I'm Baaaack
This is a placeholder sort of post, as people are coming over tonight.
While I was in Tenn. the screen on my laptop started to get warbley (blocks of pixels were unstable, it tended to decide it was ridged like a pinwale corduroy and other such anomalies of display as made it painful to use). I backed it up, and then used my dad's laptop while I was there.
When I got home it was taken to the shop to see if it was something so simple as a loose connection or other trivial fix. If it was, then we'd bench it; buy a new one and use that one as a pseudo-desktop.
Verdict was that it had a damaged trace (probably from the spill it took in Korea, back in early March). Ok, no big deal. I was going to buy a desktop, but that could be put off (since I have to travel, and often to places were the phone isn't always available, e-mail to home is on the list of priorities).
We picked the machine up from the shop, talked with Clarence about what was wrong with it, dropped it off at the house and went camping. Monday evening I got around to turning it on.
It wouldn't boot. I got a red screen and a message about an improper shut down.
Starting windows normally lead to a frozen machine. Starting in the last known good configuration got a slightly longer attempt at booting, before it froze.
All versions of Safe Mode stopped at the same line of code.
I took it back to the shop, who told me the fall in Korea (some six weeks and a couple of hundred hours of run-time, with a few dozen hard starts, later) had crashed the disk.
So we shopped some, looked at some features; and prices, and I now have a much spiffier laptop, because that is cheaper than getting a tricked out desktop and an adequate laptop. I'm rebuilding the machine (and with luck streamlining some of it) being frustrated at Logitech, because I can't configure my five-button mouse (It says I can, but when I go to the "Buttons" page it will allow me to switch it from left to right handed, but the menu I used to get, allowing all sorts of variation on what does what is not available), and restructuring my Firefox.
For those who care about such neepery, it's an HP Pavillion, Intel Centrino Duo Core 1.66 with 2Mb L2 (667MHz FBS), 1 GB RAM (which can be doubled) a 2 layer, 160Gb HD, a 17" screen (the only machines I could get with the dou-core chips had huge screens) and a built in 10-key pad (which was how I chose one model over the other, I love having a keypad. Not only is it far easier to do numbers with, but it makes some of the games I enjoy much easier).
The trip was nice. I met![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
janetmiles for a bite and some conversation, got to do some Aikido, spent time with my sisters, saw my semi-step-mother (they've divorced, but with the girls in the picture, so to does she remain, which is OK with me) picked up a Sinar 4x5, and generally lazed away a week with my dad. It wasn't long enough, but it wasn't too short, so it all worked out.
Maia and I managed to get together withrednikki to deliver some Japanese and Korean Coke, went out for a bite, enjoyed a small martini ay her place; made with Hendrick's Gin, which I'd seen but not bought any of; the label says it's made with roses and cucumber. It's not bad but more tests of its merits are needed before I'm going to buy any).
This weekend we looked at a place near USC, and it seems we'll be taking it. The story is complex, but the gist of it is we are being caretakers (for the house and a dog) in exchange for some yardwork (Don't throw me in that briar-patch B'rer Fox, please don't do that) and some fixing up; if we want) we get the place (save the back bedroom and closed porch) for the carrying cost of the insurance and tax. Estimate is $200 a month.
It needs work. The wallpaper isn't structural, but needs to be replaced. It's a 20's semi-deco, with large rooms, high ceilings, small kitchen, a cellar (which floods, a bit, so the wine will be on pallets, perhaps on cinderblocks) a fireplace, a piano, a nice master bath, a dining room, a 3/4 bath, and the aforementioned back bedroom and porch.
The neighbors are said to be friendly and the area looks good. It's nearest cross streets of note are La Brea and Olympic, so it's not close enough to either campus for Maia to bike and we still have to find a place for the horses, but the idea of moving to nowhere is now no longer hanging over us.
Today I reported for jury duty. I wasn't needed. None of us were, because the jury questionaire wasn't ready. We were all sworn We go back tomorrow, to fill it out. I am guessing about half the prospective jurors will be excused before voir dire starts, because the lawyers are estimating a four week trial. That's right at the edge of what I can serve.
It's a civil trial. I'd like to be empaneled, but would hate to have to bail, so I can go to Scotland. That, however, would be taking the thing out to about seven weeks.
