daines'n around

While I enjoyed about two weeks of uninterrupted, un-secured wireless internet from one of my selfless neighbors, that has come to and end. Day five without the internet at home, and I find myself reading for fun, and watching episodes of Six Feet Under, Doctor Who, and The Boondocks.

My couch, television and table finally arrived in Highland. I picked them up Saturday, and now am able to watch my downloaded television shows on a couch, rather than prostrate on the floor.

It's been a month now—officially—that I've been in Utah. Some say that I can already call myself a Utahn, but my car still lacks the license plate to prove so. I still try not to believe it just yet.

This weekend my father and sister moved out of our home too. My old stomping grounds of 12 to 25 (minus years for traveling and college) now have nothing but memories and friends I've left behind.

I bit the bullet yesterday and ordered DSL for my apartment. It comes with a gift certificate to amazon.com... so I suppose i'll get a wireless router with that, since the only phone jack is on the wall next to my water heater (in the middle of the house, about shoulder level) and in my bedroom. I've told myself that I don't want a computer in my bedroom, since it will be for sleeping. This has been an issue that I grappled with throughout high school and college. When there was work that could be done, I would stay up as late as it took just to finish because my bed was no more than five feet away.

The little purchases I've been making are adding up too. When financial situations stabilize I'll get something like this to beign recording some of what i've been writing—or thinking about writing—to distribute to friends who no longer live a short drive away.

Number of Netflix dvds watched in the last four weeks: 18. Number of seasons of Six Feet Under in the last 8 weeks: started on season four this week.

I have been struggling to find time to photograph people. I suppose mostly this is sue to the fact that I am never around people, other than the married women whom I work with.

I have taken quite a few nature shots: Some tree, a moth, walking distance from my house. But it doesn't fulfill quite the same. I got a chance to take some more wedding portraits at the Timpanogos Temple.

I don't charge nearly enough, but I do enjoy helping out people who would other wise have to settle for their friend who thinks they can take awesome photos with the digital camera their parents bought for them. If I knew more wedding planners, it would make sense to start doing more weddings, since I doubt more weddings happen elsewhere (aside from Vegas of course).

Living alone is rather interesting. Sometimes I want to comment to someone, anyone really about that superb article in the New Yorker I read. Or when the President says something stupid on television, I itch to say something. Today when a CNN reporter unknowingly flicked her microphone on and talked with someone else about needy relatives over the President's Katrina production, I just laughed and probably would have rolled around on the floor if there had been someone to laugh with me.

I told a friend that I've begun a tally mark on my wall for every time I say a complete sentence out loud. I almost feel like I should, just to follow through and not make it become a vicious and unhealthy lie.

I got a superb book in the mail today from Amazon. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. The link is to an NPR interview about the novel. I never lived through the 9/11 experience. I was in Brasil at the time, and never really understood everything that happened that day. I never had the patience to sift through the actually report... I suppose I should one day... but this adaptation is striking. The graphic novel contains streamlined timelines, allowing for a visual consumption of an otherwise difficult to comprehend sequence of events. I'm glad I picked up the book. It is an outstanding piece of interpretation, with a flair of illustration to carry across the facts of the 9/11 Commission report with more ease.

I hate my writing. I need to get back in the habit.

Yesterday, I got my new graphics card in the mail. I wanted one that had an s-video out so I could watch my television shows on the television screen, rather than my computer monitor. I suppose I should preface this with a little information about my computer.

I built my computer in Feb. of 2003. I saved money and bought pieces from various internet retailers. It worked very well until about Feb. of '06. That was when the cooling fans on the power supply failed, and the fans inside the case began spinning at incredible speeds, giving the careful listener the impression that someone was either mowing the law, or a Cessna was trying to take off in my bedroom.

Upon moving to Utah in July, the power supply would get so hot, that I decided to remove it from the computer case and leave it on the outside, so the heat could dissipate into the air around the computer, rather than inside.

Yesterday the new graphics card arrived, so i set the computer down on its side and replaced it. In an attempt to turn it back on, it didn't respond. I switched out every cord, plugged and re-plugged every connection and every piece of hardware. Upon supplying power to the board, the fans would spin but the rest of the computer was unresponsive.

I came to the conclusion that a short must have either occurred in the wiring, or the motherboard itself. I read that you should be able to start up your computer by touching a screwdriver to the power-on posts. That didn't work.

So now my computer is sitting on the counter, parts strewn about, looking as though it will be a sacrificial lamb of some sort. Tigerdirect.com still carries motherboards that support my older style cpu (which is still very fast.) and new cases bundled with power supplies. And due to the age of my processor, the prices aren't too bad.

This better work once it gets back, or else I'll have to spend a ton more money that I don't have.

Rubberduckie, you were a swell computer.