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sarea
All I have to say about the awards this year is: Poor Martin and Annette. Now, on to the poll results!
We had a lot of ties this year, odd in particular at the top, because there's a four-answer difference between first and second place.
First Place, with 17 correct answers:
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jade_okelani and selinakyle47
Congrats, ladies! Since Jade provided half the prize, the Slytherin wallet is going to Selina. Just let me know where to send it, chica.
Second Place, with 13 correct answers:
_lore and marenfic
Some of you might remember that lore was our winner last year -- clearly she's got the pulse of the Oscar voters. ; )
Third Place, with 12 correct answers:
gazebo_jamith, jackieohno, and sarea_okelani
Fourth Place, with 11 correct answers:
apple_eyes and ropo
Thanks to everyone for playing! :D
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Confession: In the last three weeks, I have consumed three pies. By myself. I'm even considering getting another one. The blame rests solely on Marie Callender's, which has pies for $5.99 in the month of February. Luckily, the ordeal is almost over. (If I were a cat, and cat food were pie, this would be me.)
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Speaking of ordeals, my new computer may be working at last. *weeps* Let me tell you, if this had been my experience last time, I don't think I would have been so enthused about it this time. As for the next time, well, I can't even think about it right now. I mean, partially because of what I went through, and partially because I can't fathom that I'll ever need more than 160GB of space or need to go faster than 2.19GHz.
I'm not caught up on LJ, but I wanted to say thank you so, so much to everyone who left a reply about either the story or the icons in my last two posts. I honestly meant to reply to everyone, but my weekend (and life force) was sucked away by computer issues.
First of all, I must say that none of this could ever have been resolved without the help of my long-suffering brother,sumdumgai. He served as my personal help desk, and I am so very grateful for all the assistance.
Pre-Software Installation:
- I stupidly wiped off the thermal grease from my CPU cooler, so I pretty much fried my CPU by trying to run it without the grease. Either that or it was defective; in either case, it took me another $20 and a lot of run around to get it replaced. I had to order more grease, but that took over two weeks, because the first shipment never arrived, and they had to send out a replacement. Fortuitously, the replacement CPU and grease arrived within one day of each other.
OS Installation:
- The computer kept shutting down when I was trying to install Windows. We could not figure out WTF was going on. We set up the BIOS, and when the computer still kept shutting down, we even updated the BIOS (after an adventure even trying to get me the right files, and then the capability of installing it on a machine w/o an OS), but finally my brother was like, "Is your CPU fan right-side up or upside down?" And I said that it was right-side up, because that was how a coworker had done it, and he'd looked at me all condescendingly when I said that I thought maybe it was the other way around (the hook thingys on this particular CPU fan looked v. similar to me, so I didn't argue it). My brother was like, "...I think it's supposed to be upside down." So I switched it, and IT WORKED. Computer started up and didn't keep shutting down like it had before. Stupid coworker guy.
- So then Windows (XP Pro) started up, only it was the RTM version and I knew I needed to get the security patches right away. I had this naive thought that as long as I only went to Windows Update, I'd be safe from all the spyware and malware out there. I soon found that this was not the case. Apparently, viruses and worms and what not just troll random ISPs, and since I didn't have a router (we thought I did, but apparently not), my computer got infected right away. Working through safe mode, I was able to download SP2, but it hung up in the middle of installing. Since I had no other choice, I rebooted the computer ... except then it started doing this thing where it just kept rebooting itself over and over again, never even getting to my Windows desktop. So I REINSTALLED Windows and went through the whole process all over again. Luckily, the second time it took.
Post-OS Installation:
- After the hours it took to install the OS and get SP2, I was finally on my Windows desktop. Except my Internet connection wasn't working. Except that it was working, because I could see that the modem lights were on, and it even said in the system tray that it was sending and receiving. Also, if I plugged it into my old computer, it worked just fine. So of course, this was the work of spyware and malware. I called my ISP, but they only determined that I had some kind of virus, which they don't support (naturally). They referred me to 1-800-PCSAFETY. It's a Microsoft thing, and usually costs $35/hour. However, virus support is free. I was on the phone with them for nearly four hours. Seriously.
