Estella is no more. New computer is named "Vicky."

My desktop is back, baby. Looking pretty, and running the Windows 7 64-bit beta with no issues. It does all the things a little computer should do on its own like hibernating, booting, not upping the temperature of my room by five degrees, and not running its fans so loudly I can't sleep if its on.

As happens, now that I have my new tower under control, several of my friends want to redo/build one of their own. Isn't computer geekdom great? I'm just going to order them all to pay with cash and assume I'm stimulating the economy.

Now I just have to get my games installed (what did I do with the Oblivion EP? Oh Hell,) finish tidying up my documents folders, and redo my iTunes Library. *shakes fist*

The end of an era

I've gutted Estella. She is no more. This is cause for happiness!

Something hasn't been quite right with her since she was built, anyway. I never managed to fix the boot issues (which makes me believe it's the mobo's fault), and the mobo actively refused to recognize a good third of my USB ports (there were two bent pins in that area when it arrived, methinks that's the cause. Fuck you, ex-boyfriend, for getting it open box. It's like the fuck-you that kept on fucking. FOR TWO YEARS!). But, since I had nine ports on the front alone, I dealt with the other problem by never turning off the computer unless it was a dire emergency.

There's a problem with that. My graphics card is the size of Madagascar, and since the PNW doesn't use air conditioning, Estella would make my bedroom easily five degrees warmer than the rest of the house. Also the fans are loud when the room's that hot. And that's terrible.

So when it decided to stop recognizing the other USB ports? I decided change was needed. I bought a new mobo. An Intel mobo. And though it may be a weird thing to say, it's a pretty fucking sexy mobo. Everything is laid out really well, there are no cord issues, things are neatly labeled and color-coded. It's a joy to work with instead of an absolute fucking pain in the ass like the last one was. (Oddly enough, they're both by ASUS.)

While I was at it, I was browsing around and looking at how much prices had dropped, and realized that for $350 I could give my computer enough of an upgrade to work flawlessly for me for the next few years, especially since I tend to run a year behind the PC gaming curve. So I got more RAM, another DVD drive, a new processor (quad-core, stop laughing smugly Tim, it was $10 more than an Intel dual-core) and another hard drive (SATA, not IDE, my old hard drive is going to be retired to file storage.)

I'm still waiting for the processor to get here, but when it does, everything else will be ready. Case was gutted, everything was cleaned, wheels are on (thank god I hate dragging the fucking tower around), mobo is back in, everything is connected. I also downloaded the Windows 7 beta since I'm admittedly curious and definitely have more than enough room for two OSes. (Also I want something that's 64-bit just so I can see.)

In short? Happy birthday to me. In another week I should have a computer I can safely turn off when I'm done for the night.

In which my new car tells Tim and his poorly-timed elitist comments to suck a fuck

I have a new car. Finally, after six weeks of wheel-lessness, I have a new car. It is a fully-loaded 2008 Toyota Yaris. Behold:

This car has fewer than seventy miles on it, a better sound system than I was expecting, and a ridiculous amount of room for a compact car. It gets 29-35MPG, which is comparable to my Saturn SL2. And I made them drive it to me same-day from three cities over.

My initial impressions:
1) Pretty.
2) OMG what if I get hit!
3) Ooo, what does this button do?
4) ...Brr.

Igny was a whiner. She'd do what I wanted her to if I coddled her and pushed her just the right way, but she made it clear she didn't like it. Compared to her, this new car (which is male), is positively feral. I push a pedal, and it actually responds. It likes to drive.

I'm bouncing a few names around for him, and I think I have a good idea, but I want to make sure before I make anything final.

Why do I do this to myself?

Want: Prius, at just under 25k. Blue. Hatchback.
Have: 5k for downpayment, job. Loan money.

---

Budget
Rent: 367.50 (Will be covered by Student Loan money
for next 12 months, along with credit card bills.)
Phone: 96.00
(70.00 supplied by Fam. So, if lose internet, $45.00. Phone is now free.)
Internet: 50.00
Utilities: ~40.00
Rats: ~30.00
TOTAL: ~120

Income
Work: ~800/mo (after taxes, not including money from Concert
Hall)
Unc: 300/mo for car payment.

