Technology is my downfall today
Technology seems to be failing me as of late. My phone hasn't been working quite as well as it did before our trip to London earlier this month. I don't think London had anything to do with it; the phone is going on four years old, so it's probably well past its life span. It sent and received texts okay, but connecting to the internet was a pain, and I was never able to actually check my email. Since I wasn't able to take my laptop with me (argh, laptop travel ban, do NOT get me started on the idiocy of that laptop travel ban), it was my phone or bust. And apparently my phone was leaning toward bust.
The other thing leaning toward bust was my camera, which Charlie dropped on the parquet floor about three hours after we'd arrived. It looks fine, but the base won't recognize that the lens is properly attached (and trust me, the lens is properly attached), so I was unable to take any photographs with it at all. My phone takes horrible photos now - I'm not sure if it's the age of the phone or just my own snobbery - so there are very, very few photos of the kids in London.
I am, not surprisingly, kind of depressed about that.
I'm also upset about the camera. This is the second time I've broken (by myself or by proxy - Charlie getting hold of the camera was my fault) my camera overseas when there aren't many ways to get it fixed. I've already checked for a local camera repair place. I've found one - it's even an official location run by Sony, my camera's manufacturer - but there's no website and the Facebook page is... hysterical, to say the least. It's mostly people leaving messages about how one of the employees either kidnapped their daughter or owes them money or is otherwise a terrible individual and is wanted by the police.
("Yes, but can he fix my camera?!?!")
So I'm probably going to end up waiting until we're back in the States for the summer, when I'll take my camera to Best Buy where it is undoubtedly no longer under warranty (the last camera broke the day before the warranty expired, not that I could do much about that in Egypt).
*sigh*
But failing getting it fixed for a reasonable sum (and I have tried all the fixes I can find online; none of them work), I've decided that I'm just going to say "Screw it" and wait until the kids are older before getting another camera. By which point I'm sure they'll be powerful enough to take beautiful photos before I've even taken the lens cap off. And will break if I so much as touch them wrong.
One definite thing: I'm getting a new phone. Bill says I could get one now, here, but I can't see that being any cheaper than just walking into Verizon, handing over my current phone, saying, "My plan says I get a new phone", and then getting a new phone.
The main technological question for the moment is how we're going to fly back to the States for the summer. The boys and I are going to stay with my parents in Arizona. We have two possible routes. The shortest trip involves three flights, but means flying through London, and therefore being unable to take my laptop.
The other trip is four flights, but goes through Frankfurt, which means that as long as the current laptop travel ban isn't extended, I'd be able to bring my laptop.
(Do not say I can check my laptop. Do not say I can check my laptop. DO. NOT. SAY. I. CAN. CHECK. MY. LAPTOP.)
Hence the dilemma. I survived a week in London without a laptop, sure. It was fine. I can't go for 2-1/2 months without one. Not when I have to be working on Pen's next books, not when I'm planning on publishing the summer camp story while we're in Arizona. (I figure my dad will get a kick out of watching me do that. He's like that.)
Plus, we're assuming the laptop travel ban won't be extended, which I'm not entirely sure is a safe bet. (And assuming that the LoL doesn't say, "Screw you, TSA, we won't let you bring laptops to our country either." Which would be entirely understandable.)
*sigh*
I need to get off this compound in the worst way, but even if I did, there's not a heck of a lot I could do once I'm off it. There's only so many times you can walk laps inside a mall.
On the other hand.... I read some really nice reviews of Pen's stories today. That helped. And I re-read the Alphaverse story again after a discussion on Tumblr reminded me of it, and it's super dark (which might be contributing to my current frame of mind) but oh man, I didn't really want to stop reading it. I still don't think it's worth scrubbing for publication - who'd want to buy it, it's such a strange concept - but I really, really want to put it up on AO3 now.
Then again, I wanted to put the second season YOI fic immediately, and that's tanking, so I'm kind of doubting my ability to determine appropriate posting schedules right now.
Oh well. Let's see what else I can manage to get done before Charlie wakes up from his nap.... Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Comment in either location.
The other thing leaning toward bust was my camera, which Charlie dropped on the parquet floor about three hours after we'd arrived. It looks fine, but the base won't recognize that the lens is properly attached (and trust me, the lens is properly attached), so I was unable to take any photographs with it at all. My phone takes horrible photos now - I'm not sure if it's the age of the phone or just my own snobbery - so there are very, very few photos of the kids in London.
I am, not surprisingly, kind of depressed about that.
I'm also upset about the camera. This is the second time I've broken (by myself or by proxy - Charlie getting hold of the camera was my fault) my camera overseas when there aren't many ways to get it fixed. I've already checked for a local camera repair place. I've found one - it's even an official location run by Sony, my camera's manufacturer - but there's no website and the Facebook page is... hysterical, to say the least. It's mostly people leaving messages about how one of the employees either kidnapped their daughter or owes them money or is otherwise a terrible individual and is wanted by the police.
("Yes, but can he fix my camera?!?!")
So I'm probably going to end up waiting until we're back in the States for the summer, when I'll take my camera to Best Buy where it is undoubtedly no longer under warranty (the last camera broke the day before the warranty expired, not that I could do much about that in Egypt).
*sigh*
But failing getting it fixed for a reasonable sum (and I have tried all the fixes I can find online; none of them work), I've decided that I'm just going to say "Screw it" and wait until the kids are older before getting another camera. By which point I'm sure they'll be powerful enough to take beautiful photos before I've even taken the lens cap off. And will break if I so much as touch them wrong.
One definite thing: I'm getting a new phone. Bill says I could get one now, here, but I can't see that being any cheaper than just walking into Verizon, handing over my current phone, saying, "My plan says I get a new phone", and then getting a new phone.
The main technological question for the moment is how we're going to fly back to the States for the summer. The boys and I are going to stay with my parents in Arizona. We have two possible routes. The shortest trip involves three flights, but means flying through London, and therefore being unable to take my laptop.
The other trip is four flights, but goes through Frankfurt, which means that as long as the current laptop travel ban isn't extended, I'd be able to bring my laptop.
(Do not say I can check my laptop. Do not say I can check my laptop. DO. NOT. SAY. I. CAN. CHECK. MY. LAPTOP.)
Hence the dilemma. I survived a week in London without a laptop, sure. It was fine. I can't go for 2-1/2 months without one. Not when I have to be working on Pen's next books, not when I'm planning on publishing the summer camp story while we're in Arizona. (I figure my dad will get a kick out of watching me do that. He's like that.)
Plus, we're assuming the laptop travel ban won't be extended, which I'm not entirely sure is a safe bet. (And assuming that the LoL doesn't say, "Screw you, TSA, we won't let you bring laptops to our country either." Which would be entirely understandable.)
*sigh*
I need to get off this compound in the worst way, but even if I did, there's not a heck of a lot I could do once I'm off it. There's only so many times you can walk laps inside a mall.
On the other hand.... I read some really nice reviews of Pen's stories today. That helped. And I re-read the Alphaverse story again after a discussion on Tumblr reminded me of it, and it's super dark (which might be contributing to my current frame of mind) but oh man, I didn't really want to stop reading it. I still don't think it's worth scrubbing for publication - who'd want to buy it, it's such a strange concept - but I really, really want to put it up on AO3 now.
Then again, I wanted to put the second season YOI fic immediately, and that's tanking, so I'm kind of doubting my ability to determine appropriate posting schedules right now.
Oh well. Let's see what else I can manage to get done before Charlie wakes up from his nap.... Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Comment in either location.