Sunday, February 22, 2009, 09:51 AM
Indigo Incarnates
It just occurs to me that any corporation *other* than Microsoft would be sued out of existence by now. It's bad enough that their software is incredibly expensive, but their new trick is limiting how often the software can be installed.
Case in point: I paid $200 for a completely legal copy of Windows XP Professional about three years ago. I installed it on my desktop computer. Then the hard drive failed, so I installed it again on the same machine. Then that machine died. So I installed it on my next laptop (now also dead). So I tried to install it last night on my netbook and now it won't activate!
I also have a copy of Office 2007. I bought it legit. When I tried re-installing it last night, it declined to activate.
When is some clever software engineer going to come up with a viable alternative to the Microsoft monopoly?! This install-limitation crap just cost me a LOT of money!
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( 3 / 1776 )Saturday, February 21, 2009, 01:52 PM
Indigo Incarnates
I'm happy to say that I passed my second "new hire" audit. I've been a Case Agent for about five months so my work gets audited more often than someone who has been doing the job more than a year. I scored reasonably well this time. On a scale of 0-4, I have to get a 1.75 to pass. The first time around I got a 1.76 (whew!). This time I got a 2.54 (where 2.25 is considered "average"). So getting slightly above average less than six month on the job isn't too bad. Of course, I also always get good scores on conduct and attendance, which are factored separately from the audit but do factor into the overall performance review.
So my boss, two co workers, and I went out for Chinese food last night. That was fun. It's great having a supervisor who actually *likes* her employees!
Doug is coming home tomorrow. I've really missed him. I don't think he enjoyed the trip too much either. I'll be glad to have him home.
I did do a 2 mile walk outdoors. It was too chilly for a really long walk, but I did get out somewhat. I'll be glad when the weather warms up so I can excercise mroe and lost about 10 pounds.
I did Doug's taxes today! Yay! So between his return and mine, we should have no problem getting a new couch and a new chair for the living room. Our is, alas, quite deflated from 8 years of use and three pets, plus the occasional use as a guest bed.
I was feeling REALLY guilty about buying a new computer next week. But after seeing what the tax refund is going to look like, I feel less guilty. I saved up $600 in a CD for the computer, so I should only need to siphon off about $50 out of the tax refund. I noticed that laptops with 3D rendering capability are all HUGE. My itty bitty netbook is a nice little machine for watching Netflix and listening to music, as well as the whole email/internet thing. but when I bought it, there were two factors: I was strapped for cash (and this cost $359), and I didn't know that Second Life was about to radically change their system requirements. Apparently an Intel GMA with 64 Mb shared memory isn't an acceptale graphics processor for Second Life anymore (it used to be). So now when I log in (on those rare chances that I actually CAN log in), all I see is shapeless expanse of beige. I have a few really nice friends on SL, so I basically need a new computer to communicate with them. Staples has a laptop with an ATI chipset (2048 Mb texture buffer, 4096 Mb total system memory), so that should be fine for SL, and the machine is only $650.
Speaking of computers, I need to do a root canal on the netbook. What I've noticed is that the Microsoft "updates" have a toxic effect on computers after a while. Now the netbook is nearly crippled so I want to do a reformat/reinstall to clean things up. ::sigh:: Not too much fun. :(
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( 3 / 1818 )Thursday, February 19, 2009, 03:00 PM - halo's thoughts
halo incarnates
hate being alone. hate being cold. want winter to be over. dark is okay but cold not harsh. hate cold weather. is hard to be at home. lonely. no one there. hard to sleep.
am at work. stressful. is audit time. have to do that sometimes. don't like it. am always trying hard. always pass ok. still don't like it. am always afraid that bad things will happen.
hate having fear. but am not a coward. am always working. can do job even when having fear. can feel it but will not overwhelm. can be okay. am not a coward. am ok. will be ok. will not cut. will nut hurt the body. am ok. is hard to be alone for so long. but will be ok. will not give in to bad ways. will not cut.
am able to think better now. used to be harder to think. am able to be lucid. can have will to not cut. am being good.
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( 3.1 / 2300 )Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 09:10 PM
am willow
no one;s here
dark outside
cold
can see fuzzy cat in the hall
am tired
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( 3 / 1816 )Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 09:10 PM
am willow
no one;s here
dark outside
cold
can see fuzzy cat in the hall
am tired
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( 3 / 1904 )Monday, February 16, 2009, 01:02 PM
Indigo Incarnates
I had the idea that it would be really cool if every Presidential library had a special room dedicated to the failures and scandals of the president in question. Here are my ideas, and feel free to add your own:
** Nixon Library **
A tape recorder, a bag of burglary tools, and a copy of the CREEP newsletter.
** Ford Library **
A copy of the Nixon pardon decree and an assortment of "Whip Inflation Now" buttons.
** Carter Library **
A Christmas tree with no lights on it, a six-pack of Billy Beer, and some helicopter wreckage.
** Reagan Library **
A copy of Star Wars and a life-size animitronic Ollie North doll that says "No guns for hostages!"
** Bush-41 Library **
One of those wind-up novelty teeth, but make it say "read my lips: no new taxes!"
** Clinton Library **
A cigar, a soiled dress, and a dictionary pointed to the definition of the word "is".
** Bush-43 Library **
A photograph of the Twin Towers, a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" Bin Laden poster, and the "mission accomplished" banner.