We shall see what comes.
While I was in Tenn. the screen on my laptop started to get warbley (blocks of pixels were unstable, it tended to decide it was ridged like a pinwale corduroy and other such anomalies of display as made it painful to use). I backed it up, and then used my dad's laptop while I was there.
When I got home it was taken to the shop to see if it was something so simple as a loose connection or other trivial fix. If it was, then we'd bench it; buy a new one and use that one as a pseudo-desktop.
Verdict was that it had a damaged trace (probably from the spill it took in Korea, back in early March). Ok, no big deal. I was going to buy a desktop, but that could be put off (since I have to travel, and often to places were the phone isn't always available, e-mail to home is on the list of priorities).
We picked the machine up from the shop, talked with Clarence about what was wrong with it, dropped it off at the house and went camping. Monday evening I got around to turning it on.
It wouldn't boot. I got a red screen and a message about an improper shut down.
Starting windows normally lead to a frozen machine. Starting in the last known good configuration got a slightly longer attempt at booting, before it froze.
All versions of Safe Mode stopped at the same line of code.
I took it back to the shop, who told me the fall in Korea (some six weeks and a couple of hundred hours of run-time, with a few dozen hard starts, later) had crashed the disk.
So we shopped some, looked at some features; and prices, and I now have a much spiffier laptop, because that is cheaper than getting a tricked out desktop and an adequate laptop. I'm rebuilding the machine (and with luck streamlining some of it) being frustrated at Logitech, because I can't configure my five-button mouse (It says I can, but when I go to the "Buttons" page it will allow me to switch it from left to right handed, but the menu I used to get, allowing all sorts of variation on what does what is not available), and restructuring my Firefox.
For those who care about such neepery, it's an HP Pavillion, Intel Centrino Duo Core 1.66 with 2Mb L2 (667MHz FBS), 1 GB RAM (which can be doubled) a 2 layer, 160Gb HD, a 17" screen (the only machines I could get with the dou-core chips had huge screens) and a built in 10-key pad (which was how I chose one model over the other, I love having a keypad. Not only is it far easier to do numbers with, but it makes some of the games I enjoy much easier).
The trip was nice. I met
janetmiles for a bite and some conversation, got to do some Aikido, spent time with my sisters, saw my semi-step-mother (they've divorced, but with the girls in the picture, so to does she remain, which is OK with me) picked up a Sinar 4x5, and generally lazed away a week with my dad. It wasn't long enough, but it wasn't too short, so it all worked out.Maia and I managed to get together with
rednikki to deliver some Japanese and Korean Coke, went out for a bite, enjoyed a small martini ay her place; made with Hendrick's Gin, which I'd seen but not bought any of; the label says it's made with roses and cucumber. It's not bad but more tests of its merits are needed before I'm going to buy any).This weekend we looked at a place near USC, and it seems we'll be taking it. The story is complex, but the gist of it is we are being caretakers (for the house and a dog) in exchange for some yardwork (Don't throw me in that briar-patch B'rer Fox, please don't do that) and some fixing up; if we want) we get the place (save the back bedroom and closed porch) for the carrying cost of the insurance and tax. Estimate is $200 a month.
It needs work. The wallpaper isn't structural, but needs to be replaced. It's a 20's semi-deco, with large rooms, high ceilings, small kitchen, a cellar (which floods, a bit, so the wine will be on pallets, perhaps on cinderblocks) a fireplace, a piano, a nice master bath, a dining room, a 3/4 bath, and the aforementioned back bedroom and porch.
The neighbors are said to be friendly and the area looks good. It's nearest cross streets of note are La Brea and Olympic, so it's not close enough to either campus for Maia to bike and we still have to find a place for the horses, but the idea of moving to nowhere is now no longer hanging over us.
Today I reported for jury duty. I wasn't needed. None of us were, because the jury questionaire wasn't ready. We were all sworn We go back tomorrow, to fill it out. I am guessing about half the prospective jurors will be excused before voir dire starts, because the lawyers are estimating a four week trial. That's right at the edge of what I can serve.
It's a civil trial. I'd like to be empaneled, but would hate to have to bail, so I can go to Scotland. That, however, would be taking the thing out to about seven weeks.
We shall see what comes.
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