WooHoo! My new 'puter is up & running. It arrived yesterday & I've spent much of today installing all my gadgets & essentials.
I've pulled out all the programs that used to struggle on my old Gateway & it's dealing with all of them effortlessly!
I have spotted one little dead pixel on the monitor, but since Dell has a six deaden policy, there's not too much that can be done about it. It's not very noticeable & you have to search to find it.
I'm blown away by how many USB ports this thing has. There's 12 I have found so far on the front & back of the PC & yet another 4 on the monitor. Darn handy, since I was used to getting down on my hands & knees, fumbling numerous cords with the only two ports on my old computer.
I was worried about the response time with the cordless keyboard & mouse, but both are lightening quick & I had also heard about ghosting with LCD monitors, but it's fantastic with all I have thrown at it.
Couldn't be happier.
I've handed down my old one to my dad who is getting his kicks messing around with it. He had an old Pentium 100 & now he's got his hands on something 7 times faster. The numerous resets & bluescreens will keep him busy. He's not a computer guru, but he likes to find what makes them tick!
My Friday night reputation of spending copious hours at the hotel bar shall be continued tonight. A couple of staff had had birthdays this week so it’ll be quite a drinking session.
Whether I survive long is the question. I’ve been coughing for nearly a full week with an odd feeling in my lungs, almost like they have some fluid floating around in there. It’s a bit disturbing & may result in a visit to the doctor before the weekend is through.
I know it would be advisable to therefore stay home tonight, but….. I just can’t say no!
I’m going to feel rather ordinary tomorrow morning anyway with a hangover, so I’m thinking that a hangover combined with my respiratory distress won’t be too much worse!
The only problem was no one was home so they took it away again!
I should have it tonight & after a plethora of backups, I’ll be ready to plug it all in.
I’ve had a couple of anxiety moments, thinking “do I really need to upgrade what I have?”. It ran flawlessly most of last night, but eventually died mid burn, resulting in a couple of new coasters, so my decision to purchase was the right one.
I had a staff member lose it at me because I busted their ass.
The error made could cost us significant amounts of money & it’s not the first time it’s happened. I didn’t bother speaking to that person directly & went straight to their supervisor as a general discussion to tighten things up within their department. The employee was called into the discussion & then turned & sarcastically thanked me for not discussing the issue with them first before making more of a deal about it.
Their supervisor was even shocked at their response & quickly put the brakes on the situation.
I don’t know what’s going on with people at the moment. If you get caught doing the wrong thing, wear it, move on & don’t let it happen again! Making a scene to try & get away with it doesn't really help your cause!
Since my computer is now four years old, which like in a comparison to dog years, means really old. I think one computer year is equivalent to 25 human years or something.
It still goes, hey, that's how I'm typing this, but it's not as flash as the day it was purchased. I managed to get a bargain due to a typo when it was advertised & back then it was "top of the line". It's a Gateway, with 700KHz, 256MB Memory, DVD drive & Soundblaster Live! under the bonnet.
A couple of years ago I added a CD burner, a bit more memory & dropped Window's XP into the mix. Not long after, things went a bit haywire, with unexpected shutdowns, heaps of BSOD's & just general strange stuff.
I've been battling these wierdnesses for way too long now & a few days ago" cracked the shits" (for want of a better term) & looked around the Dell site. I thought I'd found a bit of a bargain when they were offering $300 off & a few extras thrown in, but I didn't order hoping for a new set of specials which change each week. On Friday, I was again playing around with some of the configurations & eventually decided to mess with their top of the line model. I configured it with everything I wanted & expected the price to be huge, but I then discovered for last weekend only, they took $1000 off the price & it ended up cheaper (by about $30) in comparison to the lower spec machine I was considering.
I placed the order later that night & I now wait with..... "anticipation" (say it like the Rocky Horror version). It should be here in the next couple of weeks & here is what it includes:
All of this for a sliver over $2,500 instead of nearly $3,600 which it would be if ordered now!
Hopefully technology slows down a touch & this one lasts a while. I know that all that 64 bit stuff will be around soon, so I'm taking my chances not too much software will require it in the near future!
