Manny Who?

GO SOX!!

Yeah, bring it back to Boston and win the next two to take the pennant, come on, you know you wanna. On to the World Series baby! You can do it! We love you all..... except Manny. Manny being Manny just pisses me off. I've played ball for almost 30 years.... yikes.... wow, I'm old.... ok, now I'm depressed... where was I? Oh yeah, GO SOX and Manny sucks!

Granted I may have a competitive edge that turns some people off when it comes to playing ball but when you see the effort that some of the guys like Youkilis and Lowell, Veritek (my man) or Coco and yes, even JD Drew are putting into the game, you gotta get pissed at Manny. Trotting out of the batters box (always been a pet peeve of mine) or not sliding when he's coming into a play at home, come on. Do you want to win or do you want more camera time about how you're just being you. Well, here's me, flipping you off... wait, no, blowing you kisses (like grandma taught me).

Ok, yeah, he's got a bat but if it's not out of the park, it is a single or an out. Good arm, when he plays the ball right but I don't see the love, nor do I feel it. Is he worthy of that Red Sox jersey? I don't think so. If you want publicity, a screaming crowd and a big pay check then go play for the Yankees. Yes, I said it, Yankees. I was hurt when Johnny went over to the Dark Side, any other team would have been OK but to go from the Sox to the Yankees put a bad taste in the mouths of (ex)Damon fans. In Manny's case, I would throw Manny at the Yankees if I thought it would make him go away. He's a downer.

Ok, my friends don't agree with me. They love Manny, as do many, many fans. I just can't do it. Even when 2 of my girlfriends (Sue and Cheryl) and I went to Spring Training (a yearly trip for the girls) I wouldn't take a picture of him. I think I accidentally got him in a shot but I'm sure I deleted it before it could corrupt the other pictures. Ok, I'm really not that bad but the man just aggravates me.

OK, I'm done venting.... GO SOX!

So, who have you killed today?

I'm making a list, checking it twice, it's a naughty list and has nothing to do with being nice. Nice isn't the norm anymore. It seems the "thing" now is naughty, nasty and downright mean. The more of a jerk you are the better you feel and that is just plain sad.

It's not really hard to be nice, well, some days it's a bit more difficult than others, granted but still think of all the bad Karma that being mean will bring down on your head. Didn't you ever hear the saying that it takes 33 muscles to frown but only 13 to smile? Well that's a load of whoey. No one really knows how many muscles it takes but I do know it only takes one finger to really piss someone off.

My grandmother caught me flipping the bird to someone one day and she scolded me for it. She then proceeded to tell me that it wasn't lady like to flip the bird, it's much better to blow kisses. I can vouch for what my grandmother said, it is much more effective to blow kisses, it pisses people off even more. Why I would take a little joy in that, I don't know. Consider it the bitch in me but if you cut me off on the highway and you don't use your blinkers or if you decide that you are going to make me drive 40 in a 65 mph zone, expect the kiss of death.

I've always said that it is a good thing I don't own a gun. I would be on the run from the law by now just for killing all the idiots on the road. I've even started to time how long it takes for me to swear at someone when I leave my house in the morning. Not a good thing when I can't get 5 minutes away before I start flinging F bombs around. I really must clean my mouth out, as grandma would say, it's just not lady like but damn it feels good!

The only way I can avoid the added stress of driving to or from work is to listen to a book on CD. I find I'm not as angry that someone cuts me off or can't figure out which lane they want to take so why not take both?. It only works if I'm enjoying the book. I can say that there are a few scratches on Audio CDs due to me flinging them into the back of my truck because I'm annoyed at the characters or the author. Sometimes listening to some stupid bimbo character, with skimpy undies, walk into a dark field where she heard a serial killer stalking around just makes me want to strangle the author. It's a bit different when I'm reading the book. It doesn't seem to be as stupid for some reason, maybe because I can skip pages or just burn the book in my fire pit. Simple joys.

Well, what I'm really getting at is that life is too short. Be nice to people. A simple thing for you to do but it means a lot to the people receiving the gesture (and I don't mean the finger). Smile. Say Hi and look people in the eye. You never know but that smile may travel for days. You smile, they smile, someone else smiles and so on. Not hard huh?

Viruses, spam, spyware... oh my

For all your little "script puppies" out there.... kiss my ass you little bastards! Grow up, get a life and, if possible, a girlfriend.

