Had A Strange Dream Yesterday….

For those of you who don’t know, I work overnights, and sleep during the day. SO, yesterday I dreamt that I woke up at work, and there was some guy talking that kept waking me up. So I got up and kept screaming at him to get out of here. And I think I threw a few things at him. Then a window opened, and a certain member of Congress (I’m not going to mention names here) was telling that it was my boss’s boss, and he wanted to see me right away. Fortunately, I didn’t get fired as right then was when I woke up. In a sweat as my alarm was going off. Got up, and realized that for reasons I wasn’t going to make it to work, so I called off with the app on my phone.

I then took a shot (insulin as I’m still type I diabetic), and proceeded to try to login on my computer to put in the time off request at work. And that’s when the confusion set in. The aforementioned vivid dream. The waking up in a sweat. The confusion. Yep. I was having a hypoglycemic episode. And no candy in my room to fix it. Fortunately, there was a half bag of potato chips nearby. I recovered enough to get the time off request put in at work. Next up, put the low blood sugar to bed for good. Uber Eats to the rescue, this time being a Wendy’s Baconator combo, plus chlil and a frosty. Then a nap later that night (if I’m going to call out from work, then I’m going to sleep it off)….

Long story short, woke up with a low blood sugar, and had to call out from work….

The Holidays Are Upon Us….

Happy Stuff Bread Up A Turkey’s Ass Day! Yes, I know it’s a day early but due to my work schedule, my brother decided that it would be tonight. And I wholeheartedly agree with him. So, we had Wal-Mart Manager tonight. It was just two of us, so he (my brother did all of the cooking) just did a turkey breast roast. Literally threw the whole thing into the crockpot with the gravy right when I went to bed. It was all ready when I got up. And it was good. Didn’t get any pictures of it, but I did get the requisite gravy volcano. And there are plenty of leftovers for the weekend’s turkey sandwiches.

So, after dinner came the post-Thanksgiving tradition: the Holiday Decoration:

As you can see, none of that distracting tinsel. And it has a great strength to weight ratio….

It’s coming around….

When we last left our hero, I had realized that the only viable option for my laptop was Windows 10. There’s also Linux (specifically OpenSuSE, but that’s going to wait)…..

So last week after my weekend, I pulled out my system restore flash drive. It took about 4 hours, but it got my laptop to a desktop. Eventually. More importantly, it had all the drivers installed that I needed (previous experience with Windows 7 was less than productive on this). The drawback was that it was 1511. So the mission was to get 22H2 installed on it. And it choked on the in place upgrade. So, the only option was to wipe everything again….

Side note: at this time, I also stuck a flash drive in it, and backed up the hidden directories in the root of the c drive that had all the installers for the included software and drivers. So I plugged in the upgrade flashdrive and tried it again. I had to leave for work at the time, so I unplugged the network cable to force it into create an offline account mode when it came time for the OOBE.

The next day, when I came home from work, I went through the OOBE and then immediately went to install a certain update (this was the one that choked my computer this first time I tried to set it up a couple of weeks ago). And I went to bed while it installed. 4 hours later, I woke up, and it had successfully installed. We’re making progress now. It had also installed the other updates from the initial visit to Windows Update, and then I installed the initial batch of drivers. At this point, I had passed the stage where I had given up all the other times I had tried to reinstall Windows 10.

Next up was the initial ‘move in’.  If you remember my attempt to trade in my last phone, when I got home from that trip, I decided to console myself with some retail therapy and I ordered some 256 gB flash drives from Newegg. Just needed one of them to copy all my files over to the laptop. And I set the folder structure so I just need to copy from root to root.

Another update (again while I was at work and/or sleeping), and I was ready to actually sign in with my Microsoft account. So I sign, and it turns out I qualify for extended security updates. Hooray! Though this means that since a patch Tuesday has passed, it means another 4 hour wait while it updates. So, fast forward to this morning, when I come home from work, and I finally can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.

So, I’m now patched fully. I’ve installed Firefox, Chrome, and Thunderbird. The laptop is now ready for use as an emergency backup. I don’t have everything installed on it, but I did make sure that the installers are on it, and are available the next time my tower takes a fart on me, which actually has happened before. Twice….

Once More Unto The Breach, Dear Laptop!

When we last left our hero last week, I decided for my latest act of questionable judgement was to try and run Windows 7 on my laptop. Main issue was the fact that drivers for it weren’t being signed anymore, and after trying to ram all the patches from Legacy Update down it at one sitting, it ended up unbootable. Decided to give another shot last night. Got it to boot to a ui, and after using my Google-Fu, I figured out how to force the unsigned drivers to install. So I was able to even get Aero to show. Then it was to Legacy Update again. And there was a PSP driver that it tried to download from Legacy Update. I got it to install, but there were issues upon reboot. I got it boot to a desktop again, and I realized that there were still question marks in my Device Manager, meaning items with no drivers. And I realized that the laptop was designed only for Windows 10. So, once again, I pulled out the GParted and wiped it completely. Maybe next week…..

So I pulled my laptop out this morning….

So, I pulled my laptop out this morning. A BIOS change to enable legacy boot, and a couple of other steps, and I had Windows 7 running on it. I was able to get SATA/USB 3 running on it, but there were a couple of other drivers that were unsigned and I couldn’t get to install. I tried to get the display driver (downloaded straight from AMD/ATI) to install, but there were other issues. A trip to Legacy Update to get a servicing stack update, and the display issues cleared up. And then it came time to update. Spent about 6 hours downloading and installing, and then it came time to do the first reboot. And windows wouldn’t reboot. Oh well. It wasn’t going to be a daily driver.  I wasn’t going to use it at all. It was just trying it out to see if I could get it to work. Anyway, experiment is over. It really isn’t worth the effort, though I could make it work. So I downloaded the current build of GParted (mainly because I could find the usb flash drive that I had of it), and it’s been wiped and put away.

