Password Paranoia

I was recently prompted to change one of my many internet passwords. The do's and don't's for password selection were neatly listed and can be summarized as follows: An acceptable password is 8 to 15 characters long, using both upper and lower case letters and at least one number, which can not be the first or last character. Additionally, a password can not contain any part of your name nor any word found in a dictionary. A password can not be repeated within a one-year period; however, punctuation marks are permissible characters.

Suggested passwords were UGZ34Bbc3k and similar combinations. I have one such combination memorized but am blocked from using that password for the next year because it was my previous password.

The point? This is ridiculous...

Update: In response to this blog, A.J. wisely suggested that I use words like sk8. Thanks A.J.!

Laptop Surgery: The Final Chapter

I can't write very much about the last round of work on my beloved laptop. The new screen arrived today and was installed before I came home from school. But I can convey the extreme excitement I felt upon seeing my computer in one piece and the even more intense excitement that occurred approximately ten seconds later when the computer powered-up in a completely normal fashion. Once again the screen displays a clear and visible picture. Time, patience, $100, and a handy husband gave my HP DV2000 a second chance at life. The screen transplant was a resounding success!!!!

Laptop Surgery Continued

The parts for my laptop arrived last week. The first part arrived in a simple envelope; the second part arrived in a long, narrow pink box with a bow...??? Re-assembling the computer and installing the new parts was more intense than the previously described disassembly, requiring Chris to bust out his head-mounted flash light. Once the essential parts were reconnected, we anxiously hit the power button. On the upside, everything powered up as normal. Phew - everything was connected correctly. On the downside, the screen image was no better than before. More parts are on the way and only time will tell if our laptop surgery will be a success.

KFC

Went to KFC for the first time in years. Ordered the item advertised on the window. Person taking the order didn't know what the advertised item was, even after pointing to the window advertisement. Food was all over the floor. Ten dollars for a snack. Remembered why I don't eat at KFC.

Irony

As Chris and I were driving into Taos, we spotted a familiar landmark. The Giant Buddy Holly glasses in Lubbock are also in Taos, New Mexico. Check it out!




Lubbock may be the home of Buddy Holly, but Taos has us beat in scenery.

Laptop Surgery

A couple of months ago my beloved HP Pavillion DV2000 got sick. What I hoped was only a ferocious virus turned out to be a serious hardware malfunction. The estimated cost of repairs: $350 to $500, plus another $50 for a new battery. The amount of repairs covered by my one-month expired warranty: nothing. As I began perusing for a replacement computer, I soon realized there was not an economically comparable replacement for the laptop I am so fond of, despite its sub-par components.

And so began the laptop surgery. Two nights ago Chris removed the rubber screw covers from the plastic frame around the screen and began disassembling the machine in a last ditch effort to restore it to a workable condition. The do-it-yourself remedy was the only way to avoid investing more money in repairs than the laptop is worth. Chris successfully located the first possible culprit; however, there was a kink in disconnecting the part from its life-line wires. This unfortunate mistake required further disassembling the key board so that the broken part could be removed and a yet another replacement part could be ordered.

So, as I write this, my laptop is in multiple pieces. The key board is gone. The screen is disconnected. The lid cover is no longer hinged to the base. An array of screws are meticulously divided and labeled in the slots of an empty ice tray. And the laptop will remain in pieces until the necessary parts are shipped from Hong Kong to Lubbock (7 to 15 days), at which time the laptop surgery will resume.

One Year and Counting

This past month Chris and I graduated from being newly-weds to become regular married people. To celebrate this milestone, we loaded up the car and drove to New Mexico for a relaxing week in Santa Fe and Taos. Of course we had our share of alone time during the week, but we also found time to go skiing with friends and to visit Chris’ family, feasting on their delicious, cheesy, authentic Mexican food.

To say that there was a sudden change in our relationship would be misleading, but to say that we are the same as when he first wed one year ago would be even more misleading. Not too long I ago I did something that was absolutely ridiculous. I thought to myself, “Chris must think I am so weird sometimes.” Just a few days ago Chris did something equally ridiculous and then said, “I could never be myself around anyone else.” And that’s how we’ve changed. Rules and boundaries have been challenged or all together broken (in part due to the afore-mentioned delicious, cheesy, authentic Mexican food; see blog on Month Three for clarification).

After Chris and I had been dating a year or so, my coworkers began asking me when we would move in together. I didn’t hesitate in replying that cohabitation would only occur if we got married, and that’s exactly how things played out. We went from being single, living separately, and reporting to no one about our time or money to just the opposite. To all those who say that you should “try it before you buy it,” I beg to differ. You miss out on the excitement of coupling a new, lifetime commitment with a new life. I can’t imagine the first year of marriage being even half the fun if we had lived together prior to the wedding. THIS YEAR WAS AWESOME! I praise God for the blessings he gave Chris and I and I pray for a lifetime of similar years to follow, even if it means breaking an occasional prudent rule.

The Nativity Chihuahua

Part of the nativity as displayed at a church in Santa Fe

Month Eleven: Cooking A Turkey

For the past 11 months I have been pretty good about cooking dinner and keeping the kitchen stocked with healthy food. But with Chris' 27th birthday and Thanksgiving colliding with final exams this past month, I decided to take the easier route - precooked! I bought a delicious strawberry and red velvet ice cream cake for Chris' birthday. That purchase worked out wonderfully. The precooked Thanksgiving turkey, on the other hand, was not as easy.



No, I was not trying to cook the turkey in an upside down pan placed in a sink full of dirty water. The turkey came frozen. I bought it 36 hours before dinner time. It required 3 to 5 days to thaw. Do you understand the dilemma?

