Mac is all better...but I need a Zanex

So after about now...um, 11 hours...my Mac is all better I think. I ended up having to wipe out my entire old HD and install Tiger. We'll see how it goes. Just for ya'll who are interested, Tiger does not include iPhoto anymore so Jobs took a note from Gates and is charging extra for something that used to come with the OS. Hmmm....fishy methinks. But because of my "educational" discount, I can get it for a small $50. (That was said in total sarcasm). I managed to salvage all my old bookmarks, pictures, documents and music-burning up a grand total of 7 CDs and using a 1 GB stick of memory. Phew. So, I'm going to also invest in a backup.

I talked to a lovely man at Apple Support and since my Protection Plan is good for another 6 months, he was nice enough to send me out a free memory stick to replace the fried one. Woohoo!! Saved $100 and yet, the plan cost more so I think I'm still getting screwed since my Mac hasn't been any problem until now. In retrospect, I'm so glad that I purchased and attempted to install Tiger because I honestly doubt that I would have known about the problem otherwise. I would have just merrily went along and been in tears when the HD had a meltdown. Everything would have probably been lost because I've never done a backup until now. Learn from my mistakes children, back up your computers, back em up to hell and back.

Here's my thanks to everyone at the Academy...Eric, thanks for the moral support, I never could have wiped my hard drive without you...thanks to Mom for calling at just the right time to make me laugh (she quit her job today, threw her badge at the boss, hahaha--don't worry, they begged her back and silly woman, she went back)...and thanks to the hubby for being out of the house all day at the BBQ competition. I couldn't have done it without killing you if you'd been here.

So, hopefully the mac saga is over and my computer now has a great big smiley face on it and my files are safe from destruction.

Peace,
B

Oh...my poor Mac is sick

Here's a blog for all you that care about computers. All the rest should skip this one. So, here's my Mac saga. I purchased the new OS for my Mac, Tiger. When I attempted to install it, it could not complete the installation, so I ran a hardware diagnostic on my HD. The error that came up involved the factory installed DIMM (RAM memory) stick that was on the puter. I also ran a disk utility on it and it came up with errors that it could not fix. Sidenote...when I repaired the permissions on my disk, there were about 1/2-hr's worth of repairs needed, but were accomplished with no problems. So, after weeks and weeks of manually backing up everything in my computer, I called Apple Support to make sure that the problem was what I thought it meant. I was correct and so removed the old stick, replacing it with the 512 stick I had installed when I first purchased the machine. Then I re-ran the hardware diagnostic and hallelujah!! It came out clean. I again ran a disk utility on reboot with the install CD. This time a totally new error came up that sounded ominous..."keys out of order" which it could not fix. Doing some research (thank God for the internet) I found out that this is indeed a bad thing. It basically means that I have B-tree files damaged and this leads to total disk failure if not corrected. Unfortunately, Mac does not come with the software to handle this itself and so I am forced into buying a software package for this. I researched some more and mostly found that DiskWarrior is the preferred utility for this problem and many others. I did not find any bad reviews from users about it, although the Norton version got slammed over and over. So, my next step is to attempt to get this software from the Apple Store in the KC Plaza, test the old stick and see if it's truly bad, and purchase a new 512 stick (might as well upgrade from the old 128) and also, look into a data backup software package. Most likely, this little adventure will cost me about $200 not including the emotional damage, haha.

I'm convinced that the bad memory stick caused the problems with my HD and I'm hoping that DiskWarrior can do for me what it has apparently done for so many others. Then I'll be sure to use it regularly to fix problems before they become serious. I've read so many reports that my problem led to complete meltdown of the system and tons of fun trying to restore and recover the HD. So, a little later today, I'll be making a trip to the Apple Store and hopefully getting some good advice that will help my poor sick Mac.

Love,
B

Just a little tip

All right kids, watching the news tonight, they made mention that Viagra has possibly made some men go blind! So I guess when mom used to say, "don't do that, you'll go blind," it has actually come true. Seriously, they are currently researching these claims and do NOT plan to take it off the market at this time. The FDA is looking into it and may put a black box warning on the medication.