I think I had an opportunity of breaking the sex drought the other night, but I didn't realise it until I was tucked up in bed by myself the following morning!
I have since worked out it was the company I was keeping when I took the call which prevented me having any arousing thoughts!
Now it’s getting into the warmer months, trying to wake up is becoming increasingly more difficult.
On a side note, isn’t it obscure that when you wake up during the night, it’s tough to get back to sleep, but when the alarm goes off, it’s so easy to drift back to sleep! Hmmm…
Anyway, back to my original story… Since it is warmer, the number of dreams (which can be remembered) are also increasing.
My dreams are always a bit obscure. I only ever dream about places & people I have met, but they are altered in some way. I recognise where I am & who I’m with but my house might have a different layout, but I don’t find it strange during the dream.
This morning, I managed to turn off my alarm in my sleep & keep dreaming. I was running to try & get to a bus stop, but I took an odd route, making my journey longer than it needed to be. I ran past other bus stops where people were waiting, but I had to get to this particular stop, even though I knew the same bus would go past & pick up those passengers. The streets I ran down had bends in them, though in real life they don’t & I had a short rest in a park which doesn’t actually exist.
I continued running, but after a minute or so I awoke, without ever reaching my destination, let alone catching the bus which was to take me there! When I did wake, I was knackered, as though I had actually been jogging around the neighbourhood. With sweat on the brow & bags under my eyes, I’m actually wondering what I was up to during the night. With the doors still locked & my PJ’s still on, I’m pretty sure I hadn’t been sleep walking/running!
I’ve had dreams in the past where I can remember the feeling of running my hand through someone’s hair or heard sounds which were so vivid I’ve then searched for the source in the real world. It does make me marvel at just how the subconscious mind can really mess with the operations of the body!
Some time around 10pm last night, a water main exploded under the road between the hotel & the building next door. Through pure fate alone, the hotel didn't even get splashed, but the other building had windows destroyed up to the third floor.
I heard about the burst this morning, expecting to see crews of workmen digging feverishly to repair the road & any other damage, but the road has been fully patched & only needs a new layer of asphalt. The only sign that any incident occurred is when you look upward to see missing windows & venetian blinds blowing in the breeze.
Thankfully, one of the concierge staff recognised the warning signs when the road started bubbling. He managed to move a few cars & block the road. This same staff member just happened to be in the vicinity of another burst main which completely destroyed a house a few years back, so he knew the potential damage.
The force of the water & the ground it took with it has dented the wall. Had a car been directly over the main or had someone been walking near it at the time, I wouldn't like to rate their chances! If the water had faced the direction of the hotel, we would have likely lost the use of a function room, the foyer, basement & multiple guest rooms. Being a guest asleep & being drenched by gushing water would be horrible enough, but being on the third floor when it happened, well, that would be the last thing you'd expect!
The various news services have been scouring the hotel hunting down guests who may have been armed with video cameras at the time. One group is coming back to interview the front desk staff member who dialed the emergency number, which I think proves just how little newsworthy activity is happening in Adelaide.
I'll try to take some photos of the damage on my way out of the building tonight!
Edit: By the time I took the shot, the shattered windows had been boarded up, but you can see how far the torrent of water reached!
I love the way the person who is your direct superior always manages to laugh off any discussion of salary increases!
I’ve dropped the hint more than once & at one point spoke about it openly, saying straight out there was no personal benefit to me being employed by the company. I was told to wait a little longer until some tangible results could be used to promote my usefulness in the organisation.
Up to this point, I’ve been happy to bide my time, working under the respected brand name, which will look good on my resume. However, I’m getting screwed on the salary I’m on & everything that has been promised so far (reviews, transfers to other properties, etc) has fallen through or has also been laughed off.
Pretty much what this all means is, I’m back on the market!
That’s my pozzie for the Mark Knopfler concert at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Sunday, March 13.
Eleven rows back from the stage & dead centre in front of my guitar hero, in what will be an awesome show. Thanks to Terry Kilburn from Mark Knopfler News for the presale heads-up!
