all things me

My new Radeon works!! The service pack fixed whatever needed fixing (mother board’s support for AGP 3.0 perhaps) and when I turned on the computer after the card had been attached, it didn’t start beeping like yesterday and it works! Works! Works!

Sooo… today I’ve been (apart from admiring the view…) updating the “About me” page (there’s stuff about Simon too, you see) and, well, I did a new button and changed an old one a little and made some new pages.

I’ve done actually something important too… I revised my bachelor’s thesis cause I have to hand it in next week (the professor leaves for holiday on Friday). I’ll just need to ask him how he wants it, on paper or electronically.

I bought (or Dad, I’ll pay when I get my pay) Radeon 9600 Pro today (wheee, the “special offer” was a Pro!!) but we didn’t get it working yet. Simon (my computer) is quite old, 3½ years give or take and I haven’t updated it much (other than Windows and virus scan stuff; only new driver for Geforce 2 when Splinter Cell wouldn’t work) so there was some glitch and the computer started beeping when we started it (after replacing Geforce with Radeon). Probably the problem is with the CPU to AGP controller… or how could I know… Dad found some service pack which I installed, but we didn’t try changing the card yet (it’s sauna night and I understand that he doesn’t want to crawl on the floor fresh out of shower). So, I’m still holding my thumbs up (as we in Finland do; or keeping my fingers crossed as it is in English) and hoping all will be well tomorrow. Oh yeah, Simon’s gutted His left side is wide open, I can see his intestines!

In fact, now I don’t have ANY graphics card installed. Or, GF2 is *in* there (I wouldn’t have anything to plug the monitor in if it wasn’t…) but the configs have just a VGA driver and no fancy stuff.
(Oh my goodness, that big-eyed smiley is hilarious!)

In the meantime I’ve been doing new buttons to fit my new layout. I don’t have any affiliates yet and I doubt I ever will, but a girl can hope, right? No one probably ever reads these anyway (except for Mum, hey Mum! *waves* ). Well, if someone does, they never leave anything behind which is a shame.

Hmm… I wonder if the word “disappointment” comes from someone cancelling an appointment; the person they should’ve met would’ve got disappointed. I only have a Finnish etymology book.

Tomorrow Dad and I are going to buy me a new graphics card even though I haven’t got my salary yet. But I will get it some day and I’m not broke at the moment so it doesn’t really matter. It’s some “special offer”.

Bye bye Geforce 2. It’s been nice knowing ya.

(And guess who’ll be telling tomorrow that a) didn’t get the card, b) the card didn’t work… Hey! I’m allowed to expect the worst. Then I’ll be nicely surprised if all turns out well.)

Updates: Notes on Carrie in TGWLSK
I started playing Unreal II after I got stuck in an annoying place in Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (if you’ve played it: I’m stuck at the Ghost part… not because of the ghost but because of the damn picture…). TRAOD is a good game adventure wise (lots to play) but very bad quality wise. It has lots of bugs, suddenly Lara’s leg disappears and is replaced by a funny line that goes diagonally from her waist to the ground (I should take a screenshot the next time that happens…) or she shakes uncontrollably when she’s crawling under something (or running/walking up/down the stairs in a not straight line). Also, she goes nuts when she has a gun drawn (and there’s an enemy nearby) — automatic aim is not always a good thing I’ve noticed. Especially when it’s badly done. It’s VERY annoying when the enemy is somewhere below you… And, of course — there was the chipmunk + Lara thing (speech going too fast) which I got fixed though (by tinkering with the DirectX settings.
As I told a friend of mine, the game designers were probably concentrating on something else than the overall quality of the game (namely, the jeans-covered quality of Lara’s behind…).

STILL listening: Maroon 5 This Love

Last night I dreamt that we got a new dog — a white poodle that I suggested we’d name Simone (I just realized… it’s almost like Simon (name of my computer)). Dad’s been telling how he’s seen very cute bichon frishés; one of his colleagues (at least) has bichons and sometimes they visit the office — I saw one last summer.

