lisaviolet's diary

Saturday, November 14, 2009

otherstuff
02:32 PM - 11/14/2009

The topic: If you do stuff inside your computer
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and you push a lever by mistake, don’t just wonder what it was and close up. After I had the new memory installed (runs good), the fan just kept running and running. Very annoying, yet it didn’t do this before I installed the new RAM. So, I unplugged the power cord, pushed the on button to release any electrical remnants or whatever you call them (the light came on, albeit very shortly). I laid the thing on its side (with all other cords still attached, I know, my bad, should have all powered things off) and checked out the fan. It wasn’t seated. Pushing that lever moved the fan. And it was very, very dusty. I covered up the open computer with a towel and got a straw and blew out the fan. Brian saw what I was doing and went out to start the big air compressor, brought the compressor hose in and blew that sucker out. No more dust, no more dirt. I put it back into place, shut the computer up, plugged it in and we have quiet.

It’s so nice.

It’s so quiet, I actually started wondering if the fan was even working. Did a quick Google search to find out the computer won’t start up without a working fan. So, we’re good. And we’re fast. And maybe now, when I play a game, it won’t crap out like they used to.

One can only hope.

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otherstuff
10:32 AM - 11/14/2009

The topic: So, today I’ll add RAM
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to two of the computers. Since Brian’s did so well, you know.

I’ve turned off the computer that runs the backyard, office and patio cams. I’m letting it cool a little before I open it up. It only has 256MB of RAM. I’ll be upgrading it to 2G. A huge difference.

I’m getting myself mentally prepared. And I’m going to drink a Zipfizz. We get the powder at CostCo. It comes in a box with three different flavors. Each flavor has a different colored plastic container. There’s an orange container, which is orange flavored, a pink container, which is pink lemonade flavored, and purple container, which is purple flavored.

The box says it’s “grape” flavored. No, it isn’t grape. Like the grape soda in a can isn’t grape. Like the “grape” flavored candies are not grape. They’re all purple. But they are not grape.

In my fifty-six years of life, I’ve never tasted a grape that tastes like these things that are purported to be “grape flavored”. I do not like these purple flavored things. I really like grape juice. I like grape jelly. Hell, I even like grapes.

But I do not like “purple” flavoring. It’s just nasty.

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UPDATE: 11:12AM
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I’m done. From opening up the computer case, removing the old RAM and installing the new RAM, to closing the case and hooking everything back up, it took less than fifteen minutes. Right now I’m installing the TrendMicro security upgrade. The old one needs to be removed, the computer rebooted, the new one installed, the computer rebooted and it will be good to go. I love it when something goes so smoothly.

One more computer to go.

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catstuff
08:35 AM - 11/14/2009

The topic: What I dread with an aging population
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is the deathwatch.

You know, when the cats start actually showing signs of age. DeeJay and Annie were the last cats that I considered old when they passed. Diseases took others, Handsome, Wally, Lisa, just to mention a few. They weren’t what I considered “old”, even though, technically, they were. Seems that anything over eleven or twelve is considered geriatric with cats.

Bart will be eighteen this month. The arthritis is taking its toll on him. And when he takes a tumble or a stumble, it’s takes days or weeks for him to recover. We’ve got a pain management plan for him, but he’s supposed to take the meds with food. And his appetite isn’t all that great right now, when he’s hurting, he doesn’t want to eat. I’ve started giving him deli beef and right now I’m cooking up a chicken breast for him. To look at him right now, as he is on the futon, you’d never guess he has problems. He looks alert, he’s vocal, he pees (never misses the litterbox, always is able to make it there), he poops. He responds to affection, so, in spirit, I don’t think he’s ready to go.

But his poor body is just so worn out.

I started him (again) on the glucosamine and chondroitin. That takes a couple of weeks to kick in. I hate that I do this, I give him this stuff to help him, it does, I think ‘he’s okay’ and stop giving the pills. And then the hurt starts creeping up on him again and one day I look at him and just feel so bad. This cat is just so full of love and I’m going to miss him like hell when he’s gone.

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