magic.rox

Yesterday, the new motherboard I ordered arrived.  I spent the majority of last night replacing what I believe is a bad motherboard.

The new one is significantly different than the old one, as the connections are in different places and it has different ports, i.e. PCI Express.

After connecting and tightening everything I plugged the power in to test, nothing.

I’ve gave up.  I’m tired of spending countless hours upon hours to try to fix it.  I’m taking it to an expert in a few hours.  I hope that the new motherboard is fine, or my old one is okay.

I’ve also given up on something else.  I’m not going to build any PC’s anymore.  In this date and age, and since we get educational discounts through Dell and Apple, we have decided to now purchase computers instead of build.

I hope the costs to fix this problem aren’t huge.  If that is going to be the case, we are probably going to just buy a new computer.

Almost a decade ago, I became a father, a father to a beautiful baby girl.  How can I raise a child when I’m just a kid myself?

Many things change in almost a decade.  Your mother and I have since went our seperate ways, but the seperation has added two families who love you even more.  Instead of having 1 mommy and 1 daddy, you have 2 of them.

3rd grade was a tough year for me, I hope it’s a good year for you.  I got a burr haircut, I hope we don’t have to go through anymore hair dramas with you.

We discovered a shared interest recently, golf.  We had such fun at the driving range, hitting golf balls.  I hope this is something we can do for years to come, and I’m on the hunt for a golf club set made just for you.

I hope you know that daddy and Rachel will always be here for you, and you will always have a place to call your own with us.

I hope you enjoy your birthday present this year, a complete room makeover.  We are painting your room pink, giving you a new door and closet door.  New trim painted white with pictures on your walls make it complete.  Your room will be the first room complete in our home.

It’s amazing what almost a decade can do, and now I’m starting to feel old.

While diagnosing my computer last night, the real problem revealed itself.  My motherboard is cracked, or broken in some way.

I was testing my 4 RAM chips individually, to ensure my RAM was the problem when something happened.  The computer just quit.  It wouldn’t turn on, nothing.

Since I’ve had many power supply failures, I thought it was worth a shot to test it.  I found a thread on how to test a power supply by running a jumper between the green and a black wire on a power supply.  If it is good, the power supply will turn on, if it is bad, it won’t.  My power supply came on.

Since I know my processor is good, and I have tested most of my RAM, it’s just a matter of deduction from there.

Finding parts for a computer built 3 years ago is surprisingly hard.  Newegg only has 2 motherboards available, but both seem very cheap.  Looking around the internet, I found many suppliers but most of them were out of stock.  So I went to the “last resort,” eBay.

We found a OEM model that includes 8x AGP.  The auction ended in 10 hours, but I decided to “buy it now.”  Hopefully this thing will be as good as the reviews I’ve seen for it.

I also purchased a new IEEE 1394/Firewire card and 3 new 80mm cooling fans.

Now it’s just a matter of delivery and assembly.  I wanted to dis-assemble everything to prepare, but Rachel wants me to relax tonight as we have a early start tomorrow.

We are now discussing purchasing, dare I say it, a Dell for our normal “personal” computer.  This way we can separate everything physically.  I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but finances have dictated otherwise.

This wouldn’t be possible without the help of Editor B.  I want you to know that I will always feel in your debt for the things you have done for me.

I hope to keep on track for Holiday season availability for ROX season one.

After doing some research about what could be wrong with my computer, I have come up with 2 possible problems.  Either my motherboard is bad in some way, or my RAM is bad in some way.

I found some software to test the RAM, and sure enough it found some “problems.”

But it can’t tell me for sure which chip is bad, so I have to do further testing to discover which one it is or if it is the port and not a chip.

I hope there aren’t any problems with my motherboard, if that is the case I will need a new PC.  My processor’s chipset has been obsoleted and I cannot find many parts to fit it.

My computer has a problem.  It has gotten better over the past couple of weeks, but it is still there.

It will restart at random times, after reboot i will get a message saying that “the system has recovered from a serious error.”

I have read articles on many websites about what this problem is exactly, and tried some of the fixes.  It has eased the issue, but not helped it disappear.

I think I have a hardware issue, but I can’t pinpoint it just yet.  My first thoughts is that it is my RAM or a possible crack in my motherboard.

With 4 hard drives and a dual core cpu, my computer creates a lot of heat.  I have 4 cooling fans to help, but I think I have overloaded my cases’ ability.

If it gets any worse I think I’m going to take it to a shop to get an outsiders’ opinion.  This is my last option, because removal and re-installation of my computer is a PITA.  I have 2 printers, VCR, 8-track player, Scanner, Monitor, Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers, CAT5 cable, Microphone, and a 7 port USB hub to connect.  Lots of cables, so many that I need 3 power strips just to power everything.

Over the weekend my in-laws came up for a get together to celebrate my daughters’ upcoming 9th birthday.  They also had fun picking apples from our apple tree.

