I've gotten a fair amount done since the last entry, but for now, I'm going to focus entirely on the trivial things, because I'm very tired and those are the things that are occupying my mind.

Since I'm moving most of my tools and significant posessions within the week, I've decided there's no way I'm gonna finish a couple of the hardware projects I've had on the slate before I leave town. This is especially sad, because one of them I'd hoped to finish and give away before then. I will now list the ones other than that, including one that just occured to me.

Birdfeeder glowing marble light thing - I have pretty much all I need, I just have to have the time and inclination to do a bunch of soldering. Santa is apparently bringing me a cold heat iron this christmas, so I may hold off til then and focus on some more important things than these silly geek projects.

Briefcase computer - Again, I have the broken laptop, and its screen, and an old briefcase, I just have to devise the best possible way to combine the three into a stylish and functional piece of equipment, and then do it. When it is done, this one will be cool, and will maybe score some additional online Leslie time.

And finally, a project that just occured to me after watching a postal service ad, but I'm adding it to this list so I don't forget - I thought it'd be fun for my first hardware/software interaction project to actually rig up a red plastic mail flag, mounted to the side of a computer, that would raise itself when a software-based daemon checked and found email.

So, mainly for myself, but also for whatever other reason, there's a list of stuff I'm gonna have to backburner for a while, while I move tools and essential life acoutrements like the magic TV box. This whole prospect, as it has come together in my mind today, has great potential benefits and happiness for me, but also makes me sad in some ways.

In the later parts of this evening, when I was physically drained and crashed into laptop-using-vegetation, but not able to sleep, I played some old Atari games that defeated me as a child, and made this icon:

It doesn't play at quite the right speed in either browser, and figuring out why became a sucking maw of time for more than just myself. It has, as of this writing, been ruled the result of evil voodoo magicks.

I think I shall find a way to use this to commemorate victories against frustrating computer hardware or software. Oh wait, I just thought of a way. The way I just said.

In other news, December 14th can't get here soon enough.

[whistling while he works]