Unexpected radio silence

I know most of you are used to me not blogging with any regularity or frequency, but I swear, this time it was NOT MY FAULT.


RIP Dell Latitude D620 #2. 1/16/07-8/4/2007

My hard drive crashed and burned. Apparently, I leave my computer on too long. Hmph.
what's this you ask? here's a snippet of my convo with the computer geeks (I do not use the term geek pejoratively... I like geeks. I am a geek... just not a computer geek)


Me: Any idea what might have caused this?
Geek 1: Do you carry your laptop around while it's still on?
Me: no, I always shut down
Geek 2: What about on standby, do you carry it around on standby?
Me: NO, i turn it all the way off. i shut it down before I carry it anywhere.
Geek 2: oh. Well. how long do you leave your computer on for? at a time?
Me: (silence....) Um... I turn it on when I get up, and turn it off when i go to bed?
Geek 1: Oh.
Geek 2: Oh. um. These laptops are kind of fragile. You probably burned your hard drive.
Me: <-- puzzled look on face? wha?
Geek 2: You should only have your laptop on for 7 hours max, then turn it off for 30min to an hour to let it cool off.
Me: Oh. Okay. (thinking... did they write this in the instruction manual? I mean, dang. who knew?)

When i took a closer look at my computer later, I saw this...



probably not a good sign. I think I have some sort of aura that tells technology to hate me. My first laptop died on the move out here (fine fine, it was 2-3 yrs old), the second got stolen from my apartment, and then the hard drive on the second died. As far as I can discern, the hard drive IS the computer. All the important bits anyway. So, all my pictures are gone gone gone. Sniff.


The day after I found out my computer's hard drive needed replacing, I was futzing around on my desktop, trying to get it connected to the internets, when I glanced over at my alarm clock. 12:00. Eh? It's 5:48pm! Wha? Ra-row. I unplug the clock, plug it back in, try shaking it, tapping it (smacking it with my hand). Nada. It's stuck on 12:00. Effers.

However, I have been extraordinarily productive in the fiber world over the last few days. I finished the fifth section of babette, and have been seaming the pieces together as I go (thanks to advice from Maryse. I've managed to get up to the increase section of Hourglass, and start the heel on my sandal sock.

Babette:

"zzzzzzzzzzzzz.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... eh? wha?"

"damn. what's a guy gotta do for some shut eye here? SHEESH!"

Here's everything I've got seamed together. I'm working on section VI.



I told Stacey that there was a square that was BRIGHT, but that I liked it. I think the brown edging really helps tone it down though (but I still like it)





I have found that I left my Hourglass in the car, so you get a pic of Madli. She's minus 1 border right now.



Here we have the sandal socks. I have the finished one here too, as proof that i'm not just recycling old pics (b/c I wouldn't put it past me)

So much to do... so little time.

I have a long list of 'things to do' some of which are much more pleasurable than others.
First, the list in order of preference

1) Crochet the babette blanket. I was actually pulled into this project from Ravelry, and the version I saw used Cotton Ease instead of the suggested Koigu. KOIGU!! Who's sacrificing 23 skeins of koigu? NOT MOI. I've already started. I finally made it down to Graceful Stitches to hang out with Maryse for a little stitch time. She helped reacquaint me with my crochet self. Here are three different squares I've made thus far.



largest square, with magazine for size reference


These two are squares I started w/o looking at the color chart. I really like them, so they'll probably get stuck in the blanket somewhere or another.

2) Finish Reid. 2 sleeves, seaming, and edging to go.

3) Finish rereading HP books, then read book 7.

4) Catch up on Sookie Stackhouse

5) Catch up on Anita Blake

6) Go see the HP movie again, preferably in IMAX theatre.

7) Get paper written up and poster organized for the APA conference in August.

8) write the final paper for that class... the one I took an 'incomplete' last semester. If I don't finish this paper before the beginning of Fall semester, I won't get paid, I don't get to go to class.


Obviously, some of these 'to do' are more important than others. If you're wondering why reading the HP book isn't further up the list... it's b/c it's the LAST book. Once I've read it... that's it. End of story. And that makes me a little sad.