Charleen's Chateau

Update on the downed drive

Posted on November 5, 2009 by charleen

Thank you all for responding to my previous post! I was going pretty crazy over that, I can tell you, but all the support both here and on FB really allowed my temper to calm!

So, the drive is in Level 3 Data Recovery at the Geek Squad DRD Lab. Apparently, they had to take it apart, re-mount the plates, and try to get stuff off. Please join me in my prayers to St. Anthony and St. Jude that they can get all the information off. It will be weeks before we know 😦 but I’m prepared for whatever they tell me now. 🙂

Either way, both Seagate and the Geek Squad have been wicked awesome about all of this, even through my hysterical phase. Seagate is even going to replace the drive after all the hulabaloo is done. And the Geek Squad has given me everything that I’ve asked for, and more.

Super companies + Super customer service = much calmer me.

I’ll update y’all when I hear anymore.

Posted in Blogging, Friends, Random Thoughts, School | Tagged DRD, drive, external, Geek Squad, Seagate | 2 Comments

Seagate is making me a little psychotic

Posted on October 22, 2009 by charleen

My 1.5 tb Seagate external drive decided to fritz on me today. I’m freaking out. I’m talking thousands of pictures, all of my schoolwork, archived emails, music, you name it. I’m guessing that I’m going to need professional data recovery services, which I’ve never done before. I don’t even want to think about what that’s going to cost, but it’s not really optional. Any ideas? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Update: tried another drive in a USB enclosure. It didn’t work either. Turns out that it’s a Maxtor, owned by Seagate. Oh, and they don’t feel like they need to put drivers up on their site. So, day one, no Windows 7; not by any fault of the program. I’m heading for bed or I won’t sleep tonight.

Posted in School | Tagged blind panic, psychotic, Seagate | 3 Comments

Why I watch Dollhouse

Posted on October 9, 2009 by charleen

Originally posted here.

There’s always something that brings me back to a series; usually for a smarty-pants character (Dean Winchester of Supernatural, Rodney McKay of Stargate Atlantis) or for someone who surprises me by surviving despite the odds (the crew of Serenity, Sydney Bristow and Will “One in ten, you little …!” Pippin from Alias). But almost any screenwriter can do this. All my old standbys have failed me – Judd Apatow seems determined to sink to the lowest common denominator, JJ Abrams is getting a little strange, the list goes on and on.
But Joss is a different creature. Oh sure, he’s got his standby’s of kick-butt girls, hapless ‘quirky’ guys, watchers (both with a capital W and without), we know his familiar tunes well. But when he wants to hook you, you feel it catch, and the bottom drops out of your stomach. He draws his plotline in the sand, there’s a moment of clarity and stillness, and then the whole world is irrevocably changed. And he’ll do it three or four times a season. You know the moment when he just accesses something primal and universal in you…
…Buffy walks in and sees her mother on the couch, just lying there…Mal rips off the lid of the shipping container, sees River, and says “huh.”…Horror dawns on Lorne as he listens to Fred sing “you are my sunshine”…
In Dollhouse, it’s an answering machine clicking on and a crisp voice saying, “There are three flowers in a vase.”
It’s the casual and fluid flick of Alpha’s wrist in the most shocking and unexpected bit of violence that I have ever encountered.
So, there are a lot of things I like and dislike about Dollhouse, but there are a couple of things that I LOVE. I love the unexpected talent – Enver channeling Reed was as brilliant as it was surprising…update, his channeling of Topher was even better!- and the sheer diversity of the cast. I fell a little in love with Miracle Laurie the minute they focused on her exquisite and expressive eyes. I love that the sociopath isn’t even the worst bad guy, and that he has a drawer of inappropriate starches. I love that I’m not the only person that finds lentils completely incomprehensible.
Most of all I love Joss’ work. He has not wandered so far that I can’t follow. He writes characters that are full of Grace and fallibility, and the most enticing and occasionally brilliant dialogue. Even when I fundamentally disagree with Joss, I want to hear what he has to say. I’m sorry that it took six episodes of Dollhouse before he was able to speak, but then his world bloomed into technicolor with the words, “The third flower is green.”
So yes, I came to the party for Joss, and stayed for good TV. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Update – I almost forgot! You can watch Dollhouse for free on Hulu…please do! Or catch it live on Fox on Fridays 9/8 central, or Fox on Demand.

Posted in death, Dollhouse, Movies/TV, Whedon | Tagged Alias, Angel, Buffy, Dollhouse, Firefly, inappropriate starches, incomprehensible lentils, Joss Whedon, Stargate Atlantis, Supernatural | Leave a comment

Finished XML!!!

