Compocalypse '09: The Rage

[cleolinda]

So I just had what psychiatric literature generally refers to as "a motherfucking meltdown." (My mother's current pet phrase for this is "a come-apart.") Well, I mean, I had it about three hours ago. I was testing Camille out on various outlets upstairs and--it's not happening. It turns on but I'm not getting to the OS on any of them. I don't know if the ASUS sucks or EVERY SINGLE OUTLET IN THE HOUSE sucks or if maybe Camille is just so super-powered that mere mortals like us cannot run her. All I know is, I had to drag the monitor and its four serpentine cords to and fro just to get to the outlets, and my room is a wreck (stacked with boxes and piles of I don't even know what, in an attempt to reorganize) because there is no ROOM in my room and I finally just started throwing things. For half an hour. Solid. (This was my idea of "cleaning." By the time I had raged myself out, I had two garbage bags full of junk to take outside.) The fact that I spent most of my tantrum snarling "EVERYONE IS ALLOWED TO GET ANGRY EXCEPT ME. EVERYONE. EXCEPT. ME" may indicate that... uh... there are some other issues at play here.

Also, I am pretty sure I broke my mp3 player in the process.

I give up. Camille, my sweet, I do not think we were meant to be. I'm going to get a Dell. I know, Dells are awful and you hate them, I should get a Mac (and LET ME TELL YOU, INTERNETS, the next person to so much as UTTER a word that even STARTS with "mac"--macaroni; mackintosh; macadam--will get MY FOOT up THEIR ASS. Macs are great and if you have one I love you but seriously, I do not EVER want to hear that word again). I have always used Dells, and each time they have lasted five years or more. They are safe and comforting and I understand them. There is no point in even arguing with me at this point, because Dude, I Am Getting A Fucking Dell and that is all there is to it. If I can get Best Buy to refund everything--including the Geek Squad service contract--I'll order it from Dell's site rather than buy it off the shelf.

My sister has got the hots for laptops right now, I don't even know, and she's very nearly talked me into getting one (~OMG DELL LAPTOPS ARE AWFUL HDU~), except that you can't really take them apart or add anything to them, and I suspect they're less badass than desktops, in terms of hardware specs. But it is a STONE BITCH to unhook that monitor, even though it's a flatscreen, and move it around to a card table to face the TV so I can live-blog awards season, and a laptop would solve that problem. I'd get one with the biggest screen/keyboard I can find--basically, an all-in-one desktop that's more easily moved, is what I'm looking at. I'm not really going to need to tote it anywhere. I don't even know. I've never used a laptop as my primary computer before--I've used borrowed ones but never owned one--and we fear change. See what change got us, CAMILLE? Whatever. I am tired of this. I don't care. Make it go away.

Also, I want to dig a hole in the backyard and curl up in it and die. Maybe between the new azaleas. I am very near the end of my rope regarding this entire clusterfuck.

Comments

[jedilora.livejournal.com]

Flatscreen and a desktop. Best investment I've made in YEARS. (And I just got it a month ago, and it's WONDERFUL)

[catherinehaines.livejournal.com]

Ditto on the flatscreen. It's huge, it's clean, and so superior to my crappy little laptop.

[kelaina.livejournal.com]

May I recommend the biggest mother fucking desktop you can find, along with a Dell mini?

that way, for things you need to do that require mobility, you have the mini, and for all the normal stuff, you have the other Dell.

I do hope everything gets better. I'm sorry life sucks so much right now.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, the problem is, I'm having to borrow the money just to get one computer, much less two.

[kenobi.livejournal.com]

Uhm, awesomesauce who art be Cleolinda. In the end it is your computer. Get something that makes you happy. You don't have to get something super spiffy because people suggest it, or a mac because everyone else suggest that. Get something makes you comfortable. If its a fucking dell, then by lord its gonna be a fucking dell. End of story. Couple of my friends have Dells and they love them to pieces. So to each their own.