Through them, I got online in safe mode and deleted some stuff in my registry. Also, I installed what software I could, like Ad-Aware, SpyBot and Microsoft AntiSpyware. I ran TrendMicro's Housecall, which detected and cleaned a worm. I started Windows in normal mode. Still the problem persisted. I kept running all those programs over and over again, going from safe mode to normal, and also got eTrust Anti-Virus. At this point, I was getting intermittent Internet access, meaning I could get online 1 out of every 10 tries or so. I also downloaded HijackThis, another anti-spyware program (but a little more 'dangerous' than the others in that it doesn't discriminate between spyware and legit programs, so there's the possibility of deleting something you shouldn't).
I literally spent the entire weekend futzing with this, because I wasn't able to get online or do anything. And still it took me until Sunday evening to finally get my computer fully patched and in a workable state. The happy moment came about an hour into the Oscars, when I was able to get online without problems. It was seriously such a draining experience!!
Anyway -- so if you're having problems with spyware/malware (or even if you think you aren't, but want to be sure), download any/all the programs mentioned above, if you're able to. They each were able to find things the others weren't. My brother says that none of the spyware/malware problems would have happened if I'd had a router, so if I ever do this again, you can bet I'm getting one. And finally, if you're just totally helpless and don't know what else you can do, call 1-800-PCSAFETY. While my problem was not resolved directly by them, they did have really helpful tips, and for sure what finally got me up and running was the combination of a bunch of steps I took. Oh, and also be sure you have a friend like Jade, who can Google stuff for you on her computer about specific problems. I've found that people online are a lot more helpful/knowledgeable about solving specific spyware/malware problems ... but of course, the trick is, you have to be able get online to get their advice.
Now that everything is working, I am really excited to finally implement multiple-screen technology. :D Windows has had this capability since Windows 98 or something -- it automatically detects if you have two video cards, and going into Control Panel --> Display --> Settings allows you to set it up so that you can use both monitors. It is really cool and convenient, because now I can have two things open at the same time (say, a browser and Photoshop), on two different monitors. I also like to move download windows to the other monitor, so I can kept track of progress without needing to click on it from my taskbar all the time. It's also cool because it allows me to use that extra monitor lying around, as well as my video card from two computers ago. You can learn more about doing this here.
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If you haven't yet seen Arrested Development, YOU MUST. It is absolutely brilliant. I rented the S1 discs from Blockbuster, and the pilot was just amazing. Jade tells me that it's the episode they submitted for the Emmys (and shows never submit pilots), and THEY WON. Very deserved, too. It's completely wrong, and so damn funny.
I used to love Jason Bateman as a teen, but that faded along with my crushes on Kirk Cameron, Ricky Schroeder, Brice Beckham, and the like. The Jason love is back. He's just fantastic. I had no idea! (The last time I saw him was in The Sweetest Thing, and he was great, but his role was really small, so I thought it was a fluke.)
So, yeah. Highly recommend AD.
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As if this entry weren't long enough, here's my Alias: Echoes commentary.
This episode felt more like the Alias of old -- not just because they brought Sark and Anna Espinosa back, but because they bring with them the Alias Rambaldi mythology, which has always been a very strong part of the show. I thought the action was less sophisticated than we've seen in the past, but given this season, it was v. good.
I enjoyed the Sark bits although he wasn't the strongest part of the episode. His 'love' for Lauren kind of came out of nowhere, and he keeps trying to get Vaughn's goat by talking about their affair, when Vaughn has made it quite clear numerous times that he couldn't give a shit about that. It rather goes against Sark's character, since -- as Jade says -- he's not one to keep playing an advantage that's just not there. I'm v. relieved that he saw through their lame attempt to trick him; hello, even I would have seen through that ploy, and Sark is notoriously wily when it comes to these things (two words: blood transfusion).
