Generation Why

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I'd be kind of excited. I would want to know immediately what my real life circumstances were. Am I healthy? Do I still have the same family? Am I still the same person?
I've learned a lot from my life experience, but I've got more cards stacked against me than I'd like. Being free of chronic pain and fatigue and immune deficiency issues would give me a COMPLETELY different life. Even with depression/anxiety, I really feel that, at this point in my life, I could be unstoppable at whatever I set my mind to.

My Lenovo ThinkPad's name is Petra. Petra Arkanian, for the sharpshooter androgynous important female Battle Schooler in Ender's Game. She was Armenian, and a total badass, and she helped Ender out of a lot of scrapes. Plus she's got tons of armor: Avast is great, plus apparently there's this thing called Windows Defender, and Lenovo has built-in protection of some sort. I feel really secure with this new machine, and it runs great, too.

My iBook G4's name is Cassie. I named her after a Skins character, this eccentric girl with an eating disorder who eats a lot of apples, travels a lot, and is a survivor. Despite a suicide attempt and anorexia, she still manages to graduate from college and fly to NYC! Bravo, Cassie! I originally bought this computer in early 2006, so yes, she's been around awhile. I had a Mac repairman resuscitate her early this year---she'd been in the backseat of my car for two years. The repair cost me a whopping 100 bucks, and they gave me a brand new keyboard and everything.

I think the Gateway desktop PC's name is Spliff. It's kinda dumb and doesn't appear to have much memory, much like a chronic pothead. Still going to try to make Spliff run some version of Ubuntu.

My old ruined Dell is named Gollum. I was going to name it Satine, because it was dying of consumption, but now it's pretty much functionally dead. So now I think of it as a monstrosity and a killer. A killer of my wallet. (Fuck you, Dell!)

I looooove it. <3 <3 <3

I've installed Avast and Chrome and Skype, and now I'm letting it charge up and rest while I do other things. I'll be sure to wax poetic on all the things I love about it specifically when I get done eating lunch and enjoying some of my day.

What a win!! And the fact that I am posting this from my Mac makes me feel oddly good about life.

I'm not giving up on Ubuntu for that Gateway desktop yet. I'm trying a reinstall. Probably it will have the same results. Oh well. I'll try running it with the CD in the tray for now and see how long it goes until the pixels disintegrate.

To clarify: As of Friday there will be 4 computers in this house.

1. My iBook G4, which is my main computer RIGHT NOW. It runs, but it's slow. It doesn't do Flash. I can't watch Netflix or Hulu on it. I can't chat on Skype. I haven't bothered downloading OpenOffice, it'll just slow down even more. It's not very compatible. That damned Motorolla processor.
HOWEVER! It doesn't get viruses! It's got a shiny new case, a perfect-condition powercord, and it's very reliable. Getting photos from my camera is incredibly easy with iPhoto. It's 13" and white. It's the Cute Lil White Box.

2. Mom's Gateway desktop PC, which used to be my uncle's (he passed away). It had Windows XP and now it doesn't. Things are disorganized down here and I don't have a recovery disc. I really just want the Linux installation to work.

3. My black Dell laptop. I call it Satine. Which is disrespectful to Satine, and to Nicole Kidman, I know. It is so close to death, it might as well be Satine during her final moments in Moulin Rouge. I'm not sure it can even power up. The power cord is completely coming apart. Hey, maybe I'll try my Ubuntu disc on that thing. Then I can see if it's a hardware or a software issue causing the consumption. Honestly it's probably both. That Dell is a piece of SHIT. The motherboard needed replacing A FEW MONTHS after I bought it. Gross.

4. And finally, the Lenovo Thinkpad that's supposedly arriving by UPS tomorrow. Don't have a name for that yet! Whee.

Thanks to y'all and your helpful advice, I've got a Lenovo ThinkPad SL Series on its way to me from Newegg now. I'm proud to say that over 60% of it was paid for by proceeds from recent jewelry sales.

4GB memory
500GB hard disk
Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 2.2G
Under $500 even with shipping, whee

This iBook G4 is still useful, though. It's petite and convenient. LINUX BOX? Yes I do think so.

I know I've talked to some of you about this before, but I can't recall specifics.