If the only joy in life that you can get is to hack into a system and dump stupid viruses or change the security settings then you need a sledge hammer to your gonads to make sure you don't breed. I have the sledge hammer and I am more than willing to use it, for the betterment of our world and the universe at large.

I can't understand the people in this world who just don't care. I know everyone has their selfish moments, I have quite a few actually, but in the end, I understand (or try to) the impact my actions have on other people. I may enjoy and get a little shiver of pleasure out of cutting someone off on the highway when they won't be nice and let me into their lane (I do use my blinker). But I always give a little wave while they flip me the bird.

The people who are creating the viruses, the spam messages and the spyware/Malware programs are the dregs of society. Ok, fine, maybe they have a couple brain cells but their impact on society and the world is not for the positive.

Well, fine, maybe some of those spam messages are giving people a chance to buy Viagra and porn but that just means that the idiots who are buying from the spammers are trying to breed.

It needs to stop. All you need is the right software... right?

Some people believe that the software companies that create the Virus and Spam blocking software are also the ones creating the Viruses and Spam. To an extent, this is true. Some brainiac figured out that if they send you a popup message telling you that you have a virus but "Click Here and we will clean your system for you", the innocent/ignorant users of the world will "click here". F'in Brilliant! Bastards, they were right.

In the last two weeks I've been chasing viruses and spyware because someone got into our system and dumped 30+ viruses on us. From there it traveled through our network to some vulnerable computers. Thankfully it didn't get to most of our systems because they were patched. But the older Windows 2000 systems got the worst of it.

I downloaded a free virus protection called "AVG" to do the initial cleaning of the viruses since my corporate edition was, apparently, sucking wind. AVG did a phenomenal job. I'm now talking to my company about purchasing the corporate edition for the servers and the work stations. One thing I really like about companies like Grisoft (AVG maker) is they feel it is their duty to help the average home user, thus they make the software free for home users. It's easy to use and they have a spyware version that is free as well. Grisoft is, in my opinion, one of the White Hat guys. They help keep the internet and it's users to be safe from the dingleberries who would like to cause havoc just because they can or to try and make a quick buck.

Kudos to Grisoft!! (and others like them). Symantec, Macafee and other similar companies are all out for the big $$. Renew every year to stay protected (for a price) and "maybe" they will find the viruses and cure them. 9 times out of 10 any software I have used could find the virus but could not "cure" or "heal" it. Plus they managed to slow my systems down to a crawl.

Well, for what it is worth, the dickhead that hacked into our system helped me in a few ways:

1. I lost 10 pounds by not eating or sleeping for a week and a half
2. I am now an alcoholic and my local liquor store is giving me discounts
3. I have a full, accurate inventory of all the computers in my company
4. I found some really neat games installed on users systems
5. I was able to reinforce our internet policy and write up the people I didn't like because they had installed games and Instant Chat software on their systems
6. I've always gotten a little thrill at typing "format c:"
7. Even the owner of the company is leaving me alone, for now. I'm sure his son's laptop needs to be tweaked before he goes off to college again.

If one more person tells me that this kind of stuff ensures "Job Security" the sledge hammer is coming out.

The dreaded sickness

Well, sickness reigns across the land. No man or woman shall be left unscathed or without tissue. Mucus flowing is every direction and pulled rib muscles stretching beyond their intended function. For 1 solid week the flu resided in my house AND my work. Everyone and everything was sick. I think even my cats were ill. It seemed like spiting up and wiping noses was the only activity that anyone was partaking in. 3 boxes of Puffs Plus between my husband and myself (I’m sure my cats stole some too) in 5 days.

Side Note: I just wanted to thank the makers of Puff Plus, actually my nose would like to thank them. It’s still attached to my face because of that lovely lotion they put in their tissue.

Now that we are all feeling better, time to get back on track. I’ve decided to go the homeopathic route from now on. The ionized silver that my Aunt Eve brought me really is the way to go. My husband got an antibiotic and a steroid from his doctor and he is taking longer to get better than I am. From what I’ve been reading, there are many different versions of the ionized silver. My aunt Eve gave us “Silva Solution” by Trimedica. A 1oz shot a day and I’m good to go. It tastes like water, which I guess doesn’t have a taste, depending on the town you live in. This stuff is amazing, not only does it work better than antibiotics but it can be used externally for cuts and even sun burn. I haven’t gone as far as that, I was just happy to get rid of the mucus.