This means I have about $680/mo unaccounted for, with plenty of wiggle room from second job. Factoring in food, that means I can still afford car insurance payments on my own. Am guaranteed to have job after grad school, so security isn't an issue.

Which means if I wanted, I could afford a Prius.

Fucking fuck.

::edit::
Of course, this is all hypothetical.

Wow.

So I bought a new bike. He's a hybrid that's road-bikey enough to go fast on pavement with little effort and be lightweight enough to transport, but mountain-bikey enough to make me happy. His frame is nice and beefy, too, which is what caused me to name him Thor.

Which means I have been biking to work. At three miles one way with only two hills, it's not that bad of a trip. Takes about twenty minutes. The only thing I really have to complain about after 12 miles in two days is how fucking saddle-sore I am.

I've had sunburns so bad I couldn't wear bras, and allergic reactions to fabric softener so bad I couldn't wear shirts, but I have never-- and considering some of my stranger antics, this is genuinely saying something-- never had a bruise so bad I couldn't wear underwear. Thor appears to be a tough lover, and anyone who makes a joke about his hammer will be sacked (a phrase I have chosen purely for Brandon's benefit.)

Whee!

I got a letter from a Buddhist nun today thanking me for all my donations and inviting me to visit their monastery.

I may have squeed.

I've spent years putting it all together

There is one place on this planet that currently has a copy of Elysian Fields' Queen of the Meadow album. I have checked iTunes and been told "oh we have it BUT YOU CANNOT HAS," Best Buy ("Where it is?") Amazon, ("What you say?), and just about everywhere else ("HA HA HA.")

And I just found it. Oh, eMusic, I had forgotten how much I love you.

I am such a girl

That felt good.

I just spent the past hour and a half working out. I'm hardly going to be able to MOVE tomorrow, but that won't stop me from doing it again. Best part about it? Not a single stomach twinge.

Frustration.

I have made a terrible mistake, I think. I loaned Fam a series of my favorite children's books when MiniFam was born. I want them back, but they are now nowhere to be found.

So now I get to tear apart the basement and harass my aunt and uncle until their whereabouts are made known.

-.-

Requiem for Warmth

I no longer own any jackets.

When we were moving out of the apartment, Matt and I accidentally didn't check the main hall closet, which is where I stashed my winter coats. I tracked down one of the girls who lives in the apartment now, and she grudgingly admitted she had thrown them away.

No e-mail, no call, no putting two and two together. Just into the trash! It makes no sense to me, but it seems like life's way of telling me it's time to update my wardrobe. New hair, new purse, new earrings, and now new jackets. I don't know that I'll ever be able to find a coat that matches my trenchcoat in sheer awesome, but I shall try.

Goodbye trenchcoat! You were six years old and well-loved.


Goodbye REI coat! You were both waterproof and excellent for stashing rats in.


Goodbye corduroy peacoat! You were perfect for my Russian Hat and Suicide Scarf, and warm.


Goodbye red fleece! You went so well under everything. D=
(so well, in fact, that I have no photos.)

Now I get to talk to my family and go shopping for more new things.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

House is amazing because he is what I will be when I am that age, except for the whole miserable thing (or at least that's the proposed modus operandi in Wrenville).

House is terrible because it makes me realise that no matter how much I want to, I will never get my filthy little paws on Hugh Laurie. That thought makes my life seem bleak. Clearly I need to coerce one of you to grow a salt-and-pepper beard, don violently blue contacts, and talk dirty to me in British English. Use words like "dodgy" and "sodding" a lot. Drink tea from red mugs, and be scathingly witty to anything I suggest to pass the time.

...So, any takers?

D=

My new monitor is doing the exact thing my old monitor did.

What else could it be? O.o;

Here she is!

Sorry this post took so long; I got a little sidetracked by Oblivion.

