What rough beast slouches...
Aug. 26th, 2003 11:41 amThis week, it seems, the mundane and physical aspects of my life are bailing on me. First, I learn that my barista has quit. Y'see, there's this cafe' that I stop at on the way to pick up Yamaarashi-chan every week on Wednesday, and for a year the barista there, Jason, made me the same thing to the point where he knew what I wanted, hot or cold, rain or shine. He quit. Now I have to train a new barista. Ah, well, here's to hoping he's found better pastures.
Then I learn that the last donut shop in my area is closing down. It was a Dunkin' about two years ago, but Dunkin' pulled out of Washington, citing an "environment hostile to business," and other interests have claimed their stores. Apparently the local one wasn't making money. That'll leave Lucky Donuts about a half mile further away, with a terrible selection and only-game-in-town prices. It's not like we went there often-- once a month, according to Quicken. But still, it was a treat, and now we can't do it.
Our Braun Multiquick also died, apparently stripping gears. It gave us three years of very faithful service and made the perfect purees for the kids, as well as chopped garlic and almonds and just about anything else. It's absolutely essential for making waffles, too, as trying to fluff eggs without it is a nightmarish task. We immediately went out and replaced it at Bed, Bath & Beyond, which wants as much as Amazon and didn't have either a wait time or shipping fees.
And now it looks like the laptop is having a bad week. First, the battery life has become noticeably shortened-- down from two hours to about an hour and a half. The Thinkpad 600's are notorious for having terrible battery lifespans-- about a year on average, and mine's now over a year and a half old, but I've been practicing radical battery discipline, popping it out of its cage when it's at 100% and never discharging it very far if I can afford it. And now one of the power cords has died, or at least is untrustworthy. It's a good thing I have two, but the spare cord needs replacing immediately and the battery will probably need a replacement by January.
( The News: Some silly, some good, some bad. Enjoy the SCO section. Really. )
Then I learn that the last donut shop in my area is closing down. It was a Dunkin' about two years ago, but Dunkin' pulled out of Washington, citing an "environment hostile to business," and other interests have claimed their stores. Apparently the local one wasn't making money. That'll leave Lucky Donuts about a half mile further away, with a terrible selection and only-game-in-town prices. It's not like we went there often-- once a month, according to Quicken. But still, it was a treat, and now we can't do it.
Our Braun Multiquick also died, apparently stripping gears. It gave us three years of very faithful service and made the perfect purees for the kids, as well as chopped garlic and almonds and just about anything else. It's absolutely essential for making waffles, too, as trying to fluff eggs without it is a nightmarish task. We immediately went out and replaced it at Bed, Bath & Beyond, which wants as much as Amazon and didn't have either a wait time or shipping fees.
And now it looks like the laptop is having a bad week. First, the battery life has become noticeably shortened-- down from two hours to about an hour and a half. The Thinkpad 600's are notorious for having terrible battery lifespans-- about a year on average, and mine's now over a year and a half old, but I've been practicing radical battery discipline, popping it out of its cage when it's at 100% and never discharging it very far if I can afford it. And now one of the power cords has died, or at least is untrustworthy. It's a good thing I have two, but the spare cord needs replacing immediately and the battery will probably need a replacement by January.
( The News: Some silly, some good, some bad. Enjoy the SCO section. Really. )
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