I have been experiencing problems with my PDA and don’t know what to do next. I have an IBM Workpad c500 which is a relabeled Palm m500. It appears to be freezing up on me. Sometimes it just doesn’t respond to the touchscreen, both the screen and the graffiti area and buttons. Other times it won’t even respond to the buttons, including the up/down and the power buttons. When that happens and I have an app open that has a flashing cursor, the cursor has stopped flashing. I poke at it in many ways. Sometimes, after a little time, it flashes through a number of apps before it settles. I am guessing it had my pokes in a buffer and got done doing what it thought was more important than me and then executed my pokes. Sometimes it will respond to a soft reset, sometimes it won’t. Sometimes after a reset, it still doesn’t respond to the touch screen.

The first guess is I loaded something on to it that is causing problems. But this started a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t loaded anything on it for months. I finally tried the ultimate solution I know of. I kissed my data goodbye (trusting to backups) and did a hard reset. It still wouldn’t respond to the touchscreen right away. Eventually it started behaving again.

Does anyone have any idea what is going on with this silly thing? Is it a software issue or is the hardware giving out? I have had it less than a year. Is there any diagnostics I can run on it? I am getting beyond frustrated with it and don’t know where to go for help.

This is just so me, both with and without the accent.

And this particular Bob The Angry Flower? Uh, yeah, that’s me too. Oh, yeah, that’s me.

Getting the more serious stuff out there:

I have a phone that works. The apartment is a disaster because I have three apartments worth of stuff and had to dig one of them out and spread it all over the living room, bed room and kitchen for the repair guy to get to the phone line. BUT … I have a phone that works!!!!

My mother is fine and in country. I went to pick her up on Wed and she wasn’t there. I waited 2.5 hours and no mom, no phone calls, no emails. I finally called Bali and found out she left just a few hours before. Turns out she thought I knew she would be here on Thursday, not Wed. I HATE not knowing what is going on and waiting. I HATE it I HATE it, I HATE it. My old response would be to get angry, fume, kiss her hotel room goodbye and refuse to see her when she did get here. Gratefully, I have found different ways to deal with it, was able to pick her up from the airport and take her to the hotel room I got for her for the night. It didn’t hurt any less but I was able to let go of the pain (with help from a number of people) and deal with her on a different day in a differ way. I did walk up to her and after giving her a hug, I calmly told her that I was very angry and hurt and the only reason I wasn’t blasting it at her is that I realize that it must be worse living with a head that is starting to mess things up than it was to just deal with the mess up. She looked confused and I said that I was at the airport yesterday and she wasn’t. Then her face collapsed when she realized what had happened and what I had gone through. I got to vent, I felt heard and seen and I think that took care of my need to continue to hold on the hurt and anger. We had a very nice time until 2am (oh, it hurt this morning and I was late to work).

At the beginning of this week, I had stuff every night after work that I needed to rush off to except Thursday and was booked through Sunday. I commented to a friend that I didn’t know what I was going to do on Thursday. Monday got postponed, Tuesday got postponed, Wed was a wash. So on Thursday, I took the day off from work and at 10am I had my Wed night apt, from 1-5 I dealt with the phone repair that should have happened Tuesday, at 7pm I had my Monday night apt, at 9pm I picked up my mom from the airport that should have happen on Tues. So, what I ended up doing on Thursday was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. With a full week of stress piling up on the end of the week, it was beginning to look like I would never get anything done. I don’t want to go through that again. Many many buttons were hit this week. Being able to accomplish everything yesterday makes me feel like I have gotten through the gauntlet and things should be better.

One of the issue about asking for help is managing information. If you don’t reach out to anyone, when the problem is over, you don’t need to tell everyone. This will take practice.

Figured people would be interested that things are a little more stable than earlier. I appreciate everyone that reached out to me. I am sure it will be needed again. The problem isn’t solved, just toned down for the moment. Maybe I will be surprised and it will be solved. Ha.

Still have no phone. It is a logistics issue and SBC is doing a great job within their abilities. I like them so much more than Sprint.

My mom who was suppose to be here tonight messed up which day she was flying and is going to be here tomorrow. My Monday plans got moved to the only free day this week, Thursday at 5pm on Monday, tonights plans got moved to Wed at 4:30pm, Wed’s plans have been canceled (I am not happy about this but my mom gets a higher priority), Thur has it’s new plans, we will see about Fri’s plans, Sat and Sun are still set as is. The next free moment that I can see is Monday. Tonight (when I finally get out of work) is going to be spent trying to create access to my phone line so they can replace it tomorrow or the next day. I don’t like having my week packed so hard towards then end, especially considering I am going into it pre-stressed. Bah.

So, I am doing better. Life is still not happy but it doesn’t seem to be taking me down with it at this point.

more emotional bleeding

Plans have finally been worked out.

Van Hellsing, Sunday May 9th, 2:45pm showing at the AMC Bay Street 16 Emeryville. IN COSTUME (if you don’t wear at least something goth, you will look silly surrounded by the rest of us).

It is centrally located for all those that have expressed interest (believe it or not), mid-day and has parking.

We are planning on meeting in the theater lobby, upstairs at 2:15pm. Some of us are doing the lunch thing at 1:15 at Askew which is near the theater. This is where you will find us and when. Feel free to hop aboard our silly train at any time.

We will keep an eye out for those that let me know they are coming. Otherwise, just show up and find us. We shouldn’t be that hard to miss.

Actual details have not been worked out but The Danger Twins and I are planning on going to see Van Hellsing on Sunday May 9th (probably in the afternoon) in appropriate costume. I have a slayer outfit that has yet to be worn and they have those waist cinchers…

People are welcome to join us.