Oh my God, I swear, were it possible, I would punch today square in the throat.  Or kick it right in the nads.    It just that bad of a day so far.

Yesterday morning when I went for my paper it wasn't on my porch, nor on my neighbors porch, which has been happening all too often since the old delivery person left.  This morning, once again, nothing on my porch, but there WAS one on the neighbor's porch, so I got that one (more on this later) and was on my way to work.

I was in a grumpy mood all day, from the time I woke up.  Driving to work didn't help at all.  At work, There's something new I'm supposed to be working on, but I dont have access to what I need and even if I did, I dont know how to use what I need when I get access.  And so I've been stressed about how all this is backing up and how I'm gonna get it done. And then, a coworker was wrapped up for most of the morning dealing with another agency, and agency that's ALWAYS a pain to deal with. I had to help with that.

But then came lunch.  Had a big salad (and only one grilled ham & cheese sandwich...it was small), and I opened the paper to read like I do every lunchtime and....it was yesterday's paper.  Yep.  Oh was I pissed!  So I called the paper and left a message for the circulation manager and pretty much told her this needs fixed or I'm canceling my subscription AND telling everyone just how bad the delivery is.  And I told her to call me back after 430 when I'd be home.

So at noon, I was supposed to get a client on the phone for something important, but I didn't have any paperwork.    The call was to begin at noon.  About 12:05 someone brings me paperwork the client had, the exact paperwork that I needed.  So I had to get the client  and hurry him up and get him on the phone.  And he was on there for damn near three hours!  And I had to sit in my office with him while he was on the phone and do....nothing.  I surfed Teh Interwebs until I even got bored with that.  Finally, though, he was done.  And then it was about time to do home.

Went to get groceries and had to deal with the idiots in the store.  On the way home the doctor's office called me.  Apparently, my insurance isn't gonna cover the gloucometer, test strips and lancet that the doctor prescribed me.  SO I'd have to call my insurance to find out which ones they WILL cover so my doctor can prescribe it.  And while I was the phone with them (driving, which I'm not supposed to be doing!) my phone rang again.  I let it go to message.

After I hung up with the doctor's office, I checked and saw mom called.  I thought I'll wait until I get home and see what she wanted.  Traffic was still a bunch of idiots, so that was a fun trip home.  I got here, parked the car, and before I even turned it off, the phone rang again.  Some number I didn't know, so I answered it.  The woman asked for Mr. Stone, and I told her that wasn't me, so we hung up.

As I'm walking into my house carrying everything, the neighbor pulls up and we talked a slight bit, and I told her, "I've had a bad day, just wanna go in, kick my shoes off an relax."  So I got in the door and the phone rang again, the same 'wrong' number as before.  But this time, the woman asked for me.  It was the circulation manager.  She apologized several times, told me she'd have it corrected tomorrow and said the problem was they were having several other delivery people fill in on this route until they could find a permanent person.  Which they 'might' have done today.  But at any rate, she said she's not back until Sunday and she's gonna call me Sunday late morning to see how things are going.  So we'll see.

Then I checked mom's message.  She was staying in Baltimore with my cousin and her new baby one more night, so she said I'd have to get her paper and mail again tonight. *SIGH*

So I put the groceries away, put my damn shoes back on and went to moms to get her stuff, before come back here, kicking off my shoes again and FINALLY getting to relax a bit.

All this doesn't count the normal stressors from work.  Nor how pissed I got reading comments on some new stories while online.  And I KNOW better than to do that.

But anyway, I plan on going to bed relatively early-ish.  Cause tomorrow at work, I'm by myself in my department until late morning.  And hopefully tomorrow will just be as bright and sunny and wonderful as today...wasn't.

POLT

UPDATE ON SEBASTIAN'S MUFFLER:

My appointment was at 2, they didn't call me until 4:10, and then to tell me that yes, the problem WAS the muffler (no duh) and did I want them to fix it?  Well, um, that's kinda WHY I took it there so yes.  Okay, he said, they could have it ready in about an hour, it'll cost $288.  GROAN.

Five minutes later I get a call back.  The auto parts store THOUGHT they had one in stock, but they dont, and wont be able to get one until tomorrow.  See THIS is why I wanted an appointment earlier in the morning, so maybe, IF this happened, there would be time to get it fixed today.  But whatever.

He said they could have it done in the morning, like 9:00 (although I'm not holding my breath on the time estimate), so I told them to keep it, fix it tomorrow and call me.  I called into work to take the morning off, telling them I'll be there at noon.  Which should give them an additional two to two and a half hours to get it fixed over their estimate and still allow me to get to work by noon.

Yeah, this is a pain....but on the bright side....I get to sleep in tomorrow.

POLT

Welcome back, your dreams were your tickets out....

Okay, so I'm cautiously optimistic that everything is back to normal.  As you can see, I'm back to posting.

It's time like there, when you lose a computer, that you find out who your true friends are.

Thanks for truthspew, for all his help and patience over the phone on Saturday and all the email help on Friday.

