The sweeping curves of a Metro station balcony.
Photo taken with a Palm Zire 71.
Dynamic Duo
It wasn’t Halloween, and I had seen no Bat Signal, but there they sat, the dynamic duo, with the theme from the original — and still the best — 1960s Batman blaring from the speakers. Probably a sorority initiation (they were female).
Photo taken with a Palm Zire 71.
Moved
Unpacking and refurnishing are my least favorite parts of having a new apartment. With the boxes still piled and the room still bare, the place felt at first more like a prison than a domicile.
Fortunately, with furnishings and other odds and ends purchased from DC.CL, LNT, TCS, and NWL, the room is feeling more and more like home.
(Remind me to tell you how I got my Serta Perfect Sleeper full size mattress and boxsprings for free.)
The first Monday of August, I called up Verizon and asked for a local landline. The signup service was quick, and the operator was friendly, and they said I would have my line activated by afternoon of the very next day. Tuesday came, but no dial tone. Wednesday, still none. Thursday, I called again, and after keeping me on hold for 30 minutes, they told me my order had never been placed. I had to repeat the signup again, and then they told me I failed a credit check — impossible since I know my credit is perfect. I got irate. I yelled. I finally got service. They say I will get my landline on August 21: a far cry from whenever that liar from the first call told me I would get my line. I must wait that long till I can decently receive phone calls or dial up from home. (Do not talk to me about broadband. I am poor.) Verizon, you blow chunks.
It turns out the Fox News DC office is right across the street. I can feel the Patriotic Brainwaves making me more Fair and Balanced by the minute.
I just found out that my neighborhood in DC is called “East End,” though more people think of it as “Union Station.”
CyberHibernate
I’m leaving for Chicago and Wisconsin Dells tomorrow, and since I still lack a phone line at home, and seeing that I must prioritize work and the task of refurnishing for a long while, I will be in a state of reduced web presence for a few weeks. There is much to write about, but no time to even think. I’ll be back soon. Pray hard.
It is Dark Here
You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.
(This is actually our server room at work, with all the lights out.)
Photo taken with a Palm Zire 71.
Washingtonian Again
Today, I am moving to my new domicile, a cozy corner efficiency in the heart of downtown Washington, DC. The location is especially exciting: just steps from Union Station, and a stone’s throw from the US Capitol and the National Mall. (Were it not for a big glass office building directly across the street, I would have a grand view of the Capitol Dome dominating my whole window.) This new place is an answered prayer, and I am really looking forward to it. It’s the best place I’ve had to live in for a long, long time.
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
More news soon. I need to pack.
Peripheral Annoyance
Update 2: Mark Pilgrim installs WinXP.
Update: (Argh, scratch this entry. Admittedly, yes, I tested it in Win98, but now I’ve tested the Predator in WinME, WinXP, Mac OS 9, and OS X again, and now the thing refuses to acknowledge any CD-Rs or CD-RWs at all, which means the issue was with the unit itself. I’m now stuck with a glorified external CD-ROM drive. Having read the comments, I agree, yes, it’s much easier to install in WinXP — though it still needed the drivers — and I apologize if anyone felt baited.)
Installing and testing an old Iomega Predator…
On Windows:
1. Insert Iomega software CD.
2. Fill out required registration form but do not send it.
3. Install Iomega HotBurn software and Predator drivers.
4. Reboot.
6. After reboot process, shut down, plug Predator into USB port, and start up.
7. Wait for Add New Hardware Wizard to detect Predator. “Drivers not found.”
8. Hunt for drivers manually through C:Program FilesIomega.
9. Insert CD-R into Predator and open Iomega Hotburn software.
10. Stare blankly at error window which says “This is not a CD-R.”
11. Reinstall drivers. Reboot again.
12. Repeat from step 7 until limit of tolerance.
Elapsed time: 2 hours.
On Mac OS X:
1. Plug Predator into USB port.
2. Insert CD-R into Predator.
3. Drag and drop.
Elapsed time: 45 seconds.
This is why I prefer Apple.
Crossties
A strange view out my window on the commuter train this morning.
Railroad crossties (or “sleepers,” as the English call them) lined up for track work somewhere on the Northeast Corridor.
Photos taken with a Palm Zire 71.
iBook: The Voyage Home
I’m posting from the Apple Store, where I have just retrieved my revived laptop. (The photo was taken with an iSight.)
I’m With Nolte
This just in: Scientists have concluded that Gary Busey is not Nick Nolte. I still think they’re twins, right along with Helen Hunt and Leelee Sobieski, and Luciano Pavarotti and John Rhys-Davies. (Remember that Sliders episode?)