I’ve tried other homeopathic stuff in the past. Sometimes the “rules” are a little difficult deal with and the pills are so small you have to wonder, in this “Bigger is Better” society of ours, will they really work? I normally don’t take any types of meds, if I don’t really need to. I can deal with a headache or sore muscles. I honestly believe that all the chemicals we put in our body on a daily basis (food, drink, breathing) are going to either preserve our bodies for hundreds of years or destroy the earth so it won’t matter if I’ve got the flu or not. Just make me another martini and I’ll feel better (right Cheryl?).

The Flag

It's taken over 3 years but I've finally noticed my neighbors flag in their front yard. Nice tall flag pole, big beautiful flag complete with spotlight at night. That's what I really noticed, the spotlight. Not that it was shining in my house or anything but usually our shades are down by dark, when their spotlight lights up the flag. It's a beautiful view, seriously.

I never realized what the flag represented until 9/11. That day, I saw America, United, One Nation, united in our grief, unified in our anger, righteous in our hatred and ready, for the perfect, the ultimate, vindication of our victimization. We were viciously attacked, without provocation, without any warning. 3,000+, dead... ... Oh My God. ... ... why?

That's what I remember feeling and thinking that morning. The horror, the sadness, the uncertainty of what was to be next, the fact that it was wasn't even lunch time yet. This was going to be a very long day. A day of calls checking on family and friends, watching the news on line, talking to co-workers. Did you know anyone? Wait, where's Joe? He was flying out today. What do you think is going to happen next? Another plane? ... Oh MY GOD?!

Osama, yeah, that's the guy, he did it. We'll get em. Really? How scary is it to now realize that your own government may have been the Osama of that day? oh my god. please, no. Wait, ok, my blinders are in place, I'll be ok. Just don't look.

That's how I begin to grasp my new World.

So many years later and we still are trying to figure out what is true and what is false. The age of computers and the internet and we still don't know when someone is lying. We still want to believe, at least I know I do, that we are all honest, good people. The pursuit of happiness and all that jive. One for all and all for one. The amount of money I have does not dictate what I am or who I want to be. It should only be the means to a happy life. The culmination of good deeds and a generous spirit. Love your fellow man. At least know and accept they neighbor, no matter the differences. A bomb won't help to get your point accepted.

To accept that money and greed has replaced the gift of love and life is hard. The realization that our own values and morality are being made a joke of by the same people who represent US as a nation and a peoples is absolutely frightening. I know that we are misled, lied to and basically treated like sheep lead to a slaughter but what happens now?

My generation is use to being lied to. do you think we honesty believed Clinton? What is the definition of IS, indeed.... Come on. We laughed when the stain on the dress hit the eBay listings. We made jokes about Al Gore and his miraculous invention of the Internet. George jr. was the icing on the cake. The son following in Daddy's footsteps. Broccoli anyone? Joke after joke. Hey, I wasn't into Voting, who was? Who cares? Nothing serious enough for me to pay attention until I had to start paying taxes.

Sad, I know but look where I'm (we're) coming from for a moment. Born 1972, okay, 35 (and looking good :) , 70's, too young to have any clue. 80's, ages 8 - 18... Ronald Regan. Even Chernobyl couldn't daunt our vision of the future. Need I say more? We were happy in the 80's, admit it. The "evil empire" caved under Reagan's savy negotiation with the guy with the coffee stain on his head (coffee, coffee, coffee, cfoofoee)...sorry... ummm.. oh yeah... Nancy was all about Saying No to drugs but then saying yes to $5000 dresses. I'll give her points for having the strength to deal with Ronnie in his later years and breast issues in her later years. The lady should run for President... someday, after Hilary.... way after Hilary. That chick is giving women a bad name.... tame that tramp of a husband or leave his ass in the dust... moving on...

The 90's ... no more broccoli, heheheh puking on the Japanese guy.... hahah, wait... do they have nukes?

So, what happens while we're laughing and thinking the world is one happy love fest? The internet, journalist in tanks, oil wells exploding and gas prices skyrocketing (which at our level, compared to the environmentally conscious world is pitiful... but still...) it's time to wake up.

