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Well, the computer's mostly built. I'm glad I decided to start it a day early, because it really is a big job. Although a lot of yesterday was taken up by me sleeping in, and then me cleaning my room and desk, and then the kids coming down again for Boxing Day. But anyway. We had a few issues with not knowing if the CPU cooler would be tight enough on the CPU, and the fact the radiator for said cooler didn't fit in the front of the case, so we had to install it differently to how the installation guide showed us. Also dad obviously hated the case I bought, so there was a quiet simmering resentment throughout the process. Plus, even though the idea was for us to build it together so I could get some idea of how it was done, it mostly involved dad building it, and mostly asking me to hold the torch for him, and acting like I had no faith in him when I asked any sort of question. But! We sorted out all of the problems, and got all of the parts installed. Now we just need to connect everything to the power supply - and possibly connect the motherboard to some things (??) - and then we should be able to turn it on and make sure everything works. Then I'll just need to hook up the screen, and see if I can convince Microsoft to let me have Windows. Dad is dragging his feet, because he planned to clear out my sister's old house today, and apparently I can wait and just have it half made on my desk for a few weeks and we'll work on it in the evenings after I get back from work. I'm not a fan of that plan, so I'm trying to get it done today. It's been many months, and I'm ready to just have a computer again.

For Christmas I bought my dad a 75-year celebration of the Green Lantern comics, because Green Lantern was his favourite when he was a kid, and I ended up getting an encyclopaedia of DC comics characters. In it I read about Green Lantern's mentor-turned-enemy, who for one set of issues enslaved him for fun, and now I may need to borrow my dad's Green Lantern book. Slash is hard.

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The computer's all hooked up. But I have no idea if it works or how it works, because my dad's still busy 'tidying' the cables. Even though you can take the side off and do that whenever you like. Also, there's a lovely plate for the motherboard that tells you what all the sockets are for, but my dad thinks you have to take the motherboard out to put it in, and even though I've been picking the thing up and putting it down for the past two days and saying 'this is here', he 'didn't see it'. Grrr.

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My dad decided we should try to put that faceplate on by moving the motherboard, with everything still connected to it, over to one side, and that's how I spent the last couple of hours feeling like I wanted to cry into some circuitry.

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Well. 2016 isn't done yet.

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Computer reconnected, hooked up, and switched on :)

I was so happy when all the lights came on. Then dad noticed as well as the cosmetic lights of the motherboard, there was one that was on in a funny place. I, in denial, was like "it'll be fine!", but we were worried it was the CPU. Which would be the hardest part to get out and replace, frankly. But then we switched it on so dad could take a picture, and I noticed the CPU light did light up, but then immediately went to the next light and stayed on. So it was actually the memory sticks with a problem. One of them had come loose in our tribulations earlier, I'd noticed, so dad pushed it again and it hadn't quite been clicked in properly. Then we turned the computer off and on again, and all the lights came on in sequence, up to Boot Device. I unpacked and hooked up my new monitor, and there it was. My computer, sending signals, telling me all about the CPU temperature, and showing it could see my hard drive and the memory sticks.

I'M REALLY HAPPY. Me and dad were both tired, so we left it there and we're going to look into hooking up the keyboard and getting Windows on it tomorrow. But I am excite! Dad's left the side panels off the computer, which makes me concerned dust will get in. But we left them off yesterday and it was fine. Also, I don't seem to have the right cable to hook my monitor up to the graphics card, so I can't actually use that at the moment. But I can probably buy one. I've got work tomorrow, but I also have an external cd drive, and a bunch of cd-roms with my various parts talking about being 'Windows ready', so hopefully tomorrow we can switch it on and I can see about getting on operating system on there. And then actual stuff! AKsHFLhDAHJDLKHFLK.

I am very happy. Also the Green Lantern movie from 2011 wasn't as bad as everyone said.