New Computer Diggs For Me!!

Hooray for me!!! I found a "new" monitor for sale and snatched it up. It is a Samsung 21.6" wide screen LCD, and it works pretty nicely. OfficeMax wanted to get rid of their floor model, so I volunteered to help them out. Allison says she is jealous, but she should remember that her screen is actually taller than mine, and that games are a bitch to get running at strange resolutions like 1680x1050, so she's better off by adding a second monitor later on instead.

One day later, I have my desktop computer up and running again. Just like Allison's, it sits me next to a front window in our house. Unlike Allison's, I get to see our cars and more of the street (and it is closer to a bathroom, with a shower even). The challenging part in all this is that I'm now in yet another corner of the house not serviced by our Ethernet router. In anticipation of installing all new hardware in Allison's computer, I ransacked the HTPC (still not set up yet, duh) and took its video card and laptop wireless adapter. After buttoning it back up, I opened up my desktop system, extracted the video card from that, then installed the HTPC components in there.

Allison will get my old video card, but she's getting a similarly "new" motherboard & dual-core processor. She's also getting genuinely new memory for her system (Mother's Day Present #1) as well as the more dependable connection to the internet (Mother's Day Present #2). I currently need to twist my desk a bit to get a decent signal. I need to find the extra antenna I squirreled away somewhere. If that doesn't work, I can always add another Panasonic Powerline Ethernet Kit to my Father's Day wish list.
That's it for now. I can see the bed calling to me.

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Notes From The Couch

Sitting in the new house with a few moments to spare for what feels like the first time, I thought I'd post an update somewhere. Truth be told, I do actually have stuff to do still. The old house still needs attention, but it has achieved a level of stability where we not only need a break, but don't feel bad about taking one.

We don't have any of the desktop computers set up yet, but they are on the way. We have to find a desk and partitions for Allison's, and my desk needs to be transported from the garage to the bedroom, before either can be set up. I hope we find Allison's desk soon, because some of her Mother's Day presents are rather useless without her computer having a home. I wish there were more "ergonomic" desk solutions at the local stores. We made a trip to Ikea not too long ago, and have been on the lookout since then. She needs a new chair as well. Come on Dealnews & Pricegrabber, show me what you got!!

Last night, I took the kids on their scooters and found the entrance to our nearest exercise trail. All through the Olympia area, old railroad lines have been converted to these trails, and I've gone biking and walking on a few of them after driving to an entrance. Our new location puts us about 3 blocks from one! To prepare myself for my own upcoming fitness challenge, I did a short stint on the elliptical trainer after putting the kids to bed. We have it in the garage and I'm liking it there. Our landlord installed some handy shelves on both sides of the garage, one of which is at just the right height for parking your ice water for mid-workout replenishment. Now I just need to find the closest basketball hoop!

The last note: I'm loving that more of my family has joined the text messaging crowd. Even if we aren't constantly texting each other all the time, we can keep up with each other to a certain extent via Twitter as well. This was especially handy yesterday. I was able to get my siblings on board for my mom's flowers with one text message and a phone call (I have to find a wi-fi messaging device for Jon).

Happy Mother's Day, to all who are mothers or have them!

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