War. Our war. The war that WE brought to the world. Time to wake up.

Continuing my education of the world

Well, I think I finally found a source of information that may help me to wrap my feeble brain around what the hell is going on in the world. It may take me the next 6 months to disseminate all the information into bits that sink in and start putting the pieces of the puzzle together but it's a start.

Now that I'm getting educated on the ways of the political world, I want my ignorance back, I was happier that way. Does anyone realize how screwed we all are? I know ignorance is bliss but we all need to get our heads out of our buttocks and start taking control. Screw democracy, it's hasn't existed in the US since Watergate, we are just being fed the propaganda and sucking it up like it is sweet nectar. I'm ready to start the burning bra rallies and protesting against the media's ambulance chaser mentalities (I never liked the damn bra anyway!).

Whether you are for or against the "war". No matter who you would like to vote for or who you feel you have no choice to vote for, realize that the newspapers, the TV media, the internet and you next door neighbor can't all be right. Decide for yourself, read, research and make an EDUCATED decision. You'll be surprised what you find out about things you thought you had all the answers too or the people you are about to vote for. Look at ALL the issues, not just the media blitzed ones and never, ever believe that they can't fool you into believing what they want you to believe. We are all looking for the quick, easy answer. It's only when the truth hits you square between the eyes that depression sets in and you start drinking more or buying handguns.

If you've read any of my older posts you'll know that it is a good thing I don't own a handgun. I'll stick to drinking, more fun that way.

Good site: http://www.motherjones.com/index.html

Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee

Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee...

Did you ever notice that if you type a word enough times you begin to doubt how it is spelled?

Did you ever wonder ....

If the professor on Gilligan's Island could make a radio out of coconut, why couldn't he fix the hole in the boat?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the car pool lane?

If Wile E. Coyote, from the Road Runner, had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just order take out?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests? hehehehe

Sorry, too much cooffee... coughfee.... coughfree... cofe... coffee

The mystery of computers & their users

User Friendly the Comic Strip - The Daily Static

I love this comic strip. I've been reading it for years and I even go into the archives to check out the really old stuff every now and then. The geek in me really loves the dark humor and the anti-Microsoft attitude that the characters have. The most recent strips have been goofing on the Marketing guy (who loves anything Microsoft) who hasn't backed up his hard drive, ever, and of course, it crashes. The geek lectures him and makes fun of him, only to go back to his own desk to find his own hard drive has crashed and, well, I'm sure you can figure it out from there.

A very timely comic for me right now. A major concern for any computer guru is backing up data. Hard drives don't crash often but when they do it is always a problem for the geek and the user. As a geek with a heart (deep down, it's in there somewhere) I love to help those in need of geek services. Sometimes it's as easy as informing people what is going on in the virus/hacker/information highway traffic jam world we live in. Other times it's helping those who think I'm a goddess of inspiring intellect figure out why their home computers are flashing pornographic pop up windows when all they want to do is to place their Pea Pod order. A few simple questions for everyone to consider:

1. Do you have virus protection? What's that you say? Well, that answers my question.
2. Do you have children who access the internet? Yes, but they're good kids, they don't go to any "bad" sites.... yeah, ok, how about you or your husband/wife... hmmmmm? Curiosity killed the dog you know (Sorry, I'm a cat lover)
3. Do you leave your computer on at night? Most people say yes. This is a bad habit. Kinda like leaving your keys in your car all the time. Sure, send out an invitation to take your computer out for a joy ride. Free reign for all for those little 14 year old geeks who like to hack into vunerable, innocent computers at 2 in the morning. Don't you realize that the little hacker wannabees accross the globe can get into your system while you're sleeping? Turn the damn thing off. Take an extra 2 minutes to boot your computer when you need it.
4. Wireless in your house? Yes? Is it secure? Of course not, silly me.
5. Have you backed up your data lately? Burn CDs, save to floppies, anything, just make a point to do it ever few months or so, at least.

Well, I can't tell you how many computers I work on in the course of a day. I have 180 PCs at work plus 180 users and their home computers. I love my job, most days anyway.