Now to order pizza and watch TV….

And yes I did call out Sunday night. This morning, I took out 2 cans’ worth of garbage, and realized we only had 1 garbage bag left. So a trip to Wally World. And then I realized nobody was using the apartment complex laundry room, so I did laundry. And thus all of my weekend’s adulting was done a day early….

More fun with the laptop

Took a sick day last night at work. I caught cold, and I was on the tail end of it, and I just decided it would be better to sleep it off. I don’t want to go into the holiday season sick at work…..

When we last left our hero I had set the laptop aside (wiped with GParted to prevent data from falling into the wrong hands). And I was toying with the idea of putting Linux back onto it. But I thought that would be too easy. No. I want to do something difficult. So I put Windows 7 on it. When I’m done with it, it’ll be just like the laptop I had back in 2013. But with a touchscreen…..

Running On 25H2….

When we last left our hero, Windows 11 25H2 had just been released, and I upgraded right away. Now being one who can’t leave well enough alone, and hearing that The Anti-Christ really wants you to only use a Microsoft account when you set up windows, so I had to try. So that mean a clean install time.

Now, if you’re like me and want to use a local account for the OOBE experience there’s still hope. Rufus. Downloaded the official .ISO and used rufus to burn it to a flash drive. And it installed just like 24H2. Compared to the previous versions, there are a few differences. For starters, I’ve yet to enter my Microsoft password. Since I have the Microsoft Authenticator app on my phone, I was able to sign in without a password. And with my new webcam (Logitech Brio 4K), I now login to Windows by looking at it.

Now, it took me a week and a half to reinstall everything,  And now that everything works, I hope to not do it again, soon…..

Baseball Season is now over…..

If you haven’t been following the news, yes the Mariners made it to the post season. Even got to the league championship series. First time since 2001. And they got all the way to game 7 (which IIRC they’ve never done before). But one 3 run home run, and it’s over.

Baseball season is now over. It’s now on to football and hockey.

Until next spring, when we’ll once again keep watch out for The New World Order (Mind-Control Division)…..

Ok, so it’s been awhile….

Ok, so it’s been awhile since I wrote here. I still don’t agree with Charlie Kirk. I still think killing him was wrong. In fact killing anybody for their opinion is wrong. Freedom of Speech in enshrined in the Constitution. And it’s under attack. Colbert got cancelled. They say it was for financial reasons, but the real reason why is that CBS/Paramount chose to bend the knee. They tried to cancel Jimmy Kimmel, but the ABC/Disney had to backdown after the consumer backlash (google cancel Disney+). And I also think that there may have been threats of advertiser boycotts, too, at least in the local markets. Cheetos-Face and Couch F*cker have gone down the authoritarian route too far……

Now, on to other things. Windows 11, 25H2 is now out. I’ve already upgraded. Be aware, it will reset you default preferences back to Microsoft Edge.

And I decided to break from the stone age, and actually log on to my computer now (before, I had set it to automatically sign in, as my computer it usually in my room, and I’m the only who uses it). Replaced my webcam with a Logitech Brio 4K. Didn’t really need to, my old still worked perfectly well. It’s just this one has an IR sensor in it, so I can use Windows Hello to log in to my computer just by looking at it….

The Mariners made it to the post-season. They secured a first round bye, so they went straight to the Division Series, where they are currently defeating the Tigers. Sunday’s win at T-Mobile park was their first post-season win there in 24 years. Of course, it will mean terrible road conditions this winter as Hell has frozen over….

Summer has turned to fall. Monday of last week, I took down my air conditioner for the season. And my brother has taken down the one in the living room, too. I had my window fan up for a few days, but that too has come down, and I’ve actually had to run the heat for a couple of occaisions, bot for the most part, it’s just an open windows now….

On Charlie Kirk….

I don’t agree with many of things he said. But I also do not rejoice in his murder, either. Killing people is wrong. Period. Full Stop.

So, I had a birthday last week….

Monday of last week was my birthday. Received well-wishes on Facebook. Brother/roommate made a pot roast Sunday night. And there was a store-bought coconut cream pie. There were no birthday presents involved, but they weren’t necessary anyways (since my birthday falls during peak back-to-school season, many birthdays’ presents were actually just school supplies growing up, but given the household financial situation, it was what it was….)

But I digress. I did have to buy myself something. My keyboard had developed a habit of random keys getting stuck, necessitating a hard reboot of my computer to straighten it out. Taking a look at it, it was time to replace it. But Logitech has apparently disco’ed the Wave keyboard that I’ve been using for 10+ years. So, it’s time to get a new one. I got the Logitech MK 710 combo.  It’s not the Wave MK 350 that I’m used to, but such is progress.

Yes, I know I took the pledge to not buy anymore upgrades to my computer, but this was a USB item, and it can be carried over to my next computer, when the time comes….

Then End Is Near….

So my vacation is about to come to an end. I think the most ‘vacationy’ thing I did were the naps. Sometimes all you need is some extra sleep to recharge. But for now it has come to an end, and when I wake up tonight, it’ll be back to work as usual….

Vacation: Day 4 Report:

Just did laundry. Hopefully the last of the Adulting to be done for my vacation. Aside from the laundry, I didn’t do that much. Well, there was that nap I took….

So, what all happened yesterday….

Vacation, Day 3. It was also my birthday. Responded to the well wishes on Facebook. Sister came over, and we went out to lunch, I chose food court teriyaki. Then another Target run, and a trip to Wally World. And then I went to bed.

