Goodies!

Less freaked out now...

I pretty much prepared myself for a no-Xmas this year (sans that wonderful wonderful curry) because anything I receive I have to pack. I got some very cool clothes and a travel clock from my aunt, uncle, and cousins down in N'awlins.. well, Mandeville, but close enough, and I'll find room for them, but for the most part, I'm cool with nada.

Well, mom decided this wouldn't do and took me on an impromptu shopping which definitely enhanced my spirits, and not just because I'm an electronics junkie, while, at the same time being a complete Luddite. Don't ask me how that works. It means, when I FINALLY am dragged to embracing something, kicking and screaming, I absolutely adore it, XP being a good example, while most of the time, I just stare at the onrush of technology in fascination, resent teenagers, and try fruitlessly to figure out what the hell bluetooth is. Sigh.

So I may be scared to death to start school, but at least I'll be starting school in style.

The first purchase was the best for my frame of mind. You see, until I set my desktop up here for my mom, at which point, before I format, I can move over a bunch of my files (like most of my Annex ones, d'oh!) I'm using a laptop on poached wifi connection (Shhhh). This subjects me to a touchpad and 10-key less laptop keyboard. In short, GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

Some background... the touchpad is self explanatory, since damn near everyone hates those frigging things, and when you're trying to work graphics, even basic stuff like cropping travel pictures, you'd want to throw the touchpad out the window like you could a naughty mouse, but you CAN'T, because the frigging thing has grafted itself to your machine in self preservation.

On the typing... I've been chatting since I was 15 (died down now, couldn't take the a/s/l anymore), hosting since I was 16, and in various administrative roles since 17. My primary 9-5 jobs included project assistant (secretary), technical writer (nitpicky secretary) and forms editor (REALLY nitpicky secretary). This gives me a WPM rate near light speed. I'm not saying this to brag. When you're trying to become a doc, having people complement you on your English and typing skills and saying what a marvelous legal assistant you'd be is not reassuring.

What this also means is that I type without thinking, thus jumbling my fingers around on a laptop keyboard is cruel and tends to leave my hands looking something like a half sheephead knot, if I knew what the heck that was or if it actually existed. Something about rabbits going around holes and into trees and that sort of nonsense. Damn Girl Scouts.

And I CERTAINLY wasn't going to suffer the indignity of using the laptop keyboard/touchpad for 2 years in the Caribbean, so I used one Xmas gift on a lovely wireless mouse/keyboard set, and the keyboard has all those bells and whistles like buttons that pull up menus that pull up other menus, which, as an easily impressed Luddite, makes me go "ooh ah" and never use them again.

What else did I rake in that I consider intensely practical (and didn't at all get because it's highly cool)? Two flash drives on sale... one 2 gigs, one 1 gig. From what I understand, these things are the prison ciggies of med school; you trade data back and forth, and they are absolutely critical. Ipods are also useful, but my video ipod isn't easily worn on a lanyard around my neck, at least, not without looking like Flava Flav upgraded. Did I spell that right? Oh who cares.

Speaking of ipods, my mom bought me one of those 79$ ipod shuffles, which she knew I wanted but wouldn't buy or ask for from anyone because there is no earthly way I can justify wanting or having one other than the fact that they're incredibly cool and clip onto your clothes. So now I have one, and I feel a great deal of shame at my susceptibility to advertising, but... but... look how little they are!!!! Leave me alone!

Cell phones on Grenada are necessary but expensive for phoning home, so most (right?) students use internet telephony, requiring a decent mic/headset. I'm planning on Skype myself, if I ever figure out how to set it up/use it once on the island. So one purchase was a great headset for that, which has a decent mic so I don't need to bring one. I already had my webcam, which I got at a really nice price in CA, so I'm all hooked up to do the Jetsons communication thing when I get to the Rock.

Massive, heavy artillery surge protector for that occasionally spurious electrical connection. I REALLY don't want to fry my electronics.

So now I feel more confident... because I have more stuff to pack... uh... but thank goodness for parents... I can also feel more paranoid in the fact that now the airlines have more valuable stuff to lose, so I may just load myself to the brink and get arrested as a terrorist for having all sorts of circuits and wires sticking out of me. Currently, between the two flash drives and the ipod shuffle, I am WEARING 4 gigs. For reference, my first computer in 1995 cost 1700 dollars and required another 1500 dollars worth of upgrades. At the end of it all, it had 2.3 gigs of hard drive. I am now WEARING more memory than my first computer could have dreamed of with its high tech, state of the art 120 mhz processor, and 8, that's right EIGHT megs of RAM. You see, people at the time were saying you could make due with 4, but a friend of mine said the *serious* gamers and graphics people would absolutely recommend going with the full 8, because it was, like, more than you could ever want, and apparently made those solitaire games make you feel like you were really *THERE*... bored enough to be playing solitaire there, but THERE.

Feh. I'm 26 and I feel frigging old. Time to move to a developing nation in the Southern Caribbean!