Time for me to turn off the spiffy new laptop I bought for my husband. I wonder if he realized that he's been taking an empty laptop bag to work. He has a habit of carrying more bags to work than most women. Maybe my next rant will be about habits... that could be very interesting. Don't worry, I love my husband deeply, I'll try not to pick on his habits too much. :)

My addiction(s)

We all have addictions. For some it's food, alcohol, drugs, neopets, youtube, eBay, cat nip, toe jam, coffee...

Article excerpt "Among the less common: addiction to peanut butter. Some researchers have even suggested that there is an enzyme in peanut butter that causes people to crave it all the time.

Other strange addictions: addiction to ferrets, addiction to bananas, addiction to Styrofoam and addiction to pencils. "

Yeah, oooouuuuu Styrofoam..........wait, huh? Pencils I can see but Styrofoam?

My major addictions.... softball and my mothers eggplant parmigiana and amber jewelry
Minor addictions... girl scout cookies, the SciFi channel, my cat Quila (see picture at the top of the page), and being my bed with a good book (and/or my husband) :)

Softball is the strangest addiction. Being in NE we can only play ball from April (maybe) to October (if your lucky). The 5 or 6 months off are a depressing time for me. Not that my personality changes but my body does. Getting the muscles back into shape for playing usually takes a few weeks of stretching, practicing and figuring out how many teams I can play on in one summer. This year, I went into it with a lot of expectations for my Coventry Woman's league and the gaggle of friends I enjoy playing with. Instead, the league screwed us royally!

What now? I still have my co-ed team but I want to be on the field with my girlfriends (Cheryl, Sue & Julie) We are the ultimate core for a team in personality and talent. My girls ROCK!

Sue and Cheryl managed to bribe another team in Johnston to take them in. I think Cheryl promised to show everyone her tattoo. No room for anymore girls though, OK, I'll take up golf. ??

No offense to my husband who is dying to tech me how to play golf, but .... golf over softball? hmmm, I have to wrap my brain around that one. Can I hit a home run with that little white ball? How about pulling a double play? Nope, for me it would be a double bogey (at least) and hitting a mean slice into the water. My husband loves golf and really wants to show me how to play. I'll work my way into it since I know he enjoys it so much that we even listen to it on the radio when we're driving (snore). Baseball on the radio, yes but golf? Even the radio announcers are whispering! Makes me want to shout out "Hey batter batter... swing!"

Well, last night I went to see Sue and Cheryl play their first game. As murphy's law would have it, I didn't bring my equipment (it's always in my truck but Cheryl picked me up last night) and I was asked to play since they didn't have enough girls show up. So, work clothes, and the coaches glove and off I go. It was one heck of a game. Cheryl was a mad woman on the mound and an Ortiz wannabe at the plate. You go girl! Sue and I held our own. It was more of a pleasure to be on the field with my girls and a fantastic team. I'm still juiced up and soooooo sore that I can't sneeze or I'll pass out.

In the end, the coach asked me to come back. The girls are together again! Now we have to get Julie for next year. This year she is torturing our old team in Coventry by playing for another team. They play against each other Sunday. We're going to go cheer Julie on and hassle the old team by throwing rotten veggies at em.

I love my addictions.

What a great idea, I'm glad I thought of it.

We all need a laugh every now and then. Personally I like to laugh, a lot. I have a very loud laugh but, in comparison to others, at least mine is real. I can't fake a laugh. I can fake a smile but my friends and family can see right through the toothy grin to the sarcasm underneath. The strange thing is that I don't really get jokes. My sense of humor tends to be darker and more sarcastic than the normal joke can deliver. A few things can really tickle my funny bone though.

1. Computer users who forget their password, everyday. The funny part is that the password is either their kids names or their own first name and I have to remind them of that.
2. Scifi "Darth" humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAL7w2ybTfQ
3. Animal antics - the cute fuzzy kind, like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIqhUCZgwXQ
4. The government sending me my refund when I know I forgot to sign it before I mailed it in.
5. My husband taking my new truck on a golf trip with his buddies while I get to drive his piece of crap pickup. haha, funny, poke my eye with a stick funny, but still has a dark twist that I appreciate funny
6. Telling telemarketers that "I'm sorry, I'm not here right now" and hanging up.

Here are a couple ideas that I'm going to start doing for fun:

When you get ads in your phone or utility bill, why not include them with the payment? Let THEM throw the stuff away.

