• Another worry

    I was going to label this post “heartbreaking news” but I thought that might worry too many folks (however accurate it may be).

    I think the hard drive on my beloved PowerBook is about to fail. I keep duplicate copies of my critical data on the iMac, plus an online server. Plus, I keep duplicates of all my photos and music on both computers. Just in case, I just did a backup of my home folder, in case I’ve missed something over the years.

    I’m not worried about losing any data, just a member of the family.

    Yep, those ominous sounds coming from the spot where the hard drive sits in the case are getting worse.

    Damn.

    Many of you, lost in the computing wilderness (commonly known as Microsoft Windows) may have no idea what I’m talking about. To you, a computer may seem like a commodity – one seeming just like any other. A few of you are familiar with Macs – how they can seem like an extension of yourself. I’ve never felt that way about one of my Dell boxes at work. Each and every one of my Macs has shared that distinction. In fact, we still have most of them – all but two of the ones I bought new still get regular use (they’re over fourteen years old). My son uses a ten year old iMac.

    I could just go out and get a replacement drive, but I’m not sure I could justify the expense on an old laptop, which at more prone to hardware failures anyway – let alone old ones.

    I could take a little joy from this. After all, it’s an excuse to buy a new computer.

    No. Not like this.

  • Breakthrough on the Cheryl front

    A few months ago Cheryl called the Honda dealership asking if they’d be willing to make a deal on a Civic Hybrid.

    “Nope,” they said, “those babies are selling themselves. We’re not making any deals on hybrids.”

    This weekend Cheryl got an email from the sales manager, telling her they’d knock $4k off the price. It’s actually tempting. Cheryl told us yesterday the doctor gave her the ok physically, and in some ways more importantly: mentally she thinks she’s ready to get behind the wheel again.

    Note: Cheryl sent him a reply, reminding him they have a new hybrid coming out… one that we’re a little more interested in. But if they’d be willing to take $6k off the price, they might have a deal.

  • Group Therapy

    I studied phycology psychology at UF with the aim of becoming a counselor, in one form or another. I did some counseling on my first job after graduation. I spent a chunk of my time and an awful lot of my parent’s money on the idea that counseling, phycological therapy, and talking works.

    A small part of me finds it funny that it never seems to work for me, when I need it.

    We went to a support group for the first time last night and it was awful. The point is ultimately to feel better, but I felt much worse. Everyone didn’t get a chance to speak. There was nothing orderly about it. It was more like a cage match on pay-per-view (not that I’ve ever seen one, mind you), where someone rings a bell and everyone jumps in at once, fighting to be the last one standing.

    I did learn something though. I could have it much worse. Well, maybe “learn” isn’t quite the right word. I knew already. It was just reinforced… over and over again. Well, maybe “reinforced” isn’t quite the right word. It was really more like I was beaten over the head with it.

    Sometimes folks can take a little comfort knowing things can be worse, but I don’t tend to be one of those people (not always, anyway). It feels a little distasteful, finding comfort in someone else’s suffering. Worse, my flirtation with anxiety disorder can heat up in these circumstances.

    It can get worse? Really? It’s bad enough now, what would I do if it got worse? Fuck me… what if my life was like yours?