Holiday Recap
Well my friend The Mediocre Blogger abhors blogs that serve simply as diaries, and even though I wanted to avoid this myself, my absence for two weeks I think warrants an explanation for where I've been.
Two weeks ago I was preoccupied with building a new computer, which is an exercise I undertake less often these days but still thoroughly enjoy. The occasion? A free processor from Intel, care of Ladan, who got one as part of a "loaner" program for employees. They sent around a list of processors available - a Core 2 Duo E6700, a Core Duo, a Pentium 4, and a Pentium D. I assumed that anyone who knew anything about computers would choose the E6700 (it's by far the fastest of the lot, and currently retails for $500) and therefore the supply might be exhausted quickly, but within a few days of requesting it, Ladan got an e-mail informing her that her E6700 was ready for pickup. Within a week, I'd ordered all the new parts I needed online, and Ladan had sent me the processor, and so I was ready to build. Astute readers might question the necessity of building a new computer when my current machine was of sufficient power to run all my games acceptably. My answer is a question: how could I possibly pass over the chance to build a new machine with a free processor that is so much faster than my current processor? Sure, I have to sink a few hundred dollars into it, and I'll need to buy a replacement processor when (if) Intel asks for the original back (almost a certainty when she leaves the company in about six months), but it's just .... SO MUCH FASTER! Wouldn't I be crazy not to do it? Right, so you understand too. Heh heh.
So building that machine took a few days, and installing and updating Windows and then all my programs and games takes considerable time. Before I could fully finish the job, I had to leave to fly to Boston on the 21st, where I was planning to meet Ladan and then drive to Albany to spend a week with my family for Christmas. Unfortunately, her flight was supposed to stop in Denver, and the airport was closed that day. They couldn't guarantee her a ticket until Christmas day at midnight; alternatively, she could try to get a standby seat first to Chicago and then to Boston, with no idea of how long that might take. I was already flying to Boston when this happened, and right when it appeared that I might be spending the week in Albany alone, Ladan found a JetBlue overnight flight to Boston. I ended up staying with friends in Boston on Thursday night and then driving back to the airport at 5AM to pick her up. After a few more hours of sleep, we drove to Albany.
The next day we drove to Ottawa to visit some of Ladan's relatives. We stayed there one night, returning the next afternoon. Then from Sunday night to Thursday morning we stayed with my family in Albany. On Thursday morning we drove back to Boston and flew out in the afternoon, both of us returning to Phoenix to spend the New Year weekend together.
Christmas itself went well, and it was great seeing my parents and sisters again. Even though I'm clearly not enthralled with the holiday in general, we hadn't been home for Christmas since 2003 and I'd missed being with my family. There's been some serious friction between my father and my sisters over the past few months, and I'd like to think that those few days together somehow will help move all of us closer toward a resolution.
Our rental car was a nice surprise: I'd reserved the cheapest car possible, an economy car for $18 per day. When I walked to the designated spot in the Hertz lot in Boston, I had to laugh: it was a 2-door Chrysler Crossfire, a little hatchback sports car that looks similar to an Audi TT or a Porsche Carrera. Red leather interior, nice tight suspension, and a surprisingly powerful V6 215hp engine that can throw the car's weight around with ease. I had a blast driving it, and we put 1200 miles on it during the week as we drove from Boston to Albany to Ottawa to Albany to Boston. I even got stopped for speeding in Massachusetts - 85 in a 65 - but the cop thankfully let me off with a warning.
So now I'm in Phoenix for the weekend, and return to San Jose on Tuesday morning. I realize I'm pathetically behind in blog posts - I haven't even begun writing up the Nicaragua trip yet - but expect my New Year's Resolutions to appear here very soon.
Two weeks ago I was preoccupied with building a new computer, which is an exercise I undertake less often these days but still thoroughly enjoy. The occasion? A free processor from Intel, care of Ladan, who got one as part of a "loaner" program for employees. They sent around a list of processors available - a Core 2 Duo E6700, a Core Duo, a Pentium 4, and a Pentium D. I assumed that anyone who knew anything about computers would choose the E6700 (it's by far the fastest of the lot, and currently retails for $500) and therefore the supply might be exhausted quickly, but within a few days of requesting it, Ladan got an e-mail informing her that her E6700 was ready for pickup. Within a week, I'd ordered all the new parts I needed online, and Ladan had sent me the processor, and so I was ready to build. Astute readers might question the necessity of building a new computer when my current machine was of sufficient power to run all my games acceptably. My answer is a question: how could I possibly pass over the chance to build a new machine with a free processor that is so much faster than my current processor? Sure, I have to sink a few hundred dollars into it, and I'll need to buy a replacement processor when (if) Intel asks for the original back (almost a certainty when she leaves the company in about six months), but it's just .... SO MUCH FASTER! Wouldn't I be crazy not to do it? Right, so you understand too. Heh heh.
So building that machine took a few days, and installing and updating Windows and then all my programs and games takes considerable time. Before I could fully finish the job, I had to leave to fly to Boston on the 21st, where I was planning to meet Ladan and then drive to Albany to spend a week with my family for Christmas. Unfortunately, her flight was supposed to stop in Denver, and the airport was closed that day. They couldn't guarantee her a ticket until Christmas day at midnight; alternatively, she could try to get a standby seat first to Chicago and then to Boston, with no idea of how long that might take. I was already flying to Boston when this happened, and right when it appeared that I might be spending the week in Albany alone, Ladan found a JetBlue overnight flight to Boston. I ended up staying with friends in Boston on Thursday night and then driving back to the airport at 5AM to pick her up. After a few more hours of sleep, we drove to Albany.
The next day we drove to Ottawa to visit some of Ladan's relatives. We stayed there one night, returning the next afternoon. Then from Sunday night to Thursday morning we stayed with my family in Albany. On Thursday morning we drove back to Boston and flew out in the afternoon, both of us returning to Phoenix to spend the New Year weekend together.
Christmas itself went well, and it was great seeing my parents and sisters again. Even though I'm clearly not enthralled with the holiday in general, we hadn't been home for Christmas since 2003 and I'd missed being with my family. There's been some serious friction between my father and my sisters over the past few months, and I'd like to think that those few days together somehow will help move all of us closer toward a resolution.
Our rental car was a nice surprise: I'd reserved the cheapest car possible, an economy car for $18 per day. When I walked to the designated spot in the Hertz lot in Boston, I had to laugh: it was a 2-door Chrysler Crossfire, a little hatchback sports car that looks similar to an Audi TT or a Porsche Carrera. Red leather interior, nice tight suspension, and a surprisingly powerful V6 215hp engine that can throw the car's weight around with ease. I had a blast driving it, and we put 1200 miles on it during the week as we drove from Boston to Albany to Ottawa to Albany to Boston. I even got stopped for speeding in Massachusetts - 85 in a 65 - but the cop thankfully let me off with a warning.
So now I'm in Phoenix for the weekend, and return to San Jose on Tuesday morning. I realize I'm pathetically behind in blog posts - I haven't even begun writing up the Nicaragua trip yet - but expect my New Year's Resolutions to appear here very soon.
posted by GregP at 9:38 AM
1 Comments:
I forgive you for writing a diary entry.
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