Oh and Sunday night, roommate made a pot roast. Really good. He also got a pie to celebrate my birthday. But per tradition, he has to eat the entire thing, so I’m not going to touch it….

Vacation: Day 2 Report, Part 2

To continue from the previous post, while finishing up the Tower, also watch some Footy (apparently that’s what Australian Rules Football is called). Watched a little bit of NFL pre-season. Watched some circket.

Speaking of Football, I deliberately wnet to bed way too early on Saturday morning, so I could  wake up early and watch some football. Saw 2 games.. Next time, I’ll keep the normal circadian rhythm and DVR them.

Yes, I should’ve written this in the morning, but I was too busy going to bed.

The Mariners are going to lose the Little League Classic. Because I’m watching the game….

Vacation: Day 2 Report, Part 1….

Finished putting my tower back together. Back in the day when we used to install all of our games from (CD/DVD)Roms, I accumulated quite a few. Enough to fill up a 72 cd wallet. Plus another one for drivers, backups, and other programs. And of course there the few items I had to keep in the original jewel cases because of product codes. And being the digital pack rat, I had to reinstall everything every time I wiped my system. Which was quite regular since I liked to tinker.

And then my motherboard gave up the ghost in 2014. This was when I bought my HP tower. With it came Windows 7/Windows 8.1/ and eventually Windows 10. And they were all 64-bit OSes. And The Anti-Christ disabled secdrv.sys so a good chunk of my games wouldn’t install, and if they did they wouldn’t run. My workaround at the time was to use a Windows ME/Windows XP virtual machines (at the time VMWare player already had 3d acceleration supported). Eventually I started acquiring my games digitally, through Steam, then EA Games (Origin at the time), Ubisoft Connect, GOG, and Epic Games Store. Sometimes I was able to digitally acquire what I had on CD-ROM (like my Star Wars games). And some I just gave up on trying to get them to work.

But recently I’ve been finding success with getting my 16-bit installers to work with Windows 11, finding co-cd patches, and using dgVoodoo so now most of my old games can now be played. Even on Windows 11. Which is how I now have 4 different version of Monopoly and 2 Battleships installed. I think I only have 4-5 CD-Roms that I can’t figure out. Yet.

Vacation: Day 1: Report….

So, I made a Target run yesterday. Then went to bed. Woke up, and saw the Seahawks game (they beat the Kansas City Assistant Managers). Continued to redownload my Steam library. And I put my AC back up. What had happened is I took down my hose Thursday night, as the weather forecast said it was going to rain quite hard, and I have a preference for fresh air.

At the time, I feel the need to make a confession. I was supposed to work Thursday night, but I called out. All I’m going to say is that this was a sick day, not an extra day of vacation….

Vacation: Commence!

Ok, so my vacation is starting. Agenda is to put the computer back together after nuking it from orbit Monday night (see the previous post or two about that). I’ve made a Target run this morning already, and make be making another run later. Tomorrow, it’ll probably be a trip to Wally World. And the main agenda will be to sit on my ass as much as possible while watching foot ball and Cricket (with the NFL preseason, The Hundred, and the Caribbean Premier League going on right now.

Vacation: Commence!

Choked On An Update….

So my computer was running pretty fine. Or so I thought. Then I fired up Android (I still use Windows Subsystem For Android, downloaded from here). And Google Play wouldn’t work. Ok, So I redownloaded the current version. And no dice. Ok, I was thinking about a system wipe anyway, so I nuked it from orbit Monday night. And yesterday, when it came time install WSA, and lo! Google Play still didn’t load. Some swearing and Googling ensued, and discovered that it was a bug in the July update. And a rather complicated workaround. But, it got fixed. And more importantly, I just verified that it still works after the August update.

And at one time, I was going to try and not nuked my system from orbit this week….

So, what did I do this weekend?

What did I do this weekend? In a nutshell, nothing. I ate. I slept. I spent too much time on the computer. I ordered pizza, which was 2 hours late because somebody underestimated how popular the latest Dominos promotion will be. I got quite a few of my older games to successfully install on my Windows 11 tower. I’m talking the original South Park and MechWarrior 2 old. I installed Linux on my laptop twice. It’ll be the way to go, but it’s still a work in progress.

But, the end is here, and it’s time to get ready for work…..

Not Quite So Dead Yet, Jim….

Well, the laptop is not quite so dead yet. Something got messed up with TPM/Secureboot. If you just to a clean install, you can get a recent version of Windows 10 to work on it (after all, that’s what it came with), but it likes to choke on the recent updates. If you use Rufus to create the flash drive, you can get Windows 11 to install, but it’s slower than molasses, and there’s no compatible display driver, so you just get a black screen, and to roll back the driver with no display is beyond my payroll.

Enter Linux. Specifically OpenSUSE. Everything just works. Especially for what I’m going to use it for. The battery on it is shot to hell, so I’m just treating it as a 17.3” touchscreen all-in-one. Basically when I finally FUBAR the Tower beyond repair, I’ll still be able to order the replacement without having to use my phone….

I guess I still have a laptop. Long Live Linux…..

It’s Dead, Jim….

Gave the laptop another shot last night. This time, I skipped the factory reset option,and just did a fresh install with Windows 10. And promptly got into an automatic repair loop. Which led to a hard drive diagnostic and a failure. Fiddled around with some settings and now I’m getting the Blue Screen Of Death just for trying to boot off a usb.

Conclusion: hardware failure.

It’s Dead, Jim….

And Lo!

Ozzy has gone on to the Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory. I’m not going to link to any news stories (use your Google-Fu, Grasshopper….). Many of us knew of him from his antics on stage, or his music. But I only started following him in earnest when the Osbournes came out on MTV. Yes, he had his issues. But don’t we all. We are each dealt a unique hand in the poker game of life, and we have to play what we’re dealt.

