girlofprey

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 18:31:56 GMT

I've started to get a funny ache right along the curve of my spine, and I'm concerned I'm on the points of permanently messing up my back by sitting in from of the computer all day. I think Crusader Kings probably made it worse - it's a very intense game. So I am going to try to spend less time on here for the sake of my health. I already go for walks with the dogs every day, so it's not like I do nothing else, but I could probably still stand to do other things. I just don't know what anymore. I feel attached at the hip to the internet. I should probably read some of the many, many books I've bought lately.

Also I'm bored out of my skull. I just want to play Cyberpunk 2077. Which is weird, because I really didn't enjoy the Witcher 3 that much, and there's no reason to think their writing will be any different in this game - especially from all the women or "women" gyrating in strip clubs in the trailers. But I just really want to play a first-person RPG. Bethesda hasn't given us anything for a few years, and I just want a new world, and fighting, and exploring, and personalising my character and space with random, trivial ornaments and clothes you only really get in very big, well-developed RPG worlds. I'd also love to play Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but Watch Dogs is coming out literally 12 days before Assassin's Creed, and Assassin's Creed is coming out literally 9 days before Cyberpunk. So I have about a month left of boredom before more massive games than I can really handle. And Miles Morales is coming out on 12th November too, alongside the PS5. And all the Halloween games. I get wanting to cash in on fall and the new console releases, but it feels like they could have spaced their games out a bit more.

And we're two thirds of the way through September. Which feels fucking weird.

comments

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 22:42:10 GMT

Since Tuesday night, my computer hasn't complained once about the CPU fan not working.

I'm feeling pretty stressed at the moment, and I don't know what I can do about it. Not looking forward to next week, when I'll be starting to the week off with my parents and nephews coming home. My manager came to me today to tell me that both morning receptionists will be off for the next two weeks, and let me know that if I wanted to come in early on any mornings, that would be really helpful. I was sort of like "umm...ummm..." - a little surprised he even asked me. Then I later told him that next week at least, I didn't think I could do anything, and as I tried to explain he told me I was worrying too much and he only asked me so I didn't get annoyed he hadn't even asked me, to give me a chance to do some extra shifts if I wanted to. ??? I don't think I'll be doing any extra hours.

Also, I tried to talk to him to let him know that he didn't need to speak to the CEO about the sick pay form, because I found out she already emailed me last week, and he said he knew about that, he thought he was copied into it. Given that that email more or less spelled out that I was entitled to sick pay and would probably get some from the company, that was a little confusing? Especially since he was still saying that he couldn't make head nor tail of the form? I think I'm going to have to try to have a talk with him about exactly what his professional opinion on my sick pay is. I have no clue what people are talking about in the company anymore. I suspect no-one does.

I spent some of last week learning about Etta Lemon, one of the founders of the RSPB and a major figure in the Women's Anti-Suffrage movement - which I didn't even know was a thing. It was weird to read about, but in a way it makes me feel better about the fact that women still argue about women/feminism today, and feminists still argue today. It's not that we were united before, and now we've become divided. It was always like this. You've just got to hope the most helpful things win out, I guess.

Also today I was reading about the fact that The Ring series was heavily inspired by the Japanese Okiku folk tale - which led me to probably my favourite set of stories ever. Can't honestly tell if the text by each image is a good translation of the traditional story, a bad translation of the traditional story, or the website owner taking creative license. NB: You have to click on each card and go to their page to get the full effect.

After many times watching this video of a pregnant stray dog being taken in and she and her puppies cared for and raised by multiple people, my favourite fic idea of the moment is "people looking after a pregnant stray dog together" fic. Sadly not a lot of people are writing stray dog fic.

comments

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 22:24:21 GMT

Maybe 60% and I have to go to bed soon.

