michiexile | Computational goodies and stressful everyday

So. My personal crisis at last has calmed down. Some roughly 3kkr later (say $320, if I guess currency rates correctly).

My computer DIED last weekend somewhere. A deep trauma. I depend a LOT on it for my everyday everything.
After discussing it with Susanne for a while, we arrived at the conclusion that event though I don't really have any money to spend, this IS such an important part of my life that I need to renew my computational power in some way.

I ended up buying a 1.0GHz PIII with 40G harddrive, GeForce2, SB Live!, loudspeaker set with two tweeters and a subwoofer; and a "broken DVD-Rom".
As I tried to make something out of the bloody thing, it soon turned out that the DVD-Rom was working alright (Yay! I got it cheaper!) - but the IDE-controller on the motherboard was seriously broken. It simply wouldn't even adress anything on the second IDE chain. :(

So, I went out and bought a PCI IDE controller. Went home, and tried it all out; and the driver on the driver diskette was broken. As well. Doh! So today (when most of this with buying and building has happened) I went back to the store, and got a new disk; and then continued to Stacken - where I got the system up and running. The graphics card can take 2048x16something as top resolution. Unfortunately, my own monitor took MUCH less than the monitor @ Stacken; so I had to blind navigate to a lower resolution on my own. (TRICKY!)

But now it's up and running. I've recovered and reinstalled most of what I require from a system. And I've routed cables properly. I have a native MIDI controller again! *YAY*

And I have a box powerful enough to last me for a while. This is *GOOD*
And it has plenty of space.
And a working DVD-rom.
And a CD-burner.
Lot's and lot's and lot's and lot's of goodies!

I seriously have never had this powerful a computing park at my disposal. Never this modern a computing park. I've always worked with leftovers, really.

And all this in parallell with one of the most completely zonked out weeks I've had for a LONG time.

Easter thursday, I discover I have deadlines I didn't know about for grad school application.
So I spend tuesday RUSHING through these applications.
Wednesday, I spend a while at the school, doodling all sorts of different things - but mainly receiving a massage; before I shoot away again, lugging this new shiny computer back home. And then, once it was home, away again to go through the computing park and needs of Sverok Stockholm - where I'm about to become one of the chief system administrators. Home; frustrate at the computer and crash way too late.
Thursday - i.e. today - I get out of bed insanely early; and go off to a chapter 11 auction (or whatever you'd call it. In Sweden, it's "Konkursauktion"). Mindcom AB - an IT company - had to sell out to cover its folding up. The office was decorated in a "maritime theme" - with a LOT of little birds and fishes on poles; model ships of different kinds and all sorts of similar kitch. And a lot of computers and furniture to be sold for insanely low prices (17 comfy chairs, and a LONG conference table - <$500; 8m white board - $10) - as well as some things running higher than I'd expected (an ugly model sailing ship - $600). I ended up with a computer. That turned out to be completely worthless. It was a Compaq - probably once upon a time a good server. Pentium 75 with an on-board SCSI controller and a 4.3G disk. Cannot even get it past POST. Probably should give it to someone.
And then after that, back to my apartment with the junk, and a newly bought IDE controller. Install, make up a wild boar stew and eat with a couple of good friends. Back to city, headed for Stacken. Get a fresh diskette; and install the bloody computer. It's now 2.30 - and I should have been sleeping 3h ago. Especially since they called me from Theducation - I'm going there tomorrow morning to work.

And I have NOT been able to
(1) find out when I'm able to celebrate my father's birthday. We want dinner. But no time seems to be available at all.
(2) post posters all over Stockholm University searching for volunteers for the congresses this summer
(3) work at all on my thesis
(4) study for my course work
or any of all the other things that could have been good to deal with.

*blech*

I really need to get a grip on reality again. This has been slightly too much now.

Computational goodies and stressful everyday

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