Incredible Frustration

So, I saved all my data, and I had an already-installed and configured hard disk to go into the system. All good, right?

Except that the last time the drive had been used was December 2003, when I got the new motherboard and the Athlon XP 2600+. So some of the drivers really needed to be updated. Especially the video driver.

Which led to six hours of hell last night, and a couple more this morning.

Last week, playing Quake 3 Arena, I was getting around 90 FPS with this hardware, these drivers. Now? 45-55 at best. I also seem to be having a lot more hard drive access, all the time, and it's slowing everything the fuck down. It's taking five minutes to reboot -- or, more precisely, less than a minute to reboot, and then about four minutes to finally quit trying to access every goddamn sector of the hard drive.

First thing is going through processes and services. (Why do they say you can shut this shit off when it turns itself the fuck back on!?) Then a defrag of my new/old C: drive. After that, I suspect, comes melancholy, alcoholism, and bitter recrimination.

Jim Aparo Dies

As reported yesterday by several sources and LJers, former DC Comics artist Jim Aparo passed away at the age of 72. He only worked on a few titles -- but his two most notable regular jobs were Batman and The Spectre, and he owned those so thoroughly that, to this day, many people consider him the artist for those characters the way they consider Curt Swan the artist for Superman.

You can see samples of his excellent work here, here, here, and here.

We Came In Peace For All Mankind

Has it really been thirty-six years?

James Doohan Passes Away

Sigh.

Knowing this one was coming doesn't make it any easier. James Doohan has passed away at the age of 85. If you don't know who he was... well, bluntly, how'd you find your way onto my friend's list?

Here's his IMDB listing and his Wikipedia page.

All together, now, softly:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found,
Was blind, but now I see.

In Which There Is Pie

First, it is entirely possible you will not be the audience for this. 'Sokay.

Second, a brief explanation, for my HP-fanfic-challenged friends.

Y'see, those who are fans of a particular romantic relationship in the Harry Potter books are called "shippers". This metaphor has been extended to the point that there's a whole bloody virtual HP navy. We Harry/Hermione shippers are, for obscure reasons, sailing HMS Pumpkin Pie.

Which led to this, without question the most fangirlish thing I have ever written.


( You may know the tune.... (HBP Spoilers) )

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Cross-posted to harryhermione.