I miss PSP

It's funny, for someone with a visual impairment I'm being driven really freaking crazy by the fact that I don't have a graphics program on the Mac. Haven't had one since I got the thing in January. I have some really basic things that came with it, all of which suck, and a few demos I've downloaded, which suck only a little bit less.

One of the things I didn't think of when I decided to get the Mac instead of another PC was that they don't make Paint Shop Pro for Mac. *sigh* I miss PSP. To the point where I actually booted up the Gateway the other night and messed around with some graphics. Of course, when I got the images back to the Mac (a complex file transer system involving a USB cable, my old iPod, and a lot of crossed fingers and swear words) I found out I need to resize the damn thing. Which naturally I can't do on the Mac, because I went ahead and added text to the image. I can resize the base photomanip, no problem, but it'll fuck up the text but good.

*headdesk*

I realized recently that I haven't done anything with urbandruid.net in.... um, a very, very long time. I have the redesign projects started, but they've been stalled because I kind of need a graphics program to get anything done.

So I'm downloading a Photoshop trial, and I hate to say this, but I feel like I'm on dial-up again. It's been going for at least half an hour, is at 17%, and is estimated to take another 1 hour, 31 minutes and 21 seconds. On DSL! I realize it's a big file (1,012.84 MB) but still, this is ridiculious. This damn thing had better work, that's all I can say. If it doesn't...

It really has been driving me nuts, not being able to mess around with manips or make icons or other random stuff like that. And I have no idea where I'm going with this post really, except that I'm bored, I still have almost an hour and a half to go, and I felt like ranting about this. So there you go.

I have solved a mystery!

Yes indeedy, I have. Goes like this: I've been having a problem off and on with my DSL lately, in that it keeps crapping out on me for a few hours, then coming back. It did it once Wednesday afternoon, and again today. I spent almost half an hour on the phone with my ISP, most of it involving long pauses and "hold on, let me check this" or "just a second, ma'am." Long story short- the line's okay on their end, I don't feel like going out and checking the outside line here at the house (it'll be fine too), and since they already replaced one blowed-up modem for me, I have to pay for the next one. I can get a refurbished one, which'd be cheaper, but still.

So I told the guy I'd think about it, and call them back later. And I thought about it, and thought about it- and while I was thinking, I thought, hell, let's give the poor modem a break. Turned off the surge protector, thereby cutting power to everything on the desk, modem included.

Spent a few hours cleaning out crap in the office/spare room. Come back, fiddle around with computer. See red internet light. Swear, shut down laptop.

See red internet light turn GREEN. Reach over, feel top of modem. Modem is nice and cool. Modem was HOT when it was not working. Hmm. Hmm.

Modem stops working in the afternoon, when it's hot. Starts working again when it's cooler. And it's always hot in my room- I keep the door closed so Sam won't come in and play with my power cables.

Hmm. I think the modem might be getting a chill pad of some kind, 'cause I can't afford to keep replacing these things. Besides, I like this modem, it's cute and shiny.