Now that we've seen Sark again, it drives home that the show is suffering without him. Not because of the lack of Sark per se (though some of us might say so <g>), but because they're -- ironically -- turning him into Krycek, wherein he is now a character who only shows up when the Rambaldi stuff is going on. Unlike The X-Files, however, Alias is not a strong show without its mythology. XF was strong in both -- or if anything, it was stronger when it was the MOTWs. They wanted Sark to be a better, stronger character by not having him there all the time, where they were just making up stuff for him to do. That's an admirable intention, except it's contradictory, as the show is suffering as a whole without him, i.e., the Rambaldi stuff. We can extrapolate that "giving Sark stuff to do" had to do with the mythology, which they've cut down on. But now the show sucks, and "Echoes" proved that it can still be good, as long as the mythology is there ... but for that, Sark needs to be a player, which he currently isn't. Don't you love how it just circles back? <g>
What they should have done -- and should do -- is make him a regular snitch-type fellow ... though that would get boring after awhile. What would really be awesome is if he were another Sloane, working at APO under restriction. But they won't do that for a few reasons, number one being that they can't 'threaten' Vaughn that way. Notice Sark had zero scenes with Sydney, and all the Sark stuff suffered because Sark/Vaughn has never worked. You'd never believe that Vaughn was in any way stronger or smarter than Sark. I say that not because I dislike Vaughn (which I do), but because of the nature of who these two people are. That being said, Vaughn as an agent worked for me this episode, because he serves much better as Information Guy than Field Guy. What definitely does not work is Vaughn as Muscle Guy, which is a joke.
When they did all that over-the-top Weiss/Nadia stuff at the beginning, I thought for sure something would happen in the episode to show us why they were doing it. Nadia and Sark meet, perhaps (I could get into Nadia/Sark and the angst that would bring). But apparently that was just more set up for nothing so far.
Okay, if one of the Bristow sisters is going to die, it's obviously not going to be Sydney. That means there is zero tension about that part. 8-| Plus, I was hoping they'd move away from their a-female-character-gets-introduced-then-turns-into-the-Big-Bad formula.
Sloane was supposed to be recused, and yet he was around all the time and knew everything. So WTF? I admired their move to acknowledge his iffy authority when dealing with certain players, but then they took it away by having that be all talk and no substance. Lame.
Dixon? Dixon who?
The character who bugged the most this episode was Sydney herself. First, she wanted to give the real package to Anna, because she has shown a proclivity not put the world above her own personal sacrifices. Then, after she made that big stink about it, she fucking picks a fight with Anna!!! How fucking stupid was that??? She didn't want to risk Nadia, and insisted on giving the bad guys a Very Bad Thing, and then she goes and pulls that? What the FUCK. And then the obligatory "you did the right thing, Syd, of course, we were wrong and you were right" speech from Jack. Ugh.
Not to mention her little I'M SO ANGRY confrontation with Sloane. Is it just me or is it the same fucking speech being given over and over again? They even start out the same. Sydney widens her eyes all furiously, scrunches up her lips, then begins, "You want to talk about [insert topic of choice here]?" I find that I'm really starting to dislike her. At first I just lost respect for her because of the Vaughn thing, but now I just plain don't like her. (Luckily it's not affecting how I like Jennifer Garner.) I've never really been able to relate to Syd, but at least I respected her and could understand why she'd make the choices she'd make. Now I'm like, who are you???
Anyway. This week will almost certainly be a continuation of last week's mythology stuff, but I'm not sure if Rambaldi will lay low again till sweeps or if they're actually gearing up for that part of the storyline. If they drop it again, clearly they're trying to follow XF's formula, but the MOTW crap they're dishing out is just not working for me.
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Oh, and I keep meaning to say this but always forget: If there is anyone left on this planet who does not have a Gmail account but wants one, let me know.
