C.J. Cherryh's Blog, page 44
June 11, 2015
Because no novel gets out of this house without computer trouble…
…the computer failed a Windows update this morning.
My fault, probably. I told it to close the Update screen, since it listed that as one of the programs that was stalling its operation.
It didn’t like that.
Glory-oski. Jane helpfully got me an info screen on the office computer. I read that. It said give it 3 hours. Then I went back to my machine.
Update stayed frozen at 30% and holding. For two hours, before it finally went to’shutting down’. And froze.
Well, after a significant amount of time, I powered off the brute force way and intended to come up in Safe Mode. It went right ahead and booted, and went to a screen that confessed “Update Failed.”
At this point I transferred yesterday’s work to Jane’s computer, and rolled up my sleeves to run a fix.
I called up the Update screen, which, if you read carefully in such instances, offers you a path to fix it, by going into Windows’ guts, turning off Updating, and totally deleting the contents of two folders, which are the update records, then turning Update on again.
Writing every step down to refer to, I did the deed, and asked Update to perform.
It churned for nearly another hour…but found 7 updates it needed. Now, meanwhile, this being the detritus from Update Tuesday where everything Microsoft-linked decides it wants to interrupt your operations to update (Adobe, Java, Norton, you name it) —and swearing a bit—I got the updates installed, and the machine is slowly working its way back to normal.
Jane and I have decreed this is pizza day. It started early, with the Night Terror deciding to knock on my bedroom door, as Jane will do if she wants me to get up and help her in the yard. It was 5:30 in the morning. She was still asleep. I went back to bed, murmuring threats. Come 6:30 I gave up and got up. And we decided to take the chain saw to some piled-up limbs from a trim we did putting in the fence—things too big to be easy to dispose of, which is why I got the chainsaw. Then we have the stump out front where the city declared we had to take a juniper down. Which turns out to be some 15′ feet wide, and apt to denude the whole corner, but, hey, that’s the rules: it’s a corner. People need to see the traffic. So we’d taken out some, but the chainsaw is helping. It’s just slow.
Have I gotten everything done that I want to do? Well, I certainly wanted the computer to work.
June 8, 2015
Kitteh-walking…
Trying to help Jane in the garden in the early, early morning while it’s cool—I can’t spend all day parked in a chair, and I figure it will help my concentration to get a little stretch.
The Night Terror is such an odd duck…our half-Bengal. Cross him and he’ll slap you, and he’s a handful when he makes up his mind he wants to sit on your lap and you want to use the computer—he’ll hiss and slap and lash his tail—bad kitteh! Pet him wrong and he’ll nip and slap.
But at times he’ll surprise you with cooperation. He likes being outside if we’re there. He liked the cage for a while, but it’s boring and there are things he can’t get to. Like us. But…we got that figure 8 harness.
So this morning, on my way out, bleary-eyed with cuppa coffee, to help Jane, I found Shu at the door, doing his cheek-rub on the door frame, so positioned that he’ll be outa that door the instant it opens. So I get his harness, and the rascal purrs while I put it on, flops over to relax (cats’ chest areas are real hard to get to relax) so it’ll snap easily, and on with the harness with no fuss. Won’t walk out on his own…wants to be assured it’s safe. So I park the coffee cup and help him out. But once he spots Jane, he’s happy.
We got a bit done, and Shu just wandered around, trailing a long red (and soaked and dirty) leash that always advised us where he was. He’d generally prowl near us, but loved getting under the peonies, or investigating the smells of this and that. Absolutely happy to walk the paths near us. Time to go in, I carry him in, set him down, he stands while I unclip the one snap, and he’s happy as a clam at high tide.
Never had a cat take so happily to a leash. And this is the guy from the Reservation, in the woods. Weird cat, our Shu. But fun in his weird way.
June 7, 2015
Progress. I have the end in sight.
THis is one where I know where it goes. Trying to keep up with exercise, stick to the diet, maintain pond and yard, and be brilliant when I hit the keyboard.
June 3, 2015
And still working…
Not only am I behind deadline, the next deadline (due to a change in production schedule (absolutely nothing to do with me and nothing anybody can do anything about) and my desire to keep that April slot) means I have a turn-in date way short of the usual. So I am going to be one jump short of crazy for the rest of this year. Thank God for Jane.
May 31, 2015
Working, working, working…
Officially a bit past deadline, but working.
May 25, 2015
May 24, 2015
Missing the convention, but getting some work done…
As in—at least I’ve been able to do some maintenance around the place. I think I’ve found the issue with the front fountain, and it’s simpler than I thought, maybe. I need to trench over to the faucet so we can lay some new connection, and bury it. Just have to get a way to connect pipe to a very short hose, which has to have a screw end. Ideally they’ll have a hose barb that’s got a screw end that I could use to make a thing that takes a regular hose screw-on now take a piece of plain hose that I can splice in. They do not make garden hoses in 6 inch lengths with connectors at both ends. But that’s what I need, so I’ll have to make it.
I’m past deadline on the current book but making good progress, and Jane’s backing me up and keeping me going. It’s also good that I’m not breaking concentration for a convention right now—but I do miss being there.
May 22, 2015
Jane is doing better. Still no heavy lifting. But walking.
We have our own excellent place for brisk walking, right in front of our house, up five lots, and U turn, do 2-3 laps, and we figure that’s good for the back—not far, but just doggedly getting out and doing it, and being careful about chairs and such—and long sitting, so periodic turns about the garden. It’s a good thing we *didn’t* go, because conventions being what they are, you end up pushing yourself, because —good time!—or —I can do this!—and then you go back to your room and admit your back’s killing you. So she’s being sensible, measured activity, activity, then rest, and not climbing stairs and carrying things.
We’re ok. And we will definitely be at Miscon next year. We’re missing a Scotch-tasting party tomorrow. Sigh. But we’ll be in much better shape for Jane having sat this one out.
Thanks for all the good wishes.
May 20, 2015
We were going to go to a convention this weekend, but Jane strained her back…
This is Miscon, a convention we very much love and look forward to. But unhappily, Jane’s back went out. She’s limping about in pain, the con starts tomorrow, and we just gave up our hotel room (beautiful hotel, with a creek just outside the windows) —because the thought of a 4 hour drive tomorrow plus all the walking and standing just wasn’t going to cut it. And if I went, I’d spend all my time missing Jane. So heck, it’s just not our year to do this. I released our lovely hotel room, which we spoke for a year ago, so somebody late will get a really nice room.
Sigh. I think the drive actually do will not be the several hours to Missoula, but an hour down to Pullman to the chiropractor to get this fixed, tomorrow if she is still in this much pain. Right now she cannot even take a step easily.
May 17, 2015
Our anniversary…today
Things just didn’t add up to have the party we planned—just too crazy right now. But we WILL have one. Just not on the day.
So I’ve gotten at least a dinner rez. And we’ll hope that wedding cake we saved is still edible.
