Screwed the pooch, mostly.

There’s a slightly more colourful version of that expression,  but it basically means to do nothing. 

Well,  I did manage to run around a bit,  but not much else got done. 

Travelling Companion figured it was time to head off for her turn at the blood sucking,  so I offered to drive this morning.  The deal is,  if you get to the doctor’s office right at 8:00 a.m.,  there’s a good chance the nurse,  or whatever she’s called,  will simply get it out of the way and then you’re done.

Of course,  I had our coffee at the ready for when she came out,  since it’s that whole “nothing to eat or drink” routine.  Choosing to go into coffee withdrawal as some sort of act of solidarity,  I hadn’t had my first coffee of the day either.  

I was just at the brink of headache territory. 

I managed.

 

For a few months now,  I’ve been mulling over the idea of getting a replacement for the laptop I’m currently using.   I think I’ve explained this,  but it’s not just a matter of running out of room to keep cr*p on the drive,   which I can sort out from time to time,  but moreover the fact that the Mothership is no longer going to support Windows XP after April of this year. You knew this, right?

That’s what they say, anyway.   If you have to be weaned off the teat of the Mothership,  you’re not going to get your nourishment in the form of updates. 

That could be bad.  

We ended up with the Blue Screen of Death when we were in the Netherlands,  since the PC that we had shipped over wasn’t actually hooked up to the collective.  She died.

Well,  and was resurrected with Ubuntu,  but that computer is sitting down in the basement.  All by its lonesome.

 

I’ll keep the laptop, but I’ll probably load some open source OS such as Mint,  and use it to surf the web or whatever.  The thing is,  Mint doesn’t support Live Writer.  So that kinda sucks.

And there was no way I was going to pony up the dough for some version of the Fruit either.  Not for what I do.  Surf the web,  write a couple words?  That’s it.   1500 bucks for a Mac to do that?   I don’t think so.  OK, maybe 1200, but still.

 

As it happened,  Futile Shop had a dealski on an Acer,  which is now sitting here on the desk.  I already had the monitor,  and the speakers.  

It’s got a few things going on. 

Hey,  it’s been five years since I bought my last computer.  We’re onto what?  USB 3 now?  Hey, maybe that hard drive I have sitting there won’t be giving me so much grief anymore?  That would be refreshing.  “This device could run faster”.   No kidding.

 

Here, let me just copy and paste the information about this new thing, rather than try and decipher it all.

I think I need to get a job writing this kind of hooey.  ‘Cause I’m sure I can shoot the shit just as well as whoever wrote this malarkey.  

Try not to gag.

 

The Acer AXC-605 is a snappy little PC that takes up barely any desk space while simultaneously providing you with the versatility to satisfy your home computing needs. At only one-third the size of a traditional PC, this sleek machine offers unexpectedly large power with its 4th generation Intel Core i3 processor and whopping 1TB of storage space for all of your multimedia files.

More Information

• 4th generation Intel Core i3 processor capable of 3.4GHz for super quick performance
• 6GB of RAM for ultra-smooth multitasking action
• A massive 1TB hard drive easily stores all of your favourite movies, photos, music, and more
• Intel HD Graphics powers HD videos and some video games
• Features Windows 8.1
• 16X DVD+/R/RW Super Multi Drive
• 802.11a/b/g/n
• Includes a power cord, keyboard, mouse, setup poster, and warranty card

Please Note: This product contains both English and French operating instructions and system software. In this context GB or Gigabytes refers to 1 Billion Bytes. The actual formatted capacity will be less.

You know,  when they use words like “snappy” “versatility” and “whopping”? 

Really?   I just mutter to myself,  “Oh fer fucks sakes”.

“Home computing needs”.  That sounds kind of salacious.

 

Anyway,  it’ll certainly do.  And it was on for $399.99.   Not that I wanted to come in under four hundred bucks or anything.   (why not just say $400??)

I have to school myself a little more on Window 8.  I still haven’t figured out how to shut the damned thing off.

They were offering it on line with free shipping,  but I procrastinated by ONE DAY,  and I ended up having to go to a store to pick it up!  Gah! The bother.  

*ahem*

Anyway.

Moving along.

 

I had my cooking assignment spelled out for me this morning by Travelling Companion.

Something to do with pork tenderloins that she wanted to cook yesterday,  but after getting unexpectedly stuffed at her sister’s place yesterday afternoon we weren’t willing or able to eat any more food for the day.  So I had to do “Sunday Dinner”.   Today.

 

You Vegans might want to look away.  Well, Vegetarians too I suppose.

Did you get that?

Actually,  it’s dead easy (otherwise she wouldn’t have entrusted two pork tenderloins to me!).

Involves sautéing the medallions cut from the tenderloins with a cut up onion, (in butter, hello!) adding a couple cans of cream of mushroom soap,  two or three potatoes cut into smaller pieces and put into a 350°F oven for about an hour…or so.   I shut it off after an hour and twenty minutes and went to fetch T.C.   It was still hot after we came home.  Like…really hot.   I threw in some salt and pepper,  but that’s probably not even necessary.  Good for two nights!   Yup.

My kinda cookin’!   I think probably after about three days I’d have to change it up or something, but you probably have a pretty good idea just where I am on the creative cooking end of things.  Waaay down there on the end.   You can barely see me.

 

Hellooooooo!

 

That’s it for today kids.

 

Keep those sticks on the ice.

 

Thanks for looking.