RIP Ozzy. Condolences to your family.

So what all happened last week.

Saturday night. I get up, get ready for work. And realize for reasons not to be discussed in here right now that I’m not going to work. So, I call out. Put in for sick/vacation time to cover my shift, and take the attendance point. Go into the kitchen, I’m standing at the sink, and I reach over to the brand new coffeemaker, and it hit. My right ball suddenly feels like it’s in a vice, and the pain is progressing up my back. Had I nit already called out then, I would’ve called out anyway. My only option is to lie down and sleep it off. Three hours later, and the pain is mainly in my lower back. And I can stand up (with effort and technique) and go to the bathroom. Back to bed, and 4 hours later, I’m almost up and at ‘em. Bck to bed again, and I was able to get up and go to work Sunday night.

I don’t know what caused it, and my employer supplied health insurance isn’t the best, so I’m skipping the doctor it it’s possible. But I have a feeling that I might have a hernia.

But on the bright side to all this (if there is one), I was able to manage this all without even a Tylenol or ibuprofen….

RIP to my laptop….

When we last left our hero, I was trying to get my laptop working again. 3 separate times, I plugged the reset thumbdrive into it, and did a factory reset on it. Which installed Windows 10, 1511. A round of Windoze Update and then I was able to directly install the 22H2 version. And then the very last round of updates would cause it to hang. Even the windows update troubleshooter would work, nor would downloading and installing it directly.

The laptop is officially a lost cause. Just wiped it with GParted. I don’t have the patience anymore to work with windows on it. Maybe later, I’ll put Linux on it….

RIP to my laptop…..

Just because I can….

I wipe my tower too much. Sometimes, it is because I want to try something new with it or (more likely) I tried something and it blew up in my face. But of late, I’ve found a configuration that works, and I still wipe and rebuild just for lack of something to do. And as I was pondering if I should do it again, I realized that I still had a laptop. And after my previous adventures with it, I wiped it with GParted, so it’s completely blank already. So I can work through my urge to wipe a computer completely, and still have a working tower.

So last week was the 4th. Wherein we commemorate George Washington’s victory over Rodan. Had to work that night. I consider myself a patriot, but I’m not going to burn my house down to commemorate freedom.

So, this past Sunday night, I was pulling the garbage from the parking lot. In one of the cans, a member of the resident homeless population had to relieve himself. So he did his business into a plastic bottle, and threw said bottle in to the trash. When he threw it is, the cap came off. Fast forward a few hours later, the bag ripped. Right when I was lifting the garbage bag o ur of the can. So I got hit with it all down my pants. Needless to say, the jeans I wore home were newer than my shift that night….

With the Fourth passing us, we are now officially into summer here. Expect sunny weather and little to no rain until the day before my birthday in August, when it’ll return in time for any celebration I may have planned. Oh, and it’ll rain in the hydroplane races, too. But while it’s here, both AC’s are set up and running….

Father’s Day was Sunday…..

Father’s Day was Sunday. From previous conversations with my sister, I know the best time to call his is after noon, when he comes home from church. But that is also my bedtime since I work Sunday nights, and especially on Father’s Day it’s considered a key event date at work. And I like continued employment. So Father’s day was Sunday. And it wasn’t until this morning that I remembered that he still had a phone. So I finally called him today. Two days late.

Yes, I know I am a failure as a son. But it was still good talking to him….

RCB just won it all….

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a cricket fan. And today, then Indian Premier League just wrapped up. And the Royal Challengers Bengaluru just won the title. Elsewhere in the world of cricket, West Indies is touring England and Major League Cricket will start up in two weeks.

Hooray West Indies….

Memorial Day was yesterday….

So, yesterday was Memorial Day. The day when we pay our respects to those who served and didn’t get to come home (Armed Forces Day was for those who currently serve, and Veterans’ Day was for those who served previously).

But it was also a day that I ran out of insulin, and I realized that the pharmacy and the bus system were both running on a Sunday schedule. As irritating as that was (especially since I didn’t realize it when I planned my trip), one has to remember that again there are those who served and won’t be coming home, just to get po’ed at the fates because the pharmacy wasn’t open. Or the bus wasn’t running every 15 minutes….

So I gave some stuff up….

The economy is bad. prices are going up. Last week, I made a pit stop at Denny’s on the way home from work, and I decided that it was too expensive for my taste. McDonald’s was the same thing (over $5 for a cheeseburger….). And Jack(ing off) In The Box. And most of all was delivery. Most restaurants automatically raise their prices on the delivery apps, and then you add delivery charge’s on top of that, and a tip to the driver (hey, I have enough respect for those in the gig economy that I will always tip), and a simple Big Mac combo is now almost $30+.

And yes, I’m writing right after I had Denny’s delivered via Uber Eats. Maybe once in a while. McDonalds can be a treat. But, gasp, I think I may need to learn to cook more than macaroni and cheese and bachelor nachos.

Now if you’ll excuse, I need to clutch my pearls….

Ok, so I took a month off….

Ok, so I took a month off from blogging. Sorry, guys but sometimes there is a real life out there, and things have to be attended to….

Rebuilt my system. Decided to give Windows 10 one last try on my tower. And that lasted all of about 48 hours until the Epic Games Store decided to take a dump on me while downloading. So it was back to Windows 11. Fortunately, I had figured this out, and I had also downloaded the Win11 drivers when I downloaded the Win10 drivers.

100+ days in. Cheetos-Face is still corrupt. The best thing that could happen to this country is for him to be lawfully removed from office….

