chakadrum.com

Farewell Computer

After nearly six and a half years my desktop computer has finally bitten the dust. It no longer boots. It no longer sends a signal to the video card. It no longer beeps. It does spin all the fans but that’s about all. It was working just fine on Sunday evening until I got the bright idea to attach an extra hard drive. Normally, that is not a big deal. For some unknown reason my motherboard didn’t like that very much. A very boring death. I would have at least enjoyed a puff of smoke.

The question is of course, what do I do next. The answer is complicated.

For starters, let’s talk about what I use my computer to do. I use it to surf the internet 3-6 hours per week. I occasionally edit photographs. Sometimes I play some very basic computer games. I write emails. I listen to music and burn CD’s. I don’t really use it a ton to be honest but to not have a normal, functional personal computer would not be acceptable. For the record, I do have a work laptop but I can’t really use that to download music (that I already own of course) or to edit photos or to store things long term. I also have an old computer in the basement that I use solely for playing mp3′s. It is too old and slow to do much more than that.

I think it is fair to say that I do need to replace the computer. For the sake of seeing a big picture let’s assume I can get all of my relevant data stored on external storage so that I transfer what is needed but essentially start fresh. So, what are my options?

1) Custom system – good specs but not a dream system – motherboard, CPU, memory, case, DVD drive = ~$500

2) Custom system – top of the line – mostly the same parts, a better CPU plus a new video card = ~$800

3) iMac – base system = $1200

4) MacBook – base system = $1000

5) A friend’s old extra computer – nearly the same specs as my dead computer = $50

6) Refurbished HP desktop – modern hardware but no where near top-of-the-line = ~$350

I could leave it at that, but that really wouldn’t paint the picture fairly. You might think this is a conflict of wants versus needs and the $50 computer would do the trick. While that is a great short-term solution, how will it go in the long-term? The other options are better long-term investments and will ensure that I have a system that can aptly handle any new technologies. The Macs can be setup to dual-boot which means I not only would have the features of the Mac but also a Windows based system. The decision is pretty tough.

Any recommendations?

Christmas Preparation

Wednesday night was spent decking the halls. My usual tree purchase location was closed likely do to the rain so I had to drive up Ridge Ave to find a tree. I went with a 5 1/2′ fraser fir for $32 from some grumpy guy. This year I decided to prop it up on a table so that it wouldn’t be so hidden in the corner. With Erin’s help we got it looking really nice and trimmed the house with the usuals of lighted garland around the railing and wreath on the front door. Please take notice to the infamous A as the tree topper. A shout out to the CinC indeed.

Everyone is invited to come over for hot chocolate, or some whiskey, or some homebrew, or some egg-nog or whatever you want to drink.

Adult Furniture

While I decided to not buy a whole bunch of new furniture, I did decide to tie what I had together with a new coffee/cocktail table. One of my buddies from work helped me move the big couch up from the basement and while the room looked much better, the empty space in the middle of the room just wasn’t working.

I looked at a variety of stores looking for something nice for the right price. I looked at Pier1, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Raymore & Flanigan and Target. I’d say that Target surprised me the most as they had a lot of relatively inexpensive options that looked pretty nice but were only available online. I wanted fairly instant gratification so I couldn’t wait. I went to an R&F showroom right down the road from my office and browsed around. I found my first piece of “adult” furniture and it really ties the room together.

Meet The Parents

This past weekend was a relationship right of passage. Erin’s parents were in town and I was going to meet them for the first time.

The timing of my return to Philly on Thursday was perfect. It wasn’t too late so I stopped by her house to say hello and catch up. Towards the end of my stay the timing lined up nicely. Erin’s parents arrived from Westborough, MA. I helped them carry some supplies into the house and had a short though pleasant introduction.

On Friday I met up with her parents and brother to go out for dinner. We hit up Midtown Continental which is a fun martini/tapas Steven Starr restaurant in Center City. I’d been there a few times before and always enjoyed it. We had a variety of enjoyable dishes. Tapas much like sushi is interesting in that you end up eating very slowly which gives your stomach a chance to truly tell you when you’ve had enough to eat. After dinner we went back to Erin’s house to chat. I was very pleased by the fact that I felt quite relaxed as I listened to stories and told little bits about myself. I honestly could have sat there for a few more hours (though eventually Erin and I went down to Bishop’s Collar for some delicious beers).

On Saturday I made another short visit to spend some quality time. My task was to bring over a drill so that her dad could fix a curtain rod. Of course I screwed this up by failing to bring drill bits. It hadn’t really occurred to me that this was necessary as I often just use the drill to screw screws into place without a pilot hole. Sometimes I do follow construction rules. Anyway, I wasn’t able to stay for dinner but I got to look at some nice pictures from a trip her parents took to Colorado.

Overall, I think the meeting went really well. I honestly enjoyed being around them. I think there were two reasons for this. The first was that they were just easy going, interesting folks with approachable personalities. The second is that by being around them the greater the chance that I’d learn some more about Erin. I wanted to hear some good stories though they were pretty gentle possibly because it was the first meeting. I look forward to the next visit and also look forward to taking a trip with Erin up to Westborough sometime.