After being audited & preparing all the end of month gear, whilst also having a new employee around the place, I thought everything would calm down a bit! Instead, it became more demanding with the departure of the new employee, trying to find a replacement & then finding time to do the normal work in-between!
Why a Human Resources person would employ someone without consulting those who will directly oversee them is beyond me. The interview was conducted over a conference call & within minutes of meeting them on their first day, it was obvious they would not be suitable, but instead they get to waste two weeks of training from the employee who is leaving with limited notice!
Thankfully, I'm now out of the office for the first two days of the week, going through the other properties trying to make procedures standardised. It should be worthwhile in the long run & I get to see daylight occasionally as well!
Enough of work though.... literally!
I took my first sick day from the hotel today. I had a cracker of a migraine yesterday, which rendered me useless. When I stood up I felt like I was going to collapse & when I laid down, my head was unbearable. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't up-chuck, I couldn't even stop shaking long enough to slice my wrists & end it all!
Today, I think I'm back to normal after a really good sleep, but the migraine is a new adventure which has started to appear in my life. I did nothing yesterday which would lead to a headache, but it started early in the afternoon & kept screaming in my head until very late last night. The frequency & strength of each migraine is what causes me concern.
Before I was overcome with pain, I took a walk around the neighborhood to check out some new houses being built nearby. When I finally got there, cars were in the driveway, so I don't know if they are still being finished off or I've already missed the opportunity to buy one!
I took my phone along for the journey, so here are some happy snaps!
This is the view from the end of the street towards a roundabout, which they made too tight for buses to get around. Eventually they had to make some alterations because one of the houses kept having its fence destroyed by bus drivers who couldn't care less. Adelaide bus drivers suck!
Here is the entrance to my street. It must always be approached with caution due to drivers who cut the corner. The road disappearing into the distance has always been a favourite for speed freaks, hence the insertion of the roundabout in the previous shot.
This reserve is where the hoons perform a bit of circle work in the early hours of the morning. There used to be a playground, but after some councillor's kid fell off part of it, the whole lot was removed. The two main pine trees you can see used to be part of a series of pines which led to a house, the owners of which, used to own the entire area. Everything in all of these photos used to be farmland owned by the couple. The remnants of the vineyards were still around when we moved in back in 1981.
This is the view up the street. Nothing really exciting about this one, so let's move on...
Across the road from our place is a tennis court, which is part of the property owned by the couple which owned most of the area, which I wrote about before! Does that make sense? Good.
I've played hours of tennis on that court over the years. It's now in serious disrepair with the court surface breaking up & the net holding on through mere luck alone.
And, finally, number twelve. The lawn ain't green, 'cause it ain't there! We've actually just munched what was in existence to be replaced with some tougher grass seed. Underneath, the surface is all clay so water just slides right off & the summer sun slaughters what does grow.
There you have it, the most boring, meaningless post ever blogged. Hoped you enjoyed!
This is a blog entry about motor racing. I'm mainly indulging myself here so if it doesn't take your fancy, you may not be keen on continuing!
The Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was held on Sunday & it was a nice change to actually have a really competitive race not involving rain, hail or other bizarre weather phernomonen!
It was Peter Brock's last Bathurst (again!), which means he'll be probably be back. His car driven by Jason Plato was involved in a substantial crash, ultimately flipping another car & leaving Brock without a drive. Those who think Brock still had a shot at a tenth win are now kidding themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Brock fan. I've got various bits of memorabilia from his past successes, but seriously, the competition level is way too high for someone to come back after any time off & still run at the pointy end of the field. It would be far more appropriate for organisers to offer him the role as pace car driver for the event & let him commentate whilst doing so. I would think he'd be proud of such involvement.
The father/son combination of Jim & Steven Richards nailed the first ever kangaroo during the event. Roos bouncing across the race track have been filmed before, but damn they make a mess when hit at over 200kph. Watching the carcass hurtling into the air after impact was rather intense to watch, which is also why it will never be repeated on air again! I can see all those Americans now confirming that Australians do keep kangaroos as pets!
