And Other Things
I just noticed that I've used "And Other Things" in the last three or four journal entry titles. I must be losing my touch at coming up with informative, yet unique titles.
This week I should be getting a new computer. I received a computer about two and a half years ago from my grandparents as an early graduation present. It has been excellent (it's a Mac Pro tower) and suited my needs well, however I am VERY glad that I got an extended warranty on it because it has been plagued with hardware issues. The first was the graphics card shortly after I acquired it. Then it was the RAID card. And then the RAID card again. I also had to have the Logic/motherboard replaced in addition to the aforementioned second RAID card. I think it was earlier this year I lost a second graphics card and you might just see the trend here. Last month the RAID card crapped out on me again (not that I really use it, but it's there and it tells me if it has an issue, usually the battery) and I took it into Apple feeling a bit perturbed and trying to scrounge up an annoyed, angry customer attitude, which I'm actually rather horrible at.
The Apple tech immediately went to the hard drives and ran them through a bunch of tests. My computer has always had a long boot-up time and the tech commented on it (as others have) and shuffled through several other tests. Unfortunately my stalwart computer passed all the tests with the only sign of an issue being the RAID card's warning and the long boot-up time. He concluded that one of my HDs was probably bad, but wasn't quite so bad as to cause the function of the computer major issues apart from, y'know, eating RAID cards and possibly graphics cards too.
He said "I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to get you a new computer."
"What?" I wasn't sure if I heard right. I had not yet had the chance to scrounge up the full force of my "angry customer" front, which really doesn't exist, but needless to say I hadn't really complained much at all.
"You're getting a new computer. I'm tired of having to fix this one and I'm sure you're tired of lugging it in here." I certainly was!
They tried to hook me up with a computer they had on-hand, but mine has two DVD drives instead of just one so we had to order it.
While it was a bit of a pain to have to lug the thing back and forth over the last couple years I am quite happy with the outcome! Because Apple's computers have had some upgrades over the last two years I automatically get more RAM and disk space as well as a better graphics card, faster processors, and the like. I don't know if the extended warranty merely rolls over or if it starts anew with the new computer. Either way, I am DEFINITELY getting the extended warranty/Applecare plan because it has more than paid for itself with my current machine!
They said that they can do a complete data transfer so I won't have to reinstall everything on my new machine (yay!). So it should be in sometime this week and hopefully I'll be lugging in my tower for the last time. Fingers crossed the new machine is flawless and doesn't have some odd hardware issue that causes issues elsewhere. The new machine will not have a RAID card since I'm not doing anything that really requires it. I can live without it, even though it was probably a symptom rather than the issue itself, as I said, I don't think I really ever used it and can certainly live without it.
This week I'm breaking out the pastels and going to attempt to get 14 pieces done before the end of the month! I'm excited to play with my favorite traditional media again and happy to have a series of pictures laid out already to have some fun with! I plan on keeping it loose and treating them a bit like speedpaints, spending no more than four hours on each. I don't know if I'll end up throwing in the expressive line work, but I think that'll depend on what each one feels like it needs.
Saturday I put the baby beater saddle on Zetahra for the second time. She didn't mind it at all and it fits around her belly now. She's also doing well with being tied and I've brushed and picked out her feet while she's stood. If I keep it up over the next three years I'm hoping that she'll be one of those horses that appears to be "born broke." At least that's my goal anyway!
And now I have horses to work!
This week I should be getting a new computer. I received a computer about two and a half years ago from my grandparents as an early graduation present. It has been excellent (it's a Mac Pro tower) and suited my needs well, however I am VERY glad that I got an extended warranty on it because it has been plagued with hardware issues. The first was the graphics card shortly after I acquired it. Then it was the RAID card. And then the RAID card again. I also had to have the Logic/motherboard replaced in addition to the aforementioned second RAID card. I think it was earlier this year I lost a second graphics card and you might just see the trend here. Last month the RAID card crapped out on me again (not that I really use it, but it's there and it tells me if it has an issue, usually the battery) and I took it into Apple feeling a bit perturbed and trying to scrounge up an annoyed, angry customer attitude, which I'm actually rather horrible at.
The Apple tech immediately went to the hard drives and ran them through a bunch of tests. My computer has always had a long boot-up time and the tech commented on it (as others have) and shuffled through several other tests. Unfortunately my stalwart computer passed all the tests with the only sign of an issue being the RAID card's warning and the long boot-up time. He concluded that one of my HDs was probably bad, but wasn't quite so bad as to cause the function of the computer major issues apart from, y'know, eating RAID cards and possibly graphics cards too.
He said "I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to get you a new computer."
"What?" I wasn't sure if I heard right. I had not yet had the chance to scrounge up the full force of my "angry customer" front, which really doesn't exist, but needless to say I hadn't really complained much at all.
"You're getting a new computer. I'm tired of having to fix this one and I'm sure you're tired of lugging it in here." I certainly was!
They tried to hook me up with a computer they had on-hand, but mine has two DVD drives instead of just one so we had to order it.
While it was a bit of a pain to have to lug the thing back and forth over the last couple years I am quite happy with the outcome! Because Apple's computers have had some upgrades over the last two years I automatically get more RAM and disk space as well as a better graphics card, faster processors, and the like. I don't know if the extended warranty merely rolls over or if it starts anew with the new computer. Either way, I am DEFINITELY getting the extended warranty/Applecare plan because it has more than paid for itself with my current machine!
They said that they can do a complete data transfer so I won't have to reinstall everything on my new machine (yay!). So it should be in sometime this week and hopefully I'll be lugging in my tower for the last time. Fingers crossed the new machine is flawless and doesn't have some odd hardware issue that causes issues elsewhere. The new machine will not have a RAID card since I'm not doing anything that really requires it. I can live without it, even though it was probably a symptom rather than the issue itself, as I said, I don't think I really ever used it and can certainly live without it.
This week I'm breaking out the pastels and going to attempt to get 14 pieces done before the end of the month! I'm excited to play with my favorite traditional media again and happy to have a series of pictures laid out already to have some fun with! I plan on keeping it loose and treating them a bit like speedpaints, spending no more than four hours on each. I don't know if I'll end up throwing in the expressive line work, but I think that'll depend on what each one feels like it needs.
Saturday I put the baby beater saddle on Zetahra for the second time. She didn't mind it at all and it fits around her belly now. She's also doing well with being tied and I've brushed and picked out her feet while she's stood. If I keep it up over the next three years I'm hoping that she'll be one of those horses that appears to be "born broke." At least that's my goal anyway!
And now I have horses to work!