The Chronicles Of…

I got a new pushy yesterday! My old bike crapped itself after 5 years of ownership. I think i’ll get it fixed up and working again eventually, but it was too small anyway and not really suited for the riding i’m doing (you know, very similar to Le Tour kinda stuff…)

It’s a cell bikes X1 Classic. It’s nice and big with good running gear for good distance rides like to Cronulla and back once or twice a week (60kms each ride).

So look out world! This’ll help keep the fat away!

I got a bit of help with my PC recently from a friendly geek, who showed me how to fix up my machine. I backed up all of my important data (music/videos/games…oh, and uni work etc) onto a brand new external hard drive, and was all excited that I’d be able to start a fresh installation of Windows.

I did the reinstall, which seemed to have gone well, and started reinstalling software and downloading Windows updates. I needed to restart the computer, which I did, then it died. Again.

It just repeatedly mentioned missing/corrupt System32 hal dll files and just wouldn’t work, even after I had looked up ‘fixes’ from the Microsoft website and tried everything that they suggested.

Boo.

So I’m currently in the process of spitting the dummy, and seriously trying to work out how to get together the money to just go and finally buy a MacBook. I’m so sick of talking about it, and just want to go and do it. But I had also decided that this was the year that I’d be financially responsible(ish) and not waste money… so although I really, really want to go and buy one, I think I’m going to have to live with the old laptop that Dicker gave me a few years ago (which I’m using to type this up now) for doing uni work etc.

So does anyone know how I change my iPhone over to sync with this machine, and if I manage to do it, will I be able to change again later if/when I eventually buy a new computer (the shiny new MacBook that’s calling to me like a siren)?

Google, here I come…

All I want is a freebie, Is that too much to ask??

I have a laptop, I broke the screen, it only works when plugged into power (but don’t they all after a while) and I thought I would ask your help.

In today’s throwout, because cost of repair is about the same as cost of replacement, kind of world I was wondering if anyone had, or knew someone who had, an old Dell Inspiron 6000 (although the number possibly could be slightly different and still work) laptop with that may have crapped itself but the monitor is still ok on it that they’re willing to give to me?

I’m not really expecting a yes, naturally I’m hoping for one, but not expecting it.

So go forth and me one! please…

C’mon, you know you want to devote some time to this!!

Someone stole my 6 year old Gen 3 iPod out of the Nimbus this afternoon… just walked on by and took it. Didn’t take the cables, or empty the glove box or take the spare change, or the power drill or the extension lead and grinder, just the iPod.

ipod stolen!

Sure I left all the windows down and the iPod on display in the centre consul… And Pete has warned me about known offenders in the area… but I refuse to accept fault for this! Why should I blame myself when someone else breaks the law?? I didn’t steal, they did.

It’s a sad state of affairs when the innocent are blamed for the misdemeanors of others. I bet an insurance company would blame me for not locking my car or winding up the windows… but hey, reality check, I’m not the thief here…

Anyway, the battery was dead and it was old… I’m hoping for a new iPhone soon! Woot!

The most inconvenient thing is that I don’t have Pearl Jam on play 24/7 in the car now…

Coke put this “Happiness Machine” in a college campus in the US. Very Cool.

Avatar. Saw it last night. It drew me in. I liked it.

I didn’t have great expectations of this movie, given what I already new of the story line, but I was suprised at how much I enjoyed it. My brother reckoned it was worth the price of admission just for the visuals, and he’s probably right.

Really, my only big hang up is the name of the precious mineral which is really the catalyst behind the story… They called it “unobtainium”. This is all a little John Bunyan/Pilgrim’s Progress for my liking…

Why not just go completely obvious and call the main characters Evil Villian, Hero, and Love Interest? Dumb.

Anyway, I’d go see it at the movies if I were you. Fairly spectacular.

Well my holiday is coming to an end pretty soon, which means I was meant to have done a whole list of activities to start the year in a good way. Let’s see how I’ve done:

1. Get my car serviced / airconditioning fixed.
Took my car to the airconditioning guy this morning, who told me it would cost almost $700 to get it working again. I haven’t even come close to getting the car serviced.

2. Find out what happened with a guitar I tried to sell in 2008.
Went into the shop who were selling it for me, and they don’t have any record of it. They’re going to call me at some stage, so who knows. I know the guy who owns the business though, and he’s honest, just forgetful, so I should hear something eventually.

3. Teach Vanessa how to drive.
Not. One. Lesson. But it looks as though we may get access to a small automatic car soon, which belonged to her Nan. We’ll see.

4. Exercise every day.
Been for a few runs, done a few pushups. Nothing too spectacular. Been swimming once or twice, which was nice.

5. Read for fun.
Read a few books, which is good. Finally, I’ve achieved one of my goals…

6. Catch up on sleep.
Yep, at least I’ve done plenty of that.

7. See friends and be relaxed.
Ditto. (This is getting good, just ignore the first few).

8. Fix my computer.
Nope. Ok, I’m slowing down again.

9. Write some songs.
No, but I did play some guitar which sort of, kind of counts?

OK, that was my version of New Year’s Resolutions. How did you lot go?

I don’t normally whinge about Facebook, I figure so what they a few changes, it’s not important enough to care too much about.

But at the moment I have to admit that it confuses me a little…

I had it set so I just saw status updates on my home page, but then realised that I was missing out on being told when friends put up photos, which sometimes I like to look at.

So I changed it back News Feed, there’s also that live feed too which I occasionally look at but I’m not sure what that is.

Now that I’ve gone to News Feed I find that statuses will pop up more that once and in front of newer ones. And if you flick between News Feed and statuses I see that not all the statuses show up in the News Feed…

What happened to the old showing all the status updates and photos and that together and me having to be able to flick over to just status updates if I want, or in the normal view just clicking to hide some of the stupid application updates forever.

Am I making sense?!

Today I went to the Apple Shop in the city to try to get my iPhone fixed. The home button has been playing up, so that I often have to reboot the phone in order to get back to the home screen (which is very frustrating).

I turned up at the shop assuming that they’d whinge about me not having the right paperwork, or try to fob me off onto Optus or something. I had my ‘cheerfully stubborn’ attitude ready to go, but didn’t need it at all! I was greeted by an iGeek who told me that there were no appointments available at the GeniusBar until next week, but that I was welcome to wait around on the off chance that someone didn’t turn up to their appointment. I was told that I was third in line (a bit like Prince Harry?), and that it may take a few hours.

I went upstairs and sat on a bench with my book, thinking that I’d wait 20 minutes or so, and then admit defeat by making an appointment, and coming back into the city next week. About 15 minutes later my phone was being serviced, and 45 minutes after that I had a brand new display fitted, and the button was working pefectly.

Yay Apple!

I’m working tomorrow, Saturday, not really looking forward to it mainly because I would just rather be doing something else…

But you know what I love about working on a Saturday morning?! Smoko!!

I don’t normally buy my lunch, actually it’s fairly rare that I do, but when I work on a Saturday and the guys says “smoko time! What do you want?” I’m there.

I mostly get a steak sandwhich with pineapple and cheese, which I was introduced to by the boss, and it’s good.

It might be that I’m really hungry now, but I’m already looking forward to it and thinking what I might have…