Here is a shot of Estella's guts, for those of you who don't really grasp how large this case is. o.o
The hair in the picture belongs to Matt J. I have promised him dinner out because of all his help on this.




And there is Estella assembled, sprawled across my enormous desk. Note the height of the case. It really does double as a barstool.

And here is how I skinned it: (Made slightly less enormous than my desktop for sanity's sake)



I'm planning an Oblivion screenshots post so you all can see what this computer does to graphics.

"I'm like Estella-- I like to reel it in and then spit it out. I'm frustrated by your apathy!"

Though I don't think apathy will ever be the problem in her case.

Yes, boys and girls, it's official. My desktop is complete. And, now that it's too late for you people to whine about what I'm not buying, I can tell you what I got, from guts to garnish. (Seriously. Who NEEDS a quad core? XD)

Speakers: Klipsch Promedia 2.1 (only my speakers have a cloth cover. God, those look ugly. I know why they did it, but jeez.)
Keyboard: Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard. I bought it for the purple, but have been using the blue because it matches my mouse.
Mouse: Razer Copperhead You must click simply so you can giggle at the site. XD
Monitor: Dell 2007WFP (One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.)

Case: CoolerMaster Stacker It's a full-size tower that moonlights as a barstool. It was also the only thing I could find that didn't have eight billion LEDs or edgy skulls and claw marks or wavy edges or fuck-else. It has about three thousand fans and a filter on the side vent, which is just fine to me.
Motherboard: ASUS M2N32-SLI Gotten for a ridiculously good deal. Also, it has built-in wireless. (>>)
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 I wanted a processor that was high-end middle in performance and cost, and this one pretty much fit the bill. (And if any of you say one word about Intel I am using Estella to SET YOU ON FIRE.)
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 Pretty much guaranteed to run every game I want to play at max settings.
Hard Drive: 400gig (Seagate) More than I will ever use. D=
Memory: 2 gigs (Corsair) I will probably use this. XP*

Pictures and screenshots to come tonight after the building party. *squee*

That's it.

So I found a job I wanted at the zoo today. I met all the requirements save one: I don't have a Washington state driver's license.

Cue scream of rage.

So now I have a new goal. I am going to start establishing my residency.
1) Open a bank account here. It will probably have to be a checking account.
2) Register to vote here.
3) Get a state ID. I can't get a WA driver's license until I am a resident. -.-
4) Register my car in Washington State.

This way, by next year, I will be a resident.

(I am so full of rage.)

But at least my iPod is working again.

My car is dead for the third time in six months.

Flashback

In high school I had a goal. I was going to buy an old 1980s Plymouth Laser and customize it. See how it has the pop-up headlights? Every time I see one of those cars, one of the headlights is broken, and it looks like the car is winking. And I thought it was abominably cute.

So I decided that I was going to get a car with a broken headlight, decal the front window with "ARRRR," paint an eyepatch over the broken light, and dub the whole mess "Cap'n Winky."

That was in high school. Last Monday I discovered I had a new goal:
Wren requires an eyepatch.

Why? Because Mythbusters recently proved that they give you excellent night vision if you actually have two eyes. Which suits my diabolical plans quite nicely.

I actually saw a snowplow labeled "City of Tacoma" last night...

I woke up yesterday morning, thought "damn it's cold!", and then looked out the window to see a light dusting of snow all over everything. That evening, Daryl walked into the house absolutely covered in snow, and I looked out the window again to find three inches and then some. Moral of this story? I really need to pay a lot more attention and spend less time cleaning. <<; Also, Daryl is awesome and got me a present:



I had to spend some time getting FTP set back up on my big computer to get that image uploaded. Though I've been spending a lot of time on bigcomputer in any case in a desperate attempt to get it working for games again. I opened her up to see if I could get any more dust out of the fans, grabbed a pair of tweezers, and ended up removing a chunk of lint, Sarahhair, and my underwear 1x1 inches in size from the bottom fan. Needless to say, not only is my computer running a lot cooler, but the fans are much, much happier.

Now if I could just get the shift key back on...

>.-

...so...much...PS3...