STABB666's Vampire Journal

STABB666's Journal

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8 entries this month

← Oct 2008

Dec 2008 →

Happy happy, joy joy...
03:04 Nov 29 2008
Times Read: 815

I'm not sure if anyone can really appreciate what I've been through in the last 36 hours. It's been tough, I'll admit, but it's almost all finished...

I originally had Vista on my laptop, and XP on the desktop.

Vista died and the recovery disk also went bye bye, so I installed XP on the laptop...but, I needed the license key, which the desktop was using.

Aha! But I have fooled Microsoft before. I went on their automated system and got it to give me a new reg key. The laptop become a happy place once again.

But I wanted that Vista. It was good for a few things, like P2P sharing...

And decided that I would use this shiny disk I have, along with the key from the laptop, to upgrade the desktop.

Oh no, it is not that easy. No, not at all.

I boot the Vista disk and oh good, it's loading...but, this isn't the upgrade screen, I think to myself. Oh well, might as well just put a clean copy on, since I have plenty of space.

It runs through all nice and then boots to windows. Great...but...wasn't I supposed to choose my version of Vista and enter the product key?

Why yes! I was supposed to, but it went right ahead and installed Vista Ultimate (which I do not have the key for), instead of Home Premium. (for which the key is right here...)

Ah, but it's good. It's working...letting me update from the site. Installing all sorts of stuff. But then after a restart, it tells me that I must activate wthin 3 days. So I try to activate and it says 'no, fuck off, this is the wrong key', or something similar.

I've just spent the whole day setting it all up, moving files around, playing with little tweaks to get it juuust the way I want it, so I'll be damned if I'm going to reinstall it again.

Aha! I shall fool Microsoft again, I think to myself once more...

Aha! No, I will have to come up with a better plan, for it does not give me the code I need to do it over the automated service, and instead tells me to call Microsoft and speak to someone...an actual living person.

Ok, I call the great beast up and start playing dumb. 'oh, it says that my key is invalid.'

Mr Indian dude is very kind, but after 40 minutes, I think he just wanted me off the phone and gave me a new key anyway.

Turns out, I actually have the right disk for my desktop and it should have activated first time, but something I updated prior to activation messed it up.

The hardest part was trying to keep at least one machine online at all times, while rebuilding the other one...Considering all of the apps that are needed for keeping in touch with the world, I'm a little surprised I managed it. Reinstalling Skype, Yahoo, Mirc, IE, Firefox, bittorrent, 70 billion security updates, tons of hardware drivers, various media players, and shifting several thousand files from one machine to the other over wireless, is not for the faint hearted.

So I figured what the hell and downloaded IE8 just to see. It works well, quick and tidy. But as expected, it's just Firefox with a Microsoft badge...

COMMENTS

Morrigon
03:35 Nov 29 2008

Vista?

You traitor.... You... You vile man you. Supporting the evil photoshop draining, retarded "do you want to approve this action?" piece of shit Vista!!!!

Nah it's ok. It does have it's good points. Hopefully they will take vista's strong points and finally bother making the rest of it decent enough for mankind.

Vista: their way of telling us the Matrix is a long way off.

STABB666
03:46 Nov 29 2008

The devil made me do it!

No really, he said when I called up for the reg key...

Since I have the all bells and whistles version, I've been playing with the new toys. Like the ability to put short looping video files as my desktop background... Very pretty.

Morrigon
05:04 Nov 29 2008

But still... vista sucks!!!!

I won't even capitalize the v.

Everdene
10:19 Nov 29 2008

Vista has the feel of a work released too soon. It is the best at what it does, but the way it operates lacks style and elegance, something that XP has. It is just effortless using the latter.

Vista needs to be finished properly!

Beastt17
11:49 Nov 29 2008

After all that work I hate to break this to you; Vista isn't an operating system. It allocates huge chunks of memory to perform minuscule tasks (as I'm sure you're aware), slows a fast PC to an absolute crawl, causes constant crashes, reduces your productivity to a snail's pace and makes the entire system unstable. I know this because I'm working with Vista right now. I think that fully qualifies it as more of a virus than an operating system.

