First of all, do you guys like my new layout? It’s so much better than the previous one! Although whoever coded this template did a pretty lousy job on the CSS part. I’ve already spent several hours touching up the style sheet and removing stupid features. Oh my God, did I just admit that I’m a programming geek?

Moving on. I’m getting ready for my next trip to Europe. This time I’m planning on getting my own place instead of staying over at mom’s house. So, since I’m very picky about my decor, I’ve already started shopping for decorating items … here in the States … for a place in Europe I don’t even have yet. Hahaha -I know - nobody does that!

I went to Hobby Lobby, which is basically the only store in the world I could totally live in. I don’t know what was going on, I went to the one in Asheboro, and it’s like the whole store was 50% off.

It’s quite ironic I end up buying French frames in North Carolina lol This one smelled soooo good when I opened it! wtf? I didn’t know Hobby Lobby prints were scented. It will definitely go in my future bedroom, which I’ve already decided will be white, pink & green.

The pillow I’m not sure yet. Either in the guest room if I have one (which would be Americana/country style), or in the kitchen area I guess. Wherever it ends up, it will help protect the frame in the massive UPS box I’m about to ship over. I’ll probably have to post several boxes, as I’ve also purchased a whole new wardrobe that covers all 4 seasons and more … which I’m a bit embarassed to post here lol

I need to stop shopping, but everything is so cheap in America!! It would be silly to buy the same stuff in Europe, when it costs twice as much there. Anyway, I can’t wait :-) I’ll probably leave around March or April.

Speaking of laptops, I just stumbled across the coolest one I have ever seen! Some people obviously have way too much time on their hands, but you gotta admit this steampunked ZT1000 Hewlett-Packard laptop is a piece of art. Can you imagine pulling this out at the airport?!

I Googled the meaning of “Steampunk” (yeah, it’s a boring afternoon), and here’s what I found:

Enthusiasts sometimes call it “retro futurism.” You already know the aesthetic if you’re familiar with Jules Verne and H.G. Wells: high technology, viewed from a Victorian perspective. Gears. Brass. And, of course, steam power.

But steampunk is a relatively recent movement, rooted in a genre of fiction that began popping up in the Eighties and Nineties. Modders are an important part of the steampunk scene — artists and hobbyists who modify contemporary gadgets to take on the characteristic high tech/low tech look of a future as it might have been.

More pictures  … Continue Reading »

Eek, I’ve been having a killer migraine for 3 days now. Probably because of stress and work overload - which in the end I guess is always worth it. I usually treat myself to some hardcore shopping in those situations, but even that has been nothing but frustrating so far. I have been dying to get myself a nice off-white coat for literally six months now. First, the prices during winter time were ridiculous! From $600 to well over $1,000 for a coat … I don’t think so! It’s one of those things that - I personally think - even if you can afford it, you should make it a point not to waste money like that. Especially as they’re getting made in China for a fraction of the price. Hello rip off!

So anyway, now that Spring time is slowly creeping in, Winter coats have finally gone on sale. Most of the ones I liked were marked down 33%. Pretty good, and my size was available. I first set my mind on a Kenneth Cole one, which isn’t a brand I particularly favor, but it looked pretty neat. Twenty four hours later, I got a call from Nordstrom telling me that the order had to be cancelled because they had run out of stock. Bummer! So then I decided to buy a DKNY coat instead, which was totally Russian princess style. Just too gorgeous for words. It was more expensive than the Kenneth Cole one, but I was slowly getting frustrated and I wanted my coat R.I.G.H.T.N.O.W. I was getting a bit nervous, as I could see yet another cancellation coming my way. And sure enough, they contacted me again the next morning to tell me that they had once again run out of stock. Wtf!! Do the Gods of shopping not like me anymore?

So now I’m here with a migraine and no coat. And I really really want my off-white coat, because clothes can cure anything! Migraine, depression, cancer, ANYTHING. But it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen any time this year, so guess I’ll just have to wait for next Winter

My laptop’s been acting pretty strange lately. I’ve been quite stubborn about not fixing it, hoping that it would magically solve itself … which, as we all know, is NEVER likely to end well. It’s quite embarrassing to admit, but I really am an internetaholic, and my laptop is my baby. Especially this one: it’s an HP Entertainment Pavillion - really really neat. So anywayyy … I noticed it started overheating a few months ago. I’m quite aware I’ve about killed the poor fans, but I was too lazy to bother. Now it has randomly started cutting itself off, which I’ve noticed mainly happens when the laptop gets crazy hot. I guess it’s some kind of survival instinct? Laptops are smart!

So last weekend, as I was gonna be driving to Greensboro anyway, I decided to make a quick stop at CompUSA. I absolutely hate that store, and I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself. This time I was greeted by Wayne Knight from Jurassic Park, wearing a security guard outfit. Seriously, if you go there, ask him for an autograph. I immediately noticed the giant signs all over the place, marked “SALE - SALE - EVERYTHING MUST GO - BUY ME - BUY MEEE”. I thought “That’s strange! Oh well, I could never keep up with all those sales dates.” And then it hit me that the store was actually shutting down, like, for good! Ah-hah! When a business shuts down, you always get the best clearance prices. So instead of looking for a solution to fix my HP Pavilion, I checked out the new laptops. The prices were nowhere near spectacular, but definitely reasonable. The only thing that bothered me was that all sales were final, and no returns were accepted. Everything did, however, come with a factory warranty. So after having walked through and through the entire store for about 2 hours, I ended up buying a Vaio. “Vaio” … I kind of hate that name. It sounds lame, don’t you think? Anyway, I had set my mind on getting a lighter laptop for a change, as the weight of my HP was starting to bother me a bit. So, good, I decided to buy it. The customer service was total shit, as usual. And as I walked out with my good deal, I thought “Hah-hah! You’re closing down and you deserve it!”

I unpacked the new laptop as soon as I got home, turned it on … and *bam* “type your password here”. What? What? WHAT password? I tried to play it smart and guess obvious ones like “compusa” or “admin”, but noooo, that would have been too easy. It’s like expensive electronics are just not meant to work right. EVER. So I called the store, nobody answered. I thought “okay, fair enough, it’s late, they’re probably closing.” I spent the entire next morning trying to get hold of them, just to get that stupid password. Who sells a password protected laptop anyway? Oh, I know! A store that’s closing down and doesn’t give a fuck. I called CompUSA’s main office, they checked and assured me the store in Greensboro, North Carolina, was still open and that they should definitely be answering during office hours. I tried again and again, no answer at all. Nice! So much for my good deal. I bought it on a Sunday, and there’s no way I had time to drive two hours and back during the week to physically go there and ask them for the damn password. So now I’m stuck with a laptop I can’t use.

I got soooo frustrated with it! I ended up calling my credit card company to charge back the payment. I told them if CompUSA wants to dispute the claim, they can just give the freaking password in their response. So yeah, thank you for screwing up my week CompUSA. It’s gonna take a few yoga sessions to get over this one. It also totally reminded me of:

Dave Chapelle Popcopy

Hahah! Not so far off.