When you get those pre-approved letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and junk like that, most of them come with postage paid return envelopes, right? Well, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little envelopes! Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express, or a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their application back... blank! Eventually, the banks and credit card companies will begin getting all their junk back in the mail. Let's let them know what it's like to get junk mail, and best of all...THEY'RE paying for it! Twice!

Global Ignorance & Bad TV

I don't know if it is a characteristic of my generation but I feel globally ignorant most of the time. I'm not intentionally ignorant, I have an education, and the student loans to prove it. I'm not sheltered, my family is very vocal and open minded about the world but there is so much crap that I have a tough time wading through it all. What to believe? I wonder if there is an "Idiot's guide to current events" or "Political Propaganda for Dummies".

It's a scary world, getting scarier as the "information age" shows us what it like to be in a "war", up close and personal. Can you imagine what the world would be like today if we had news correspondents trekking through Vietnam, reporting on all the horror and death? Would the world be the same? I don't think so. Reality seems to have a devastating effect on the overall happy factor of the general population. They would rather watch Survivor (as if you can really not "survive" on that show) or American Idol where the general populace can vote on the next teenager to influence the younger generation, at least until the next season. In my humble opinion it is all poppy cock, crapolla, just plain trash.

I don't know what to watch or what to believe anymore. I've taken to reading the European newspapers more than our own American bred propaganda. Anything is available on the internet, in some freaky instances, a little too much of "everything" if you ask me. TV sucks, newspapers are lacking the "real" story and music has more sex education in it than my high school class did. What a wonderful world.

Vista Play by Play

Installing Windows Vista – Business Edition:

This is actually my second installation of Vista. The first one I did on my home laptop last night and I installed Vista Ultimate. The experience was so much fun that I thought I would do it again and this time write a Blog about it. I don't really know why other than "because I can" and I'm a geek.

The PC I'm upgrading is a Dell (yeah, don't go there) E520, 3.0ghz with 1.5gb of Ram (for those other geeks who may care).

Ok, Time is 10:45am, lets go:

Boot computer and log in as Administrator (as long as you have administrative rights you will be fine just logging in as yourself, if you have to log in at all, and if you know what administrative right are at all) - check

Turn off virus protection (huh? Pesky installation files resemble viruses so your virus protection software will have a fit if it is on)… yup – check

Make sure your internet connection is active (see below for reason) – check

Insert CD/DVD for Vista – check

Click on Upgrade (screw that "check compatibility" stuff, bring it on!) – check

Hmm… First screen wants to know if I want to connect to the internet to download installation updates……to go online for latest updates or not…. Well… the description for the "Do not get updates" option sounds scary… "Without these updates, installation might fail and your computer could be more vulnerable to security threats".. OK, I can deal with that since I am a Tech Goddess but I'll let it get the updates anyway, can't hurt

Wait, should I check off the box that says "I want to help make Windows installation better"? … naaa live dangerously and let them fix it themselves – no check

Click on "Go online to get latest updates for installation" – check…

Now it is searching for installation updates……

Ouuuuu, my first error message:

Windows setup was unable to download update files at this time… blah blah blah, Click OK, I'll deal with this later – check

Type your product key for activation… hmmmm…. No, I don't want to. I'll take off the check mark for "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online" too because if I don't like the software, I want to be able to remove it and use the product key on another machine at another time. I don't want Microsoft to see that the key has already been used. I have that right and that ability. Click Next – check

Haha Microsoft isn't happy that I didn't put in the product key… "Do you want to enter your product key now? If you choose not to enter the product key now, you might need to reinstall Windows later and potentially lose data, information and programs or you might need to purchase another edition of Windows Vista" ouuuu scare tactics. I'm still going to click NO! Take THAT Bill! – check

"Select the edition of Windows that you purchased". This is probably the important part since the version is related to the product key. I'll choose the Business version since that is what I'm installing right now. I also have to check off a box at the bottom of the window that says "I have selected the edition of Windows that I purchased." Why? I don't know, probably some legal crap. There are some other scare tactics about the product key but all I hear in my head when I read it is blah blah blah. Click Next – check.

License terms… how many people really read it? Click "I accept" and click next – check

"What type of installation?" Two options, Upgrade or Customize. Well, I want to save my programs and files and I only want to have 1 operating system on my computer so I'm going to upgrade. If I choose the Custom install I can have both XP and Vista on my PC or I can wipe my system clean and install Vista (lose all other programs and files) but I don't need the hassle. Click Upgrade – check.

