The Evils of Endnote and McAfee doesn’t hear my screams
So, I thought it would be great to get a new computer. You know, start off the dissertation on the right foot, etc. etc., get my feet planted firmly on the ground so I don’t stick my foot in my mouth when I go to kick up my feet with my professors in their offices.
No.
Bad idea.
Because McAfee, and all those who attempt to “secure” home wireless networks have done nothing but fuck up the insanely huge wireless “network” consisting of my one very tiny (only five pounds!) toshiba. So no secure network for me.
It took me six hours to figure out that the situation was hopeless–I’ll never feel safe again!
It took me another two hours to figure out how to connect to the internet outside of my secure, brain-curdling and highly overrated, network. And it means I have to use something called “speedy”. Whatever. It’s speedier than dial-up or dsl which is what I’ve been using on my ancient doorstop of a computer (also a toshiba, but weighing in at around 8 pounds, which was light in ’01 when it was purchased).
All wound up, I went for a drive, listening to the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”, which made me want to drive… anywhere. I thought about getting on 580 and just driving out to Stockton, but I knew that once I got to Stockton, I’d want to get on the 5 and drive as far south (or perhaps north?) as I could go before the eggnog latte caffeine gave out. So I went to Borders and B&N to look for books on Crochet.
(Sidebar: in order to make it through this hellish hazing ritual that is the obtaining of the doctorate, I have discovered that manual labor and/or crafts are most satisfying. I think we all should be required to have a hobby in order to be permitted to pass our exams and move onto the dissertation. Reason being: you have a slightly greater chance of coming out sane if you can do something with your hands, something that requires no critical thinking whatsoever, or rather–something that requires a separate intelligence altogether.)
I came back and crocheted a potholder. My first finished project. A goddamn potholder. I feel like I’m six.
And then, after a few episodes of “Six Feet Under”, I decided to tackle endnote. That was around 11 p.m. It is now 0230 and wow. I had to write notes for myself as to how to make it work, but work it does… it’s just a hell of a lot more difficult than I thought.
No sad little manuals for me, no, I just powered up and bashed as many “help & support” websites as I could, and in the end, with about 8 million different browser windows open, I have it working.
The question is, can I do it tomorrow?
This will all be answered later, after I’ve gotten some solid sleep–hard to do in an apartment whose average temperature is 60 degrees. New flannel sheets. A pink and green plaid universe awaits.
Ah technology. Thank you for things like dryers and microwaves. Computers, well, I’ll just call them (in my favorite academese) problematic and call it a night.
…try to make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die…
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