We lost Pope Francis. Habemus Papum: Pope Leo XIV. The first American Pope.

I had been writing an email off and on since September of last year. Last night, I finished it and sent it off. Didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice….

So, what did I do on this weekend?…

Didn’t do laundry. Did my only round of adulting on the way home from work Monday morning. So, what did I do on my weekend? Nothing. Just some well-deserved time on my ass. Well, I did install 2 Linux virtual machines, but that doesn’t count since I did not wipe my C: drive to do it….

Anways, weekend is over. It’s time to think about going to bed…..

So, what did I do on my weekend?

So, what did I do on my weekend? Yes there was some adulting involved. I had to do laundry. And my trip to the store (actually I had that delivered due to the significant amount of frozen items and the whole I take the bus deal…). And then I cleaned my room. Not something I normally do, but after that last bag of Cheetos (and stepping on stale Cheetos hurts like a lego), I needed to vacuum.

So all the adulting was done by about noon yesterday. And then I decided to play around with Linux. Now having just finished my most recent system rebuild, and wanting to not fuck it up, I decided to do it with Vmware Player. And a couple of hours later, I was greeted with a Linux VM that could boot to a desktop. And then I decided that I have an 8 year old laptop that The Anti-Christ will no longer be supporting the only version of Windows 10 on this fall, and so I pulled it out,and now I have a laptop running Linux. Still slower than a turtle with knee problems, but it’ll still be usable….

About last night….

Sorry co-workers. I meant to come to work. My alarm went off on time. I got up. Showered. When I got out of the shower, I started to get dressed. And then I realized I was sweating. Seriously. Turned my AC on (I set it up earlier this week), and my room was still cool enough that the compressor didn’t start. Then I realized my blood sugar was probably low, and I needed to eat something. But I can’t go into the kitchen without wearing pants. And I can’t dress until I’ve stopped sweating….

As you can see confusion is also a symptom of hypoglycemia. Fortunately, during all this I was cognizant enough to realize that perhaps it’s best if I didn’t go to work, and I was able to fire up the work app on my phone and call out.

I did finally get my pants on to get into the kitchen and eat something, and I finally pulled myself together. But yeah, diabetes is no fun….

The End Of The Vacation….

Well, my vacation is over. Shortly, I’ll be going to bed, and then wake up and head back to work. I’ve watch a lot of cricket (by design, as I timed my vacation with the start of the Indian Premier League). Some other programs that I usually DVR’ed I was able to watch when they were originally broadcast.

I really didn’t do much. I only left the house twice. First time was to take a bag of trash out, and the second time was Monday night when I decided I wanted some Arroz con Pollo from El Toro, and it’s far cheaper to just walk in to place your take-out order than use Uber Eats, or even their website.

I did nuke my computer again. I realized that my middle of the night nap attacks could be mitigated by doing something. Although since it is the middle of the night, and I respect my neighbors, I’d like to do something quiet.

Oh, and the one thing I did do on my vacation: I set up my air conditioner. Forecast says we’re due to hit the ‘70s this week, and since my room is facing Pacific Avenue (and all that traffic) and I have to close my window when I sleep…

Vacation Day 3: Report…

Watched Tournament of Champions. Ate Nachos. Took a nap (in spite of 8 hours of shut-eye I got).

And then I decided to F*ck my computer up. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since 3 this morning. It has occurred to me that in order to stay awake, I need to be doing something. And while I did like one last fling with Windows 10, Windows 11 is where it’s going to be at….

But day 3 has come to an end, and it’s time to call it a night….

Vacation Day 2: Report/ Vacation Day 3:

Yes I should’ve written this post this morning, but I decided to go to bed early an hopefully break the nap attack every 4 hours or so habit. I crashed about 2/3s the way through the Formula 1 race, but I got up just in time for the first IPL match. And I saw Sunrisers Hyderabad almost get a score of 300. Needless to say, they won the match.

Then I went to bed, and had an honest to goodness 8 hours’ of shut-eye.

Now I’m up, and prepared to do another day of sitting on my ass. I DVR’ed the NASCAR and IndyCar races today, but first Tournament of Champions on Food Network. And maybe I’ll stream something else. Perhaps some Flight Simulator….

Vacation Day 2:

Checking the TV listings, the Chinese Grand Prix is at midnight, so I think I’ll watch it live. Then it’s an IPL doubleheader.

The only remaining question is: chili dogs or bachelor nachos?

Commence ass-sitting!

Vacation Day 1: Report…

For trying to do nothing at all, I was very busy. Monday, during my regular weekend, I decided to system wipe. Basically one last time with Windows 10. Anyway, during the day yesterday, I finished downloading the last of my Steam library, so I throughout most of last night, I finished up reinstalling my software. As of right now, I’m at 2158 different programs/games. Some of them I can install automatically, others manually.

Target run was delivered. I had no choice. We were out of toilet paper.

Then opening match of the Indian Premier League was not rained out. And tonight will be a doubleheader…. And there are a few other sports that I’m going to catch…

I think it’s now time to call it a night….

Vacation: Day 1

Yes, I am aware that it rains the hardest on my day off. And even harder when I’m on vacation. But I have the window open, and I’m enjoying it & the fresh air while I still have it. I figure in a month or so, I’ll have to set up the AC in my room (again western facing window and I sleep during the day).

I also had my regular weekend Monday and Tuesday, and so I did my laundry those days, so I can keep the adulting to a minimum. I did make a trip to Wally World this morning on the way home, and I’m thinking a Target run, but such things are unavoidable.

I timed this vacation specifically for the opening weekend of the Indian Premier League, but it appears as though the first match will be a washout. But there’s the first Weekend of March Madness, the Grand Prix of China, and Major League Rugby.

