maverick's truth

I typically do a class report card at the beginning of each semester, so this will be no exception.

Film and Religion (Watching Film Religiously): A
Notes: I actually already finished this class (it was a blockweek course, which means it was all over in the week before school actually started for the semester), and it was really very good. After the first class, I wasn't 100% sold on it, but over the course of the week it certainly grew on me, and ended up being probably one of my favorite classes all time. And of course, the instructor was fab.

Judaism: A-
Notes: This class seems really interesting, and the instructor is very engaging. Only reason this one gets an A- rather than an A is that he seems to get sidetracked -- not that he gets off topic, but he just talks a lot about things that, while interesting, put us quite far behind. Four classes in, and we're just about 2 classes behind already. On the plus side, I've already decided what I want to do my paper on, so it's just a matter of doing the research and stuff now.

Greek: A- / A
Notes: I can't decide whether this is an A- class or an A class. The fact that it's Greek makes me hesitant to put it as a fullfledged A (because I really didn't enjoy Greek last year), but at the same time, the instructor is making it hard to give the class anything less than an A. It seems as though a change in instructors might make a world of difference, so here's hoping. :-)

That's basically it... except for my honors thesis, which is essentially exactly the same as what I was doing throughout the summer. All in all, it looks like it might be a good semester.

Well, after confirming that the cost to repair my old laptop would surpass the price of a new one, I broke down and bought a new laptop today. I got news of a new scholarship, which I didn't expect, so that will help cover the cost. And hey, I got a free iPod out of the deal, so it's not all bad. I even got a discount on the system because I work at the bookstore, so anyways... I am newly computered, and now just need to decide what to do with the old one. I think I may try selling it on eBay for parts, but haven't fully decided yet. It's hard to decide to part with a machine that works great except for the fact that you can't charge the battery and it won't run off the AC. Then again, with all the problems I've had with my old machine, I've started to wonder if it's not been cursed. Maybe just getting the new machine is for the best ... or at least, it had better be. I've already spent the money.

After much cajoling (hi Mom!), I'm back to my blog, at least for this post. I really don't have much of an excuse for my multi-month absence, but I suppose stress could have something to do with it -- as my mini-breakdown in the advisor's office today testifies. Today was one of those `straw that broke the camel's back' kinda of days. After all the headaches I had with my power adapter for my laptop around Christmas time, and finding out that I needed a new battery because of the recall, there is a new problem... one that unfortunately a new $100 power adapter or a free battery replacement can't fix...

On the weekend, I was carrying my laptop around in a laptop bag I've been using basically since I got it when disaster struck... the strap broke and my bag, laptop and all, crashed to the ground. Fearing the worst, I plugged it in and all seemed fine. There was no data loss, everything was functioning, and, although the power adapter needed to be finessed in order to get it to work, it really wasn't worse than it was before. Or so it seemed. Upon closer inspection, it seems as though the part of the computer into which the plug goes is bent, and since Sunday, the adapter has gone from charging the battery most of the time to not doing it at all. It seems like there's some internal damage to the power-in, as well. I looked into replacement parts, and they cost pretty much as much as a new computer. Tonight, I copied all of my stuff off of my computer onto J's, and now I have only about 1/2hr of battery life left. There's no way for me to charge my battery, and so things are not looking good. Somewhere, I'm going to have to find the money to buy a new one. Just what I needed.... On the plus side, the new models of the laptops have a different design for the power cords -- one which won't cause me to need to buy a new one every 4 months. I still haven't decided what machine to buy, and I guess I haven't even really resigned myself to buying one (I keep hoping to wake up and have it be back to normal), but it seems inevitable now.

So... anyone want a slightly-used and non-chargeable Powerbook G4?

I think I need some sleep... no "sleepless in Seattle" here...