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May 30, 2006
My Livestrong just died...
My HP Livestrong notebook computer just died. I was waking it up from hibernation last night and suddenly everything went dark, even the power/charging light, and it failed to reboot. It did indeed live strong, but it died quickly, quietly, and without warning. And so young! Not even a year old!
I just took it in for resuscitation. If it needs to go to HP for special surgery, that could take from one to three weeks. Fortunately, I have a mirror backup of the hard drive that I made on Thursday, so only Friday's work is lost. I hope my Livestrong didn't decide to take its own life like the heroic laptop I read about in the Onion recently.
Regardless, I won't let this little set-back slow me down. I certainly have access to several computers, at home and on campus. I probably won't be typing away in the coffee house any time soon, but I'll make do. I'll keep you posted.
Posted by rigd0003 at 11:04 AM | Comments (2)
May 23, 2006
Thank you for your support
Thanks to everyone for your amazing support and votes of confidence! I've got a lot to do on my thesis this summer, but the end is in sight.
I've gotten into a writing routine (or at least a rough semblance of a routine). I start out at the local coffee house for about an hour in the morning, listening to some B-3 organ jazz through my headphones and trying to get my ideas down. Then I go into my office (I'm so lucky to have work space on campus!) to check my e-mail and unwind for a bit. Then it's back to writing.
Hmm... that all sounds a bit more regimented and productive than it actually is. But I do think I'm making progress. I've got most everything in one big Word document. Seeing it all together emphasizes all the work that I've already done. And I've been using FreeMind for the sections that I get stuck on. Rather than stare at a blinking cursor, I pop over to FreeMind for some free association. I can usually break through a mental log-jam by focusing on the two or three main things I want to say and just write them in my own conversational tone. Something about writing in Word makes me want to rephrase everything before I actually type it. That's very frustrating. I'm hoping I can strike a good balance between un-tethered thoughts and cumbersome or overburdened formal writing in the final draft.
I know I promised pictures of our France trip -- they'll be coming soon. If I get my Model Development chapter delivered to my adviser on Thursday, I'll do some trip blogging on Friday...
Posted by rigd0003 at 11:07 AM | Comments (1)
May 17, 2006
Back to work...
After a lovely ten days in France, and a rewarding and energizing commencement ceremony, it's now time to get my writing done. It's been an amazing but crazy two weeks. The conference and vacation in France was amazing. Then, two days after my return I participated in the School of Public Health's commencement ceremony. They only have commencement once a year, so they allow students who will be finishing in the Summer to participate early. Most of my family were able to be there to see me hooded by my adviser. The celebration was very energizing and it was very rewarding to be able thank so many who have supported me. It does seem a little silly to have the ceremony before my actually graduation, but I feel focused now on the last remaining pieces.
I'll be posting some travel pictures of Normandy and Brittany in a few days.
Posted by rigd0003 at 01:47 PM | Comments (2)