My mother-in-law took 2 five gallon buckets that were almost halfway full.  My niece Sabrina got a nice amount in a box.  After the festivities were over I wanted to go pick some, not for me but for my ROX family.

This is what I could reach.  It may not look like much, but believe me it’s a grab.  I do not fertilize or spray my tree, so these are completely natural treats the entire family can love.  There is still this many or more near the top of the tree, but they are not ready for harvest yet.  When they are I will be ready.

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about what I was going to do, so I posted about this earlier.  The only problem is that the apples weren’t ready yet.  They are now.

This is what you will be receiving in the mail (in 2-4 days).  A sheet with greetings and instructions on what we think would be a good use of the apples, a mason jar containing apple crisp mix, nutmeg and apples,  there is also extra apples in each box.

We divided the apples in the big box pictured above into 4 equal parts.

B:  If you want to find out what variety of apple these are, please do!  I’d like to know for myself.

I don’t feel it’s appropriate to let this great natural resource of mine go to waste.  You have all been like a family to me in one way or another.  This is just one of many ways for me to say thanks.

P.S. MF and Kelly:  You’ll be receiving another “surprise” gift once I get a shipment in the mail.

LONDON - A British man has been banned from visiting his girlfriend’s home after neighbors complained about noisy sex, a local official said Thursday.

(more…)

Today is my dad’s 57th birthday.  Happy birthday dad!

I’ve really lost count of my dad’s age since about 1999.  It just doesn’t really matter to me anymore.

While he won’t be receiving any gifts right now, he does have something coming.

Bill Cosby is performing at the IU Auditorium in September, the first thing I thought of was dad.  When I was a child he spoke constantly of listening to Bill Cosby albums when he was a teenager.

Dad’s health hasn’t been too good recently.  I hope he can feel like a kid again, if just for one night anyway.

Tomorrow is our 4th wedding anniversary.  Much has happened since that wonderful night in Bedford.

We didn’t really do much for our anniversary last year, so this year we are at least going out to eat at a nice place.

Rachel will have a surprise in store for her as well.

Sometimes it seems like we’ve been married forever, but then I look at people like her parents and B & XY and realize we’ve only just begun.

Coming from a broken home, I try as hard as I can to ensure I don’t fall into the same trap my parents fell into.  My father has been married to someone he hates for 21 years.  My mother has been married 3 times, she’s said that she’ll never get married again, and so far has kept up with that statement.

When I see the differences in our upbringings, I realize why I am the way I am, and why Rachel is the way she is.

Sometimes it makes me depressed that I wasn’t as lucky as her, but then I realize that I wouldn’t be who I am without what I had to endure.

Rachel, you are my rock!  Without you, I’m not sure exactly where I’d be right now.  I love you. 

The next project Rachel and I have is to actually finish a room in the house.  That room being my daughter Taylors’ room.

We are installing new baseboard trim, a new entry door and a new closet door.  Her room is going to be painted a light pink and the existing trim in her room will be painted a beautiful color named “whipped white.”

On deck after that is the remodeling of the downstairs.

I’ve restarted this adventure I started over 3 years ago, by working full force on season 1 of ROX again.  I was working on 2 seasons and I believe I got way over my head.  There were just too many problems to handle at once.

I started over the weekend by transferring what I only had on VHS onto my computer.  I then worked several hours on the first episode of season 1, Special Mish-Mosh Episode.

One of the reasons I had abruptly quit working on the series was the amount of heat damage (i believe) associated with many of the episodes.  I tried to correct this issue using Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Sony Vegas, but only came  up with juvenile results.  I started posting questions and viewing others’ questions on a forum that specializes in just these sorts of things, videohelp.com.  It has helped tremendously.

I have uploaded 1 minute segments of episode 8, so you can see the differences made.  This episode had a vast array of problems, from over saturation, to needing color correction in the worst of ways and needing some sharpening.  All of these fixes added together make for a “better end product” I believe.  I still have some work to do on the audio, as I want to normalize the volume and filter it to remove tape hiss, etc.

I’ll leave that up to you though, please let me know what you think.

Before:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lml_dvd/2755801226/in/photostream/

After:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lml_dvd/2754979589/in/photostream

If anyone has any recommendations, please make them in the comments section, as I would love to hear them!
 

Last week I sent an email to the entire ROX blogging crew, asking if they liked apples.

I was very surprised as to the response I got.

B is very curious about what my plans are, and even told me about a particular type of apple he enjoys.

MF told me that she isn’t particularly an apple person, but I have another idea which she might enjoy just as much.

J and Kelly both told me that they love apples and can’t wait to see what they shall receive.

I can’t hold this little secret any longer, so the cat is out of the bag folks’.

This is my apple tree.  When we first moved into our home, it looked like an overgrown bush.  With much trimming, I’ve turned it into a “happy tree” as I like to call it.  We’ve only had one harvest due to an ice storm last February.  My mother-in-law came and took all of those apples, which I didn’t mind.

