morningcrafter

I haven’t blogged in awhile and for that I am not sorry.

R.I.P.

A week ago I was in the SUB trying to find the best outlet for my laptop. I picked the wrong one, tried to plug it in and it slid off of the table and crashed into a chair, shattering the LCD screen (model #LP154WX5-TLA1).

Clearly I was devastated, but my hard drive was in tact, so I couldn’t cry too hard. If I had chosen to get it fixed by a professional it would have been around $300, which would never happen. If I had purchased the screen itself from Sony, it would have been $229. BUT, I realized after some research that it was just an LG screen commonly used in Dells and IBMs and that it wasn’t necessary to buy it from Sony. And because this part didn’t hold the Sony prestige I thought it did, I could get it off of ebay for $90, shipping included.

The screen arrived and I installed it all by myself using my incredible skillz. It works perfectly after a quick trip to Ace Hardware where I kind man sold me a precision screw driver. Beautiful.

I’ve been ridiculous and into chemicals for the past few weeks and tonight is no different. Except it is because I’m learning to knit from my magistra (the Socrates to my Plato) @kaileyburger who blogs here.

You know who she is. She ain't hidin' shit.

We’ve both decided that this has been the best night of our lives, but you already know that if you follow us on twitter.

Regina Brief:

Still cute.

Killer color combo, kitty cat.

Still in <3.

Deep <3

My infrequent posting lately is caused by a number of things. Firstly, I’ve been trying (intentionally this time) to quit my medication. It prevents me from feeling the full range of emotions that defines me, and I can’t have that. So I’m trying it out. Don’t test me. That’s essentially what I’m saying.

ALSO . . . I got a cat!

KITTY SQUINT

Her name is Regina, and she prefers the Latin pronunciation which is RAY-gee-nuh. Her previous owners were seemingly nice enough, but they didn’t love her. She has all of her shots, has been dewormed and treated for fleas, and is around 9 months old. Unfortunately she is declawed, but that’s all the more reason for me to provide her with the safety, love, and security that she needs. She’s an independent woman (perfect) and she behaves quite well. She snuggles and purrs in my lap, but has an aversion to faces, which is fine because I don’t like people/kitties in my face. She wakes me up with questioning meows and little friendly paws. She’s positively beautiful and sleek (as you can see) and I am pleased as punch.

This post brought to you by Regina's typing skillz.

However, she got a little pissy with me this afternoon because I changed her litter. Shaun bought Tidy Cat litter because the kitty on the package looked like Regina. Cute, but not effective. She hates it and promptly shat down the side of the box and on the floor, then proceeded to walk through it, get disgusted, and wipe her little paws on the carpet. I wondered why her gas was filling the house, and then realized that she had taken a massive human-like shit outside of the box.

RUDE

So basically I’m broke from buying things to care for and clean up after my bundle of feline joy. Creepy.

My mother asked me to send photos of her “grand-kitty.” Weird. At least she knows she’s not getting grand kids outta me.

On an unrelated note, my bb Tanji came into town this weekend! She was a delight and we got to be besties again like old times, bond over LGBTQ issues, and eat snacks!

Life is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaalright.

BESTIES . . . per usual

My linux fangirl loyalty has been tested.

Warning:

This explanation is for nerds and will be uninteresting for most humans. Even though Ubuntu is Linux for Humans (blah blah blah.)

On Sunday, I returned from a refreshing trip with a fresh new coiffure and a mildly productive spark. I opened my laptop, however, to find my OS loading in 800×600 resolution. This was disgusting, clearly, so I started troubleshooting. Like any good user of open source software, I calmly scoured the boards for a similar problem. There were a few, and each recommended I edit the xorg.conf file. I panicked because of course, I, the user of my laptop, do not have default administrative priveledges (a key part of the heightened security offered by linux.) A friend of mine and fellow linux user (though regretfully not a reader of my blog) came over to help out and naturally suggested I open nautilus and perform the operation as root. I restarted my laptop and it went through BIOS and GRUB, booting up fully, but then instead of the unsightly 800×600 I had before, I was greeted with several bars of color, briefly flickering, then stationary. I tried everything imaginable to fix this, cried, wasted time, and did none of my homework. I was depressed, disconnected, and downright desolate.

