Court Date: August 25, 2009, 8 a.m./1 p.m. A few months ago, I got my first speeding ticket. Friends with similar citations had been able to get the fines reduced by going to court, so I decided to go. It was not a productive endeavor, but it was interesting in a people-watching kind of way.Continue reading “The Court In Session (1/3)”
Author Archives: Jen
Day One: Check
Spilled yogurt on my shirt: CHECK Survived first day of classes (3): CHECK Pounded pavement just so I could audit a class: CHECK Bought ANOTHER book at the bookstore: CHECK Forgot to eat lunch: CHECK Drank coffee instead: CHECK Latin homework for tomorrow: CHECK Parking decal: CHECK Day One as a grad student: CHECK 🙂
Observations
Observations from orientation Friday: -Free food is a grad student’s incentive to attend meetings. -I have a geeky love of libraries, and an inexplicable ability to get lost in big ones. -I might have a job in the campus writing center. -Registration is much simpler as a grad student. -Related: Department secretaries are priceless. -SmirkingContinue reading “Observations”
Drumroll, please…
Grad school orientation starts today! In celebration of the soon-to-be reduced work hours, Marvin is up and running and not even virus scanning, his usual Friday all-day activity. More on this to come…
5 Days
Perhaps sensing his imminent replacement, Marvin went into a temporary coma this morning for 45 minutes and refused to start. After a serious talking-to and a short reset moment, Marvin reluctantly awoke and is, for the moment, functioning as usual. (All latest versions of important files have been backed up and the crematorium is onContinue reading “5 Days”
Seven Days, Marvin
Seven days, Marvin. Seven days. You have seven days to convince me that I secretly love you and don’t want to replace you with that new computer the grad school will be giving me. Seven days to convince me that a new ThinkPad is no better than a 3-year-old Compaq. Seven days to start runningContinue reading “Seven Days, Marvin”
What If He Talks Back to Me?
Computer, this could bode ill for your “I can’t hear you!” excuse (and my “no one is listening to me curse” excuse). Talking Back To Your Device Has Never Been Easier (NPR): “We’re right on the edge of a new era of conversational computing, where in certain circumstances your primary mode of interaction with aContinue reading “What If He Talks Back to Me?”
The Miracle Mouse
Really, I just thought that title sounded a little bit cool, even though it makes me inevitably think of mayonnaise and The Princess Bride. I have a weird relationship with the word “miracle,” it seems. Yesterday, I was experiencing my fan-blaring, virus-scanning, repeatedly-freezing computer as usual, and doing pretty well. Then my tiny laptop mouseContinue reading “The Miracle Mouse”
Fussy Fan Fridays
So, now I can no longer tell the sounds my computer makes apart from either the air conditioning unit outside or the man with the leaf blower in the street. Houston, we have a problem. Baby, hang in there for a few more weeks. Just a few more. You can do it.
Computer Language
Computers bring out so many wonderful things from each of us: high-speed communication, world-wide shared writing, community networking, and the ability to learn new languages…or express old ones. Come to think of it, that last one has been a key outcome of my time on the computer in the last week, and it’s not alwaysContinue reading “Computer Language”
Snark on the Side 