The local geek boy shop said that I was using “last year’s tech” and they could rid me of this problem in a couple hours. I gave up and gave it to them. I get a call, waking me from my afternoon sleep telling me after five hours of work, they can’t get the main computer virus which has rewritten the root of windows and they are wiping my computer clean. Since I have two firewalls, Avast and a cleaning program I wanted to know how this got in. He says that since I am a DVD pirate, I have to expect stuff like this when dealing online. What? He mentions that since I use a program AnyDVD, what can I expect. Is AnyDVD a Trojan? I ask. No. I inform him that I moved from the UK and have several hundred DVD’s from four different region code areas (US is region 1, UK is region 2, Asia is region 3 – I even have a region 5, a DVD from Russia). He goes, “Oh.” Only later I remember that AnyDVD, besides disabling the artificial region code protection set up by DVD makers (to make more money), also can be used to strip a DVD and copy it. This guy was assuming I was a person stripping, copying and trading DVD’s. Sigh. So tomorrow I am going to play the “crip card” on his ass by telling him the truth: I am terminal neuro degenerative who spends a lot of time not moving very much.
I watch DVD’s because I can do that when my hands and arms shake, when I have loss of trunk and neck support. I order them from amazon.uk, Amazon.com and legal Asian distributors like Sensasian because they deliver right to my door and my home care worker brings me the package (they’ll even open the packing). And while he may be getting illegal whatever online, I actually use the program for the PURPOSE it was written – to watch my legally owned DVD’s I am too fucking weak to go out and buy like a normal able bodied person.So I will get a nicely reformatted harddrive without even Wordperfect, so how I am going to keep blogging will be a big of a challenge for a while (not to mention watching those DVD’s – and I’ve been watching Tribes – the post-apocalypse TV series about child gangs running the city after a worldwide virus. It’s from New Zealand and pretty cool if you wanted a sort of child version of Mad Max). Another big Sigh!
In the day’s other news, my grandmother has died today. Or at least that is what is reported. One side of our family seems very connected to the Rasputin gene; no one dies, even when reported dead. For example, one family member told me my Grandmother was about to die (“within a week”) since April. And if she is dead, the question remains whether she was murdered; since I was told that she would ‘definitely’ be dead in four to five days (that was over a month ago). Her oncologist said it was 50/50 if she lasted the week (three weeks ago). The problem is that the plans for her to be dead were so ready that if she didn’t die by today there would be serious problems; deposits lost for memorial services, airplane tickets that had to used, etc. It had been suggested in various subtle (and unsubtle) ways that maybe it would be best if she was ‘helped’ to pass on. So finding she died on the last possible day does make me wonder. Actually her dying at all makes me wonder because; if there was anyone who simply never died it would be her.
I supposed this appears a bit callous but I assure you, after you have been told your grandmother (or grandfather) is dead (or will be dead in ‘hours/days’) for the 10th time, you tend to want independent witnesses. The other thing I learned about my extended family is: once they find I am terminal, if they come into my apartment, all pillows, cushions and other smothering devices will be well hidden. Also, if I find out that anyone has started a list of who gets what, or start finding extended family member’s names written on the back of my stuff; I’m going to ensure there is a BIG bonfire for when I get transferred to the hospital permanently (one I can see from my window). If any of this offends you then a) you don’t know my extended family, b) you are my extended family or c) I claim that it is “the grief” talking. Anyway, thanks Grandmother; you taught me more about the Edwardian Period, stiff upper lip, “those sorts of things aren’t spoken of in polite company” and the importance of being perceived as upper middle class than any book or even living in the UK could teach me.
I might just be one of the only females my age to actually have lived in a house that had a ‘parlour’ which was only used on Sunday evenings (along with the ‘Sunday china’) and where the organ resided. The one thing that springs to mind when I came out was the difficulty in understanding who “them” was in conversation with her. Like, “I used to see so many of ‘them’ in the 70’s.” Since ‘them’, like any good Edwardian, meant, “not us”; which could be used for blacks, gays, jews, poor, and/or people who dropped their “H's” when they spoke.Rest in peace Grandmother......assuming you really are dead this time.
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14 comments:
We had a parlour. At least, it was really a living room in our council flat but I liked the word "parlour" when little so that is what it was called. But we couldn't keep it for Sundays, especially since you have to go through the parlour to reach the kitchen.
I'm sorry about your computer. I hope the technicians manage to sort it out for you.
I'm sorry about your grandmother too. I know that the loss of even the most exasperating relatives can leave a sense of grief and emptiness. And I hope there are some happy memories too - or, at least, funny ones - that can help.
Really sorry to hear about your Grandmother (if indeed she is now at peace). Grandmothers are special people arnt they.
And sorry to hear about your pc problems, that must be SO frustrating.
C also watches a lot of DVD as he cant do much else. But he has to watch the same ones over and over!
Wow. That is an intense post. Lots going on in your life. I am sorry to hear about your Grandmother. I understand your relief at the same time. My husband went through something similar with his mother and father. Good luck on your surgery. That does not sound like a good time. And with all of this you still shine through your posts.
So in Judaism, you're supposed to get buried within 24 hours of death. I think this has something very practical to do with stink.