So, it's now the golden hour of 3:30 am. Sigh. What's ironic about this is that the allergy medication I take at night is supposed to knock me out. Ha. My internal bizarro clock obviously has the stronger will! I've accepted the fact that I am at times an insomniac for no particular reason (the first step is admittance) and I'm okay with that (second step, acceptance). But at times, I wish I was like my husband who can fall asleep anytime, anyplace, for as long as he needs. If he only has 15 min., he can actually fall asleep and sleep only for 15 min. Amazing to me. He's currently enjoying the sleep of the very, very lucky right now and I'm trying really hard to not be jealous, lol.

I had a doctor's appt today and my blood pressure was 109/52. I asked if this was too low because it sounds way too low, but they told me to be happy and the last cholesterol check I had was at 109, so hmmm. I told Paul he won't have to worry about me on that score. I think it's the mounds of salt I eat. Or maybe it's the greasy food. Maybe all the research out there is completely wrong and they're conspiring with drug companies to get people on meds for high blood pressure when all they have to do is salt the hell out of everything they eat. Oh man, that's a great conspiracy theory. If none of you ever hear from me again, you know I'm right!

Well, off to find that elusive Sandman!

Love, B

Long Weekend (YESSSS!!!)

I promise to try to make this one shorter since I seem to have diarrhea of the typing variety. So, our plans for this long weekend are to shave one of my dogs and wash them both and go see Star Wars: Eppy III. Yeah, I know, we haven't seen it yet (stop looking so appalled Eric!) Just haven't had the time to fit in three hours of entertainment. Hell, we do the blockbuster online thing and have had one of the movies for about 6 weeks now. Pretty soon they'll send out a search party. Of course, next weekend is busy, busy with a graduation party, a lab BBQ, and my brother is coming up to go to Las Vegas with his girlfriend for a wedding. Yikes. Why is it always so busy on one weekend. Unfortunately, the BBQ and graduation are mutually exclusive as they are several hundred miles apart on the same day. Well, I need to be off to work early today-the interim chancellor is coming to visit and we want to look productive, lol.

Love, B

CSI is the devil in disguise

You may ask, hmmm, what do you (as in me) want to do with your life. Or you may not. I'll tell ya anyway. I want to become a forensic scientist working in the serology (ie, DNA) department. You may then ask (as sooo many do), "Oh as in CSI?" And I would wearily reply, "Yes, as in CSI." I hate that show. I case any of you are wondering why I would hate a show that supposedly documents the very life I want to lead in a dramatic way, well, it would be because it's so far removed from reality. Hate to burst the bubble, but it's wrong. Flat out wrong. In the real world, for those who may be interested, the forensic world is made up of specialists. There is a fingerprint person who does nothing all day except analyze fingerprints and sometimes crime scene recovery of fingerprints. There is a serologist who does nothing all day except try to get a trace amount of DNA and amplify it. These specialists may never step foot in a crime scene. There's a forensic entomologist who specializes in insects. There's forensic anthropologists who specialize in bones. I think I've belabored the point enough (the damn horse is dead, quit beating it). In the CSI world, everyone does everything, including the apprehension and interviewing of the bad guys (and gals, equality forever). And, oh boy, they do it fast.

Just to give you perspective, in the state of Kansas, fingerprinting is currently behind by three years. I'll wait a moment to let that sink in. So what that means is you may have a beautiful fingerprint of a murder suspect, but you have to wait for three years to find out who it is. Although in a murder case, they may be able to get some priority and move up the line a bit, there's still a wait. What CSI is doing for the average public who know nothing about how it really works, it's creating an atmosphere of unrealistic expectations. If the real cops can't solve it in a neat week, well, they must be incompetent. And it's also creating an influx of people who think that that's what they want to do. Well, sorry to disappoint kiddies, but it will never happen that way.