I need a printer for business things, eventually. Black-and-white will suit me fine. I am considering a basic model Brother printer-copier-fax thing.
I could make my own business cards and tags, print shipping labels, copy original black-and-white art for thankyou notes, print invoices, print out jewelry care instructions (brass and copper have special cleaning methods if you want to keep them bright). Suddenly my jewelry business looks 100% more professional.

What I really want to know is:

How long does laser printer ink LAST???

Something I read said it's composed of powder, which is fused in the printing process. That makes me think it doesn't dry or clog. But I could be wrong.

My main complaint about inkjets is that the stupid liquid ink dries up/gets clogged/goes USELESS after X number of months. I might not need to print for a certain amount of time. Am I going to have the same problem with a laser printer?

Laptop PC recommendations needed. Tell me your opinion. I'm leaning towards a Hewlett Packard Pavillion. My plan is to set aside all my jewelrymaking money until I save enough for a new computer, and a my best computer experience so far has been with a HP Pavillion. I'm still considering an Apple, but my purposes might best be served by a PC and my iBook G4 is ridiculously slow.

Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
List (and upload/link) 5 songs you love that begin with that letter.
Post them to your journal with these instructions.

I'll do my best with uploading the links! I'm going to cheat and go past 5 songs, calling them "bonuses" because this meme got me on a YouTube kick.

I got the letter R.

5. "Reckoning", by Ani Difranco. The arrangement of the notes is full of longing and hope and is never resolved, which makes it sooo enjoyable to listen to, for me. Plus it's a gorgeous lyrical composition about relationship troubles and how love doesn't die just because things get difficult. One of the most perfect songs ever, in my humble opinion!!

4. Roygbiv" by Boards of Canada. I love most things that BoC does; they are in that genre of nebulous, mood-lifting spacey electronica with a beat. Lately I'm more into Ulrich Schnauss (same basic genre), but I couldn't find any tracks of his starting with R. :)

3. Ribbed And Veined, by Cocteau Twins. From theis Tiny Dynamine EP. Gorgeous atmospheric musical arrangement, even though it's instrumental, so Liz Frasier's vocals aren't featured anywhere in the song. Just goes to show you that the singer wasn't the only thing that made the band great!!

2. Running Up That Hill, cover version by Placebo. While I am forever loyal to the original version of this song by Kate Bush, Placebo's version has the ability to elicit tears from me every time I listen. They slow it down, make it more haunting, add a heartbeat track.

(Unrelated: I put in the link for the official Kate Bush RutH video, and it showcases her enviable modern dance/choreography talents. Highly recommended viewing!)

1. Raspberry Swirl, Tori Amos. This video is from her "Storytellers" segment and it's a live version that is COMPLETELY worth watching and listening to. Love the feminist bisexual vibe of this song, the infectious beat, and Tori's musical skill is of the gods.

--------------extras because I couldn't help myself-----------------------

0. Tori Amos cover of Raining Blood by Slayer. Moody and amazing. I've still never heard the original Slayer song to be perfectly honest, and I don't care if I ever do.

-1. Rock The Casbah by The Clash. I don't care what anyone says, if this song comes on, I AM DANCING. Preferably in a public place, embarrassing my friends. And I would propose to Joe Strummer if he weren't deceased. *sniffle*

-2. Roslin And Adama from the Battlestar Galactica soundtrack. Mostly strings and piano, composed by Bear McCreary. If you've never watched the series and have NO idea what the theme is related to, it'll still fill your heart with joy and a healing hopeful kind of sadness. Pretty much any musical theme from Battlestar Galactica is worth listening to on its own even if you're not a fan of the series, and "Roslin And Adama" is probably my favorite theme of them all.

-3. Reckless by Crystal Castles. Poppy dancy electronica. I like this band in general for guilty electronica pleasures, and there are better songs than this one, but this started with "R". :)

-4. Run by Air. Mysterious music-box dissonance in the verses, euphoric vocal harmony resolution in the chorus. I always imagine I'm walking through a dark enchanted forest, and at the chorus, I find a clearing with a beautiful sunlit fountain.

-5. Runaway by Ladytron. Electroclash-fest! Goddess bless KORG.

The thoughtful ramblings of a sleepy person.

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http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gibxk/i_like_big_butts_and_i_cannot_lie_but_is_there

"I like big butts, and I cannot lie. But is there an evolutionary reason why?"

That is all.