I hope you get something that makes you happy. :)

[cindyg.livejournal.com]

Yes, this. This wins the internet. I know this from experience, because contrary to all the friendly advise that I considered, I went with a brand that none of them have heard of, and so far, so sweet with the Linux OS.

I can totallly relate to the frustration of getting something that just. won't. work. At least in the US, you have the hope of getting a refund/exchange within a reasonable amount of time; in the Philippines, it is a *tedious* process.

[divadeanna.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. :-( Well, maybe ordering directly from Dell will also end up saving you some money. I ordered my new HP directly from the company, and even with express shipping, it was cheaper than anything I found in the stores. I was surprised.

[puredeadthingy.livejournal.com]

I wish you good luck. Seriously, I feel so bad for you right now. If I knew you in real life, I'd send you a gift certificate to Hotel Chocolat.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hotel Chocolat

I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[theendofallthat.livejournal.com]

I mentioned in the last post I got a Dell laptop--it's much bigger than I'm used to at 15" (my current is a 13" dare-not-speak-the-name), and it's my first Dell and it's great. I got it off the shelf at Best Buy, if that makes you feel any better, but it was one of those that had been set up by GS so I got free antivirus with it. Good luck!

[rclementmoore.livejournal.com]

I have nothing to add except *hugs* and sympathy.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Bless you.

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

Oh Cleo, would you like some of my clonazepam? It makes everything better.

[crevanfox.livejournal.com]

I was born a PC user and I'll die one.

We can have a non-Mac party. There will be cookies, possibly some sort of cake.

Hope you feel better.

[corbyjane.livejournal.com]

YAY! And NO apples!

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

We've used Dells at work since workplace PCs became commonplace. I've had four that I can remember, probably more, and the only problems I've ever had have been age-related or GeekFail.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

I endorse the "to hell with this, let's get back to my comfort zone" plan. End of line.

(I'd send you any spare techie-karma on hand, but the way today's going I think I'm shit outta luck there. Sorry.)

[shellebelle93.livejournal.com]

*shrugs* I have a dell laptop. It is rather awesome, despite being nearly four years old.

*hugs*

[all-shine-on.livejournal.com]

Same here. My laptop is going on 4 years old and I have only replaced the hard drive (due to unrelated problems) and it's still going strong.

[mumford519.livejournal.com]

Damn girl. That is rough. We only have a laptop at our house and I have trouble typing on the keyboard but other than that I never want a desktop again.

Get whatever computer you want. Nobody else is using it but you.

[misachan.livejournal.com]

God, I would have been a crying mess in your shoes. Throw things as much as you want! Throw them far!

I love my Dell laptop. It's my primary computer and the only problem it's ever given me is that that it doesn't communicate well with my ancient, refurbished mp3 player. And no problems with Vista, either.

[beansalad.livejournal.com]

I recently switched to an HP laptop that I got from Tiger direct, and in the last year I have fallen in love with it. I had never done much with laptops in the past, but this one rocks my face off. Once I got my desktop back (long story) I only use it for work purposes now, because I do not like it.

As a writer as well, knowing that I can go get lunch by myself and just sit and write like crazy, its a good feeling. I don't feel restricted to my desk or my home. I can moved freely about the world and bring my writing with me.

[icouldhavelied.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm sorry. Everyone has days like that. FWIW, I have a Dell laptop and love it. I took advantage of a small business sale, and *ahem* ordered one as a single employee freelancer. My Vostro has been going strong for a few years now, eve after the service contract and warantee expired.

[xerinmichellex.livejournal.com]

I have a Dell Inspiron laptop from a couple years ago. I got for my Sims 2 since my desktop cried every time I tried to play it on that. It's got a hell of a lot more RAM than my desk top and faster too. So far I haven't had a problem with it. I'm actually using it as a back-up place for all my writing stuff, as I'm scared my desk top is about to die.

So sorry you've had to deal with all these problems, BTW. If you're comfortable with a Dell, I'd say go for a Dell.

