One item returns from reality to the verge...
And a third item seems forever lost in the verge...
LOTS of news today. It turns out we're not moving next week as we had thought, but next month. Carrie is much relieved, as it will give her more time to pack. I, however, am kind of itching to get this move out of the verge and into reality. But, oh, well, we'll save several hundred dollars this way.
Here's something that is no longer on the verge, but now a part of actual reality:
No, that's not Raichu. It's my new old computer! I recently bought a Compaq Presario 1247 Notebook Computer off of ebay, but I didn't want to say anything about it to anybody until I got it in my hands and knew it was all working correctly (knowing how crappy-ass ebay stuff can be). I haven't decided what to name this one. The cool thing is that it came with a battery, so now I have two perfectly good laptop batteries so I can type twice as long without a power chord. Alternately, I might be able to actually resurrect Raichu from the grave and just put him into active retirement, using this new computer to charge batteries and then using them in Raichu (since all that's really wrong with Raichu is that you can't plug him in or charge batteries in him). I'll see if I can't put Raichu back together sometime soon. Oh, and I can also write this new computer off as a business expense when it comes tax time!
There was a lot of trauma, though, because at first it refused to let me install Word into this computer. It said that there was already a version of Word installed (there wasn't), and it gave me a message that I needed to go to the Control Panel and use "Add/Remove Programs" to remove or modify the old version. But when I went to the Control Panel and used "Add/Remove Programs" on it, it gave me a message that there was already a version of Word installed (there wasn't), and that needed to go to the Control Panel and use "Add/Remove Programs" to remove or modify the old version. Except I WAS using "Add/Remove Programs" and it was telling me that I was doing it wrong and what I should really be doing was using "Add/Remove Programs."
I LOVE WINDOWS.
I LOVE BEING PUNCHED IN THE GUT.
SHUT UP.
Eventually after many hours of agony I remembered that Compaq Presario 1247 Notebook Computers actually have two hard drives, the second one being a complete system backup. So I dug around in the second hard drive until I eventually found an .exe that completely reformatted the first hard drive back to its factory settings. Then since it didn't have that bizarre ghost Word floating around in it, I easily installed it again. It only took, oh, about ten hours. But now I have a laptop again so I can commence writing. I'm really torn whether to re-write Resolving Equations first or just jump right in and start plugging away on Static.
Anyway, Carrie came home today (HOORAY!) and immediately put $200 in cash into my hands (HOORAY!), so now she has completely paid back her half of the Toyota's down payment. She came with me to pick up my tapes in the afternoon, then in the evening she hung out with Viki and Devon while I watched rasslin' with Neighbor Gary. And also put a whole bunch of laundry away.
The thing that's floating way out there in the verge with no sign of coming in... I'll just leave it there for now.
Hey, remind me to buy more printer paper. I'm completely freakin' out, and I can write it off as a business expense when it comes tax time.