Microsoft should be ashamed; they are ashamed. The whole "Mohave Experiment" hype is nothing but an attempt at damage control.

Sevenn
18:30 Nov 29 2008

Stabb! I have walked that lonely mile having taught myself to convert a laptop from Vista to XP and then back to Vista...in fact, I'm sure there is ranting and raving somewhere in my journal about it. It certainly was enough of an undertaking that I thought everyone should know how tortured I was. I have different machines that run different OS (es), but you know, I don't do any really high functioning stuff on the computer so Vista's failings really don't affect me. We just got the girl a new comp. for Christmas (finally, cripes) and she will not be pleased with Vista compared to her 10 year old Dell which still runs 98: frankly I think, their most stable platform ever. Ummm...ok, just snapped back into the world....not sure why I am ranting in YOUR journal. Sorry. Congratulations and ciao.

Nightgame
13:47 Dec 05 2008

I'm using vista on my laptop while xp on my desktop and with what I do both work fine though vista does sometimes throw a spanner in the works that I have to figure out, I can usually do it. I have to agree with Sevenn thought that 98 was their best so far but since I started with dos I'm so easy to please it's not even funny. Congratulations on some great manuvering there.

Super, thanks for asking!
19:55 Nov 27 2008
Times Read: 859

Yeah, so I have a short attention span. And? lol

While these groups are good, there is another group. Perhaps just one among many, but perhaps it is more than just a group. It is a Super Group, for Super People.

Come and pay us a visit, if you are a Person, are possibly Super, or just have a sense of Humour. If you can't fulfill any of these requirements, then you will be rejected and this may cause you to cry, but the management holds no responsibility for your fragile emotional state.

The group is open, but if I don't like you, you might as well not bother, unless you like being kicked. From the group. I'd never kick anyone. It's like hurting dogs and cats- the FBI profile you and next thing you know, it's Silence of the Lambs and a nice Chianti...

COMMENTS

BLOODLIFE
21:26 Nov 27 2008

i'm in...

Nightgame
21:46 Nov 27 2008

He's a super, she's a super... wouldn't you like to be a Super too? *sung to the tune of he's a pepper* :)

Morrigon
22:44 Nov 27 2008

I was invited... I feel special! ^.^

STABB666
00:24 Nov 28 2008

Hey, I invited a lot of people. I did make you and assistant group personage...just so I could get on stage and introduce you wearing a bikini as 'my lovely assistant',

Fizbop
01:56 Nov 28 2008

I wonder if I'm "special" enough for this group or that stabb knows i don't have much time even for much .

STABB666
02:26 Nov 28 2008

It's an open group. I wont stop anyone from joining...

sPerAnZa
02:47 Nov 28 2008

Whee. I got a little invite! :) It made me almost squeal happily.

20:46 Nov 25 2008
Times Read: 896

I almost forgot to mention...I passed the 70-620 exam for Vista today. I can stick MCTS as well as MCP after my name, if I was up my own arse enough to do that sort of shit. I know a guy at work who does...

Two more exams within the next six months and I can get the MCSA with Messaging. Then it's on to CCNA and I'll be in a very strong position for jobs. I may even go for the Cisco exam in my own time before then, but it will be out of my own pocket in any case.

In the meantime, I'll be having a chat with my team leader tomorrow, who will go to the Manager with my request for a 10% pay rise.

Hopefully before xmas I'll get security clearance, which will make me a very happy chappy. Now all I need is to have a couple of jobs lined up in the States...

COMMENTS

KeeperOfSecrets
20:49 Nov 25 2008

Congrads Stabb !

Sevenn
01:06 Nov 26 2008

awesome, congratulations!

Joli
01:57 Nov 26 2008

Well done! Proud of you.

Nightgame
02:09 Nov 26 2008

Woo Hoo! Very well done :)

Adora
11:55 Nov 26 2008

Congrats!... I hope everything goes well for you.