Grhm… and I was going to refrain from babbling… (at first there *was* only that line about the update)

[edit]
@ 20:55
Updates: Fanlisting check and I joined Brad Pitt fanlisting; I’m a real convert. I used to think he was only a pretty face along with Johnny Depp (and he’s really good too!) and Tom Cruise (still can’t stand *him*…) but he’s REALLY GOOD! Especially when he has to fake an accent. I mean *act* an accent.

I’ve also started liking Kiefer Sutherland because of 24 (2nd season)…

I’m living in yesterday… Anywhooo.

Updates: FINALLY a Splinter Cell Fanlisting; I was this –> <– close to starting my own…

Been very tired today. Slow start in the morning. Don’t know why though cause I slept perhaps for… about 6 hours. Maybe it’s the sleep deficiency from the beginning of the week.

Oy vey! A tv critic claimed in the newspaper today that the Sleepwalkers is based on a Stephen King book that “experts say is thicker than Xmas ham”. And what book might that be, Mr. Critic?

Started playing Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness today because my sister stole the Morrowind…….. I had problems with the sound though (think of chipmunks and Lara…) but I found a tip how to fix that so I’ll try with better luck tomorrow or w/end.

Tomorrow I’ll be moving to a new desk at work. I’ve been separated from the other people working on the same project so I’m really out of the loop. I mean, they should be telling me what they need from the ontology. I’ll also get my hands on the parser soon.
Hopefully my lunchbuddies will remember me even though I won’t be on their way… If they don’t, I’ll be eating 1 choco cookie per day for lunch…

Announcement: Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah out in 5 days (June 8)! And DT VII: The Dark Tower is coming out on September 21 — King’s birthday

If Meredith chooses Ian tomorrow in the Bachelorette, I’m going to cry! Not of happiness!

Day 8 without my TV: Today Dad had called the repair shop, and they told that the guy who repairs combo-TVs was on a sick leave last week… soooo… it’ll take YET another week. Just my luck.

Day 7 went easily cause there was nothing on TV (Felicity and As if ended last week)

I wrote a paper (comparison of translations of King’s Carrie and Everything’s Eventual) last night till about 3:30 am and then I gave up and went to bed cause I had to wake up at 7 am for work. I did get a bit light headed at work but that might’ve been because I hadn’t eaten anything (‘cept breakfast). Now I’m writing the paper again. I’m going to hand it in tomorrow, a day late. The first, ever, time I give an assignment late to a teacher. Uh… hurts.

I changed my WinXP theme to an old Windows theme and made it purple (modified the Lilac theme). It looks pretty nice. Or pretty pretty?

Finally decided to join the clique A Year of Reading. I’ve been reading DT5 crazily to get it read in May (one of the rules, one of two, is to read one book per month (at least try) and I was determined to do that even though I wasn’t in the clique) and because of that I’ve stayed up preeeetty late. I have 4 days to finish it now but I only have about 300 pages so it’s no biggie. I’ve been reading Everything’s Eventual for my translation studies paper but I don’t know if I’ve really read it or just skimmed for the appropriate words (realia). Some stories I’ve read and some just skimmed. Maybe I’ll be true to myself and admit it doesn’t count as reading. Besides, I’ve read it before. I am going to read Carrie — and EE in *Finnish* — after the paper’s done, though. Cause I can keep them till (*checks To Do list*) mid-June.

Luckily I’m working for the summer, so I get to read Black House on my way to/from the department. I know nothing keeps me from reading my backpack books in more places than bus stops, buses, train stations, trains, trams, University, cafes… but when I’m not in one of those places (or similar), I’m at home thus I can read my bedside book.

A bit silly, but I updated previous entries. I noticed I had forgotten to add some things to the new layout’s blog after writing them to the old one (i.e. written while I was making the new layout). Anyway, nothing serious, just some spider stuff. Check out May 14th and 22nd if you want.

