Tag: Football Manager

bookmark_borderBackup

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Over the past few months I’ve become much better at backing up the important stuff on my PC. Largely this is photos, music, any ripped DVDs and important House documents, license files and so on.

So, if my PC dies a death then at least I’ve got the important stuff backed up. The rest, the downloaded freebies, fonts, software and so on can be downloaded again and, in a way, it’s a chance to re-evaluate things.

Not that my PC is dying a death but it does, this very moment, have a virus. Not quite sure where it came from, as I’m very careful (having worked for an anti-virus company I remain somewhat paranoid about these things). All I know is that I was downloading an update to DirectX so I could have a go at Football Manager 2009 (a guilty pleasure if ever there was one), and as Microsoft downloads can be a bit flaky under Firefox, I fired up Internet Explorer (7) and kicked off the download.

Somewhere, somehow, I now have a virus. It’s proving a bugger to fix so I’m doing a little research to make sure I’ve got the right tools at my disposal. Such is the advantage of having a laptop. I can research the issue, download the right tools and fixes, dump them on a USB drive and I’m ready to tackle the virus.

It’s THIS kind of thing that just pisses me off. I don’t download illegal software, I virus check everything that I do download, even if it’s from a ‘safe’ source, and I have a good clean system which is checked for spyware, malware and viruses every 6-8 weeks. Then something like this happens and I just know I’ll spend a couple of hours fighting it.

That’s not why I have a computer. It’s not supposed to be a battle, it’s supposed to be a tool. Just like those arseholes who keep creating and releasing viruses. They’re a bunch of tools too.

bookmark_borderTimely manic

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Arafat dies, smoking is banned, and we all stop for a minute to ponder the past.

Then life whizzes onwards.

Work wise the next three months are going to be nothing less than manic, and it’s quite possible that I’ll have to schedule a nervous breakdown sometime in February (that week away in January seems an awfully long way away at the moment). Of course it’s also entirely possible that I’ll have a nervous breakdown sometime mid-December but not actually notice.

A couple of days ago I asked about work ethics and how you (dearest reader) maintain yours. I now have my own answer, you load up the schedule with enough work for four people and keep shifting the start date without shifting the end date or adding any more resource. Simple enough. Unfortunately it does herald a return to a time a few years back when I started DREAMING about my work, leaving me somewhat confused at points as I was sure I’d done something only to realise later on that I’d DREAMT it. Not great for the old productivity. Still better busy than… er… dead?

Still, at least I can look forward to a day off for Christmas. Ohh hang on, it’s a Saturday this year, ain’t it… arse.

Anyway, don’t mind me, it’s a temporary panic attack which will soon subside into apathy once more. The fact that the house is still recovering from the weekend, bags and clothes and “wedding items” are still strewn about in a chaoticly random manner, and that we REALLY REALLY need to get out into the garden to prepare it for winter, is a mere side issue.

Next time, instead of putting the clocks back can’t we just add an hour or two? Honestly, it’s a wonder I’ve got any free time at all, I had to stay up until 1.30am just to play Football Manager 2005. On a school night too!