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Jan. 29th, 2001 11:46 amDon't mind me, I'm just blowing steam...
It's something I do to myself. I realize this. I do have the power to say, "No," but I don't... I get empathized into it...
The past two months, almost every weekend, I've been hit by one friend or another wanting help with their computer. As you know, December was mega-stressful, and all I wanted to do was decompress during my time off. We scheduled some LAN party gaming (Diablo II), but every time, without fail, friends would show up with their computers... "JD, could you look at this?... My new hard drive won't work... Windows won't install... My computer locks up... Windows won't recognize my sound card..." I think one of the worst nights was when I stopped playing to help Dave with his machine...and he took my spot on the LAN and started playing instead of helping me work on HIS machine. So we'd plan these mondo-gaming sessions and everyone would get to play except me. I'd be sitting on the floor with some huge tower case laid on its side, cursing under my breath. (Not really, but I was thinking curses under my breath.).
Nic & Dave... I guess what is aggravating about their particular computer problems is that they decided to spec out their own computers and build it themselves... Dave has a little more experience than Nic, but both lack practical hands-on. And Nic...all he basically knows is what he has seen me and Mike do and what he has read on the net.
So they picked out their own hardware, asked no one's advice, but then *I* ended up being technical support.
Nic...bought an ATA100 IDE card for his machine...when he has ATA100 on the motherboard...
Dave...bought a sound card when he has sound on the motherboard...
Pete was puzzled why his latest games keep locking up or don't run when he's only got 32 megs of RAM...
Heaven help me!
Pete hinted that he wanted me to look at his machine again last night, but I didn't make the offer (normally we'd meet him at Vlad's) for him to come over. I wanted a quiet Sunday night to myself. So at least I was firm. (Mike is in Philadelphia this week and Vlad is in Pittsburgh.)
Dave called me during the game because he can't figure out how to configure the router he just bought for his cable modem. ::sigh:: I pleaded ignorance.
(I'm starting to catch on to this at work, too... Don't reveal your full hand or you'll end up doing lots more work...)
I've been dealing with everyone else's computer problems, but the one that presses me the most is my own. The Duron 650 has been making me CRAZY. I've swapped every conceivable component in and out of the machine. Last night, it finally hit me! A fragment of memory from back at my old office at the college... Going through the same aggravating lock-ups on a machine built out of re-treads... DUH! It's the hard drive going bad! Why didn't I remember this? But in a way, I have blocked so much out of my mind from those days...
---
Superbowl... Supreme indifference to the outcome...my teams got knocked out in the play-offs. I played on the net and turned around only for the commercials...
...
My officemate is coming down with what looks like the flu... Another co-worker whose cube is just outside my door is getting over the flu. My boss has some nagging chest infection that has haunted him for over 6 weeks now... I'm in a hothouse of potential infection! Luckily, I seem to be resisting it for now, though as I reported earlier, I get exhausted easily.
It's something I do to myself. I realize this. I do have the power to say, "No," but I don't... I get empathized into it...
The past two months, almost every weekend, I've been hit by one friend or another wanting help with their computer. As you know, December was mega-stressful, and all I wanted to do was decompress during my time off. We scheduled some LAN party gaming (Diablo II), but every time, without fail, friends would show up with their computers... "JD, could you look at this?... My new hard drive won't work... Windows won't install... My computer locks up... Windows won't recognize my sound card..." I think one of the worst nights was when I stopped playing to help Dave with his machine...and he took my spot on the LAN and started playing instead of helping me work on HIS machine. So we'd plan these mondo-gaming sessions and everyone would get to play except me. I'd be sitting on the floor with some huge tower case laid on its side, cursing under my breath. (Not really, but I was thinking curses under my breath.).
Nic & Dave... I guess what is aggravating about their particular computer problems is that they decided to spec out their own computers and build it themselves... Dave has a little more experience than Nic, but both lack practical hands-on. And Nic...all he basically knows is what he has seen me and Mike do and what he has read on the net.
So they picked out their own hardware, asked no one's advice, but then *I* ended up being technical support.
Nic...bought an ATA100 IDE card for his machine...when he has ATA100 on the motherboard...
Dave...bought a sound card when he has sound on the motherboard...
Pete was puzzled why his latest games keep locking up or don't run when he's only got 32 megs of RAM...
Heaven help me!
Pete hinted that he wanted me to look at his machine again last night, but I didn't make the offer (normally we'd meet him at Vlad's) for him to come over. I wanted a quiet Sunday night to myself. So at least I was firm. (Mike is in Philadelphia this week and Vlad is in Pittsburgh.)
Dave called me during the game because he can't figure out how to configure the router he just bought for his cable modem. ::sigh:: I pleaded ignorance.
(I'm starting to catch on to this at work, too... Don't reveal your full hand or you'll end up doing lots more work...)
I've been dealing with everyone else's computer problems, but the one that presses me the most is my own. The Duron 650 has been making me CRAZY. I've swapped every conceivable component in and out of the machine. Last night, it finally hit me! A fragment of memory from back at my old office at the college... Going through the same aggravating lock-ups on a machine built out of re-treads... DUH! It's the hard drive going bad! Why didn't I remember this? But in a way, I have blocked so much out of my mind from those days...
---
Superbowl... Supreme indifference to the outcome...my teams got knocked out in the play-offs. I played on the net and turned around only for the commercials...
...
My officemate is coming down with what looks like the flu... Another co-worker whose cube is just outside my door is getting over the flu. My boss has some nagging chest infection that has haunted him for over 6 weeks now... I'm in a hothouse of potential infection! Luckily, I seem to be resisting it for now, though as I reported earlier, I get exhausted easily.
