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First Night Eve...
Dec. 31st, 2001 04:02 pmIf tomorrow is First Night, that is.
My translation schedule was such that, given a reasonable work day today and tomorrow, I could coast (relatively speaking) on Wednesday and still deliver the job a day ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, things have, as usual, conspired to keep me away from the keyboard until just now. So, I'm just going to have to push a little harder.
Some of it is my own doing, though.
I'm not much of a television person, but Galina watches TV in the evenings as she rests from the day's travails. The only problem is that she only gets two channels - and both poorly, I might add - via the traditional method of capturing the signal from the air. So, I took advantage of a special that the local Radio Shack is running and got a DirecTV system (hardware was $20 with a $25 rebate for store merchandise; I commit to 12 months of what amounts to $40 per month of programming for the basic package, 6 months of free Showtime and the major network feeds). Once I got the kit home, it took me about 20 minutes to set the thing up. Fortunately, there is an outstanding mounting location just outside the bedroom window for the dish.
One interesting observation. The instructions make a big deal about the importance of using an RG-6 cable, which is equipped with a grounding wire. They tell you not to get RG-59, which has no such grounding wire, and add that the kit comes with RG-6.
Guess what? The cable in the kit is an RG-59. Fortunately, I have a splitter that will allow me first, to use it to extend the laughably short 6-foot length of the cable that came with the kit, and second, to ground the cable.
I also canceled my local ISP's service effective today, for both my personal account and for the store. When they asked why I was closing the accounts, I mentioned that I had DSL. They tried to scare me with "Well, you know, DSL isn't all that reliable," to which I replied "Gee, you mean it's just like your service?"
Just kidding, even though it would have been true. From time to time, their DNS server goes on vacation (I think), which means you can connect to the network to your heart's content, but can't really do anything unless you know the IP address of the machine you want to talk to. In any event, even with DNS, I've never been too happy with the <2 kB/s data rate which, admittedly, is not really their fault.
While I was in the area, I stopped by the liquor store that's next to the ISP's office to see if I could find some Mavrodaphne of Patras. They had some, and I bought a bottle, along with a bottle of Korbel champagne to replace the soldier that we emptied for our anniversary the other night. I had also wanted to ask about a wine whose name I'd jotted down in my PalmPilot, but it turned out that the unit had drained its batteries, so I could not get the information.
As it turned out, the batteries were drained completely, so that all the data on the unit was lost. Fortunately, I'd backed it up recently, and thus have not lost anything, except the time it takes to restore the unit. My Palm has not worked quite correctly ever since I installed this one piece of trash software on it; searches don't work and this is the second time - or perhaps third - that the unit's auto-off feature has slipped up.
Anyway, I've got to go take care of some other items, too, before the day is out. Prime on the list is a report that's submitted to UPS every month detailing the packages we handle (but which we don't get any money for, except via this report). I also need to pay my AmEx bill and a few others.
If I don't get a chance to post again today, then may all who read these words accept my most sincere wishes for a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!
Cheers...
My translation schedule was such that, given a reasonable work day today and tomorrow, I could coast (relatively speaking) on Wednesday and still deliver the job a day ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, things have, as usual, conspired to keep me away from the keyboard until just now. So, I'm just going to have to push a little harder.
Some of it is my own doing, though.
I'm not much of a television person, but Galina watches TV in the evenings as she rests from the day's travails. The only problem is that she only gets two channels - and both poorly, I might add - via the traditional method of capturing the signal from the air. So, I took advantage of a special that the local Radio Shack is running and got a DirecTV system (hardware was $20 with a $25 rebate for store merchandise; I commit to 12 months of what amounts to $40 per month of programming for the basic package, 6 months of free Showtime and the major network feeds). Once I got the kit home, it took me about 20 minutes to set the thing up. Fortunately, there is an outstanding mounting location just outside the bedroom window for the dish.
One interesting observation. The instructions make a big deal about the importance of using an RG-6 cable, which is equipped with a grounding wire. They tell you not to get RG-59, which has no such grounding wire, and add that the kit comes with RG-6.
Guess what? The cable in the kit is an RG-59. Fortunately, I have a splitter that will allow me first, to use it to extend the laughably short 6-foot length of the cable that came with the kit, and second, to ground the cable.
I also canceled my local ISP's service effective today, for both my personal account and for the store. When they asked why I was closing the accounts, I mentioned that I had DSL. They tried to scare me with "Well, you know, DSL isn't all that reliable," to which I replied "Gee, you mean it's just like your service?"
Just kidding, even though it would have been true. From time to time, their DNS server goes on vacation (I think), which means you can connect to the network to your heart's content, but can't really do anything unless you know the IP address of the machine you want to talk to. In any event, even with DNS, I've never been too happy with the <2 kB/s data rate which, admittedly, is not really their fault.
While I was in the area, I stopped by the liquor store that's next to the ISP's office to see if I could find some Mavrodaphne of Patras. They had some, and I bought a bottle, along with a bottle of Korbel champagne to replace the soldier that we emptied for our anniversary the other night. I had also wanted to ask about a wine whose name I'd jotted down in my PalmPilot, but it turned out that the unit had drained its batteries, so I could not get the information.
As it turned out, the batteries were drained completely, so that all the data on the unit was lost. Fortunately, I'd backed it up recently, and thus have not lost anything, except the time it takes to restore the unit. My Palm has not worked quite correctly ever since I installed this one piece of trash software on it; searches don't work and this is the second time - or perhaps third - that the unit's auto-off feature has slipped up.
Anyway, I've got to go take care of some other items, too, before the day is out. Prime on the list is a report that's submitted to UPS every month detailing the packages we handle (but which we don't get any money for, except via this report). I also need to pay my AmEx bill and a few others.
If I don't get a chance to post again today, then may all who read these words accept my most sincere wishes for a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!
Cheers...
