Comp update

I'm back online, obviously, and from my own comp this time. I managed to trick my comp, whose DVD drive decided to stop working at the crucial point when I wanted to actually install Windows (the before mentioned "26 minutes remaining"). So now I have a running system, but one which says I need to activate it within 30 days. Yippie. I still need to find my own Win XP CD - if I ever had one, which I'm not so sure anymore - or try using that recovery CD again, but not before next weekend.

Um, yes, what else? Christian Bale got a parking ticket. Go to www.justjared.com for pics. Not as spectacular as I thought. He looks as he always does in paparazzi shots. Very casual clothes. When I read the headline (Bale gets busted), I thought he was arrested.

OpenOffice.org is cool. That's all I can think of for now.

Nothing but trouble

When i booted my comp on Thursday (a national holiday), nothing happened. It kept shutting down and re-booting. So I got my XP recovery CD and formatted the hard drive. Thus, all my data was deleted. Yippie. I don’t even want to think about what exactly was all lost. All my pics, wallpapers, desktop themes, browser bookmarks, fonts, games etc. Anyway, C:\ was formatted, the installation files were loaded, installation started. Then, when it said “26 minutes left”, I was asked to insert the XP CD. And the searching began, cos I didn’t have it in the box where all my other CDs were stored. I searched a number of rooms in the house and even drove to my sister’s place cos I had lent her the CD a while ago when she had a problem with her laptop. Of course, I couldn’t find it anywhere. So I clicked cancel instead of ok. The installation continued, and some kind of Windows is on my comp, but there’s not much there. No IE, no WMP and lots of other stuff is probably missing, too. When I wanted to start the Drivers & Utilities CD I also have to fix things, it said runtime error. Great. I thought the solution was to get an XP CD from someone. On Friday evening, my sister’s best friend, who lives round the corner, was home and had such a CD and I borrowed it from her. I tried several things, but never got further than I had got before cos even when I had put the CD in the DVD drive (my CD-RW drive is broken) and clicked OK, nothing happened, i.e. the necessary files simply couldn’t be installed or copied from the CD for some reason. I thought maybe the comp was looking for them in the wrong drive (it said D:\i386 as the location), but even when I changed that to E:\, nothing happened. Argh. I really don’t know what to do and am seriously considering getting Linux, if it’s available for free. I am so annoyed by all this crap. I have 4 days off from work, but can’t enjoy them at all. I just want to scream and shout all day. Stupid computers. Oh, BTW, I have no idea why my comp wouldn’t start properly in the first place. I’ve been having problems for a while, such as the computer re-booting when I wanted to connect to the internet (via my slow dial-up modem), but I had gotten used to that. I don’t think it was a virus cos my anti-virus software downloads the latest updates whenever I go online. I’m so lost.

Sorry if all of the above wasn't very interesting. I just needed to write it down, I guess. And I wanted to let you know that you probably won't here from me for a while. At the moment, I'm online via my old laptop. My mood couldn't be worse and there's not even a new ep of Veronica Mars on today because of some stupid sports event. Also, the weather sucks. It's cold and rainy and windy. GRRRRRRRRRRR

Eurovision - oh my!

Last night – as every year for as long as I can remember (probably since the mid-1980s) – I watched the Eurovision song contest (formerly known as Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson or something like that, and still called Grand Prix in my family). It’s basically the same every year: lots of very colourful and very strange performances and not too great songs – although it really is a contest for song writers. The most famous band that ever took part is probably the Swedish group ABBA, who won in 1974 with the song Waterloo. This year I was really really proud of the German song and very much rooting for it and hoping for victory. The German band is called Texas Lightning. It consists of 4 German men and 1 Australian singer/songwriter. The song is No, no, never. As you can guess from the band's name, it's more or less a country song. But a good one, very light and sweet. It's the current no. 1 in our country's charts. The song really stood out among all the oriental beats and crazy dancers and female singers with their breasts almost popping out of their tiny tops. But guess who won? Finland. Now imagine the orcs from Lord of the Rings playing instruments, singing and wearing hats with the Finnish flag on them and you get the idea. The song wasn't the worst in the competition, but the oufits and make-up, really like straight from a horror movie ... I have no idea how anyone's gonna top that next year ...

For more info (in German) and pics go to Yahoo. English article here.

Okay, I was in a bit of a hurry when I posted the above last night. I'd like to add that this was the first time in 40 years (or so) that Finland has won, so it's okay cos it gets boring if the same countries win too often. And the winning song IS catchy, I have to admit that. I've been trying to get it out of my head, but more or less failed.

As to the presenters, one was a Greek singer who took part in the contest a couple of years ago. His first name's Sakis, that's all I can remember. And then there was Maria Menounos. I was surprised to see her there cos I only know her from a guest role in an episode of Without a Trace. I know she's an American TV presenter and I think she did a good job. I liked her hair better in the semi-final on Thursday. In the final on Saturday she looked like Debra Messing, so it was very appropriate when the guy who told them the vote from the Netherlands said "You look like Will & Grace", because Maria and Sakis really did.

not MIA, really, but sort of

I feel guilty for not having posted anything new on the weekend. But there just wasn't much to say.
My week looks like this:
Mon-Fri:
get up before 6
go to work
get home at about 7 pm
watch the latest ep of McLeod's Daughters (which I always tape in the afternoons)
watch more drama series, such as The 4400, ER, House, Without a Trace, depending on what day it is.

Sat & Sun
try to catch up with e-mails
surf around
try not to be too mad at my stupid comp (problems with DVDs, mostly)
spend time with my sister, if it's a week where she's not at her boyfriend's
watch TV (big surprise)

Blah. Most interesting post ever. As I said, not much to report, but at least my few dear readers know I'm still here.

checking in

Here I am again. My first week in the new job was okay. The people are very friendly but a lot of things are new and it'll take me a while to get used to them. I had to work pretty long hours (from 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.), I hope that won't always be the case. I hate having to get up at or before 6 a.m. (I'm very slow in the mornings.).

Yesterday I went shopping and to the hairdresser. Bought 3 blouses and lots of bras. And a cheap bag. I love bags. And of course, cosmetics. I can never resist.

Today my sister and her boyfriend came to visit. Blah. Weekend almost over. Time is running away from me.

Rothenburg

I wanted to write a full recap of our day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber about a week ago, but instead, I'll just post 3 pics we took (actually, my friend took them cos I didn't take my crappy digicam). Longer text about it might follow. Or not. I have too many ideas for blog entries that I never actually write or finish or post ...