flitting on overload

Perhaps its time to take a time out and blog.... try to focus.... dump some of the many thoughts that are preventing me from focusing on my ~stuff~

First of all - I hate ******* computers! In particular, I hate laptops. I have 3 on the go right now - need to get data from one to another so that hubby can run his business database again.... that is more complicated that it sounds. Laptop #1, the one he is GOING to use if I ever get it done, is one that I've had kicking around for awhile - he was using it in the back of the store to play games on between customers. The CD Rom on that one wasn't working - so to start with I had to get it online, and fix the CD Rom so that I could install the software for the database. Got that done, so now all that one needs is the data files from the other one. 

in the meantime, though, he broke the other one! Spilled - or sprayed - rather, something or other. At first, it wouldn't boot at all, but eventually - after it dried, I was able to unstick the F1 key and boot the damn thing and all was well - except for the fact that it doesn't have a burner, nor will it recognize any of my many flash keys (yes, I am a geek, as a matter of fact) - it's Win 98 SE and although the flash key manufacturers always swear that it will work if you just install the drivers, they lie. Drivers installed but no joy. So fine. I will get it online and then email the files to myself - download them onto Laptop #1.  

First get it online.... doesn't like the wireless card even though it worked before.

Fine. Find the other damn ethernet card.

That was far harder than it sounds like it should be! But eventually, I did find it, right on my desk where I thought it should be all along! Install it. What do you MEAN it doesn't 'see' it. Oh, okay. Install it the right way up. Install the software which fortunately was already on the computer. Fine; now I'm online. 

Go to log in to email site. Alls well - at first - but then suddenly, the entire right side of the keyboard quits working. Reboot. Now the left side doesn't work! Reboot. Now we're back to the right side - and this time, no matter how many times I reboot, its the right side. Charming.

Eventually manage to log in to email site anyway. NOT FUN! I typed the letters for my username - of course, only the ones on the left side of the keyboard actually work. Fine then...I can be creative. Copy and paste letters from webpages to fill in the blanks. WHY oh WHY did I include an _ in my username.  Find a page that had an underscore on it that I could cut & paste....eventually.

Figure out that doing password the same way is going to be a total pain because all I can see, of course, is ******  ....eventually get that right too. Remember to click Remember Me.  Good thing, or else I would have had to cry!

Go through lengthy and time consuming process of updating the data file as a zip file. Send email. Does it go?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Apparently the one email account that I pay for BECAUSE it doesn't have a problem with zip files has changed. Attach zip file; email disappears into the ether. Eventually figure that out and send the files one at a blessed time. Am I having fun yet? Fine - now they're there.... time to go to Laptop #1 which is on the freezer between my workshop (where the POS with the wonky keyboard is) and my desk in the living room. Should have worn my pedometer today! I must have walked miles already. 

Once I get all those files downloaded and put in the right place I will still have the problem of the other 2 laptops to resolve.  The half keyboard one was SUPPOSED to go to a customer who's laptop is also acting up - replaced BIOS battery in that one and it worked again - but only for about 4 minutes - move it and it craps. I hate laptops. Anyway - plan was to move hubby to the one that I'm working on and give customer his for her games - but somehow doubt she will want it the way it is.

so - I still need to figure something out - surely between the 2 identical except for their specific problems - I should be able to come up with 1 working laptop. Maybe? Except for the fact that I suck at laptops. I am good at computer - real computer - building and repair. But I do not have the manual dexterity or mechanical ability for laptops and I know it.  

Secondly - yeah, I know that was way too long for there to be more but there is, I'm sorry! (Damn, just noticed that I started this in the wrong account. My bad. Or dumb. Oh well. That can be fixed.)...

I called my baby sis to get an update on my Dad. He has an infection in his incision/gut, plus another in kidneys (apparently pulling out catheters on a regular basis - and having a blockage so bad it causes shock - is not good for the urinary tract; go figure). So,  more than 2 weeks later, he is still in hospital. They're using some sort of vacuum pack system to drain the poisons from the incision. Sounds totally nasty.  There is a possibility that he will be going home sometime this week anyway - with the vacuum and home care.

I feel totally guilty for not having gotten in my car this morning and driven to Niagara Falls. I could go tomorrow. But. The time on the road.... and the cottage traffic .... it would take 10+ hours of driving to visit him for an hour or two. I want to go. I feel terrible for not going. But.

I have SO much to do. The aforementioned POS to sort out. A photo essay I want to do on Gather, with great pictues that tamara took and said I could use. Author bios to write/collect/edit (32 of em). Also newspaper articles to write - one for each day of the Leacock  Festival. Also Omeros by Derek Walcott to finish reading, tons of online stuff prof put up to download, print and read for next week's one week condensed course. Also author profiles that I want to write and put up in the Leacock Festival Blog group. Oh, and Shakespeare independent study course to start -  Hamlet this week.  And I have a computer that needs to go to Brampton for my youngest daughter. Her laptop is acting up and she needs the one I have fixed for her. Well, almost fixed. It still needs a wireless card and it's cover back on. And I need to sort out clothes. I will need professional for the 6 days of the Festival. Hubby says go buy new clothes. But. I can't go buy new clothes. I paid the bills today. I did not like seeing the balance on our line of credit. It is wonderful that he is so supportive. But! I will make do with what I have. Except maybe for the TV taping/my reading day. I need to go shopping, not only for clothes, but also for a light bulb for my bedside lamp - that burned out almost  2 weeks ago; it is driving me nuts. Also laundry detergent and there are other things but I am damned if I can remember. Oh yeah - refills on our prescriptions.  Other things - I will start a list; maybe I will remember the other things and then I will get motivated to actually go shopping. I hate shopping. 

Anyway... I am almost ready to shut up and get back to work. That would be good....

but first I want to tell you about my baby sister. My sister & I used to fight.  A lot. We don't fight any more; I guess we grew up :) Maybe there is hope for my two, yet! She is among my strongest supporters of my writing ability. She has been supporting me for a very long time. She thinks I am way smarter and more talented than I actually am.

And she is a silly, silly person and she makes me cry. She did it again today. I think I wrote about the last time back when I first started writing about my dad (that's a link to the article, for those of you who don't notice the inline links LOL).  Today she made me cry because we were talking about the POA issue. She talked to his wife about it when she was there yesterday. And during the course of the conversation, she got going on how when someone has a disease like Alzheimer's, as, of course, my dad does, they lose so much of their dignity....and that I am someone that is able to give them their dignity. She said very nice things about how I took care of Doris (my ma in law) and gave her dignity when she had so little. It made me cry. I wasn't perfect as a caregiver. There were days when I wish I had had more patience. But I tried. And my baby sister thinks I did a good job. And that matters way more than you could possibly know.

I signed her up for an account on Gather today; my sister, I mean. She would have done it herself, but I'm the geek - "do it for me and send me the info". I don't expect she'll ever be as addicted as I am. But she likes to read. And she knows a lot about what's good. I'm very glad she's joining us on Gather - even if she does have an annoying tendency to make me cry.

I think I'm ready to go do some work now.