Okay, okay, so I made a mistake -- sue me. I forgot that Office XP came out in 2002 and not 2003, so chances are, at some point, I'm going to be upgraded and more than likely lose Access.

Every summer my mom and I have a contest between ourselves to see who can spot the most wild animals (as in, squirrels, chipmunks, and the more common birds don't count; cranes, moose, bears and whatnot do). There's no real prize except bragging rights. Well, this year's contest has already started, and I'm winning. I saw a bear on my way home from practice last night. I haven't seen many black bears in person, so I can't say if this was an adult or a juvenile (all I can tell you is that it wasn't a cub).

Well, my computer is all fixed. I had to get some software reloaded onto it, but that wasn't a problem, it was just Corel Suite 12. we have the software here, I just needed someone else to load it for me (God forbid they give me Administrative privileges on my own computer!). Still not sure what documents I lost, but I was able to throw the stuff on the laptop onto the network, so I didn't have to worry about burning anything.

I have XP Pro on this computer now. The only thing I don't like about it (and it's a small, tivial thing) is that there aren't a lot of themes preloaded in it, and I don't know if I would be able to download any, because of the privileges. Oh well, like I said, it's a small thing, and I really like one of the ones that are loaded. I've been able to customize the "Olive Green" option a bit, just making the window and menu backgrounds another colour but white, and it looks cool.

The only other problem (I really hate complaining, because the stuff that's wrong is such small stuff, and the computer isn't all that bad, really) is that the connection on the front of the computer for headphones doesn't work, so I can't listen to my music. Of course, it does give me an excuse to spend more of the government's money (if I'm allowed). All I have to do is buy a set of speakers that I can plug headphones into, because I discovered that the connection on the back, where the speakers plug in, does work. My boss already left for the day when I discovered this, though, so I didn't have the chance to ask him.

Hopefully there won't be any more complaints, about either of my computers.

Oh, meant to tell you... I thought that I would end up getting Office 2003 installed, seeing as that's what most people have, or are going to be getting through updates from IT, but I have Office XP Pro. I didn't know there was an Office XP Pro. I didn't even have the chance to really use the Office 2003 that was on this computer before it went kerflooie.

Has anyone out there used Office XP Pro? What's it like?

Miracle of miracles! IT is finally here to fix my computer. The guy thinks it's a problem with the hard-drive, so, of course, I'm going to loose all the documents that were on there. Too bad I can't remember if anything new had been added. I know that some documents were modified, (I burned stuff onto disks when I switched from the laptop to computer...the first time), but I can't remember if there was anything new. The modified documents don't really matter much, because they've been modified even more since I've come back to the laptop. Oh well. I guess I'll find out if there were any new documents when someone asks for something and it's not there.

Woohoo!! Printer issue is resolved! Thank goodness for website support pages, and toll free 1-800 numbers. I went to HP's website to see if I could find any info about the error I was getting while trying to install my printer, apparently other people have been getting that error message too, because they had steps to follow to try to get around the error. (I was getting a "Failed to read file xxx" error... error #1305 if memory serves...) So, I did what they said, which probably would have worked had it not been for the "cyclic redundancy check" error I got while copying a certain file. A call to HP support followed, and they told me that I can download the software right from their website. That worked. My printer is now operational. I haven't tried out the different programs completely yet, I only printed out a couple of pictures last night to make sure that it was really working. Yay HP!!

:-D

Don't you just love four day long weekends? I hope everyone's Easter was as good as mine was. I had turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy at my grandparents. Yummy!! I also got to set up my new home computer! I love it! I'm just having a slight issue installing my new printer. I hope to get it resolved shortly.

I'm still on the laptop at work, IT should be around sometime this week to look at the tower (I hope). It's not that I mind working from the laptop so much, it's just hard to use with the kind of work I do. I have to print out some really big posters, and with the laptop it takes a really long time for them to spool (the network connection seems slower on the laptop than what it did on the 'real' computer); and there's no way I'd be able to work without the mouse connected -- I also work on a lot of figures and the touch pad on the laptop just doesn't cut it when you're drawing.