For planning on doing nothing, it looks like I’m going to be busy….

Vacation:Begin!

Commence Vacation Mode! Agenda for the next 5 days: absolutely nothing. Whether or not that actually happens will be a different thing, but one has to try.... 

So, The Adulting Got Started Early….

It’s my weekend. Got home from work, and I was toying with the idea of making my Wally World run on the way home (mainly so could another vial of insulin), but I decided that the best course of action is procrastination. And it was also laundry weekend. Pharmacy at Wally World and my apartment complex’s laundry rooms both open at nine. So I figure take a nap tonight, ‘coz I’m going to be out all day Tuesday.

So I get home, and the real reason why I skipped the trip were chili dogs. I was hungry. So I ate, took a shot and went to bed. 4 1/2 hours later I woke up, and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I figured I’m up (I had already planned on a nap during the night), and the laundry room was still open and not in use (the app we use for laundry tells us if the machines are in use as well as paying for our wash). So I quickly got dressed, got my shoes on, and did my laundry.

After I put my clothes away, it occurred to me I was really hungry, and perhaps the reason why I couldn’t sleep was my blood sugar was slight low. After I ate something, I was able to go back to sleep.

But I now have clean socks and boxers now….

New Feet…

So, last week I was running errands with my sister. Mainly for the Target run, and to try to return my phone (see the post I just published before this).

Anyway one of the stops was at Famous Footwear. I know I swore off of them a while back, but I had no choice in the matter. There’s something about being able to go into the store and actually try shoes on (sizes do vary between brands). So, I grabbed a pair of Skechers (the slip-ins that they’re advertising right now). A bit on the expensive side, and I thought the there was a different price on the display, but I decided not to argue with it.

Later, when I got home, I went to website, and ordered another pair. These were just regular sneakers, but they’re Sketchers, and my feet are no longer in pain at work.

I think it’s time to throw out my 8 year old Wolverines. They’re still intact (meaning no holes in the sole or upper). But I can only wear them for 2 hours at the most before my feet start to protest, I also have my Skechers boots I bought a few years ago, but they were too big, and were wearing down to point of foot pain. I won’t toss them quite yet, and they’re still waterproof, there is still some wear left in them….

T-Mobile Still Sucks

So, when we last left our hero, I decided to upgrade my phone. My Motorola Razr 2024+ arrived quickly and painlessly, and it was time to return the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and fulfill my end of the trade in. Now, to recap, my new phone did not come with a shipping box. Just the prepaid UPS label and a padded envelope. An online chat via Twitter (I refuse to refer to it as X) revealed that I could just take the phone and the UPS label to any T-Mobile store and it would be taken care of. So that was my course of action, planned.

It didn’t turn out that way. Looking up Google Maps all the closest T-Mobile stores were at least two buses away (I decided to go with Corporate stores, and not ‘Authorized Retailers’). I also needed a Target run, and a shoe run so I called my sister (who has the wisdom, the counsel, and the driver’s license). So during my errands, we showed up at the first T-Mobile location. And I was told the wait would be over an hour (this was an hour and half after the location opened). There is no difference between and hour+ wait time and being outright turned away. So I left, and continued with my other errands.

The next day, I left the house at 8 am. Arrived in Federal Way, and went into the Federal Way store. No line, so I was seen right away. And turned away promptly, as my ID was expired. I was then told to go to UPS instead (remember that I wasn’t given the shipping box to return it to begin with). All this time, I was under the impression that this would’ve been a simple drop off. So a 20 minute walk later, I was at the UPS store, and I paid $16.80 out of my own pocket to ship the phone back. Left the house at 8. Didn’t return till after 1 pm. All just to return 1 phone.

So that Tuesday night, I left 1-star Google reviews for both locations (turning customers away is never acceptable), and then I launched an Executive Email Carpet Bomb. I wasn’t seeking anything, but just to let them know that as a customer I felt unwelcome at two of their stores. And also to point out the problems I had the last time I UPS’ed a trade-in. They said there wouldn’t be a problem this time.

And this could’ve all been avoided had they included the shipping box to return the phone in the first place.

T-Mobile still sucks.

So I Got A New Phone Last Week….

IIRC, ordered the phone on a Tuesday, it arrived on a Thursday. Activation was quick and painless. In fact, from the time I ordered it to the time I received it was easiest experience. Remember the last time I did this, I ended file a police report against UPS. And there were a couple of times when the activations servers were down.

So once I got the phone activated and started moving in. I had about a half dozen passkeys on my old phone, and I found the best way to move them was to simply delete the old ones and then establish new ones on my new phone. I mainly used the Microsoft Authenticator app. There was one account I couldn’t migrate to my new phone, but my research pointed to it not being T-Mobile’s fault.

So, one of the apps I use on my phone is Mozilla Thunderbird (yes, there is an official Android build of it). I tried the option to export my accounts from the desktop app (which involved scanning two qr codes), but I got better results entering in all my information from scratch, especially since the accounts I use the most also have 2-factor authentication, and I have to resign into them anyway…

There are some differences with the Motorola vs. my old Samsung. Since I no longer have the One UI that Samsung had, I can no longer view my phone apps on my computer, nor do I have a shared clipboard anymore. But because it’s a flip phone, it’s easier to fit into my pocket/holster. It does all the other functions the my previous phones have done, so it’s just a phone. And all my charging solutions still work with it as well…

Now I have to send the old phone back since I agreed to trade it in. With my new phone, I got the padded envelope and the preprinted ups label to ship it back, but no return box. I quick chat with T-Mobile, however, revealed that I could just take to the nearest T-Mobile store, and that would be good. So, I’ll do that next week….