We’ve been checking the apples every week to see if they are ripe.  They aren’t yet, but once they are your packages will be in the mail.

This year is a different story, as I want my ROX family to enjoy the fruits of my trees’ labor as well.  All of you have been like a family to me, in one way or another.  This is the least I can do to thank yall.

I don’t know the type of apple that grows from this particular apple tree.  They are green, medium to small sized, and quite tart.  They are best used for baking purposes.  My thought, send everyone a “apple crisp in a box kit!”

I also plan on sending Kelly and MF ROX Season Zero sets as well.

It bothers me that my search for help with this heat damage problem has led me nowhere.  Sometimes you have to find your own solution to problems, which is what I’m working on.  With the help of Photoshop for Video, I have learned a few things.  I hope to soon have the skills to correct this damage, and continue on my way of saving this beloved show for generations to come.

This show enlightened me in those key teen years.  It wasn’t about the drinkx, or the drugz, it was about keeping your mind open to new and unusual things.  Something that is still lacking in society today.  If I hadn’t stumbled upon J&B on the ROX playing on BCAT oh so many years ago, I very well could be in prison or dead by now.  Many who know me well, know that my life has been nothing but a story of hardship and overcoming seemingly impossible hurdles.  It will all be in my book.

I know I’m repeating myself, but this is the least I can do to thank everyone who participated in the show, whether as an active participant, or as a passive person who was just there when the camera was rolling.

I came into this as merely a fan, but I’m treated as if I’m a family member.  Words cannot describe how amazing that feels.

Today I finally fixed a problem I’ve had for almost 2 years!

I use flickr for uploading of many of the pictures I take for online storage.  It keeps ‘em safe.  Logging into my account has been nothing but confusing though.

When I set up my flickr account we used AT&T for our DSL, and therefore my email address was with them.  After “the move” I changed email addresses to a yahoo.com domain name as we weren’t in AT&T’s service area anymore.

For some reason, I could not change this information with flickr, which is owned by yahoo.

They eventually let me change my contact email to my yahoo.com address, but not my login information.

Today I successfully changed the login information.

One less username and password I have to remember.  Thank god!

Rachel and I were very productive this weekend.  We painted our foyer, I changed the oil in my  truck, trimmed some tree limbs with the help of my neighbor, and I mowed the front yard.

This week I plan on peeking  under the carpet on our stairs to see exactly what is under there.  If it’s hardwood, I think we might actually finish the foyer area.  It will only require some paint, stain, and some stair rail parts.

I love the look of stained treads with white painted risers.  I want our stairs to look similar to this picture.  I would also like a runner, but that is an issue of contention in the household.

The past few months have been especially hard on my poor old truck.

It hasn’t been doing it’s usual job, which is to sit right there.  It’s been worked and worked and over worked.

I normally only have to change my oil about twice a year.  The last time I changed it was in early April and I’m less than 50 miles away from that crucial engine maintenance again.

Wednesday while I was on my way home, one of my transmission cooling lines broke - for the 2nd time!  The first time was when I had my paper route, and I was right in the middle of it.  I had it towed to a reputable place in town and they supposedly fixed it.  I never checked their work until now.  Instead of replacing the line, they just put a sleeve over the break.

I took it to the nearest place, so I would do as little damage to my $3000 transmission.  They said they would give me an estimate, which I didn’t think would run more than about $200.  Was I wrong.

They gave me an estimate of almost $500!  I was shocked, my immediate response was to just take it back home and do it myself.  When I found out that other shops concurred with that estimate and the reason why, I decided to let them do the work.

The front trans-axle actually has to be dropped to slide these lines in.  Without getting overly complicated, this is a job I do not have the equipment or tools to do.  Plus working with the front torsion bar suspension is one part of my truck that scares me to death.

Luckily, since I am back at IU for the time being my truck can do it’s main job now.  Be used as a secondary means of transportation, and to haul things too large for our subcompact Kia Rio.

My last three days with Morgenstern Home Services was just like my first three days.  Disappointment.

The first day was cancelled before it began.

The second day I was called to go to a job to do these tasks: replace a piece of siding, replace a roof vent cap, replace a window and a sliding glass door.

The third day the rest of the job was cancelled by the homeowner.  I received a call just as I arrived, the homeowner also then told me that she didn’t like his demeanor or professionalism, so she had decided to cancel the rest.  The only thing remaining - the sliding glass door.

The homeowner then went on to ask if I had a business card so she could contact me should she want to hire me.  I drove home and printed out some new business cards, and went back.  I didn’t push my business offerings, I just made sure she had my contact information.

I was surprised to receive an email that night thanking me for the work I had done on her house, and asking what kind of fees would be associated with transferring some negatives.

I quoted her my price, and she sounds interested.

It may be a dead end, but she said she would reorganize her collections and get back with me.

I guess my customer service skills aren’t that bad after all.