My mom's boyfriend just got himself a really nice laptop, pretty close to top of the line. It's got a pen, and one of those screens that can turn a whole 180, so you can 'fold' it down, and write on it like you would a regular pad of paper. He loves it. Like I said, I have nothing against laptops, I just prefer PCs. His is really cool though... you can use the pen to move the cursor, and to write... wireless...bluetooth... I think if I were to get a laptop, I'd get one like his. All I know about it though, is that it's an Acer. I haven't the slightest idea of speed, or memory, or anything like that.

Anway, I guess I should actually get to work, seeing as I've been here for about half and hour now.

Only 30 minutes left until the start of the Long Weekend. Yes!! I am very looking forward to this long weekend, well, not this long weekend in particular, just the long weekend in general. The afternoon seems to have slowed to a stop. This past hour or so has been exruciatingly long. Don't you just hate that time does that? Slows down when you are expecting something, or waiting for something? It's quite annoying.

I can't think of anything else to say, so I guess all there is left to say is...

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Yay! I'm getting a new computer (at home)! Yesterday after work my mom's boyfriend took me to the place he always goes to, so I was able to talk to the guy he deals with all the time. There's one setup that they do, and that's what I'm getting, with just a few upgrades i.e. he's doubling the memory, and putting in a better video card). It a middle range setup, better than basic, but not "Extreme Gamer" either. I'm getting XP with some version of Office, not sure if it's going to be 2000 or something newer, a DVD Rom with burner (very cool!), and he's going to put ACDSee on it for me. At the moment I can't remember if there's anything else... oh yah!.. he has the keyboard I just got at work (the ergonomic one) in stock, so I'm getting one of those as well. Seeing as all of his business is custom make stuff, I figured it would be ready sometime next week or the week after, but it's going to be ready tomorrow!

Pat is a very happy person!! :-D

Remember how I told you that I had to go back to using the laptop? Well, I got a call from IT a little while ago, and they told me that it would be next week when someone would be able to come look at my computer. Nice. Have I told you that I hate computers sometimes?

Don't you just love spending someone else's money? I didn't want to spend $80 on a keyboard for home, that's just too much money, but I had no problems spending the government's money in order to buy the keyboard for work! It's a really cool one, it's a natural ergonomic one. How to describe how it looks.... hmm.... take a flat keyboard and put your fingers on it. Now, rotate your fingers towards the centre, so the keyboard makes a kinda "U" shape.... got it? Okay, now pretend that it's a piece of paper and push in from either end, so it ends up folding up in the middle, that's what my keyboard is like. It's wonderful to type on, you don't have to rotate your wrists in order to put your fingers on the keys, and it's got a thing on the bottom of it that raises the keyboard an inch or two off the desk, so you can rest your wrist more easily and comfortably. I love it. I love it so much it just might override my more... 'Scottish' tendencies... shall we say? (Meaning I just might fork over the $80 to bring this keyboard home.)

That computer buying trip didn't amount to much. The guy I wanted to talk to at the store my mom's boyfriend always goes to wasn't there, and I was told that he hardly ever came in on the weekends. Swell. My friends and I went to Staples and Future Shop next, but I didn't really look for a computer there, I was looking for a new keyboard. I ended up not getting one, because the one I wanted was too much. What did I end up buying? Well at Futures I ended up buying "The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Wich, and The Wardrobe", and a pack of CD slip covers (for when you buy blank CDs in one of those towers things, you know?), I didn't get anything at Staples (there's always a first time for everything!). I'm hoping to have time sometime this week to head over to that computer store to see that guy after I get off work.

Well, it's the end of another week. Thank God. I am so glad it's the weekend.

I'm hoping to go computer shopping on Saturday, maybe I'll call a few of my friends and see if they'll go with me. There's a place in town that I've never been to, but it's where my mom's boyfriend always goes, so I think I'll hit there before I go to places like Staples or Future Shop. I need to be sure to get the name of the guy he deals with.

Apparently there was an interesting happening at the labs today. I went and had morning coffee break with the cleaners, and they were telling me that a bird flew directly into the window across from the lab I used to work in. They said that you could see the outline of it and everything. There were a couple of people around when it happened, and one of them went outside right away to pick it up and put it in a garbage bag, but by the time he got down there, the bird was gone, something had already picked it up. No one is too sure what kind of bird it was either. I wanted to go over to see the imprint for myself, but I never got around to it.

