ShinyPlasticBag

I'm such a procrastinator. I leave for Scotland in five days, and I've just decided now that I should probably start thinking about preparations. I dug out my humungous pile of dirty laundry and started the cleansing process, which will probably take all day, and I've begun contemplating footware (should I bring running shoes?). I definitely need a haircut, since I seem to be brewing my own mini-mullet, and I need to figure out which of my gadgets get to come on the trip.

Basically, I'm a disorganized mess. I've become this way because it doesn't seem to matter how much thought I put into things — I always forget something I meant to bring, but it never matters in the end. The old mantra of “somehow, things will randomly work out” really works for me. So, now I guess I just need to throw things together. (For those who have experienced the pre-trip flurry around my house before, you will recall that my mother usually packs on the way to the airport. I am not nearly so bad.)

In other news, I received not one but two exciting packages today: package the first was my sleevecase for my MacBook Pro, which is bright green and awesome, and the second was my Apple Developer Connection membership package — erm, something I wasn't actually expecting. It's pretty nifty though, including oodles of Apple SDKs to play with and a Tiger t-shirt that will proclaim my newfound Mac nerdiness to the world. Sweet.

The washing machine just turned off, so I should go put the next load in. Until we meet again, “Add new item to 'shinyPlasticBag'” page. Until we meet again.

• Written on 26 April 2006 & posted at 02:35 PM.
• There are 14 comments.
• Permalink.

I've had three days to bond with my beloved new toy, and I'm very satisfied. It's turns out that I wasn't just a wanna-be Mac nerd, but a genuine one. I really love my MacBook Pro. I'm still settling in to the whole thing, but I really like it. Caminbo is the best web browser I've ever used, and Adium is the best instant messaging client. It sort of seems that every good Windows program I've ever used has a rough equivalent on the Mac that's ten times better.

Of course, it's not all roses — I actually have all of the flaws that people complain of on the Internet (bright bottom edge of screen, mooing noise, CPU whine). However, none of them bother me very much. In a few months, I'll probably ask Apple to fix them (the noises at least), but I'm happy for the time being.

Anyway, tomorrow, Steve leaves for his Navy boot camp experience. I'm happy for him, but I'd be freaking out a bit if I was him. The idea of three months of abuse doesn't sound too appealing to me. Hopefully, he'll enjoy the experience more than I would. Actually, the notion of me in any sort of military position is pretty ludicrous. Picture it and laugh.

• Written on 21 April 2006 & posted at 10:51 PM.
• There are 19 comments.
• Permalink.

Well, it was a long weekened, so you know what that means: yep, Mom planned a home renovation. This time, we're outfitting the living room with a hardwood floor. Even though it's been less than two years since we put down the carpet, it was always seen as a sort of stop-gap solution. Hardwood was the dream all along.

It's looking pretty good, but I'm crazy tired owing to the horrible hours that I work, thus making me useless for most tasks. If it weren't for Janet to champion our home improvement efforts, I think we'd be doomed.

In other news, I have some wicked new shoes: bright green Converse high tops, a graduation gift from Janet. They're so awesome (a picture would probably be handy here, but I'm writing this from work and I don't have the option of doing such fancy things from here). Once I get my MacBook Pro (which is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday), I will definitely be the geekiest geek that ever geeked up Geek Street. I'm very excited.

Anyway, since I am at work, I suppose I should stop blogging. Until next time...

• Written on 16 April 2006 & posted at 04:50 AM.
• There are 13 comments.
• Permalink.

Well, I did it. I can't believe it, but I've actually ordered my MacBook Pro (name suggestions, anyone? My current laptop is “Ion”). Since Apple doesn't have any financing options in Canada, Mom let me put it on her line of credit. My goal is to put at least $200 per pay on it (which would take about 5 months to pay), but once I start a full time job, I figure I can put a lot more on and pay it off sooner. I'm really, really, really, really, really excited. I've been agonizing over this decision for so long that I really can't believe I've made it. I hope to have it sometime next week.

In other news, I had my first exam today (English). I really feel like I nailed it, which is an excellent feeling to have when you leave. I also got my essay back, upon which was written “B+, much better!”. I'm having an awesome day.

Anyway, tomorrow, I've got to demo my graphics project for my professor, and I think I'll get my copy of World of Warcraft in the evening. I won't play it, though, because I've got my Digital Media exam on Wednesday. But Wednesday evening, oh, what nerdiness shall ensue. Who's up for a WoWathon?

• Written on 10 April 2006 & posted at 02:07 PM.
• There are 24 comments.
• Permalink.

First off, the obvious: my site is very ugly. It's CSS Naked Day, which means that CSS obsessed web designers (and wannabes like me) have stripped the styling from their sites and are showing off the bare HTML behind them. The idea is to promote clean, well-structured code behind the scenes. I like to think that my stuff is half-decent, although never perfect. Anyway, bear with the ugliness. It's all in the name of being trendy.

Anyway, I had a craptastic day, computer wise. My laptop has been acting up for the past few weeks, crashing more than usual. Last week, it started BSODing pretty much every time it came out of hibernation, making a nasty “crunch” noise through its speakers at the same time. I've tried to be patient, however, since it's end of term and I don't have time to reinstall Windows right now — I've just been backing up everything I'm working on every five minutes or so. Anyway, the shit hit the fan today, I guess, because it crashed on me while I was working on my graphics assignment, and when I rebooted, I had no wireless Internet access.

Continue reading “CSS Naked Day and OS X to the Rescue”...

• Written on 04 April 2006 & posted at 10:38 PM.
• There are 12 comments.
• Permalink.