This interest has generated many degrees in forensic science which is the flip side of that coin. The bad news is, it's getting harder and harder to get a foot in the door. When I started pursuing my undergrad degree, the requirements were usually only a bachelor's degree for the true entry level position, and gosh and golly, there were a lot of them. By the time I finished my degree, the entire field had changed and now you needed either years of experience or a master's degree. Sigh. My uncle would undoubtedly call this the family curse of bad luck, but since I mock him about that, I better not prescribe to it.

So, basically, there's that rant. I'm done now. It's safe to get back in the water. So, lesson is, I'm returning to school to get a master's in forensic science. I can only hope that the field will not evolve in the next two years and then require me to get a doctoral degree. As this degree does not currently exist in the US, I think my chances are good that I may get my foot in that stubborn damn door.

Classes start in Aug. and while I am nervous (convinced I'll get kicked out cuz I suck), I'm super friggin excited. With one of my required textbooks being "Gunshot Wounds" who wouldn't be excited? I'll try to update everyone on the hella cool things I'll be learning, but may not have time cause I'll be, well, I'll be learning.

For now, it's off to work for me. No rest for the weary.

Love, B

Jumping on the old bandwagon

Well, howdy all who come to my blogspot...
I figured I'd jump on the proverbial bandwagon and get my own blog. Not that there is anything exciting to speak of in my life that anyone may want to read about. Hell, I may not want to read it. But figured, why not? I wanna be a part of this wonderful world of blogging. So, to any one who knows me and reads this, jeez, sorry. Don't care if people who stumble on it hate it, their fault for browsing blogs.

So, a little about me in the here and now. I'm a 30, married, childless (of the two-legged variety anyway), ex-college student (don't worry, I graduated) and soon to be current college student. I'm a major science nerd who loves biology and tolerates chemistry. Hate, hate, hate physics and calculus. Ugh. That's the only word that describes the hell of school. But anyway, I earned a BS in bio and am working in my field (gasp!). But not in the direct field I want to be in. So, I'm returning to school (oh, the horrors) to the detriment of my patient husband who has realized, too late, that he married an educational lifer.

I love reading books, high-brow stuff along with the smut. I'm not picky and never turn my nose up to a good read because it's a questionable genre or author. I rarely watch TV anymore besides movies. You may ask why...well, let me dust off the soapbox. I'm completely against the horrible dumbing down of society that the networks have accomplished in recent years with an influx of "reality TV." Sorry to those who's world revolves around who the bachlorette will pick NOT to marry, but I can't see wasting my life watching someone else live there's. The good shows that have been thought-provoking and intelligent have all gone by the wayside. I loved Dead Like Me (Showtime) and Carnivale (HBO) and both have been axed. So, I'm sticking to movies which I do watch when I can.

I'm a smoker and have been for a while now. I've been tossing around the idea of quitting, but am not ready to go to jail for killing someone just yet. My parents are still kicking and awfully frisky for people of their "advanced age." Gosh, I hope they read this. My husband is a wonderful, supportive man who only makes me want to slap him a couple of times a day. I consider this a huge measure of a successful marriage. Our 7-year anniversary is approaching and we've realized that we now finish the other's sentences. We figure in a few more years, verbal communication will no longer be needed. I have an older brother who has three daughters, which one of them has one daughter and another on the way. (If you can interpret that sentence, I'll give you a fruitcup!) So, that makes me a GREAT-AUNT at the age of 30. And all girls in case you skipped over the last sentence. Sorry to my 8th grade English teacher, that long sentence offended even me.

Let's see. Other pertinent info...hmmm. I have a wonderful extended family that happens to "extend" all over the continential US. Maybe even some outside of the US, but none that I'm aware of. I'd love to meet you though and please, let me use your little Italian villa by the sea.

Now for those who know me. I'll try to use this as I've always used my personal diaries I've kept all my life (don't worry, Dad, not that personal) but will try to update and spew words on you all. I so wanted to figure out a way to use the word "spew" in my blog. Success!!

For now, I'll stop my first blog so your lives may go on in peace. I didn't even break a sweat.

Love, B