Posted on September 22, 2009 by charleen

For better or worse. I’m fervently praying for an A, but there’s a great feeling of catharsis when you just let something go into someone else’s hands. This class plagued me all week, and so last night’s letting go was especially lovely.
On to Java, but I don’t have to think about it yet!!!! 🙂

Posted in Random Thoughts, School, Shopping | Tagged Java, School, XML | 3 Comments

At Fencon in Dallas

Posted on September 20, 2009 by charleen

And having a blast. Lois McMaster Bujold is here, and I’ve been a fan of hers for about 2 decades. I think she’s got a unique sense of humor, and genuinely enjoy her stories.
Her Miles Vorkosigan character can me laugh, cry and scream with frustration, and gasp with surprise in the same chapter – sometimes in the same paragraph. There’s something like 16 books in that series – I would suggest that you check it out.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bujold, Fencon, Vorkosigan | Leave a comment

I must be getting old…

Posted on September 4, 2009 by charleen

As I sit here, and eat my (98% fat free turkey) hot dog with (red) onions, (25% reduced sodium) muenster cheese, (horseradish stone ground) mustard and ketchup on a (whole wheat 7 grain) bun with my bowl of (vegetarian honey) baked beans, I’m beginning to wonder about something: when did my food get so many parenthesis? Is this a sign of my advancing age?

p.s. I’m glad that I decided to re-watched Glee, I didn’t realize there were extra SONGS in it. Holy crapola – I’m re-downloading from iTunes to get THIS version!!!! I’m sure that Fox can use the publicity, so here’s a fun pic to add with all respect to to it’s license holders (Fox, etc.) and the TV show that it’s for (which is lovely).

Rachel and Quinn

Posted in Dining, General, Movies/TV | Tagged age, baked beans, food, Glee, ruminations | 3 Comments

Press conference at the Automattic offices

Posted on August 20, 2009 by charleen

What a cool concept!!! San Francisco is making a lot of their city’s statistical data available on a website for developers and users alike! Here’s the DataSF site itself.

A write up from Ranaan Bar-Cohen, and from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on Tech Crunch.

Maya Desai posted some beautiful pictures here on Flickr. Give her some good feedback, folks, these are some great pictures!

Update: Matt posted about it here, he just did it AFTER lunch 🙂

Posted in Blogging, Family, Friends, General | Tagged Automattic, DataSF, Gavin Newsom, San Francisco | Leave a comment

What Role Playing Games Can Teach You About Business

Posted on July 14, 2009 by charleen

My father never sends me articles, so when he sent me one on 10 Business Lessons I Learned From Dungeons and Dragons today, I took notice.

(this led to further links like Everything I Know I’ve Learnt (sic) From D&D and Object-Oriented Programming Concepts in Java, Explained with D&D – of which that latter one will prove VERY useful in about a month when I start my Java class!!!!)

I really enjoyed this article, and made a pretty substantial comment, but you’d have to dig through, and they might not have approved me yet, so here’s what I learned about business (and life) from D&D (and other tabletop RPG’s)

1. If you’re feeling insecure, find a place to thrive where there’s little competition, build a support group, and build your self-esteem from there.
2. If you don’t like something about yourself, spend XP to change it – don’t like that flaw that you have of sending emails without thinking (for example)? You have to work to fix it.
3. Learn to appreciate creativity in others, and look for it everywhere – these will be the people that will build the future. Learn from them, and learn to work with them.
4. You are not the smartest person in the room. If you consistently feel that you are, you are not challenging yourself. Time to find a new group (or job) or you will NEVER be happy. (This one goes out the window if you have a personality disorder)
5. It takes all kinds – bring different skill sets into your group, and nurture those who are building their skill set. Everyone laughs at the bard until the rest of the party is disabled by the sonic attack. IRL, Everyone ignores the file clerk until they need something RIGHT NOW; kindness and support sown now will always bear fruit for you later.
6. Always have a backup concept and/or character and/or skill and/or job ready as we are ALL dependent on a roll of the dice.
7. Never underestimate the value of an entertaining tale. I can’t tell you how many times this has saved my bacon. I use this skill regularly whenever my boss gets stressed; if I can make her laugh, everything will be ok.

Finally, I want to expand on one the author brought up: Feed the GM. That’s a bit narrow minded for my taste. I firmly believe that you never really know someone until you have a meal with them. If you have made that meal with your own hands, it’s even more special. So, feed all the people that you work and play with, whenever you have the luxury to do so.

Thank you! CM