Morrigon
16:39 Nov 26 2008

WOOOOH! happy chappy! Congratulations dude.

artemka
18:35 Nov 26 2008

STABBMCTSMCP doesn't have any sort of ring to it,

congratulations though :D

STABB666
22:26 Nov 26 2008

Thank you. You are all very kind to show you care with your well-wishes.

I appreciate all of your support.

:)

Sinora
09:15 Nov 28 2008

Congrats !

Heavy Metal...
21:35 Nov 22 2008
Times Read: 941

I'm really going to regret this in the morning.

In hindsight, this was definitely the wrong decision.

I was supposed to be having a full fat-burning cardio session. But instead, I was talked into getting on the weights.

We started easy with the ab work, lower back and a bit of quads...

Then he suggested that we go onto legs. So I said we should have a go on the squats. Oh fuck me. I went for a triple set of 120lbs. That may not sound like much, but after doing the back work, it nearly killed me.

Moved on to calf raises and then a half hour on the cross-trainer, which helped to turn my legs to jelly.

Slammed down two protein shakes. One my friend gave me was chocolate flavour whey powder with oats, mixed up with skimmed milk. Ick, but I drank it anyway.

A couple of bananas and then home.

I don't feel too much pain right now, but I know I'll be paying for this tomorrow. I will require some massage. A shame I won't get any.

I weighed myself too, which is were the mistake became apparent...I'm still at 190lbs. I've probably switched to muscle building a bit too soon. I was on the weights last week as well. I'm going to have to switch back, but that'll take a couple of weeks to get the metabolism in order. Ho hum...

COMMENTS

Morrigon
21:58 Nov 22 2008

I never never ever weigh myself. It's a waste of time. Go by how you feel and how you look dammit.

That's what matters... Unless you want someone to carry you.

Joli
22:00 Nov 22 2008

I'd give you a massage.

STABB666
22:05 Nov 22 2008

I need to monitor my weight in the gym to track progress.

I'm happy with how I am, but I could be happier... lol

Besides, I want to me able to take my shirt off and have all those Southern ladies eying me up when I get back over there.

Perhaps one of them would like to give me a massage.

Oh...I see. :)

Irony
16:49 Nov 23 2008

A good tip when you are doing a lot in the gym is to try and take a swim in a pool afterwards. If your gym has one, do the cool down in the pool and you should avoid the majority of the ouch the next day. It helps your muscles relax without cramping up.

Also, toning is god. The scales are not a good indicator of how well you are doing. You could be a perfectly proportioned 6 pack bearing hunk of hotness and the scales would whine at you for being too heavy. Don't bother looking at them. Start measuring yourself instead:)

STABB666
20:46 Nov 25 2008

You're right, but sadly, there is no pool. I have to settle for stretches, which I'm lazy at. lol

Dodgeball is a great game...
00:52 Nov 15 2008
Times Read: 977

A movie which inspires, makes me laugh and is one of my best new memories to share.

I certain scene from that movie always gets me...

Lance Armstrong: Quit? You know, once I was thinking of quitting when I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer all at the same time. But with the love and support of my friends and family, I got back on the bike and won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you have a good reason to quit. So what are you dying of that's keeping you from the finals?

Peter La Fleur: Right now it feels a little bit like... shame.

Lance Armstrong: I guess if a person never quit when the going got tough, they wouldn't anything to regret for the rest of their life. Well good luck to you Peter. I'm sure this decision won't haunt you forever.

And...He's back!

COMMENTS

I want my fucking money, you bitch-ass mutherfuckers!
21:45 Nov 11 2008
Times Read: 976

Of all the fucking nerve.

I have serious issues with this decision, but I have no other choice to accept it and move on.

I booked my Vista exam today for the 25th November. Two weeks.

But my employer didn't think it would be 'appropriate' for me to have a second exam voucher, which meant I had to pay for it out of my own pocket.