Render Unto Caesar: Update…

So my Tax refund arrived today. This morning, to be precise. Paid a couple of bills first (they were budgeted to be paid from tomorrow’s paycheck, but I decided to take care of them early). And then I found a pretty good deal on the T-Mobile website, so I ordered my next phone: A Motorola Razr+ 2024. I’ve had Motorolas before. When I first moved here, I had a MotoRIZR Z3 (the slide phone, not the flip phone).

And hopefully I’ll have a couple of cases and a holster for it here before the phone arrives. I remember dropping my previous phone and it fucked up the display. Now let’s see if T-Mobile doesn’t try to fuck up the trade….

Lessons Learned From The Laptop….

So, my weekend project wrapped up. And then I wiped the laptop completely again. Because what happens is I put it away. And then forget about it. And then when I pull it out, it’s slow, and it takes less time to restore and patch the system from scratch than it is to try and update it. And also with the forthcoming demise of Windows 10, it’s life was limited anyway. Yes, I could put OpenSUSE on it, but then again it’s going on 8 years old and it’s slower than a broken-knee’ed turtle.

So it’s wiped clean and put away. It’s current role will be emergency (as in total hardware failure in the main tower) backup. Where if I can’t even turn on the tower and I need a system while parts are ordered. And lessons learned say that it’ll be less time to install the OS from scratch than to patch what I already have at the time. Once upon a time I thought I could use it for streaming on the go, but my phone does that already out of the box.

It may be put away where my old tower once laid, but at least I won’t trip over it….

RIP Windows 7 and 8.1

I should point out since my HP Towers are now in the dumpster, I no longer have anything capable of running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I had a preference for Windows 7, but I eventually learned how to tolerate 8.1. But progress is inevitable. And as computers got replaced my equipment became not compatible with them. I may no longer use them, but they will live on when I have to use compatibility settings to get my really old games to work on Windows 11+.

I guess this means I can also clean up my flash drives, and get rid of installation usb’s…

3 Computers Later….

I decided to try my hand at cleaning my room just now. My room does have a few nooks and crannies where old tech can be simply abandoned in place, and if I can easily reach it, it tends to be forgotten. So while my current project continues to update (see the past three or so posts), I made a couple of trips to the dumpster:

• The old HP Pavilion 500-314. From behind my tv. It used to be my Blu-Ray/streaming box. And then all of my streaming services became available through my cable box, and my Blu-Ray player (also abandoned in place) still had a remote. So it got chucked.
• The old HP Pavilion 500-214. Died in 2018 (why I ordered the 500-314). I simply chucked into the closet.
• The old Dell from the Tacoma Mall Pretzel Time. It was given to me when the Mrs. Fields closed, and I very quickly realized that it would’ve become a money hole.
• A couple of keyboards. No longer needed and/or missing keys.
• 3 pairs of shoes.
• The cushion from my very first big office chair. Which broke. And was replaced. The rest of it got chucked when it was first replaced,
• And all in all, 4 garbage bags’ worth of junk.

And then I was able to vacuum. Before and after, you might be able to see the difference, but I can. And that’s what counts. At least the only computers left in my room work….

Back to where I was last week….

Ok, so after 3 attempts to nuke it, I finally got my laptop ‘restored’. Debloated. Then got the current version of Windows 10 installed. The upgraded to Windows 10 Pro (with my Tower when I built them, I used the Pro version from the get go. Here it came with Home pre-installed, and I had to go through the Microsoft Store to get it to pro). Then I got all the store apps updated. Then I went to Windows Update. Which is where I am now. When I decided to kill it last week, there was one particular update that it was stuck on for over four hours and 20% installed. SO far, we’re getting a little bit better progress.

I still have to move all of my documents over. I’ll probably do this with my external HDD backup. I guess this project has one shining light to it: it prompted me to bring my back up current….

Yet Another Laptop Update, and why can’t I just leave things alone….

So I decided to give it just one more try with the system restore. Mainly because of drivers. This thing is so old that HP doesn’t have the drivers online for it anymore. So before I do anything else to it, I have to go in and take out the bloatware. But I’m making progress. And I’m killing time on a ‘weekend’ when I can’t do anything due to being after dark, and I actually respect my neighbors….

It’s older than dirt, but it still works…

Begin: Weekend Adventures….

Got home form work, and put the system restore flash drive in the laptop. And then went to bed. And woke up to a system restore failed screen. So now, I’m trying again this time with a Windows 10 22H2 flash drive. This time I got to a desktop, so now I’m running update on it.

While I was sleeping, my brother decided ate dinner. Only mentioning this because I decided about three days ago to order pizza tonight. And so my day off started with taking down an entire Dominos pan pizza in one sitting.

I think a nap attack will be forthcoming…..

Back From Wherever….

When we last left our hero last week, I decided the laptop had reached the end of its usefulness, and I wiped it with GParted. Fast forward to today, when I found the system restore usb flash drive for it. And I thought what the hell. So I’m factory resetting it. Why not? It’s a 17.3” Touchscreen, and while it is older that dirt and slower than molasses, it still does work. I just need to remember to turn it on once a month so it can update, I figure if I can keep Firefox and Chrome on it, then I can use it for streaming. Or when I do finally fuck my tower up to the point of unusability (which I’ve successfully done before), I can use it to at least order the replacement parts…

Barely Two Weeks In

And we already have Articles of Impeachment filed. Yes, it’s a long shot, but still a reminder that Cheetos-Face, the current occupier of the White House is ethically challenged….

And his first executive order (the one attempting to end birthright citizenship) has been indefinitely blocked nationwide by a federal judge. Somebody apparently does read the Constitution.

And his so-called plan for Gaza: ethnic cleansing. That’s what it is, pure and simple.