comments

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 20:44:25 GMT

So. My computer has been having an issue for the past few months where it won't let me boot up right away because it says there's an error with the CPU fan. I go into the BIOS, check the CPU temperature, check the fan speed, look at the rpms, there's nothing wrong, so I just load up the computer. Nothing bad's happened so far, so I generally assume it's a problem with the computer detecting the fan. But lately it's occasionally making me go through that whole process five or so times before it will let me boot up the desktop, and today when I was checking through the BIOS I noticed it had the fan spinning at 0rpm, which it never has before. I have a see-through side on my computer case, and I've looked in, but I genuinely can't tell if it's spinning or not. Or even if it's supposed to spin, or I got one of those liquid cooling ones. Can't do anything else with it without literally dismantling my computer, which I'm not prepared to do right now, and google tells me it could still be the computer failing to detect the fan rather than any sort of problem. So here I am. But I'm a little afraid my computer could suddenly fry my CPU with no warning. I have decided to back all my shit up again, and spent quite a while looking through every USB cable I had to figure out which one connected to the external hard drive, chose the wrong one, stared at My PC for ages trying to figure out if E was the external hard drive even though it wasn't showing up like it usually did (tip: it was not, and it was probably a mistake to try to copy my life's collection of fanfiction onto there), before I finally went back to my earlier thought of "maybe the external hard drive's USB cable is in the external hard drive's box?", opened the box and found it there. Human disaster? Maybe. Anyway, I'm formatting the drive now, so for a little while I'll have NO BACKUP AT ALL. Hopefully I will complete a new copy before my computer burns to a crisp.

Also feeling like I should take this opportunity to read ALL THE FIC IN THE WORLD. Or apply for jobs I won't be able to respond to any emails about if my computer burns to a crisp. I HATE COMPUTERS.

comments

Sun, 25 Nov 2018 22:46:21 GMT

Well, an hour, a lot of frustration and a few online guides later, I managed to uninstall Avast, and then reinstall it again. It says it's all up to date now, so...fingers crossed!

My favourite part was when I was told I'd have to reboot my computer in Safe Mode, and I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to do that. It wasn't in the help section on my computer. The instructions people gave online didn't seem to do it. I was on the points of googling exactly what the current version of Windows was, if it wasn't 10, just in case I was getting outdated information, because I couldn't for the life of me figure out what else it could be, when I finally just tried uninstalling Avast from the Control Panel again, and this time it worked. Maybe I rebooted my computer in Safe Mode. Maybe it's in Safe Mode now and always will be from now on. Who knows.

comments

Sun, 25 Nov 2018 20:47:27 GMT

( Red Dead Redemption, semi-spoilers )

Also, my computer is telling me my Avast virus definitions are out of date and that I need to update them, but when I go to update them it's showing no progress, like it did the other week when it kept my computer on all night, and never finished updating. So that's fun. Don't really feel good about going on any website till that's fixed, and it's looking like it won't fix itself. Bullshit.

comments

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 20:27:52 GMT

Update: I uninstalled Realplayer (after a lot of effort and faffing about), and all of my computer problems are gone.

It feels like that should come up as a warning before you install things. "Will render your computer almost useless". But no.

comments

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 18:13:59 GMT

After many struggles with my internet and some random crashes, last night I was struggling to get the computer to realise the mouse had moved. Or anything had happened at all. It's still lagging now. I'm assuming shit stupid Windows updates that I don't even want - or maybe the fact I reinstalled Realplayer from my hard drive and it's fucking up my desktop - but who knows. I literally had to wait 10 seconds in the middle of typing that because the computer just lagged mid-type for no apparent reason.

But at least the blessed rains have come. It's meant to hot up again toward the weekend though, when I'm supposed to be in Nottingham. Ulp.

comments

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 21:57:10 GMT

Went to Scarborough today. It was lovely. I am tired and my legs hurt. And a seagull did poo on me. But it was still lovely. No computer crashes since my post yesterday. Think it was something to do with loading webpages - even the title screens have a thing where they open up a webpage (helpfully) for you if you click on them in the wrong place. I'm assuming it was either my internet router plugged incorrectly into the wall, or causing other issues that I may have to deal with at a later date, or I am quietly blaming the Windows Update I had just before the problem. I will keep a further eye on it, and let you know, but so far no more problems.