@ 13:50
Quote of the day: Purple sold scary books better than any other color, Mike had been told. — Stephen King: Everything’s Eventual, 1408

@ 23:18
Day 5 without my TV: I hope the Stand they showed on Estonian Channel 2 ended last week cause my tv is the only one which shows that channel…

I started wondering how many games I do in fact have installed… Let’s see: 1. Black and White, 2. Blair Witch II, 3. Desert Storm, 4. Enter the Matrix, 5. Ghost Recon, 6. Globetrotter II, 7. Half-Life, 8. Half-Life Blue Shift, 9. Half-Life Counter Strike (haven’t played though, cause it’s only multiplayer), 10. Half-Life Opposing Force, 11. Hitman I, 12. Hitman II, 13. IGI II, 14. Iron Storm, 15. Monkey Island III, 16. Grim Fandango, 17. Max Payne I, 18. Max Payne II, 19. Morrowind, 20. Need For Speed Porsche 2000, 21. Need For Speed II, 22. No One Lives Forever I, 23. Outcast (it’s a great game, must play again sometime), 24. Prisoner of War, 25. Quake II, 26. Rogue Spear, 27. Starsky & Hutch, 28. The Longest Journey, 29. The Sims (plus extensions), 30. Sum of All Fears, 31. X-Files, 32. Splinter Cell, 33. Tomb Raider II, 34. XIII.
Eh…. maybe… I could… uninstall… a few… I mean, most games keep their saved games so I wouldn’t have to worry about starting everything from scratch…
Got rid of some other programs as well while I was at it.

Word of the Day: Meh – verbal equivalent of a shrug, means indifference (and other similar things). I’d never seen that word written before last night and I think it’s so comical. I don’t know know why, maybe I connect it with something funny where I’ve heard it. A bit like ‘knackered’ makes me always think of Jamie Oliver and when I see the word I can “hear” him say it

There was a truck parked on our neighbour’s front lawn for quite some time (since autumn) and a bird had made a nest under it. Mum told me that yesterday when they came to tow the truck away after it wouldn’t start, the bird was just going to take a worm to the “kids” but it didn’t dare go near the truck cause there were people around. After they towed the truck away the mother bird didn’t understand where the nest had gone and it kept flying around the place where the truck had been. That’s so sad.

@20:36
Updates: Joined Blue Cheese Fanlisting
Day 4 without my TV: Watched ER and taped some new restaurant reality tv show thingy… Rocco something [edit] never got around watching it though[/edit]. No problemo.

@ 23:54
Decided to try a step bigger font for all things me; it means that the pages are longer but at least you can see better

Started playing Morrowind (Elder Scrolls III) today. I haven’t played much RPG (Final Fantasy 8 only I guess — on Play Station 1) cause I don’t really find it interesting, but I have to try. The game has been sitting in the shelf for ages. (hmm… as if I didn’t have enough games installed on my computer already…)

I had a weird dream. My dad and I were at a book store and suddenly he says “Hey, there’s a Robert Heinlein book over there.” (Heinlein writes scifi.) I don’t see anything so we go closer. I don’t see anything still. He picks up a thin paperback that was behind some other books and shows me the picture of a decorated shield on the book’s spine from which he recognised it was Heinlein (there isn’t one on the real books, but this is a dream, remember). I said to that “It’s the same as if I recognised David Duchovny from an eyebrow.”
Hmmm… bummer, I don’t.

@ 20:16
Finished XIII. Pretty cool it was. Maybe I’ll start it over with a more difficult level.

Updates: To celebrate (see prev.), I decided to join the Dogs & Puppies fanlisting

My sister keeps chatting online so I can’t play XIII because my computer is the one connected to the Internet. I’m not sure if my computer can handle both the internet and the game. I dare not try. *sob* AND, I’m getting tired! Dammit!

@ 22:45
I finally got to play XIII. It’s great, especially because XIII is the character you play with and Duchovny’s done that voice. I thought XIII would be the bad guy #1 who you’d have to fight with in the end Better this way – much better

And no, he’s not the only reason I want to play that game.