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( 3 / 1799 )Sunday, February 15, 2009, 08:25 PM
Indigo Incarnates
I'm visiting mom this weekend. I was afraid that she was was going to be in even worse shape than she was at Christmas. But I was really happy to see that mom looked much better than at Christmas.
I had been doing a healing ritual for her nearly every day since Christmas. Mom has also been following all of her doctors' instructions and taking her meds correctly. She's been doing light-duty exercise as she's been able (she has these big rubber band things that help her exercise). Her faith in the Goddess has brought her peace in her time of illness.
So, between magic, medicine, love, and hope, she continues to outlast her doctor's estimation of her life expectancy. When she was still alive after Christmas, she beat her doctor's best guess. The Goddess is a loving deity that answers prayers. Unlike YHVH, the Goddess doesn't make people sick on purpose, nor does She rejoice in the suffering of the helpless (again, unlike YHVH). I am so grateful to the Goddess for answering my prayers and helping mom to be more comfortable during the time she has left. I have no illusions about using magic as a miracle cure. But the fact that she has lived an extra two months so far, that she is happy and has some measure of peace, and that she is not in constant agony -- for this I am grateful, and for this I know that I made the right decision to walk the Wiccan path. YHVH is cruel and capricious and never answers prayers. But the Goddess is loving. Magic is real, magic exists, magic works. Blessed be.
So, compared to how she was at Christmas, he coloration is a heck of a lot better, she's more mobile, she's only having to use oxygen at night, her muscle tone is better, and her lung degeneration has slowed a lot. Her edema has shrunk a lot, which will take a lot of pressure off her heart. So if there's less drain on her heart, the congestive heart failure will progress more slowly.
Prayer, magic, science, and medicine are good things to put together.
I wish the same could be said for Doug's sister. He is visiting her this week and her health continues to deteriorate. She's been fighting cancer for nearly three years but it keeps spreading. She had to go to the hospital tonight. Her behavior suddenly became erratic and she started screaming for no reason. So something is probably wrong with her brain. Her doctors have feared that her cancer could spread to her brain.
I feel really bad for Doug. I loathe his sister. She is a cruel and heartless person. i'm sorry she's dying. I'm sorry that she has never done a single act of kindness in her life. I wish things could be different. I wish she could be healthy and that she would become a good person. I don't see that either will happen. And, for that, I am truly sorry. And I am so sorry for Doug.
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( 3 / 1816 )Friday, February 13, 2009, 05:08 PM
Indigo Incarnates
I wanted to say thanks to everyone who gave me good wishes for yesterday. My initiation ritual went great. Mav wrote a really beautiful service and it was held outdoors at Greenbelt National Park. It really was a life-affirming ritual.
Mav gave me a gift for my initiation too. She made a small wall hanging commemorating the event. It's really pretty.
Since we had a small fire burning for the rite, we made smores afterwards. Mav even managed to buy some vegan marshmallows. Yay!
We're having a worship service tonight at Turning Circle, and it'll be my first service as a full initiate. Kewl! :)
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( 3 / 1889 )Thursday, February 12, 2009, 03:08 PM - Church Stuff
Indigo Incarnates
It was a year and a day ago that I first decided to start learning about Wicca. Tonight is my initiation into the faith. I have to say that learning this path has been incredibly spiritually fulfilling. I never knew until this past year that is was possible to be loved by deity. I had only experienced the angry desert god (YHVH). But I've learned that the Goddess does love us. I'm not a worthless, detestable "sinner"; I'm someone who is loved and is accepted as I am. I'm not an "abomination". I'm a person who was created to be who I am.
I feel loved when I pray.
I've read a lot of books. I've studied in a Wicca class. I'm involved with two worship groups (Turning Circle and Cedar Light). I've even officiated at a worship service. I've written a handful of spells (for healing) and protection). I've empowered a healing amulet that has helped my terminally-ill mother. I crafted my first wand. I've participated in all eight Sabbats. I've learned to appreciate the significance and beauty of all four seasons. I've taken better care of my body. Halo has (for the most part) stopped cutting. I've grown in faith in the Goddess and God, and I've learned that faith, love, and ecology come before pursuit of magic. I've learned that the Threefold Law really does work.
And I've made mistakes throughout the year too. But the Goddess does not threaten eternal damnation or everlasting fire. We are simply commanded to make amends and learn from our mistakes.
An unexpected benefit of developing a communion with the Goddess is that Halo has steadily become less agitated. I think part of the reason is that the Goddess is equally aligned to both light and dark. And darkness is not the same as evil. Halo is dark but not evil. He finds comfort in being accepted as he is.
Of course, Thistle is a Christian (although he has a different view on deity than a fundamentalist might have). And Ashen thinks religion is "hokum" in general. Willow is sort of the little druid, although he doesn't identify as such.
Tonight is my initiation. I'm really happy about this. It's been a good year. I've learned a lot.
Blessed Be.
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( 3 / 1609 )Monday, February 9, 2009, 09:15 PM
Indigo incarnates
I finally was able to get rid of my old Samsung Blast phone that was two years old and had a wonky keypad. So i got an Ericsson for thirty American dollars. The gadget du jour is the built-in GPS navigation. So when I did a power-walk around the neighborhood, I did it with the navigation running. It was cool seeing the phone update while I walked around. Neat!
Doug and I are watching Matlock on DVD tonight. Fun! Now that I work as an agent of the court, it cracks me up the stuff he gets away with in the show that just doesn't happen in real life. Of course, Most of the hearings I've seen involve drugs and not murder. And my defendants usually have public defenders.
It's only three more days until my initiation! Yay!
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