Render Unto Caesar, 2025 Edition

As you could probably guess from the title of this post, I just did my taxes. Another refund. Yes, I’ve heard of that a tax refund is basically giving the government an interest free loan throughout the year. But then again, I figure it’s better than having to pay. I’ve had that before, and the sticker shock of having a tax bill when your finances are already tight is nothing to scoff at.

But the main thing is once again, I’m dutch with the IRS, and I’m getting a little back as well…

RIP my laptop…

When we last left our hero, I tried installing Windows 11 on it. Fortunately, I wised up before anything got destroyed. So I left the laptop on while it still downloaded updates (it was last turned in December of 2023). And I noticed that it was just hanging. Rebooted. No progress. I’ve finally decided that it was time. Pulled out my GParted flash drive, booted it, and completely wiped the laptop. It has now crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Although it could find life down the road with SuSE Linux (yes, I know it’s now OpenSUSE, but I like the old spelling)….

So I pulled my laptop out last night….

And it’s slower than molasses. Like it’s always been. But hardware wise, it’s still viable. On multiple occasions when I fucked my computer up to the point of unusability, it was available as a back-up. Slow, but still functional….

With the impending demise of Windows 10, I was wondering what would I do with it. On the first take, it wouldn’t work with Windows 11. But I use rufus when I create the flash drive to install it on my tower, and it does have the tools to bypass the system checks. So, that’s what I’m doing now. It may take a few hours, but hopefully it’ll remain usable. At least until my weekend ends and I put it away for another year and a half….

Not Henry V…

So, I have the night off (nothing special, just my weekend). And Peacock+ is covering the 6 Nations tournament. And I just the replay of France vs. Wales. France won with a 43-0 shutout.  Of course I had to think of Henry V (the Kenneth Branagh film). A king who said he was Welsh who went against the French. Unfortunately, this weekend, the French won….

So I pulled my laptop out tonight….

Pulled it out and turned it on. I’ll give it about 4 hours for windows to update itself. Although I think the record is 8 hours…

About two weeks in…

It’s been about two weeks into the Cheetos-Face administration. It’s increasingly difficult to separate the facts from the paritsan rhetoric and editorial bias. But I have previously posted that this, too, shall pass. And I stand by that. I live in a blue state. I feel that my congressional representative feel the same way as I do. So the best course of action is to just turn up my collar against the storm. Personally I don’t think he’ll even last out his term. My rediciton is he’ll be impeached and removed from office. If not, he’ll lose congress at the mid-terms…

Like I said, this too shall pass….

On Social Media….

With Cheetos-Face back in the White House, and X/Twitter/Shitter becoming a right-wing cesspool, I’ve decided to change how I post to social media:

I will be non-partisan on Facebook from now on. I’m not going to change my opinion based on what people share, especially with the demise of fact-checking on all the major platforms. Facebook should be for connecting with my friends and planning the Big Bryant Family reunion. I really don’t need the animosity and strife that politics will bring. My Facebook feed will be non-partisan….

X/Twitter is now read-only for me. I still have an account there. But with the exception of calling out T-Mobile, Comcast, and Starbucks or certain select retailers for their sub-standard customer service (seriously, how can you fuck up a simple cup of drip coffee?). I’ll still keep the account, because things will eventually change. But until then, I’m out….

I have an Instagram/Threads account(s). I’m not really on either of them. But when I do go there, it’s to connect with my family and friends, not to discuss politics. Otherwise they will remain read-only.

And there’s Bluesky. It’s what Twitter should’ve been. I may not post there that often, but I will be using it more than the other place.

As for my virtual soapbox on the internet where I’ll post on current events and politics. It’ll be right here. I’ve had this blog for almost 20 years, and it isn’t going anywhere….

This Too Shall Pass

So Cheetos-Face has done a lot of questionable shit. In his first week. First there was the executive order to do away with birthright citizenship, which has already been stopped due to being blatantly unconstitutional. In order to amend the Constitution, you have to get a 2/3’s majority in both houses, and then get it ratified by 3/4’s of the states. Not going to happen. There was also a proposed amendment that would enable him to serve a third term. Again, it’s not going to happen.

As concerning as these appear to be, I’m not really worried yet. They’re being done by executive order, which means at worse case scenario they’ll only last till the next president (it is in fact normal for an incoming president to undo most if not all of his/her predecessor's executive orders.

But so far none of his ‘orders’ have been through congress. They’ll be gone at the next president. If not before then, as some of them ( like the birthright citizenship one) won’t survive the scrutiny of the courts.

And the 22nd Amendment hasn’t been repealed yet. The worst case scenario is that this madness will end in January 2029.

Adios, mousepad….

So, on Christmas Eve, I ordered myself a Logitech G502 Wireless Gaming Mouse. Shipping wasn’t an issue. It arrived within the window specified, and I already had the software installed for it (Ghub by Logitech for those who are keeping score at home). So, installation was pretty cut and dry. But noticed that the cursor wasn’t tracking smoothly. Adjusting the DPI was working. There was nothing to clean on the mouse (brand-now mouse). Finally I looked at the mouse pad. So last night, I ordered a replacement (actually two from Newegg). And then tonight, in a moment of frustration, I retired the mousepad. And as dirty as my 24 year-old computer desk it, the mouse still works.

I will miss the gel wrist pad, though….

Hail to the chief?

So, he was sworn as yesterday. For the record, I dint like him. He's a grifter. He's corrupt. He's a convicted felon. But he's now the president. And the office is greater than the man.

Among the executive orders he issued yesterday was one ending birthright citizenship. Let's see how thst goes. You don't have to be a constitutional scholar to read the 14th amendment.....