comments

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:48:14 GMT

Part 2 - I posted that just so it was posted, in case my computer crashed again. Like I said, I've had a version of this problem before, and it just went away. And annoyingly, these sorts of messages seem to pop up a lot whenever I have new Windows updates to install. And from the sounds of it, even something like not having my internet router plugged properly into the wall might have caused it. And according to the people online, they had this thing happen over and over again and the message keep coming up, so it doesn't seem to damage or burn out your computer. So I'm going to use it for now and see if there's still a problem - hopefully not, because fucking The Sims 4 Seasons comes out next Friday, and I kind of need a PC to play that. I'm not entirely happy to pay a few hundred pounds to get a new power supply unit and replace it, if that might not even be the problem. But if it keeps happening I'm going to have to not use my PC as much for a while, so I might not be online so much for a bit. Just so you all know.

PCs. Who'd have them?

comments

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:44:15 GMT

So, just so everyone knows, my computer has just today started repeatedly crashing, and then claiming it turned itself off to protect against an 'unstable power supply unit'. Like literally crashing while I'm using it, not just showing me the message when I start the computer up. I did get the message when I started my computer up today, and then played about 4 hours of the Sims 4. No problems. Turned it off and opened a Dreamwidth page, crash.

People online (which I looked up using a separate tablet) have said this problem has happened to them, and it's not always the power supply unit, they replace theirs and it still keeps happening, so idk. But just so everyone knows, there's a chance I might not be online as much for a little while? I'm going to keep using it now, and see if it still has a problem - other issues people said might have caused it included surges from USB devices and problems with the wall socket - and I have had a message before about this happening, and kept using it and didn't have another problem for months.

comments

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 15:13:56 GMT

Windows is offering me a chance to download a 'personal, on-the-go assistant'. I can see an option to say 'not now', but I can't see the one to say 'not ever'.

The last day before Far Cry 5. Arguably the most difficult day. This is the day when I kind of have to avoid the entire internet, and all the reviews that will be coming out, because I'm ready to just have my own experience with it.

I did see a review yesterday that gave it 9/10. That makes me more hopeful that it will genuinely turn out to be a game I enjoy.

Also it's my birthday tomorrow. I will be 33.

comments

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 11:11:17 GMT

Connecting automatically to the internet is just not a thing my computer does anymore.

comments

Sun, 04 Feb 2018 22:54:58 GMT

Hello!

I haven't had the internet on my main computer all weekend. The connection was playing up again, and it was so frustrating it made me want to cry. I cobbled together an internet experience using my parents' tablet to watch videos, and charged up my old netbook for going on Dreamwidth and email - trusty old netbook. But I also just googled the error I was getting, "'Ethernet' does not have a valid IP configuration" and tried to fix whatever the problem is as much as I could.

I found a list of things that can fix that very problem, and did all of them. I used Windows Admin commands. I uninstalled and reinstalled my network card. I double-checked all the settings. I reinstalled drivers. The only thing I couldn't do was search for the latest drivers for my network interface card online, because I wasn't sure how to do that without the internet. Nothing worked, and all the comments on the list I used that said "I did all this and nothing worked, any suggestions?" had no replies to them. Some said things like "Finally I plugged my ethernet cable into a different port on my router, and that fixed everything!". So hope. Confusing hope. It can be a software or a hardware or a connection problem, and it's hard to ever tell which.