We had a lot of ties this year, odd in particular at the top, because there's a four-answer difference between first and second place.
First Place, with 17 correct answers:
jade_okelani and selinakyle47Congrats, ladies! Since Jade provided half the prize, the Slytherin wallet is going to Selina. Just let me know where to send it, chica.
Second Place, with 13 correct answers:
_lore and marenficSome of you might remember that lore was our winner last year -- clearly she's got the pulse of the Oscar voters. ; )
Third Place, with 12 correct answers:
gazebo_jamith, jackieohno, and sarea_okelaniFourth Place, with 11 correct answers:
apple_eyes and ropoThanks to everyone for playing! :D
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Confession: In the last three weeks, I have consumed three pies. By myself. I'm even considering getting another one. The blame rests solely on Marie Callender's, which has pies for $5.99 in the month of February. Luckily, the ordeal is almost over. (If I were a cat, and cat food were pie, this would be me.)
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Speaking of ordeals, my new computer may be working at last. *weeps* Let me tell you, if this had been my experience last time, I don't think I would have been so enthused about it this time. As for the next time, well, I can't even think about it right now. I mean, partially because of what I went through, and partially because I can't fathom that I'll ever need more than 160GB of space or need to go faster than 2.19GHz.
I'm not caught up on LJ, but I wanted to say thank you so, so much to everyone who left a reply about either the story or the icons in my last two posts. I honestly meant to reply to everyone, but my weekend (and life force) was sucked away by computer issues.
First of all, I must say that none of this could ever have been resolved without the help of my long-suffering brother,
sumdumgai. He served as my personal help desk, and I am so very grateful for all the assistance.Pre-Software Installation:
- I stupidly wiped off the thermal grease from my CPU cooler, so I pretty much fried my CPU by trying to run it without the grease. Either that or it was defective; in either case, it took me another $20 and a lot of run around to get it replaced. I had to order more grease, but that took over two weeks, because the first shipment never arrived, and they had to send out a replacement. Fortuitously, the replacement CPU and grease arrived within one day of each other.
OS Installation:
- The computer kept shutting down when I was trying to install Windows. We could not figure out WTF was going on. We set up the BIOS, and when the computer still kept shutting down, we even updated the BIOS (after an adventure even trying to get me the right files, and then the capability of installing it on a machine w/o an OS), but finally my brother was like, "Is your CPU fan right-side up or upside down?" And I said that it was right-side up, because that was how a coworker had done it, and he'd looked at me all condescendingly when I said that I thought maybe it was the other way around (the hook thingys on this particular CPU fan looked v. similar to me, so I didn't argue it). My brother was like, "...I think it's supposed to be upside down." So I switched it, and IT WORKED. Computer started up and didn't keep shutting down like it had before. Stupid coworker guy.
- So then Windows (XP Pro) started up, only it was the RTM version and I knew I needed to get the security patches right away. I had this naive thought that as long as I only went to Windows Update, I'd be safe from all the spyware and malware out there. I soon found that this was not the case. Apparently, viruses and worms and what not just troll random ISPs, and since I didn't have a router (we thought I did, but apparently not), my computer got infected right away. Working through safe mode, I was able to download SP2, but it hung up in the middle of installing. Since I had no other choice, I rebooted the computer ... except then it started doing this thing where it just kept rebooting itself over and over again, never even getting to my Windows desktop. So I REINSTALLED Windows and went through the whole process all over again. Luckily, the second time it took.
Post-OS Installation:
- After the hours it took to install the OS and get SP2, I was finally on my Windows desktop. Except my Internet connection wasn't working. Except that it was working, because I could see that the modem lights were on, and it even said in the system tray that it was sending and receiving. Also, if I plugged it into my old computer, it worked just fine. So of course, this was the work of spyware and malware. I called my ISP, but they only determined that I had some kind of virus, which they don't support (naturally). They referred me to 1-800-PCSAFETY. It's a Microsoft thing, and usually costs $35/hour. However, virus support is free. I was on the phone with them for nearly four hours. Seriously.