Happy Friday!!

I don't know why, but I feel very brain dead today. I have managed to get very little actual work done today. I don't know if it's because I'm back on the laptop or what. I guess it's a good thing that it's almost time to go.

I can tell you one thing though, it was very depressing having to go back on the laptop. I had burned most of my documents onto disks for the transfer from the laptop to the computer, but since then I've gotten quite a bit of work done on some stuff, and the new stuff is on the computer, so I'm almost back to square one, pulling stuff off the disks to put back on the laptop. I'll be very happy when IT finally sends someone over to fix my computer.

Blah, blah, blah...

I don't get it. I have no idea why my font sizes are all different. Technology hates me, and I have proof. My nice new computer at work? I have to go back to using the laptop because my "new computer" is fried. I had to get some updates put on my computer, so the girl came to do that, and then when I restarted my computer, my desktop wouldn't show up, I'd just get a blank screen. The girl at IT said, "Oooo, I think this is more serious than I thought." It's going to take them a few days to get it fixed. I hate computers.

Okay, who ordered all the snow? (I have a few ideas, but I'm not saying) Don't you know it's April now? We're trying to get rid of this stuff, not get more! Think of how confused the poor geese must be. Of course, if they're real northern geese, they're used to this weather.

Wow, it sounds like someone is getting major remodeling done on the floor below me. They must be working on something in the ceiling, because it sounds like they are about to come through the floor.

Miracle of miracles! The big map scanner that was ordered a few months ago, and was suppposed to be here last month, has finally arrived! They are working on installing it now. Now we won't have to go downstairs to scan maps, which will be nice seeing as the guy who has the scanner has all the personality of a rattle snake and seems quite put out whenever anyone comes to see him to do some scanning. (Like, I had to go see him to get some maps scanned. There were six of them to do, which took all of 10 minutes, but he acted as if he has to clear this huge block of time in his schedule.)

Well, I've switched over to an actual computer, instead of using the laptop. Apparently this computer has a different version of IE on it, seeing as the formatting for my blog looks completely different then when I looked at it on the laptop. When I used the "large" size font before, it was never that big. It looks HUGE on this computer. I'm using "normal" size now, so hopefully noone will go blind trying to read this.

The switch over to an actual computer wasn't too bad, but it could have gone better. The guy who used to have this tower had to come over and log in, add me as a user with administrator privileges, and change the security on his extra hard drives in order for me to be able to use the stupid things. Grrr. I haven't even checked the printers yet.

Well, I made it through Friday. I didn't have to stay that much later to get stuff done. The big plotter started cooperating shortly after I posted. So, yesterday was my birthday (I'm not about to tell you which one it was) and all in all, it was a pretty good day. My friend took me out to Casey's for lunch, and then we spent the day at Science North. We saw that Grossology exhibit, very aptly named. It was kinda cool though. It found fun (and gross) ways to teach you different stuff about the human body. There was one friend who couldn't make it yesterday, so I'm getting my gifts from them at a later date. From my family I got some really nice gifts, my favourite was one that I got from my grandparents. They got a whole bunch of photos of me and my family, starting from one that was taken when I was 3 months old up to just about present day, and put them all in a photo album for me. It's a really great keepsake. I'm going to go through some of my photos, and see what photos my mom has and maybe add a couple of photos to the book. I also got the typical "grandparent" gift from them (socks and underwear). From my mom and her boyfriend I got a really cool set of martini glasses. Instead of having stems and feet, they have flattened balls of glass. It's really hard to describe, I might see if I can get a photo of them to post. I also got a metronome from them. (Is that how you spell that?) You know, one of those things that you can set to a certain tempo and the thing swings back and forth. Like I said, all in all a pretty good day. I wish I could have had more time to go around Science North, but that's okay, there's always another time for that. I can't believe that our snow is just about gone. You would never believe that we had the amount that we did. It has really gone down the past couple of weeks, but this past week has really seen it disappear. Well, I can't really think of anything else to say, so I guess I'll just say "Goodbye". Happy April!!