wavesoflife

Last week I got a new laptop. I think it’s the most awesome thing ever. It’s a Dell XPS Studio 16 with the HD screen. I am totally in love with it. We did have to get the screen replaced because it was shipped with an eyelash (ew) under the covering over the lcd.

I had gotten a new computer last June. Joe had broken his computer and it was my turn to get a new computer so we got one from Dell, when they had the no interest for a year using their credit line. Joe got my old computer. The plan was to pay it off with our income tax return and get Joe a new one then (again using the no interest for a year). We did pay it off but decided it made more sense for Joe to get the current desktop and me to get a new laptop, since 75% of the time when I was using a computer, I would be using my PowerBook. I couldn’t really play WoW on it though. Or Everquest II, at all, since it was for Windows. I like to use my laptop while reclining on the couch, partly so I can also watch TV and partly because it’s a better position for me POTS-wise.

I decided not to get a Mac again. There’s the price issue (Joe had a great discount from his previous employer at the time I got my PowerBook). Plus I just think I like Windows better (yeah, I know). I also wasn’t that crazy about how the MacBook Pros look.

This has 64-bit Vista on it and so far I haven’t had any problems with it. It’s very fast and the screen is just amazing. I’m still getting used to the higher resolution. WoW runs great. I haven’t tried EQII since I’m not currently subscribed. It gets warm, but so far it hasn’t gotten so hot it felt like it was burning my legs (even with a lap desk and a cool pad) like the PowerBook did.

Sometimes the selfishness of other people just baffles me.

On my way home tonight, one intersection has two left turn lanes, a straight lane, and a right turn lane. There was a car in the left turn lane that was closest to the right. They put their right turn signal on after a little while of sitting there (they were slightly ahead of me). The left turn arrow came on, and they just pulled up to the intersection and sat there because the main light was still red. There was a line of cars behind them.

The other going straight drivers didn’t leave them in, but I did. I had assumed they would be going straight. But no, they turned right. Now, if there had been other people already turning right, they would have not only blocked the other left-turners from their turn, but would have blocked me and the rest of the the going-straighters from our turn! And it’s not like there are not plenty of places they would have turned around in to go the opposite way (even if they were not familiar with the area, they could see there were plenty of businesses down the road that would have to have driveways).

So instead of going out of their way for two minutes, they decided to inconvenience numerous other drivers. Bah.

This is a fairly minor matter, but still. I’d like to know what other people would do.

The situation: As you know, we live in a mobile home in a mobile home development. Ours is pretty much the only lot that doesn’t have a defined driveway. It’s just the end of the road between our house and the old office that is no longer used. It’s pretty much the only place for us to park, as they would frown upon us parking in the single lane road behind our house and up further from our “driveway” is the mailbox, which we can’t park in front of either.

Every couple of months we get someone parking in our area. Sometimes it’s utility people or it’s people visiting other people. There has even been 2 cars parked there, taking up both spaces. Last night, someone left a trailer with a giant spool of piping or something there. It’s gone today, at least. I contacted the property owner people but they didn’t know who it was and weren’t that helpful.

I asked if anything could be done, such as a private parking sign. She said yes, but asked do I really want that in my yard? I was a little thrown by the question and wanted to know what other people thought.

If the sign would guarantee no one would ever park there again, it would be a yes. But people ignore signs all the time.

What would you do if you were us?