Thanks to Michelle, who just happened to call on Thursday just when the Blue Screen Of Death first hit.  She realized how I was feeling and invited me out to eat with her and her friend Friday, thus allowing me to not only keep my mind off of things for a night, but to have an absolutely awesome time as well (which I may post about here in the next couple days).

And most of all, thanks, once again, to StratCat!  Without her, I wouldn't be back yet.  Thanks for her for spending 5 hours here tonight, getting everything back up and running, which included, reinstalling Windows, helping me download the antivirals I needed, helping me get my stuff off the back up, helping me clear some room out for all my music, and then figuring out the issue with the computer being unable to find the BOOTMGR......and of course, helping me keep sane, patient, and putting with my panic during the whole ordeal.  I dont think my bribe of a meal at Montezuma's, some Asti, and three episodes of Season 2 of The Walking Dead was enough for all she did and put up with, but I can't give her much more than my sincere and deepest thinks.

Now, hopefully tomorrow night, I'll be posting some more (assuming there's not more problems when I try to get on the computer tomorrow [though there shouldn't be {although there easily could be}]).  If not, well, then you know something else bad happened.

But for now, for right not, it's nice to be back.

POLT

Here we go again....

So, kids, yesterday, I'm sitting at home, got some things up on Google Chrome and I'm in my iTunes moving some music around when all of a sudden, I get.....

THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!

And the laptop reboots.  It lets me enter in my password and continues the startup process, but before it gets to the desktop, it reboots.  Then I get the message Windows didn't shut down properly, etc, etc, etc.  And I let it restart normally.  Put my password in, and the same thing happens ago.  So I turn the machine off.

A little bit later I start it up again, and the whole process starts all over.  So I do manage to get it into Safe Mode, but that's about it.  And I don't really know what to do once I'm there.  So I just shut the whole damn thing down.

So, until I get this taken care of, posts to the Palace are gonna be few and far between.  I still have my iPhone, and I've got my computer at work, so I'm still connected, but this stuff sucks.  Especially since I just went through computer issues in April.  I don't know if this is a virus or a hardward issue, but the Blue Screen Of Death makes me think it's the latter (not that I really know, I'm just guessing).  I still have everything saved from back in April, but what I DON'T have are a few pictures, and my iTunes.  And I really don't want to spend another three weeks putting 7,000 and some songs back onto a computer via CDs.  *SIGH*

I want to see if I can save stuff from Safe Mode, and if I can, I think I'd be happy to just reinstall Windows and then load up the all the stuff I've saved, from April and now.  If I can.  But we'll see how long it takes me to get all that done.

I checked with StratCat and she said the Blue Screen Of Death may be beyond her abilities.  But she'd help me reinstall Windows and stuff again, bless her lil heart.  So we'll see.  I might just try to save stuff and then buy a new computer, although I've only had this one less than three years, and I don't have $500 just laying around to spend on a new one.  So who knows.

Anyway, if anyone's had any experience with the Blue Screen Of Death before and can offer any suggestions I'd appreicate it.  Otherwise, I'll be back once everything's back in running order.

POLT

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....

I'm not opposed to change, necessarily, but some piss me off.  Like today, I went to my favorite local grocery, the store that has EVERYTHING I need, and a bunch of stuff I've never even heard of.

And there was NO Lipton Mixed Berry Green Tea!  What?  They got rid of ALL the Lipton Green Teas, except the basic, original no flavor added version.  Blech.  So I had to get some other brand's Berry Blast Green Tea.  Guess we'll see if it's close.

Then, I'm going to get some salsa, and they no longer have the Tostitos Restaurant Style.  WTF?  The regular salsa is too damn chunky, the restaurant style had smaller pieces of stuff in it and was much more liquidy.  So what now?  I guess it's freakin' chunky salsa now.  Blech.

Maybe I could check a different store, we'll see.  But that would be an unnecessary change as well.  *SIGH*

POLT

Snowflakes in the air Carols everywhere...

Yesterday, on the way home from work, I was flipping through the eight radio stations I have programmed in.  One of them was All Christmas Music, All The Time.  I literally screamed in my car as I was crossing the MD-PA state lines.  And then this morning, I heard on another station, two Christmas songs in a row, so I don't know if it's gone to the same format or if it was just my extreme misfortune to hear back-to-back Christmas songs.

Last year, I was ALL ABOUT the Christmas music.  I played it at work like all the time, and even quite a bit here at home.  And I hope  to be that way this year, it just makes me more cheery.  But for GOD'S SAKE, it's still a week before Thanksgiving and you've already gone to All Christmas Music, ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME??????? 

Thank God this isn't done for other holidays, cause really, five weeks of "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" for Easter, starting well before St. Patrick's Day, or five weeks of "The Monster Mash" starting in mis September would just drive us all nuts.

Blech.  I just hope this donsn't ruin Christmas for me. (not that it will of course, but what's wrong with a lil bit of overly melodramatic self pity when you're alone on a Saturday night?)

POLT