Although I would have loved Craig Lowndes to win again with Glenn Seton finally getting one, I'm still pretty pumped Greg Murphy & Rick Kelly backed up last year's race win. Winning Bathurst once is bloody hard, winning it twice & in consecutive years, simply amazing!
The third place guys of John Bowe & Brad Jones should be congratulated but I also wish they would just get on & race their cars rather than bitching about everyone else in the event. Just accepting responsibility for their own errors would be a nice change. Protesting the driving abilities of all the other drivers in the field gets tiring after a while & claiming they have more bad luck than anyone else is just lame!
The event is know as the Great Race & it really fits that claim every year. I've been watching the yearly race since before I can remember. I'd be up at the crack of dawn watching the coverage throughout the day as every event unfolded. The track doesn't look very imposing on the TV, but it is imense. On the way back from Queensland back in 1987, we passed through Bathurst & did a lap of the track the day after the race. The massive cleanup was in full swing across the mountain & they had a whole lot of work to do. Although the track weaves up a mountain, the V8's make it look reasonably easy, but in a standard road car (with trailer) it's unbelievably steep. Carrying any momentum up through the Cutting to Reid Park is near impossible & requires changing down a gear.... & then changing down another &.... yet another, until you're in first gear! Being a public road for the rest of the year means putting the foot down on Conrod Straight will get you fined. Our neighbours did a couple of decades ago in a Ford GTO & paid the penalty. I suspect it might be a nice little earner for the Bathurst City Council!
I was absent from the online world for most of last week. Trying to prepare end of month reports, whilst being audited & being involved with a new employee in the department, made all four days rather stressful. Even though I didn't work huge hours, by the time I made it home I was shagged!Hence, no blogging.
It seemed to be a big week for everyone around me as well. Downstairs in the offices, there have been some extended periods of complete silence, which were even mentioned by infrequent visitors.
I think it might have something to do with the nicer weather bring out the people & generating more business or just people were hung up on voting for the election.
Notice that really nice segway?
Speaking of elections, I predicted correctly there would not be a change to the Government, although I had hoped & voted otherwise. I would have thought a fictitious reason for war would have changed a few vote, but apparently not. When interest rates now rise & we start attacking other countries for pathetic reasons, I'll have a clear conscious! Ultimately, I don't think either party would provide miracles in making the country better, so at the end of it all, "same shit, different day"!
Welcome to polling day in Australia. The first of Iraq’s invaders to be put up for public judgement!
I’m at work at the moment after voting first thing this morning at my old High School. The main theatre at Aberfoyle Park High School is one of the local booths for voting in all elections. It’s provided me with numerous memories throughout my schooling years & every three years or so, they come flooding back as I enter through those theatre doors. In the year I finished, they painted the entire place black, which really doesn’t help on a nice day like today, walking in from the bright sunshine to low level light. The electoral staff try to sort through the names which are already in microprint. Add to this a distinct lack of light & it can take a while to actually vote.
I admit to not being as informed as prior elections. I’ve looked through what has been available, but rarely absorbed the content. Early on I had decided who was not going to get my vote, so the rest was rather easy. I stood at the booth, blunt pencil in hand, squinting due to still dilated pupils, trying to work backwards from the least desired candidate until someone won my vote.
I actually live in the seat which is both tasty & fattening, which is Mayo. I suspect it is short for mayonnaise, or at least I wish it was. It’s generally the only way I can remember which area of the state I’m in. We have Federal minister for defence, Mr Alexander Downer as the Liberal candidate. Last time he actually got my vote, this time he missed out. It’s not that I don’t think he has done a bad job, but his boss has made some decisions with which I do not agree!
What my vote will prove at the end of the day, I don’t know. I suspect the Government in power yesterday, will still be at the end of today. I just hope it’s close so a distinct message is sent received by both major parties. History tends to show that either Party will just continue to run the country without change. John Howard keeps talking about low interest rates now, but in a few months (is he’s still in the top job) rates will rise regardless based on World economies. When you preach to those who have got themselves into mortgages at low rates, he can guarantee those votes. People don’t think forward when you have to manage personal funds on a day to day basis!