Here's the good stuff now… Compatibility check. Of course there are some "Potential issues" So I'll "Click here for more information"

Well, it lists some software programs that "might not work". If I was really concerned about any of those programs I would exit out of the installation and contact the software company in question and see if there are any patches or new versions I may need for Vista. Since I don't really care about what is listed, I'm going to click Next to continue – check

Now its "upgrading". The window tells me that "your upgrade may take several hours to complete" great… There are 5 stages to complete:

Copying Windows files – started at 11:03am - finished at 11:06am – not bad

Getting files – Started at 11:06am – Finished at 11:12am – I'm not sure what the difference is between "copying files" and "getting files" but whatever, it was quick.

Expanding files - Started at 11:12am…. 11:13am The computer just restarted itself… DO NOT TOUCH THE COMPUTER. Just let the computer reboot on its own, it will go back into the installation when it's done. Ignore it… look away…. go do the dishes or something. Ok 11:14am and we are back to Expanding files (21%)… Finished 11:21am

Installing features and updates – Started 11:21am – Finished 11:21am… yup, less than a minute. That's probably because we don't have any Updates since we couldn't get them at the beginning of the installation

Completing upgrade – Started 11:21am..11:23am The computer just restarted itself… DO NOT TOUCH THE COMPUTER. Just let the computer reboot on it's own, it will go back into the installation when it's done. Ignore it… look away…. go do the laundry since the dishes are done already. 11:23am Ouuuuu "please wait a moment while windows prepares to start for the first time" message ….. lots of little white dots going across the screen. False hope, 11:25am, back to the installation screen. 11:28am brief blank screen but it went back to the install screen quickly. 11:41am Computer restarted itself again. 11:42am back to installation (64%).. I gotta pee, hurry up! 11:46am Another reboot. 11:48am finished rebooting and now I am at a different "setup windows" screen.

"Help protect windows automatically"…. Usually I don't like to let anything upgrade or check on-line for stuff without me initiating the download myself. Just the control freak in me. For this reason I am not going to use "recommended settings" which would "install updates, help make internet browsing safer and check online for solutions to problems". I can either "Install important updates only" or click on "Ask me later". For now, I will click on Ask me later… I really have to pee. Click next - check

"Time zone and date settings"… everything looks good click next – check

"Choose computers current location… Home, Work or Public". Since Public will put restrictions on my system I'll choose Work. I don’t really know what the difference between Home and Work are and I don't think it matters too much anyway. Work – check

11:55am A nice Thank You message, how sweet. Click Start – check

Psychedelic colors, very pretty subtle greens and blues.. I feel the calm settle over me already… aaaahhhhuuuummmmmmmm….. aaaaaaaahhhuuuuuummmmm…….. (snore) ... please wait while we check you systems performance

Strange screens flash across telling you all about how awesome Vista is. You can "turn everyday moments in to lifetime memories" or "Connect, play, have fun" or have "The power to find everything"… hey I lost an earring last week…. You think? I also have a "more secure environment" and "getting it done just got more fun" or "connect and communicate like never before" or "turn everyday…" wait, repeat window, how lame. Now I have a blank screen…. Ok it is Preparing your (my) desktop 12:01am…

12:02am I have a DESKTOP!

The Windows Welcome Center has opened and I can now begin to play with Vista and test my software.

Note: No animals were harmed in this installation of Windows Vista. Can't say the same for the guys I work with.

Perpetually Happy People

Some people really should be shot. There are a few that are so perpetually happy I have to wonder what the real story is. Are they really evil and hide it from the world with a shiny smile or are they pumped up on drugs, serious drugs like caffeine? I always try to smile (it confuses people) but there are days when if would like to shoot elephant tranquilizer darts out of my eyeballs if anyone dares to get in my way. The mood doesn't last long and it can be enjoyable to see people running away from me but after a while I just have to breathe deep and realize it really doesn't matter. Whatever "it" may be. I need to find good in all that is aggravating me, maybe I'll smile for the rest of the day.