Through them, I got online in safe mode and deleted some stuff in my registry. Also, I installed what software I could, like Ad-Aware, SpyBot and Microsoft AntiSpyware. I ran TrendMicro's Housecall, which detected and cleaned a worm. I started Windows in normal mode. Still the problem persisted. I kept running all those programs over and over again, going from safe mode to normal, and also got eTrust Anti-Virus. At this point, I was getting intermittent Internet access, meaning I could get online 1 out of every 10 tries or so. I also downloaded HijackThis, another anti-spyware program (but a little more 'dangerous' than the others in that it doesn't discriminate between spyware and legit programs, so there's the possibility of deleting something you shouldn't).
I literally spent the entire weekend futzing with this, because I wasn't able to get online or do anything. And still it took me until Sunday evening to finally get my computer fully patched and in a workable state. The happy moment came about an hour into the Oscars, when I was able to get online without problems. It was seriously such a draining experience!!
Anyway -- so if you're having problems with spyware/malware (or even if you think you aren't, but want to be sure), download any/all the programs mentioned above, if you're able to. They each were able to find things the others weren't. My brother says that none of the spyware/malware problems would have happened if I'd had a router, so if I ever do this again, you can bet I'm getting one. And finally, if you're just totally helpless and don't know what else you can do, call 1-800-PCSAFETY. While my problem was not resolved directly by them, they did have really helpful tips, and for sure what finally got me up and running was the combination of a bunch of steps I took. Oh, and also be sure you have a friend like Jade, who can Google stuff for you on her computer about specific problems. I've found that people online are a lot more helpful/knowledgeable about solving specific spyware/malware problems ... but of course, the trick is, you have to be able get online to get their advice.
Now that everything is working, I am really excited to finally implement multiple-screen technology. :D Windows has had this capability since Windows 98 or something -- it automatically detects if you have two video cards, and going into Control Panel --> Display --> Settings allows you to set it up so that you can use both monitors. It is really cool and convenient, because now I can have two things open at the same time (say, a browser and Photoshop), on two different monitors. I also like to move download windows to the other monitor, so I can kept track of progress without needing to click on it from my taskbar all the time. It's also cool because it allows me to use that extra monitor lying around, as well as my video card from two computers ago. You can learn more about doing this here.
+++
If you haven't yet seen Arrested Development, YOU MUST. It is absolutely brilliant. I rented the S1 discs from Blockbuster, and the pilot was just amazing. Jade tells me that it's the episode they submitted for the Emmys (and shows never submit pilots), and THEY WON. Very deserved, too. It's completely wrong, and so damn funny.
I used to love Jason Bateman as a teen, but that faded along with my crushes on Kirk Cameron, Ricky Schroeder, Brice Beckham, and the like. The Jason love is back. He's just fantastic. I had no idea! (The last time I saw him was in The Sweetest Thing, and he was great, but his role was really small, so I thought it was a fluke.)
So, yeah. Highly recommend AD.
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As if this entry weren't long enough, here's my Alias: Echoes commentary.
This episode felt more like the Alias of old -- not just because they brought Sark and Anna Espinosa back, but because they bring with them the Alias Rambaldi mythology, which has always been a very strong part of the show. I thought the action was less sophisticated than we've seen in the past, but given this season, it was v. good.
I enjoyed the Sark bits although he wasn't the strongest part of the episode. His 'love' for Lauren kind of came out of nowhere, and he keeps trying to get Vaughn's goat by talking about their affair, when Vaughn has made it quite clear numerous times that he couldn't give a shit about that. It rather goes against Sark's character, since -- as Jade says -- he's not one to keep playing an advantage that's just not there. I'm v. relieved that he saw through their lame attempt to trick him; hello, even I would have seen through that ploy, and Sark is notoriously wily when it comes to these things (two words: blood transfusion).
