought that one in the late 80ties.

ETA: So I phoned a acquantaince who used to have a computer shop and asked his avice. He said it might be the fan and I checked and the fan really isn't running. Should have noticed that and saved the time and energy for the phone call, not to mention taking up the guy's time. The bad thing however is that even after cleaning the fan thourougly, it still isn't running.