More Computer Frazzle

Does anyone recall the absolute nightmare I went through at the beginning of the semester to get the goddamned McAfee software onto my computer so that Out-of-Town University's security protocols would be satisfied? Well guess what - I'm having just as much difficulty getting the fucking thing OFF my computer now. The Mac guy at OOTU keeps sending me to websites that are supposed to have image disk links and I can't get to any of them. The page either comes up blank or I get an error message. And the worst part is I only used my computer on campus ONCE this entire semester. What a complete pain in the ass. That place is so behind the times re: technology I can hardly believe they actually function in the 21st century.

The Mac guy is a nice person and I feel bad talking smack about him but goddammit this is ridiculous!

Onward and Upward

Today I decided to scrap the idea of using my personal laptop on campus at Out-of-Town-University. I keep losing work whenever it crashes, so I brought it home, fired it up, and uninstalled Virex. Or as we say in the Mac world - I dragged it to the trash. So much for that. It's inconvenient not to have a dedicated computer at that job, but I can manage for one semester. Maybe the wheezes at Info Tech can supply a loaner for the semester, who knows.

Great news - I will be returning to Saltonstall for a mini-writing retreat next weekend! Also, I have been informed that Saltonstall is opening up their grant competition for screenwriters. I put a bee in the Director's bonnet about this last spring, and I'm really happy they have included writing for the screen. I am going to apply as soon as those apps are up online! (So don't any of you get any ideas - ha ha.)

The drive on Tues-Thursday continues to be heinous, but a little less so with the iPod and book-on-tape. I'm listening to "Story," famous text on screenwriting by Robert McKee.

Gotta get some work done, here.

It' Ain't Over Yet

Remember the fiasco that was my last Wednesday, spent getting my computer "verified" at Out of Town University? In order to do that, it was necessary to get McAfee Virex on my MacBook Pro. Since Wed. my computer has been randomly crashing. I am furious that not only did I waste an entire day on that bullshit, now I live in constant fear that my computer will crash before I hit "save" or "publish." I checked online, and sure enough, OS X and Virex 8.5 are incompatible. It's recommended to downgrade to Virex 7.2 I've written a very forceful email to the computer services people who I wasted hours on the phone with last week, demanding to know whether 7.2 will pass their "verification" process, and furthermore, someone over there who has some experience with Macs is gonna do the install. I'll be goddamned if I'm going to uninstall 8.5 and install 7.2 only to have it fail their CSA verification.

Fuckerz.