Murphy Has It Coming

I feel I’ve been wasting my time lately with all sorts of things that seem to pop up out of nowhere. I had one bad issue after another over the last three weeks. First of all my computer died and as you can imagine I was not happy about it because I have invested quite some money on extra hardware and software to upgrade it and keep it running smooth. It was still the perfect computer to me until it unexpectedly gave up on me one day while I was busy studying and working.

I heard this loud tick, my monitor went black and I could hear the fan slowly coming to a halt. I knew straight away that it was the power supply so I did some research online and found out, it had been a hardware issue waiting to happen. Apple knew about this since they released this computer, they’ve managed to sell faulty products for three years… Of course I checked to see if there was a repair program, there was, but it closed in January this year and knowing Apple I shouldn’t expect extras…

I did call though… and on top of all the crap, I had to deal with an extremely annoying person, who kept telling me that I didn’t register that computer with Apple. She had that tone in her voice like she was almost accusing me of stealing the piece of hardware. Later, after I’d spoken with a really nice person at the Apple dealer who’d explained to me how to check my registry, I found out that I was indeed registered. It only confirmed the fact that I’d been trying to have a conversation with a right cow.

I’m still thinking about making an official complaint, it was something the manager at the Apple store mentioned to me. It just doesn’t sit well with me and I don’t wish to be treated like that especially not by a company that has become extremely arrogant over the years. To be honest, I was so pissed off, I was ready to swap to PC… that should tell you something *wink*… It’s solved for now, I’m using my good old Powerbook: it doesn’t have enough power to do anything else besides email and internet.

But it works until the proper stuff is in. Of course it took me ages to transfer most of my files to one of my removable HDs. Lucky me I could borrow some gadget from my brother to connect a harddisk through USB to another computer to transfer stuff but I still need to find a case to put these old harddisks in so I can continue to use them. Something like this would be awesome… Anyway… when I finally had setup a proper work space I found out that my business domain had been hacked *bring it on!*

So I’m still cleaning up the mess… I had to delete websites and reinstall them, it’s the kind of stuff you don’t want to do when there are more urgent issues to deal with. I’m supposed to study the next couple of months to update my webdesign knowledge. I started reading some O’Reilly books on CSS, Drupal, Flash, CMS, SEO etc. and it has come to a grinding halt ever since I ran into these horrid problems. On top of that -since I haven’t got a start date yet with the new employer- I still have to apply for jobs.

I actually received a phone call last week from the owner of an architectural design agency who wanted to meet me and have a chat. I’d applied for a job the week prior to his phone call but the job was no longer available. He said he was impressed with my CV though and invited me to meet up with them. I’ll have to visit them this Thursday and in a way I’m really looking forward to this. I know they use Drupal to build websites while they’re also in need of Drupal freelancers: 1+1=2? *wink*

We’ll see… for now I have plenty of work to catch up on so if you wonder why I’m quiet again that is your answer. So if you will excuse me, I have someone called Murphy to deal with, I think I’m going to pwn him…

Did She Lose Her Marbles?

This morning I woke up at 07.00 to the sound of a beautiful amazing wild parakeet (images on older post), the green kind. There’s a lot of them living in the trees across the road and I suspect they’ve got some nests there as well. The moment I heard the sound I was instantly eager to see if what I heard was real. Was I still dreaming? It sounded so close to me! So I peeked out of the window and there it was… only 1.5 metres away looking at me. Yes of course I tried to take a picture but it saw my lens move and it flew off. *shoot… hehe*

I’ve been in a rather strange mood lately and I guess that’s because I’m dealing with the past and trying to get rid of ‘cows’ by either butchering them or hit them with a car, drive over them and once more in reverse… *what the hell is she talking about? Did she lose her marbles?* Let me explain… There’s this book by Dr. Camilo Cruz which was recommended to me by my coach. Translated from Spanish into English (and Dutch) and called: ‘Once Upon a Cow: Eliminating Excuses and Settling for Nothing but Success’ ***) see note below

So my coach has been teaching me stuff from this book and at the same time I’m reading another which was a gift from my friend MD. He bought it for me because it helped him a lot at the time. It’s Dutch but it kinda boils down to the same issues that are discussed in the book that I mentioned earlier. About how to create your own possibilities, opportunities, how to focus, how to avoid the use of certain words, how to approach things in a different way and how to take action and get rid of obstacles that you’ll find on your path.

I have this strange mood lately since I started to see certain connections and results of how a person in my past treated me. It’s freaky having to face this engraved hurt again, a different and unexpected kind though this time. I’ve moved on, I have… but the scars are still there *so it seems*. It’s probably gonna take a bit of work to change a mindset like my current one into something I can work with. It’s OK. Just the fact that I realise this needs change and that I am actually working on it, is something I’m proud of!

But yes… there are cows with an attitude. When I have a good day, I shoot them with magic dust so they’ll grow wings and fly away just like that. But when I have a bad day, they just sit there in the middle of the road, staring at me with those big eyes, showing me ‘the dumb expression’. I can hear them talk and I can hear them ask questions and challenge me. They have no intention of going anywhere, they have fun blocking the road so I can’t get passed it. Or they at least want me to believe that I can’t… *Wrong! Coz I can! You watch…*

So what else have I been up to?

I studied… Drupal… and it’s a piece of cake. I even think it doesn’t have all the flexibility that I’m used to with other CMSes. I’ve two more weeks to finish and prepare for an interview. Then there is a party that I might attend in September ±3500 people. There’s someone I’ll see again in two weeks so I’ll be having fun showing him around Amsterdam. And hopefully I’ll meet up with my best friend from Scotland this Wednesday. I could do with some good old belly laughs that we always seem to cause with our twisted sense of humour.

Furthermore I’ve become a third time aunt of a cute little niece last week and will be visiting the newborn next weekend. I’ve spent way too much time on FB which I’ve cut down dramatically *that’s what you get for nice distractions* because I should focus on the study. But since I got up at 07.00 this morning I thought I could finally write a post again as a treat. I need to spend more time on relaxation which reminds me that I should start working on my painting as well, it’s been way too long! For now: back to study… Adios amigos!

***) In Spanish it’s called La Vaca: Una historia sobre cómo deshacernos del conformismo y la mediocridad.

© Zesty Gal – Dumb stare… but oh so clever! (Skye, 2005)