Upon realizing that my bird was still frozen the night before Thanksgiving, I called my mom for emergency help. She told me to place the turkey in a large bowl, fill it with cold water, and leave the water running at a trickle so as to keep the water cold. This would allow the bird to thaw evenly and in about 3 to 4 hours. The only container in my kitchen large enough to hold my turkey was the flimsy, plastic lid from Chris' ice cream cake. Once filled, the edges swelled out from the weight of the water, causing most of the water to run out. Luckily, I plugged the sink prior to filling the lid with water. Not so luckily, I failed to clean the excess icing off of the plastic cake lid. What resulted was a sink full of water mixed with dissolved strawberry frosting and some water-resistant chunks of frosting floating about. The pan was added as a weight to keep the turkey submerged, as turkeys are very bouyant (this reminded me of David's Letterman's past bit entitled "Will it Float"). The turkey thawed in time and it all worked out in the end, but next year, I will be sure to buy the turkey a little bit earlier.

Windy City

We had another windy day in Lubbock today. For those who are interested, here is a very accurate picture of what our windier days look like; strange sky color, high and constant wind speeds, and flying debris. The weather people call it "blowing dust." The other day we had blowing dust and rain; the result was raining mud.

Movie Night at Gina's

While Chris and I may have many friends in Lubbock, we have very few pictures of these individuals. Here are some pictures from a recent movie night.

Benton Baby

A couple in our church who we consider to be two of our closest friends in Lubbock recently had a baby girl. We visited the baby (and our friends) two days after she was born. I love holding newborns because they are so soft.



On our way to the hospital Chris was sure that he would not hold the baby because he had never held a newborn before. It turns out she was too irresistible even for Chris...



I must admit that for a couple who isn't even considering children at this point, we do look awfully nice with a baby.

Month Ten: Introducing Chrim

This month makes ten months that Chris and I have been married and 6 years that we have been together. As evidence that we may be running out of stuff to talk about, we recently decided that our Hollywood, celebrity-couple name would be Chrim. I googled Chrim and found a substantively lacking website devoted to the RX-7. Thus worried that Chrim may reflect Chris more than Kim, I googled our alternative: Kiss.

While there were a couple of good hits, like




There were far more hits like this:




Chrim it is...

Lubbock News

Tonight, during the election coverage on our local NBC station, the announcers abruptly interrupted coverage of the local elections to announce that NBC had forecasted Obama as the next president-elect. The coverage quickly switched to the celebrations in Chicago. When the coverage switched back to the local newscasters, the male newscaster said something about an emotional scene. The female newscaster responded with a tight-lipped “Hmmm,” followed by an awkward silence while both looked down and shifted papers. For those unaware, Lubbock is a very "red" city, and this was the first a few instances where the "red" seemed to leak through the newscasters' unbiased facade.

For an even more amusing Lubbock newscast, watch this link (my written description would be inadequate).

http://www.myfoxlubbock.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=5A2874676221C7F6F93B550FC8F58402?contentId=7154869&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

Lubbock’s local newscasts never cease to amuse me…

Month Nine: Honeymooners

According to Wikipedia, during the honeymoon period, “spouses seem to be more forgiving and loving than they would be later on in the relationship." Additionally, “there is much more physical contact between the two partners.”

After nine months of marital bliss, Chris accused me of “sucking out all of his cool.” Clearly, this comment was neither forgiving nor loving. Also, this month Chris and I spent quite a few nights apart. We rediscovered the joys of sleeping solo – he slept sideways across the bed while I slept in the middle with a wall of pillows against my back. At least while sleeping, we enjoyed the lack of physical contact.

Although both of these incidents would indicate that our honeymoon period is coming to an end, I believe it is just the opposite. I quickly forgave Chris for his comment, which I know was nothing more than a loving joke. And sharing a bed is not so bad if it means someone will be there the next morning to kiss you good-bye as you leave for work.

September 2008

Blue Eyes and Bangs

State of Redemption

Hula Dancing

Family

Month Eight: Etiquette

This past month Chris and I attended an etiquette dinner. I learned that I cut meat like a barbarian and Chris learned that he improperly shakes his pink sugar packets before sweetening his tea. Luckily, we both have a good sense of humor about all those rules, and as a result they have become useful fodder during dinner. We laugh as we take bites much too large, speak with mouths full of food, and switch between American and continental style mid-meal. Maybe all those rules have had the opposite effect intended; rather than improving our dining etiquette we purposefully make mistakes for fun.

Excited Sports Announcers

During the final Olympic match in men’s volleyball, one of the clearly excited announcers actually used the phrase mismangled balls and then later referred to one player’s sizzling armpit hairs. What? While I pondered the use of the prefix mis to modify the word mangled, Chris found humor on a much more sophomoric level. Both of us gave surprised glances upon hearing about the sizzling armpit hairs. While one may observe mismangled balls, whatever that means, exactly how does one observe the sizzling of armpit hairs?

Glasses are for Dorks

What I did this Summer

Watched all three seasons of Arrested Development.
Vacationed in White Sands, New Mexico.
Started and completed my wedding scrapbook album.
Changed my name.
Made Law Review.
Witnessed my cousin’s wedding in Hondo, Texas.
Worked for a judge.
Visited family and friends in Fort Worth.
Was a housewife.
Tried to keep up with the kids at VBS.
Saw a pageant, a parade, and a planetarium show.
Slept in.
Baked lots of cookies, some brownies, a pound cake, and a key-lime cheese cake.
Did a little demolition work.
Got a hole-in-one at putt-putt.
Shopped.

Now that’s a summer.