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Rethinking Self

In the past few weeks, my PS3 died (no word on it yet), my computer with all my photography, writing, and important files died, and yesterday, I effectively killed the laptop. Right now, we do not have a functional computer.

This has wiped out my two or three attempts to produce my biannual (not biennial) newsletter, Dragonfly. I do not have my mailing list, and every story I wrote has been killed on both computers. Needless to say, the newsletter will be delayed.

I can’t help but think I am slightly cursed… and I should start rethinking myself and my reliance on computers. Of course, the primary reason I am so upset the situation is my lost photography, which happens to be digital with computer a necessary component. Right now, that is still an open wound for us… still no hope in recovery at this point. I am considering alternative activities and have begun reading a book series I read several years ago. A comfort read.

We did celebrate my birthday that is tomorrow (I have to close the library on my birthday, so not doing anything on my actual birthday). Last weekend we went on a river cruise of the Rhine Neckar valley (a three hour tour… *Gilligan’s Island theme song*), Thursday we picked up outdoor furniture and lighting, and Saturday we went shopping down the Hauptstrasse. We picked up some new digs for Herr, I purchased a new dress, then we went to eat at Konomi (Japanese restaurant) and had a cocktail at Regie. No worries, they have non-alcoholic drinks. 😉

Well, guess it is time to find out what I should be doing with myself, since it is obvious my house was built on a graveyard and the ghosts are attacking my electrical devices. Good thing I don’t have a television to get sucked into…

Death of a Computer…

A few days ago, my massive computer crashed. I think back to when I originally purchased the pieces, knowing that overheating would be a serious problem. My brother refused to put together a system using water cooling (very effective and not as risky as it used to be), so I have multiple fans and a monster heat sink working overtime. All for naught. My computer fried its hard drive.

Let’s recap what is on said hard drive. All my and Herr’s photography (allllll of it). All my Web design work. All my writing. All the programs I need to do everything already mentioned. Much more that would be hard to replace. Okay, now we get an idea of the severity of the situation…

So I began all recovery options. All have failed. I am now to the point of narrowing the scope of the problem. Is it the entire hard drive? Are files recoverable? Can I fix it if I can access it like a storage device? Where the heck is all the heat coming from? (I am guessing the answer to that last question is a combination: dog dander and fur, flashing lights on the case, location, and Internet Explorer 7.)

Productivity and motivation have plummeted through the floor. We still have a laptop, but it barely gets me through the basics. While I was looking for a way to regulate my time spent on my computer, this wasn’t one of the options I envisioned. I hope both my PS3 and computer come back working optimally, but we’ll see what the jury decides.