Razor's edge
Can’t stay in place.
Today, I’m supposed to do my first professional voice-over for the documentary I just translated, but they still haven’t told me when it’s supposed to happen. Hello guys!... pick up the phone already.
But that’s not the only reason I’m all nervous. Any day now, I’m going to receive an email. Now, depending on the content of the email it’s going to be heaven or hell. Well, not hell. But just, heaven or not heaven.
I’ve been waiting for two weeks now since I had the interview. Why do you think I had my hair cut? Two weeks. I have been lucky to have this translation assignment to do. It kept my mind off the calendar for a while. But now I this big “falling in the void” sensation every time I check my emails.
Word badly crashed two days ago. The translation itself was over, but it still needed to be proofread and improved. And then, FUBAR went Word. That was beautiful. A pure masterpiece in the art of failure like only Microsoft(TM) can create them. Still, I suspect you need to be an engineer to be able to fully admire the beauty of it.
“Winword.exe has generated errors and will be closed by bla blabla” I tried everything to fix it. Had to. I couldn’t even open my translation file anymore! And if I somehow tried to copy/paste the content, the problem would transfer itself to the new document. Five in the morning and I’m so desperate that I even do the unthinkable — I check Windows’s website. I followed their step by step procedures, but of course it turned out to be just a loss of time. Because if everything else failed, then the last step requires you to use the driver. Come on guys. If I had the damn driver in the first place, I would just wiped the shit off my computer and reinstall it clean and all.
When something like that happens, I almost wish I had a Mac. You wonder, how they can let Microsoft release softwares that have so many problems? Why don’t I use one of those free fool-proof word processors? Maybe because you don’t want to send a resume or an assignment using a software that 0% of professionals have heard of. Professionals actually buy the drivers and they have the computer guy who use the company’s broadband to download cool stuffs all day long. And who’s gonna tell him anything? He’s the computer guy. He can use technical lingo that will make your head ache for the rest of the day. He’s the one who rats on other people who surf the web during work. He’s not likely to turn himself in. But I digress. So yeah, they just get the computer guy out of his closet and have him do the dirty work.
But I digress as usual…
And then I said fuck it, well, maybe not, but oh well… and went in the registry, erased a key line and VOILA!!! I could open my work again!
By then, it was late enough in the morning to ask my roommates if someone had an Office driver more recent than Office 97. One of them had and I upgraded mine just to make sure the problem won’t appear again later. Then I upgraded the upgrade.
Then I offered myself an extra round of scandisk, anti-spyware, anti-adware, so I could have a break in the meantime; and I still finished my work ahead of the deadline.
Now I have an upgraded version of Word so the toolbar looks all modern and all and there are probably new functions to be found and it feels great. Did I say that? Does it sound as pathetic as I think? Like my happiness level for today rest on a word processor?
Wish I had some Xanax or Lexomil. Just to smooth the edge…
Today, I’m supposed to do my first professional voice-over for the documentary I just translated, but they still haven’t told me when it’s supposed to happen. Hello guys!... pick up the phone already.
But that’s not the only reason I’m all nervous. Any day now, I’m going to receive an email. Now, depending on the content of the email it’s going to be heaven or hell. Well, not hell. But just, heaven or not heaven.
I’ve been waiting for two weeks now since I had the interview. Why do you think I had my hair cut? Two weeks. I have been lucky to have this translation assignment to do. It kept my mind off the calendar for a while. But now I this big “falling in the void” sensation every time I check my emails.
Word badly crashed two days ago. The translation itself was over, but it still needed to be proofread and improved. And then, FUBAR went Word. That was beautiful. A pure masterpiece in the art of failure like only Microsoft(TM) can create them. Still, I suspect you need to be an engineer to be able to fully admire the beauty of it.
“Winword.exe has generated errors and will be closed by bla blabla” I tried everything to fix it. Had to. I couldn’t even open my translation file anymore! And if I somehow tried to copy/paste the content, the problem would transfer itself to the new document. Five in the morning and I’m so desperate that I even do the unthinkable — I check Windows’s website. I followed their step by step procedures, but of course it turned out to be just a loss of time. Because if everything else failed, then the last step requires you to use the driver. Come on guys. If I had the damn driver in the first place, I would just wiped the shit off my computer and reinstall it clean and all.
When something like that happens, I almost wish I had a Mac. You wonder, how they can let Microsoft release softwares that have so many problems? Why don’t I use one of those free fool-proof word processors? Maybe because you don’t want to send a resume or an assignment using a software that 0% of professionals have heard of. Professionals actually buy the drivers and they have the computer guy who use the company’s broadband to download cool stuffs all day long. And who’s gonna tell him anything? He’s the computer guy. He can use technical lingo that will make your head ache for the rest of the day. He’s the one who rats on other people who surf the web during work. He’s not likely to turn himself in. But I digress. So yeah, they just get the computer guy out of his closet and have him do the dirty work.
But I digress as usual…
And then I said fuck it, well, maybe not, but oh well… and went in the registry, erased a key line and VOILA!!! I could open my work again!
By then, it was late enough in the morning to ask my roommates if someone had an Office driver more recent than Office 97. One of them had and I upgraded mine just to make sure the problem won’t appear again later. Then I upgraded the upgrade.
Then I offered myself an extra round of scandisk, anti-spyware, anti-adware, so I could have a break in the meantime; and I still finished my work ahead of the deadline.
Now I have an upgraded version of Word so the toolbar looks all modern and all and there are probably new functions to be found and it feels great. Did I say that? Does it sound as pathetic as I think? Like my happiness level for today rest on a word processor?
Wish I had some Xanax or Lexomil. Just to smooth the edge…
posted by Cecyl at 1:16 PM
3 Comments:
A driver? For Word? Man, it's been a long time since I had to troubleshoot Windows crashes. I thought drivers only had to do with hardware.
Incidentally, you should get a Mac, because they're far less fussity, but you'll probably want to run Word on it anyway. Or do everything in RTF format.
Well, don't get all technical over me! :)
I mean, yeah, the CD with the program on it that you buy and then you type the key code. I think you're right, though. Driver is only for the hardware, but, oh well...
But Macs are (and Mac equipments) are: 1) So expensive; 2) Not "triturable" -- from the French "triturer" meaning you cannot modify everything you want (for better or worse.)
You see, if I have this computer I'm using now, it's because the computer guy at my ex-workplace (who is actually unlike the computer guy stereotype I mentionned) wanted to throw it away. I saved the little ingrate from the trash, fixed it and now it's mine. I don't think I could have done that with a Mac.
There is a do-it-yourself aspect to PC that I like.
Well, that is what I think most of the time when everything work fine. And then the PC mysteriously crashes when I most need it and I turn to the God Mac, kneels on the floor and beg for forgiveness.
Also, when you've always used a PC, you just look suspiciously at a machine that works all the time just as it is supposed to. You're tempted to think that Mac must be the work of the devil.
Huh? I am so computer illiterate.
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