So tonight, I explained everything to my dad, after he wondered if he and mum would ever get their tablet back. He had previously suspected that it was the Windows OEM key I used for my operating system, which is a £6 option you can get instead of a £100 Windows license, because he has always been convinced that must be dodgy. But it's the same OS I've been using with good internet for a year. So, given that the last time it was the ethernet connectors that were the problem, I took my dad's laptop upstairs to plug it in to my ethernet cable, as I did last time. I'd already swapped the ethernet cable I was using, in a vain hope, which didn't fix anything. But my dad's laptop, which happily used the WiFi signal, switched to saying 'no valid IP configuration' when I plugged my ethernet cable in. Suggesting it's a problem with my internet setup, not my machine. So, we set to it. My dad revealed that he'd bought some new ethernet plug-in connectors, just in case it was that, but before that he told me to try a new ethernet cable between the plug-in downstairs and the router. And to plug it into a different port on the router, as the internet comment had suggested. I did this. I clicked the button on the plug-in to link it to the one upstairs. I came upstairs. I switched my computer on. At first it said there was no connection at all, which was confusing, but then I remembered I actually hadn't plugged my ethernet back in after connecting it to my dad's laptop. I plugged it in. Nothing. I went back over to the upstairs plug-in. I noticed that there was also a button on the upstairs one to 'link' the plug-ins - on my previous set, there had only been a button on the one upstairs. I pressed it, and plugged the ethernet cable into a different port on the plug-in for good measure. I went downstairs and pressed the other plug-in's link button again. I came back upstairs, and checked my computer. Still no internet, "'Ethernet' does not have a valid IP configuration". I restarted the computer. I had the internet.

So. I don't know. I fixed something, and there is a chance that I just hadn't been linking the Ethernet connectors properly because I didn't know there were two buttons. So it seems like it's still the connection. But it could happen again and be the software, or the hardware, and I wouldn't really know until I tried everything else. I hope it is never the hardware, because I really don't know what to do about that except for replacing the motherboard. Which would suck. But for now, it just seems like it's the connection, and it is fixed. Isn't technology grand?

What I could do right now is google to make sure I have the most up-to-date drivers for my network card from the manufacturer's website. But I'm a little afraid to mess with it again, at the moment, and I'd rather just go on the internet for now.

Votes for women.

comments

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 23:11:47 GMT

Sometimes the picture on my boot/password screen doesn't change for months, sometimes it changes every time I turn it on. I don't understand it.

Also, if you want a quick way to ruin your life, bookmark a webpage with an address that starts "www.goo" but comes before google.com alphabetically.

It was too hot today.

comments

Sun, 25 Jun 2017 13:49:55 GMT

I booted my computer up as usual today, and when I clicked to go on the internet it chose to open an infinite amount of Firefox windows. Bold choice, computer.

Truth be told, I'm a little concerned about it. The fans - or something - have been squeaking more lately, even when it isn't hot, and the whole computer keeps crashing, I think when it's trying to download new graphics drivers or something. It definitely did when I tried to watch a livestream at E3. I've only just built this computer, and it cost a lot of money to do so. Don't be broken, computer.

We're on the second week of 'babysitting sometimes' for my sister, and it's already gone tits-up. It turns out what's actually going on is that she's got some sort of flirtation thing going on with the guy who takes my MN to his school (when he has transport to his school), and so she wants some free time on the weekends to see him. So who knows what's even going to happen with that, and apparently the kids' dad has heard about this and said if she has anyone round to the house, he'll come in and smash their face in. Which is lovely. But anyway, regardless, that's the reason she wants us to have the kids 'sometimes'. She was apparently meant to be seeing this guy last week, but he cancelled at the last minute, so now she's seeing him this week. So now we have all three kids, except my mum was so worried about what my dad would say about it, she didn't tell him till this morning. And since he was taking my MN to football yesterday morning, and we were going to an open-air concert yesterday evening, he had stuff he was planning to do today. So currently, my dad's at the tip, the kids refused to go with him, so my mum's downstairs cooking a Sunday dinner, while trying to keep an eye on two of our nephews outside. I would go watch them, but they're only going to run in if there's a problem, so I'd basically be standing sentry for no reason. My ON and I have just been up town, because it's my mum's birthday tomorrow and there's some stuff we needed to get at the last minute, and basically it's been a very busy weekend and there's not been a lot of communication. And my sister's currently off on a date.

It wouldn't be so bad, but like I say, we had my MN to sleep on Friday night, and then my parents took him to football yesterday morning, and then we immediately got my ON, who came to our house to play on the computer, then came to the concert with us, then slept overnight. It's not like we don't have the kids otherwise.

comments

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 21:15:57 GMT

My computer is making distressed noises.

I'm hot too, computer.

comments