Unfortunately, I need to pass this exam to qualify for my pay review. I signed a bloody contract stating that I'd pass two exams every six months.

It's a bit catch 22. I can't really afford to buy it because I'm saving for something special, and xmas is right around the corner.

But at the same time, I need that pay rise to be able to get the things I want.

In a way, I'm more annoyed with myself for not having my photo ID with me when I went for the first exam. It still really burns though, since my work cancelled the xmas party as well, due to 'the economic downturn.'

A week later, they post their best profit results yet, saying how god the company is doing and announcing a major new contract.

Which to me reads- 'we need more profits for the dividend payment to the shareholders', who just happen to be the top managers in the company. Ain't that just a lovely way to show staff that they are valued.

At least I don't plan to make a career in this place. Fuckers.

COMMENTS

Morrigon
22:01 Nov 11 2008

Of course... Companies always seem to end up treating the backbone workers this way...

artemka
23:20 Nov 11 2008

they cancelled Xmas !!!!!

STABB666
23:27 Nov 11 2008

They did, the mean bastards cancelled xmas.

I think I'll change my name to 'Bob'...

Nightgame
16:14 Nov 23 2008

That seems to be the trend everywhere this year and it sucks! No x-mas parties, no bonus heck I know some that are not even getting the actual day off. (not talking emergency services either) Times are hard and those who can will make them even harder on the working people.

New body to replace troubled CSA
13:02 Nov 01 2008
Times Read: 1,013

"The Child Support Agency is handing its powers to a new body, after years of complaints over delays, errors and with £3.8bn still owed by absent parents.

The new Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission has already said while £2bn may be recoverable, the remaining sum will most likely never be paid.

The new body has more powers to try to enforce maintenance payments, including asking courts to withdraw passports.

It will also encourage parents to make their own financial arrangements.

From Saturday, the new commission takes on responsibility for ensuring non-resident parents pay what they owe.

Since it was established in 1993, the CSA has been attacked for not delivering on its mission.

It was thrown into disarray in 2003 after a new IT system created a huge backlog in its operations - the Commons public accounts committee called the CSA one of the "greatest public administration disasters of recent times".

In 2006 the then Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton announced it would be scrapped as it had a backlog of 300,000 cases and little prospect of recovering some £3bn in maintenance payments.

The CSA collects £36m in maintenance payment arrears a month - an increase of 40% in a year. In total about 68% of money claimed by parents is successfully paid out.

The new body will have tougher enforcement powers which will mean its staff will not have to go to court to take action against parents who refuse to make payments."

...

I am a non-resident father. Initially, the CSA denied my a paternity test based on a form they received which I subsequently proved was fraudulant, but I almost had to go to court for them to listen to me.

Since then, I've paid exactly what was asked, plus extra at times. Last year, I was re-assessed at the request of the mother. It took the CSA so long to calculate it and contact me, that by the time they applied the backdated difference in assessment, it was several thousand pounds.

After calling them to make an arrangement to pay it off within two years, I subsequently received a letter informing me that court action was being taken to obtain a liability order, despite my objections and explanation of the situation.

Since then, I've learned that because my child was born before a certain date, and the IT system doesn't work, I am being assessed using different criteria then newer parents, meaning I pay more as a percentage of my salary.

The system is so broken and no minister is willing to stand up and take ownership of it, that I fear more fathers will be sent to the wall as the economy continues to slide.

This 'new body' will be as inept and unsympathetic as the old one. And now they can take passports away or punish without having to go to court?

Fuck that shit. Fuck it up their stupid totalitarian asses.

COMMENTS

BLOODLIFE
13:56 Nov 01 2008

My heart goes out to you.

As a father in a similar position, my ex decided she would have me assesed by the CSA (using the old system), I of course tried to make her see reason. She used emotional blackmail which I feel a lot of fathers are subjected to. The bottom line was the CSA decided that I was paying to much.

In my case the whole dispute has been settled now but I do fear that the new system will be abused by the authorities who will try to improve their overall figures and hence gain some form of credibility.