Did I mention that I found the BIOS setting for the built-in network port? I'd had it carefully switched off. I now have it back on. (This is on my desktop.) Since the desktop has currently decided to refuse to believe he has a CD drive, I have the image for the live CD on the backup drive, and the backup drive plugged into Thalia (the 2004 laptop). Thalia, at the time I plugged the backup drive into her, was very slow and not particularly reliable, because of overcrowding. This necessitated some removal of enough stuff to get the backup drive installed, and then moving stuff from her onto the backup drive. Once she's clear enough to start running more stably, I'm going to attempt to burn a live CD on her, see if I make coasters. Once I have a live CD, I'm going to see if Madman will boot from it, see if that's workable. (If not, I have a USB drive; I'll see if that mofo will take the thing.) Funtimes should then hopefully commence, with me seeing how much of the problems can be resolved by the use of a live CD. That would then help with the diagnosis. (I don't know, from the symptoms, whether it's a dying hard drive, a dead core in the processor, not enough fucking thermal paste between the processor and its heatsink, or sweet Enki knows whatever the fuck.)
I whined to my best friend about it today. He patted me on the head, mentioned his dying monitor from 2001 (the display going all yellow either means demons or a dying monitor) and suggested that failing all else, I could still go postal. SEE WHY I LOVE THIS MAN, INTERNET?
1:22 AM 3/8/2010
The defrag is proceeding nicely. Really, it's time for BED, woman. Bed, with Rosemary and Rue. (Time for a re-read before Tuesday's funtimes.)
8:53 AM 3/8/2010
Oh, hidden files. How fun you are to track down and delete. Fuck you, Apple, for downloading great huge honking update files and then hiding them in hidden folders to just sit there being big and useless now that the update's been installed. Fuck you very much. (Also, fuck you Microsoft for those other giant files that are sitting there also being useless and fragmented.) Need to free up 1% more space so that I can actually defragment properly.
Breakfast: beef with green onions, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Tasty.
10:03 AM 3/8/2010
Maybe after I get this book packaged up and finished, I'll have less of a problem with that thing that is related to it.
10:16 AM 3/8/2010
Google Docs is a bit slow on an older computer. Trying to get the stuff I've written for Circle of Fire actually put into it is a bit of a fun time. Who thought that pasting a couple paragraphs would peg my processor?
(Uh, that is in the "this is an analog dial with a peg to make sure the needle does not travel too far, and the needle has hit the peg; this thing has reached its technical limit" rather than the Bend Over Boyfriend meaning of "peg".)
10:28 AM 3/8/2010
MURDER ARSON AND JAYWALKING
(preserve me from falling into tvtropes again)
10:33 AM 3/8/2010
So basically I have learned all I know about serious web architecture from hanging about
news, 
lj_maintenance, #lj_s, and #dw. More than a layman, less than a professional, enough to get me into trouble if I were actually in charge of a website myself, but also enough to describe a college class in the running of websites. 3:49 PM 3/8/2010
Pah. My bathroom smells of cigarette smoke. This does not please Miss Lunatic. Given that Miss Lunatic does not smoke, it looks to be floating down the fan-chimney.
6:03 PM 3/8/2010
Phrases I uttered completely innocently without thinking about it: "But large hands hurt more when fisting!" "And his name is Dick. Let's not lose sight of the important things here."
6:25 PM 3/8/2010
Oh, darling fangirls. Do you not know of spellcheck?
7:57 PM 3/8/2010
A point of order on resealable bags that have tear here/cut here notches: please have your quality control be sure that the permanent seal is in the correct orientation to this mark so that one may in fact cut/tear there and HAVE THE BAG OPEN. Thank you for your attention.
8:18 PM 3/8/2010
Wash has been started (about a half-hour ago). Cold in here. Apparently JD got the hail that the best friend sent. :-P Given that I am more-coastal-than-thou, I did not get hail. (Hail! Hail!)
Hair continues to prove easy to handle and soft and so forth. I really really like my hair. I tried snapping some photos of it loose last night, but was stymied in my attempts to get them on the computer: first it was hellaciously slow, then I realized how much space there was not, and then I closed out the night with some serious funtimes defragmentation.
8:29 PM 3/8/2010
WHO HAS 80 MEGS OF HARD DICK SPACE!?
(hee. I will never get tired of that quote. It is not from Jerk City, though it sounds like it should be.)
8:32 PM 3/8/2010
Uninstalling Python from Thalia to make more room.
8:39 PM 3/8/2010
Dishes time. I seem to have been on a potato-bacon-soup kick this week, huh.
9:07 PM 3/8/2010
Not a fan of being bitten, unless another party and I have already worked out details of that.
9:25 PM 3/8/2010
Tea. Tea would be good.
11:25 PM 3/8/2010
Salad is good too. (Romaine, assorted iceberg-cabbage-carrot mix, apple, cashews, diced candied ginger, avocado, and meat, with Caesar dressing.) (Must not attempt to share with Ro due to the ginger content.)
11:35 PM 3/8/2010
Yes, this is some good salad, all right. (Firefox, on the other hand, isn't behaving so well.)
11:42 PM 3/8/2010
Tested cast-iron frying pan for the meat. Just as good as I'd hoped. :D
11:54 PM 3/8/2010
Oh, so it looks like Google Talk is the one that's behaving badly. Huh. :(
12:14 AM 3/9/2010
While rebooting, Connie started chirruping into her English class. Also, the You Worthless Lot Are Going To Be Sysadmins, Huh? professor named himself. Please welcome Professor Young into the cast of Circle of Fire. Connie's next class is "Anguished English", taught by Tamara. (The humor volume of that particular name got Connie into serious trouble in the 4th grade, when she was meant to be silently reading, but could not keep herself from laughing.)
2:06 AM 3/9/2010
Mike has told me that "I put on my robe and wizard hat" is in fact an unironic prelude to sexytimes between him and Connie (particularly given his fixation on Raistlin/Crysania smut, which is what *proves* that they're an AU, because I *cannot find it* in the quantities that he *reads* it).
When Syne said that perhaps we should not ask Connie what she thinks of this, because Connie might *tell* us, Connie raised her hand very politely. (Unlike Mike, she does not usually just shout it out.)
Connie conveyed that really, no matter what it was that Mike is doing, if he's doing it in the name of sexytimes, she finds it breathtaking because *he's* so wonderful and sweet and adorable. (And I was sort of embarrassed to be there because she's clearly so in love with him, and he with her.)
Connie's first reaction was "EWWW".
Mike's reaction was "That reminds me of that news story about the necrophiliac drake..."
Connie switched from "EWWWW" to whacking somewhat ineffectually at Mike, because EWWWWWW.
#dw is being supportive now. <3
2:31 AM 3/9/2010
...
http://www.theluxuryspot.com/2010/02/23/i-got-vajazzled-and-had-a-camera-crew/
http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utrolige-historier/artikkel.php?artid=579666 (a little too much sausage for the briefs) (he went thattaway)
Via http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/bejazzled-and-beswimsuited-with-romance-titles/
Crossposted.