Then I realized that it booting up fully indicated that it was the settings in the OS and not the hardware causing the issue. I burned a copy of the Karmic beta and held my breath.

Non-nerds, continue reading here:

Four installs, an $80 320GB Seagate external hard drive, and some pulls of Kessler later and I feel great. It’s been two days with this new install and I adore it. It’s glitchy at times, but it’s a goddamn beta. Don’t get me wrong; my love for Ubuntu has not died, only waivered. My hope is that in 8 days the Alpha will drop and meet my meagre expectations.

The apps I enjoyed reinstalling the most? All Adobe Air-powered.  Prepare yourselves for a gushy review of my fave Adobe-Air apps–available on all platforms!

I realize that my position on Autumn seems to be pretty fickle right now. That’s fine with me. If anything can get me through this it’s seasonal drinks! And I don’t just mean cider.

Late September every year finds me itching for some pumpkin spice lattes, chai teas, and anything else you can throw caffeine at. Jazzman’s addition of the pumpkin spice chai latte to their menu a few weeks ago delighted me, but upset my pocket book, which is why I was delight when I found this:

DIY Pumpkin Latte via the kitchn

The Kitchn offers a at home recipe for my very favorite seasonal coffee drink.

Additionally, this quirky but simple pasta dish sparked my interest. It calls for meat and chicken broth but could easily be made vegetarian or even vegan.

Looks delish! via MomAdvice

Soup really gets me when it’s chilly, so this recipe from Art and Lemons clearly appealed as well. Warm food on a cold day delights me every time!

Oh dear, do I love that color. via Art and Lemons

. . .  And maybe I am a bit excited about other seasonal items as well.

Bundle up, Kirksvillians, because we may be chillin’ til March April Graduation.

I counted my pills today (the last day before I should refill my meds) and I only took my pills 46.666% of the time this month. This explains plenty, but frustrates me to no end. Why do I ever think this is a good idea? I get crazy bitch defiant and just stop taking them as some sort of test that I know I’ll fail. If Wellbutrin isn’t taken regularly, it does nothing. If it is discontinued altogether it increases suicidal ideations considerably. I’m aware of these things and wouldn’t consider taking myself off of it without consulting a doctor. But this behavior is irresponsible and immature. I’m certain it’s associated with the stress brought about by my classes, responsibilities, and poverty, but it’s inexcusable nonetheless. Check out this lolzy warning:

Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself. Do not smoke at any time if you are using a nicotine product along with Zyban. Too much nicotine can cause serious side effects. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking bupropion. Alcohol may increase your risk of a seizure while you are taking bupropion.

Note: Zyban and bupropion are some of the other names for Wellbutrin.

On a sort of unrelated note, I’ve received the strangest grades on papers lately. Linda Seidel gave me a 90 and 91 on my JINS and Queer Theory papers respectively and her comments went as follows (liberal paraphrasing): “90% A – This isn’t at all what I wanted. Something entirely different would be preferable.” I don’t know where that leaves me, but I feel indifferent toward my writing abilities.

I have perennial seasonal affective disorder! Shit!

ALSO:

The shirt I bought from Helping Hands started smelling like its previouse owner after 12ish hours of wearing it without washing it so I became disgusted with myself and am wearing I hate myself clothes.

THAT IS ALL.

I  interrupt this nerd-fest for unrelated updates.

As of late I’ve been alternating between 30-35 waking hours on two hours of sleep and sleeping for 15 hours (through all of my classes) being awake for 5 hours and repeating the cycle. My diet consists of outrageous quantities of caffeinated beverages and the occasional bite to eat at the SUB (i.e. Veggie Maxes or Portobello Burgers) and Taco Bell. I was confused as to why I was constantly exhausted.

And then I realized that eat around 500 calories a day. That isn’t how people live. But I can’t afford to eat more. I haven’t had a steady income for over two months and the money I have ends up going to expenses for classes, toiletries, and my costly vices. Something’s gotta give. Self-medication isn’t my first choice, but it’s certainly an option at this point.

My second option, an an admirable one at that, is joining forces with my insomniac friends (we’re aplenty) and having study parties during the hours of 4-11 PM when napping is the most appealing, thus forcing me to do my work and grow tired during normal people sleeping times. Those of you who are interested should contact me via blog comment, twitter, fb, IRL high five, or email.

And I guess I could quit my heathenry. I guess.