Eschewed Obfuscation

Yes, I know it's midnight...

My pledge toward balance for this year is to practice and apply Transcendentalist philosophy to my life: I want to make more rational decisions and consider every choice before I choose.

Translation: I desperately need to mellow out.

Via mac_stone:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?

Sorry for the brevity, mrissa; I hope my previous explanation made more sense, since I'm half-asleep as I type this.

FF2 was stable for exactly one day; and then today I had the same problem. This leads me to believe that the problem isn't with Firefox, although it started shortly after I installed FF3. The blue-screen error is IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL and I also got MEMORY_MANAGEMENT once. Minidump file is full of junk and random Chinese characters.

In safe mode right now, and a few minutes ago Host Process for Windows Services shut down again. Strangely the computer is still working, probably b/c of the safe mode. svchost.exe is no longer listed in task manager processes.

I'm running Vista Home Basic on a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop. Don't know the hardware specs, but I can probably dig them up if I have to. Possible errors, from my guesswork and research: Logitech MouseWare driver (using a wireless Logitech mouse--but why would it just start malfunctioning now?) or flawed USB driver (didn't plug in the USB stick yesterday and did today--same question, why now?).

From event logs, dated today:

( Read more... )

Any help or even speculation would be GREATLY appreciated. And today I'd just gotten nice surprises in the mail too, DeepDiscount book order and BPAL from lisamantchev...

ETA: Adding links here for my reference.
Troubleshooting Windows STOP Messages

How to fix "Host Process for Windows Services Stopped Working and Was Closed" on Vista

My event logs aren't showing anything application-specific. I have gotten the error once in Safe Mode now, so that means it's either a problem with a Windows core driver or with hardware... ugh.

ETA2: Figured out the BCM42RLY error--it's some Broadcom driver. This person has the exact same problem, even down to the Dell Vostro 1500 with SP1. Unfortunately, no solution. Right now I'm running IE7 on normal boot, and Event Viewer is showing several BCM42RLY errors after the boot-time. Going to try Firefox next, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not the problem because I was using FF yesterday and this morning with no issues. Maybe it's the USB? Back shortly.

Now on the last stable FF2 with no visible errors. When I clicked the Event Log online help link, I did get this Windows Script Host error:

Script: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp2CFA.vbs
Line: 2
Char: 1
Error: No application is associated with the specified file for this operation.
Code: 80070483
Source: (null)

ETA3: I'm just hanging around, monitoring Event Viewer to see what happens, and there are more errors. Multiple instances of The name "TOSHIBA01 :0" could not be registered on the interface with IP address 192.168.1.103. The computer with the IP address 192.168.1.101 did not allow the name to be claimed by this computer. Also more uncorrectable memory errors.

You--and this means everyone--should download Firefox 3 on Tuesday, June 17th. Because they're trying to set a world record for most downloads in 24 hours, and because you should be using FF3 regardless. (If you're on Opera, I may be willing to compromise.)

shikonsapphire managed to get me back on Neopets, playing games. The site is horribly commercialized now with ads everywhere, but the games remain excellent. I'd forgotten what it was like to play games for fun.

Said friend also made me try Fancy Pants Adventure World II, which is the real reason why I haven't practiced clarinet, done yoga, or made a novel-date with yhlee. It is perhaps the perfect casual game, IMHO. Do click the link and try, but be prepared to happily while away a few hours.

No school today due to the snow; I am Happy. Now to catch up on internet-reading, get a good hour or so of clarinet in, read a certain overdue beta manuscript, work on Achaea stuff, and maybe even write some more on the untitled Mongolian-glacier story fragment.


Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
by Adeline Yen Mah
278 pages (trade paperback) [Googled; I forgot to note it personally]
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

I had a favorable reaction to Chinese Cinderella, so I started reading this with reasonable expectations. However, it quickly became clear that the beginning of this autobiography is essentially identical in content to the former. Chinese Cinderella is tighter and stronger; I only read the last half of Falling Leaves, but my main impression was whiny. And weak--it's unfair to make such a judgment, I know, but I kept wanting to scream at story-Adeline--when she's grown, a certified doctor, married, and still capitulates before her parents--to grow a spine already. I can understand filial piety, but repeated instances of accepting clear emotional abuse from your parents (when one is clearly an adult, not a helpless child) do not a good book make. Not rec'd; Chinese Cinderella still is recommended, however.

Does anyone know where I can find Twinkies? They're so classic, but don't seem to actually be sold anywhere. I am open to online options.

Also, thank you for the card fireriven! May there be peace on earth everlast.

Yesterday was my first class for the English 101 course I'm taking, Composition & Critical Thought. The professor is funny and engaging; we're writing a research paper, but we get to pick any illustration from the main textbook to research/analyze. The textbook, Seeing and Writing 3 by Donald and Christine McQuade, is wonderful. I think the course will be challenging but doable, which is a great combination. It's every Monday and Wednesday evening, so another class tomorrow. The prof handed out a great essay by Zoe Ingalls, "The Discipline of the Hand," on which we're to write a comparison essay (drawing vs. writing) due next week. The essay/article concerns sketching, but the essential principles can be applied to both critical and creative writing.

"It's like dancing," [Ms. Gussow] says. "When you are truly dancing, you don't consider each movement that you are making. Something impels you--the rhythm of the music, the rhythm of your body. I think that when you draw rapidly, a similar instinctual movement opens up."

Profound, indeed.

oyceter has announced the date of International Blog Against Racism Week: August 6-12. I really want to participate, though I don't know what I could blog about. I'm decidedly unknowledgable on racism, and I need to research it while at the same time trying to get through a gigantic to-read list.

And in other news, the contacts still feel weird. It's like having glasses in my eyes; there's a glassy overlay over my vision sometimes and I have to blink consciously to get rid of it. Hrm. I wore the new white ballet flats today to Costco and rubbed my feet raw. I love the flats to death though, and it took longer than forever to find a pair that fit so I'm loath to return them. Stupid small feet.

Scrolly-wheel click opens a link in a new tab!! That's freaking amazing.

I keep seeing people admonish others for not archiving their communities, and it made me wonder: how exactly could I backup this journal? Other than manually copy-and-pasting, which is a pain.

To round off my recent spasm attack of posts...

I never knew you could scrub/wash/clean your hands with ice. It's freezing and painful, but it works.

I must remember that for a story sometime.