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

I truly appreciate your ability to maintain a sense of humor in the midst of brain-exploding rage. Generally my posts in situations like yours read something like FLLLLAARRRRRGGGHLLLLARGGLLLRRRARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHIAMGOINGTOBLOWUPTHEENTIREMOTHERFUCKINGUNIVERSERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH (which is also what my early-morning Tweets usually look like). Good luck with your continuing search for a computer that doesn't make you want to curl up between the azaleas, especially because that can get so ITCHY.

[robinmc.livejournal.com]

This will probably be said by lots of other people, but still: get whatever you're comfortable with. I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this shit.

I will say, regarding Dell laptops, my mom and my brother each have one, and I don't think they've ever had any problems. When my brother got his, the first thing he did was wipe the hard drive of all the extraneous shit that came on it. And that is the extent of my possible helpfulness.

Good luck, lady.

[shadefell.livejournal.com]

I used to have "come aparts" like that fairly regularly in high school. They are awful and I'm sorry you went through that.

I want to get a laptop for liveblogging and for ease of "being a totally cool writer/net surfer at coffee shops" use. However, I would get that in addition to a desk top (mine is old but perfectly fine) not in replacement of. Laptops don't have the life that desktops have, and everyone I know who has a laptop has had issues with them. Conversely, my husband's computer which is... gosh... six years old? Needs a new hard drive, and we can do that. You can't do that with a laptop. So instead of buying a whole new system for him, we're getting a new hard drive.

(I still want a laptop, though. If I had the financial wherewithal to replace a computer frequently, I'd get one.)

[kestrel127.livejournal.com]

Conversely, my husband's computer which is... gosh... six years old? Needs a new hard drive, and we can do that. You can't do that with a laptop.

My dad replaced the hard drive in my old HP laptop (2003 vintage) two years ago. Of course, my dad also designs computer software for a living, so he tends to be more knowledgable about these things.

[kauricat.livejournal.com]

I am so, so sorry that you're going through computer hell right now.

I have an older Dell Inspiron laptop (got it used from a family member) and I really like it for a lot of things (blogging while watching TV, big thumbs up). For chatting, reading LJ, stupid little online games, etc, it's the bomb. It even runs Knights of the Old Republic better than my desktop, which is a newer machine.

But for things like homework/writing assignments/graphics I still prefer the desktop. I like having some space between the keyboard and the monitor so I can put my reference work there (book, printed pages, what have you).

Good luck with your new Dell. My last PC was a Dell and I loved it to death. I'd have one for my desktop now except we went cheap during my last upgrade.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, very sorry, to hear that things are still not working out for you.

May I make a suggestion, though? Try it out at the store when you take it back. Because with the luck you've been having lately, I would not be at all surprised if every outlet in your house is messed up.

And if that is the case, I would really like you to find that out, and be able to fix it, before you bring home a Dell and it doesn't work either and you just explode. -_-

[piratewilde.livejournal.com]

Drive by reply: That's a really good suggestion.

[bibliotech.livejournal.com]

This must be sheer hell for you, I am so sorry you have to go through this. Computer woes are the most frustrating thing in the world. The husband would like to randomly comment with a suggestion that you have someone check the voltage in the outlets to see if there's a problem running throughout the house, and that could be dangerous. (I know, like you need anymore doom and gloom.)

Also, laptops are surprisingly easy to get used to. And I say this as another person who hates changes. I never did get used to the built-in mouse, though - I just plug on in via a USB port.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

CLEO - bibliotech really DOES hate change.

If she can get used to it, you will.

BUT, I get totally wanting a box, not a laptop. I like that I can shove new components in.

However, I've been wanting a mini thingie for a while now.

[ashleybash.livejournal.com]

"Clusterfuck" should be a tag. I'm just sayin'.

And I know how you feel, with anger towards computers. Not quite as bad as not getting the OS to boot, but...

[aymaera.livejournal.com]

[angelene.livejournal.com]

THIS.