Now that we've seen Sark again, it drives home that the show is suffering without him. Not because of the lack of Sark per se (though some of us might say so <g>), but because they're -- ironically -- turning him into Krycek, wherein he is now a character who only shows up when the Rambaldi stuff is going on. Unlike The X-Files, however, Alias is not a strong show without its mythology. XF was strong in both -- or if anything, it was stronger when it was the MOTWs. They wanted Sark to be a better, stronger character by not having him there all the time, where they were just making up stuff for him to do. That's an admirable intention, except it's contradictory, as the show is suffering as a whole without him, i.e., the Rambaldi stuff. We can extrapolate that "giving Sark stuff to do" had to do with the mythology, which they've cut down on. But now the show sucks, and "Echoes" proved that it can still be good, as long as the mythology is there ... but for that, Sark needs to be a player, which he currently isn't. Don't you love how it just circles back? <g>
What they should have done -- and should do -- is make him a regular snitch-type fellow ... though that would get boring after awhile. What would really be awesome is if he were another Sloane, working at APO under restriction. But they won't do that for a few reasons, number one being that they can't 'threaten' Vaughn that way. Notice Sark had zero scenes with Sydney, and all the Sark stuff suffered because Sark/Vaughn has never worked. You'd never believe that Vaughn was in any way stronger or smarter than Sark. I say that not because I dislike Vaughn (which I do), but because of the nature of who these two people are. That being said, Vaughn as an agent worked for me this episode, because he serves much better as Information Guy than Field Guy. What definitely does not work is Vaughn as Muscle Guy, which is a joke.
When they did all that over-the-top Weiss/Nadia stuff at the beginning, I thought for sure something would happen in the episode to show us why they were doing it. Nadia and Sark meet, perhaps (I could get into Nadia/Sark and the angst that would bring). But apparently that was just more set up for nothing so far.
Okay, if one of the Bristow sisters is going to die, it's obviously not going to be Sydney. That means there is zero tension about that part. 8-| Plus, I was hoping they'd move away from their a-female-character-gets-introduced-then-turns-into-the-Big-Bad formula.
Sloane was supposed to be recused, and yet he was around all the time and knew everything. So WTF? I admired their move to acknowledge his iffy authority when dealing with certain players, but then they took it away by having that be all talk and no substance. Lame.
Dixon? Dixon who?
The character who bugged the most this episode was Sydney herself. First, she wanted to give the real package to Anna, because she has shown a proclivity not put the world above her own personal sacrifices. Then, after she made that big stink about it, she fucking picks a fight with Anna!!! How fucking stupid was that??? She didn't want to risk Nadia, and insisted on giving the bad guys a Very Bad Thing, and then she goes and pulls that? What the FUCK. And then the obligatory "you did the right thing, Syd, of course, we were wrong and you were right" speech from Jack. Ugh.
Not to mention her little I'M SO ANGRY confrontation with Sloane. Is it just me or is it the same fucking speech being given over and over again? They even start out the same. Sydney widens her eyes all furiously, scrunches up her lips, then begins, "You want to talk about [insert topic of choice here]?" I find that I'm really starting to dislike her. At first I just lost respect for her because of the Vaughn thing, but now I just plain don't like her. (Luckily it's not affecting how I like Jennifer Garner.) I've never really been able to relate to Syd, but at least I respected her and could understand why she'd make the choices she'd make. Now I'm like, who are you???
Anyway. This week will almost certainly be a continuation of last week's mythology stuff, but I'm not sure if Rambaldi will lay low again till sweeps or if they're actually gearing up for that part of the storyline. If they drop it again, clearly they're trying to follow XF's formula, but the MOTW crap they're dishing out is just not working for me.
+++
Oh, and I keep meaning to say this but always forget: If there is anyone left on this planet who does not have a Gmail account but wants one, let me know.
