16Sep

The Not-So-Triumphant Return of Cynra

The rumors that you have heard are true: I have returned, you oh-so-lucky World of Warcraft players! The move went more or less swimmingly, with both of the ferrets and I reaching our new place with little dilemma. Our worldly possessions arrived nearly two-and-a-half weeks later, which was later than expected but a necessary delay that occurred due to the holiday weekend. Either way, the boys and I were pleased to finally have our hands on our stuff in a more or less functional condition.

Yes, the vast majority of my stuffs arrived in excellent condition, due to the care provided by the fine folks of U-Pack Moving¹ and my dearest mother, who personally went back through all of my previous packing after I fled the nest² to ensure that I wasn’t an idiot or lacking in packing prowess. As a result, almost everything arrived in mint condition. A handful of glassware shattered, but that was to be expected and it was mostly things that I had picked up second-hand and had spares of. A dish or two were cracked, but I also picked up those second-hand³ and that Pfaltzgraff stoneware is almost indestructible. And the computer?

Oh, yes, the computer.

My beloved computer didn’t come out as well as the remainder of my possessions. It all appeared functional, but upon hooking everything up and turning on the computer for the first time, the monitor promptly blinked off. Repeatedly. Every time. After looking up the issue on the Internet⁴ and applying the extremely-scientific-method known as the “flashlight test”, I determined that my LCD monitor had most likely had an LCD inverter that was no longer functioning. Since I had been mulling over the idea of acquiring a new monitor for some time, I promptly went out with the significant other and picked up something a bit more modern — only to discover that now my video card wasn’t functioning.

Now, I knew — somewhere deep within my heart — that my video card was on its last legs for quite some time now. The fan barely functioned, strange noises emitted from the chassis, and I had that gut feeling that it was going to explode sometime in the near future. However, there were two sides at war within me and both had equal merit. The engineer in me wanted to discover the exact problem and then somehow determine the optimal time to replace said video card. However, the merchant mariner in me decided to follow a simpler path: if it ain’t broken, don’t fuck with it! Unfortunately, I went with the latter and am now dealing with the fruits of my decision.

You see, I have one of those quirky Shuttle XPC’s that my brother put together for me some years ago, with their deliciously tiny cases. So when I discovered to my dismay that I only had a 200 Watt power supply, I also learned that no other power supplies outside of those designed Shuttle would fit the case without some moderate modifications and my particular model was limited to a mximum of 300 Watts. And, as those of you who have recently purchased video cards would know, the vast majority of gaming video cards have much a much higher recommend wattage. In fact, the local Best Buy stores — in their infinite wisdom — had cancelled their order of the antediluvian graphics cards in favor of these newer models with higher requirements.

As a result, I’m relying on onboard to play World of Warcraft at the moment, with all of the settings turned ridiculously low. I’ll be ordering the higher wattage power supply and then a more appropriate video card in the extremely near future, but until then I’m burdened with not-so-pretty gameplay. Which is very disappointing for someone like me who actually enjoys turning up the settings to enjoy Blizzard’s beautifully sculpted worlds.

However, having a funcional computer does trump not having a functional computer and so I’ll try to refrain from complaining — too much! Just don’t expect any detailed screenshots any time soon; it would further break my heart.

They are absolutely highly recommended if you’re moving a distance but don’t want to deal with movers handling your things. They were excellent and much less expensive than the other companies with whom I have interacted. ↩
A third time! It shall not happen again! ↩
I’ve been collecting pieces of the Yorktowne collection since I was perhaps thirteen — if not earlier! ↩
Seriously, what can’t you find on the Internet? ↩

Responses

Good to hear that everything worked out pretty well in the end in regards to moving.

And on the topic of plates- my mother has had the folk art pfaltzgraff set since before I was born and it’s survived through at least 7 moves. One plate has had to be replaced and there’s a chip in one of the saucers. That stuff could survive an ice age.

Awlbiste’s last blog post: WotLK Release

Awlbiste said,

16 September 2008 at 2:09 pm

Awlbiste: I’m not surprised; I’ve heard of a lot of people who have said similar things about the Pfaltzgraff dishware. They’re ridiculously difficult to break. Most of mine were acquired second-, third-, or even fourth-hand, whether it be from garage sales or even antique shops. I picked up my first piece when I was maybe thirteen, back when I was eagerly looking forward to moving out of the parental units’ house and away from three younger siblings.

Ah, youth…

Cynra’s last blog post: The Not-So-Trumphant Return of Cynra

Cynra said,

16 September 2008 at 2:53 pm

My summoning finally worked. World - I give you Cynra! If anything about her seems broken - please contact a GM.

Draccos said,

16 September 2008 at 3:15 pm

Cynra is back!! /hug

Was just wondering when the WoWblogosphere would be graced with your presence again!

Pike’s last blog post: Gettin’ Philosophical

Pike said,

16 September 2008 at 4:25 pm

It’s good to have you back!

Mama Druid’s last blog post: Soooooo, about that ambivalence

Mama Druid said,

17 September 2008 at 9:50 am

Welcome back Cynra, glad to hear you’re move went ok and hope you settle into the new place.

Crash

Crashandburn’s last blog post: I’m in

Crashandburn said,

17 September 2008 at 12:03 pm

Welcome back! Just catching up a bit before driving down the central coast to LA this morning, then flying to Hawai’i tomorrow.

Yorktowne: GREAT stuff. We’ve had ours for close to (or possibly more than) 30 years. We may have had one plate break, and a saucer and a bowl each have a small chip. And that’s after raising three sons, plus several military moves, including to/from Germany!

Kestrel’s last blog post: Hawai’i Calls!

Kestrel said,

20 September 2008 at 8:33 am

Y Halo Thar!