Today, "it" seems to be a few things:

Bad / Good
Cold Rain - Yuck, burrrr / Happy spring flowers, soon!
Rechargeable batteries not charging in mouse / Excuse to buy new mouse
3 weeks of dealing with 1 stupid user's whining / Gave him the "look" (see above)
So frustrated I'm not hungry / Need to lose a couple anyway
Management not able to make a decision / Less for me to work on
Home furnace not working right / Haven't found a good one for this yet.
Everyone around me is sick / I'm not... yet

Well, I'm still cranky, it's still raining and I still don't trust our furnace to deliver heat and hot water when I get home. My husband seems to be OK with it though. Men. (Just think honey, I can blog about all the things that you do that aggravate me! I feel better already! Just kidding.... big smile) :D

Ebay induced laughter

I've gotta laugh at some of the stuff I see on eBay. I deal with eBay for a lot of work stuff but also some personal things. For the most part, it's a bunch of crap that other people are trying to pawn off on the gullible society that we are. Some, but very few, of the items are worth the cost and hassle, depending on what you're looking for. There are some areas that you can go that should be X-rated (the pictures anyway) and tossed into some searches are the odd ball things that make me giggle.

For example:
One guy is selling a box of his ex-girlfriends things. Stuff like shoes, shirts, Cds and what looks like a pocketbook. According to his listing, his current girlfriend is mad that this stuff is still around and he doesn't want to lose her because she "cooks for him and brings him beer".

There's a listing for "Lazy Mexican kids make $100 and hour". I'm afraid to click on it.

An Empty bottle of Grand Marnier "drunk by two gold diggers", picture is of two blonds rubbing each other's breasts, is for sale and currently going for $4.25.

Two "real" buffalo heads, mounted together are currently going for $520, yes, people are actually bidding on it.

Some guy is selling his "Ding Dong" and some chick is selling her "Booty". A Bigfoot foot casting, "the" spear that pierced Christ (someones gonna burn for that one), A Kangaroo Scrotum purse (eewww) and some guy is trying to sell his Mother-In-Law (his 3rd attempt).

Another good one, a "Cheat lock Male chastity belt with guard and rear shield" hehehehehehehe, "rear shield", hehehe.

Atkins lover bacon designed bandaids, with free toy! Yes, the bandaids really do look like bacon. I wonder if you lick them... never mind, I really don't want to know, nor do I want to know what the "free toy" is.

This is just a sample of what is currently listing. I've heard stories about a guy who sold his soul and the guy who bought it because he thought it would be funny to own someones soul. The best one I saw was listing a few years ago. It was a guy selling his ex-wife's wedding dress. He didn't have many women friends to model it for him, so he modeled it himself, complete with shaved head and wicked tattoos on his arms. He wanted to sell it to make enough money to have a burger and some beers with his friends. He figured it would piss off his ex-father-in-law too, extra bonus. He did end up selling the dress for about $1500 which goes to show you, girls, never leave your dress behind!

I wonder if I can sell my collection of old smelly shoes? Size 9 anyone?

Hmmmmmm

Well, this should be interesting. My first Blog. Hmmmmm, what to write? So many things to rant about but so little time to waste doing it. Why bother ranting when I can just ignore the idiots and get on with my job/life? Are they worth ranting about? No. Will I feel better for lambasting them in a blog? Maybe... well, yeah I would.

First Rant: Management

Why have a Network Administrator/IT manager if you are not going to listen to her anyway? Why ask me to go to a meeting if you don't want my opinion? Why the hell should I get out of my warm bed to drag my butt work for 7am if you are going to ignore my recommendations and tell me that I don't know what the big picture is? Well, if your Network Manager doesn't know what the long term plans are, because they are top secret, how can the company expect to get the big picture? Flipping burgers at McDs is looking appealing more each day. I have to practice my "Want fries with that"?

My one saving grace is that my immediate boss is great. He understands, somewhat. He's a CFO so doesn't understand all the technical stuff but he lets me do my job with only minimal harassment and torture.

I do get a kick out of my job. The users are very entertaining, most of the time. Their little idiosyncrasies keep me laughing (usually I try to wait until AFTER I've gotten off the phone with them). I do love what I do. The potential for reckless abuse of power is very attractive to geeks like me. In the end, I only want to help, and feel good for doing it. Not much to ask for right?

Well, that's it for my first Blog. Kinda reminds me of my old diary. I type faster than I can write anyway so this may work out ok. After a couple glasses of wine, this should get REALLY interesting. :)