However, I have heard that it is more common to wait a few days, unless one lives in the tropics, where waiting is ill-advised (see Judaism, above), or in the permafrost, where the wait tends to be rather longer due to the strength of the average shovel. This delay exists to ensure that the person in the coffin really belongs there.
It doesn't sound like your grandmother will get that grace period, but she sounds like someone who might be very understanding about that, because after all what matters most is not making a scene, even at one's own possibly untimely funeral.
I remember those parlo(u)rs, at least the American versions of them, which they still have in the deep south, with uncomfortable chairs and sofas which are used only once a month or when the preacher comes to call, and a polished table upon which tea or coffee is never served.
A veritable shrine to niceness.
God. Your (extended, genetic? -I'm sensitive about using the word family because it has the intimate and the social/genetic meanings and for me they are so incredibly different) family sounds terrible. Really terrible. I have that too. My favorite comment about my family came from Torn who said "You are chasing your father like he was a boyfriend or something". Because my dad is incapable of just showing affection. Thank god for Torn too, because it cured me of that particular habit.
Property rights and it's relation to DVD region codes will whip me into a bitter frenzy in nothing flat. Those bastards! Ignorant geek boys come a close second. Bet he won't judge so quickly after you nail him with the crip card. I have been known to use the incest card to shut people up.
Somehow you must have managed to figure out how to post though.
Casdok: Errr...my Grandmother was 'special' and I tried to respect her desire in the way she wanted to live her life - One of my burning memories when when I moved to the UK and did not know if I would see her alive again, so I said one of the "thing which are not spoken about" - "Grandmother, I love you." She looked at me, looked about to make sure no one had heard me utter such nonesense and then shut the door.
Marla: Well, I try to live up to commitments, when I can, but no, hasn't been such a great week - but like I said earlier, you only really get one "Gee, things are so sucky I want to die" post a month. I will be curious to see how I post on Tuesday since I will be high, unconscious, in terror or in pain all that day.
Sara: I think she is a person who might have done such for others - practically, I am still waiting for verification. I think she is going to be cremated when the time comes. Linda and I often remark how people, instead of headstones donate so that a park bench becomes someone's memorial; I keep urging Linda to have the Elizabeth McClung park Trash Bin when the time comes.
Daniel: The sofas were covered with some kind of plastic so you knew they were "best" and in hopes that your weekly sitting on the edge of them caused no permanant damage
em: Torn sounds like a good guy. I have watched family members chase other family members for decades wanting affection or demonstrations of love and prayed I do not become like that, but then I do too. SLAP! SLAP! (to self). Well, in this case the crip card is appropriate, maybe you could send me some hint of when to use the incest card as I can't figure out what use it might have (except to avoid certain staged Sears family photos)
Oh, I am currently "borrowing" time on Linda's workstation - I am sure the government of Canada is in joy to lend its resources toward this worthy cause (their computers suck!)
Yeah, avoiding the staged family photos is pretty important to me. I have mainly used the incest card with relatives who were defending my grandfather's action in some dishonest way. I have also used it when people are espousing that "always respect your elders" crap. I haven't done it in a long time now, but in extreme situations it shuts down the offending conversation pretty quickly.
Oh and Daniel's comment "a veritable shrine to niceness" made me laugh. So well put.
That totally sucks about the DVD guy - screw him! It also sucks about your grandmother, but I can relate. My grandfather has been on that "he'll be dead really soon" thing for almost two years. True, his health is really failing, but he's a stubborn old goat and seems to want to taunt death as long as possible. We'll see how it goes.
My grandmother had a parlour too, except hers was just called The Room and was never used other than I used to go in to play at playing the piano, but it was so cold and damp through not having any heating, that the piano was impossibly out of tune. Also in The Room were some stuffed animals in glass cases that as a child I thought fascinating, being dead but looking alive. Eventually I was told NEVER to go in there EVER AGAIN, and the door was locked.
Eeesh...sorry about your computer. I'd freak out if everything had to be wiped off mine.
And if you grandmother is indeed dead, my condolances.
(surfed in from NaBloPoMo)
Sorry just a practical quickee ... if you need word processing on your PC for free try SOT Office 2003 which is free open source software.
(It can also read microsoft files).
The download for the whole SOT Office is kind of big - depending on your connection restrictions and what you term as big.
Not sure if you can find a download for just the word processor bit - it's called "SOT Office Writer".
Can't remember where I downloaded mine from but if you do a search you should get a few places up.
em - ahhh, well I can now see how I could get out of certain family gatherings if they hadn't decided to turf me for being a big old lessie (because us lesbians have that tendancy to just jump up on the tabletop and start oral sex right during dessert).
artistic soul: I hate rebuilding computers - hate it. And yes, it is kind of wierd when you have been told someone is dying for so long, when they (may) actually be dead you are like; "Shouldn't I feel something?"
KateJ: Wow, sounds totally the same, my grandparents was locked too with one of the old skeleton keys and you could tell it was the Parlour because the door had all the cut glass small window panes on it.
Yummy: Computer back...but still in loss - I surfed you right back!
Rachel Creative: Thanks, because we have a sort of spotty record of discs, you know, you need to find all your drivers for your printers and such (not found yet!) and what do you find, your all important legal disc of Windows 95! Gee, all this does is convince me that Microsoft is number 1 jerks (what they NEVER expected people's computers to crash?)
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