My final word goes to Chloe Fox, one of the candidates in an adjacent electorate – If I ever see another of your fanatics waving your electoral posters at cars whilst running up & down the median strip of a major road, I will mount the kerb & take the stupid fucker out! I’m sure stupidity isn’t covered by your Party’s insurance!
I've uploaded a new song over at "Dare to sing". I've been hooked on the Dave Matthews Band recently & this is one of Dave's songs from his solo album "Some Devil"
The song is called Gravedigger & it's one of those that I wish I could write!
I have to blame Dida & Clare & probably countless others for my actions tonight! I was going out tonight, but I just couldn't be bothered in the end. Instead I've been sitting around playing The Sims. With so many going out & purchasing The Sims 2 & I thought I'd dig out the original version & about five hours later, I've returned to reality after putting those little sims through the pain of my incompetent care.
Thankfully, my system is only just capable of playing The Sims & not the new, improved edition or so many more digital beings may be subject to suffering their lives away!
I'm spending too much time out & about, which is causing a definite delay in blogging. Since I'm hitting the Bay again tonight, I still need to post about Friday night!!
Last week was a long week, spending Monday & Tuesday down at Glenelg & then back to the city for the rest of the week. By Wednesday, it felt like Friday which caused me grief when I still had another couple of days to go. However, on Friday night I stayed around the hotel & drank for a while, met up with some people & drank a bit more before heading out for Chinese. I'm starting to get the hang of those chop sticks too. I'm not brilliant, but I looked a whole lot less uncoordinated this time!
We got back to the hotel in a Porsche, where I discovered just how useless the rear seats are in one of those things!!
Back at the hotel I met up with some more friends & ended up first at the Hyatt (where there was some professional ballroom dancers going for it to some rather heavy R&B) & then a walk all the way to Rundle Street. On the way we called the fire brigade after finding a rubbish bin throwing flames a few feet in the air & a band was playing in the middle of Rundle Mall. All of this at around two in the morning, freezing, & me in a short sleeve shirt!
We spend an hour or so at the Church nightclub before again walking back to the hotel to collect our cars.
I took it quietly last night so I can fire up for tonight. Being a public holiday tomorrow for one of the Queen's many birthdays, there should be a good crowd!
Since I’m getting a number of hits from those wanting details regarding Mark Knopfler & his Australian tour during March 2005, I thought I’d indulge them by posting the dates!
March 10th - Perth - Burswood Casino
March 12th - Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena
March 13th - Adelaide - Entertainment Centre
March 16th - Sydney - Entertainment Centre
March 17th - Brisbane
March 19th - Auckland NZ
March 21st - Christchurch NZ
Tickets go on sale on October 22nd.
I’ll be one of the first in line, but I’ll just have to sit back & listen to Mark’s latest album “Shangri-La” until then.
I bought it today (the standard release) & it has taken me more than one listen to get into. I’ve had it playing tonight on repeat, letting it seep into my head & it’s growing on me, so much in fact, that I’ve slipped in the prior “The Ragpicker’s Dream” for comparison purposes. The style is very laid back & pure in its delivery which can best be described as story telling to music.
So many people look back to the Dire Straits days & then say Mark has lost his talent. Sure, there aren’t the wailing guitar solos & infamous catch lines, but there is so musical maturity in abundance. I’ll pull out the Dire Straits when I want to play along with some great guitar work, but I’ll stick in the solo MK releases when I want some great tunes in the background!
Okay, so I pinged my blog when I hadn’t updated & that’s bad because people will now come to the site thinking there is something new when there isn’t!
Therefore, I feel the need to explain that there hasn’t been an update & the only reason I pinged was because during a previous ping, the site name was incorrect & was stuffing up a couple of blog listings.
Now that I’ve written this entry to apologise for pinging, the page is updated in which case there will be further pings to acknowledge the fact.
However, since this entry contains no new content, the ping from this update is probably misleading, in which case people will be drawn to the site under false pretences & I’ll feel even worse!
Therefore, all I can say is, please ignore the current & preceding ping, un-read the above entry which souldn't exist & leave the site immediately!!
