Since then...

[miss_yt]

I got the wireless optical mouse for my laptop to work. I also learned that optical mice (meeses? mouses?) do not like shiny or reflective surfaces.

The entry before this one was written yesterday but I posted it today because the LJ server was down when I tried to post it. I didn't connect up my laptop - instead I used my thumb drive to take it to the downstairs computer, convinced Benji to get off for a bit (he's now obsessed with some game thing on the Nickelodeon website) and gnashed my teeth when it failed to update. I used my laptop to watch some Babylon 5 and played Sands of Time, which works marvellously (haven't given Deus Ex a go yet, but I have high hopes). I tried copying Nova right off my desktop with the thumb drive, but when I tried to play it on the laptop the program knew it was on a different computer and wouldn't work. Since the registry key is expired, I shall have to contact the manufacturer. Dad says I should tell them that my old computer died and I had a backup of the install file, which I put on my new computer. If I give them my registry key - which was valid and legally obtained, but is now expired - they'll probably issue me a new one. I already paid 30 dollars for the game so I shouldn't have to do it again.

Martina made a stuffed chicken dinner last night. She's going to leave on Thursday, so I plan to make her some cookies tonight (it's Wednesday) as a present. I'm pretty sure we have all the ingredients but I'm going to get the ones I'm not sure about at Giant when I go there this afternoon. I also have to schedule my GRE today and call Grumpy, because it's his birthday. I still have to write Marjorie a letter, and I plan to write a thank-you note to my father's parents since they're writing the checks for my college education (I have a small scholarship through Dad's union, but Grandma and Grandpa are paying most of the money).

I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to mention a dream I had last night. I dreamt I was in college, but I wasn't. I was taking some kind of class or classes that had overnight homework assignments, like they give you in elementary or middle school, and there was too much for me to finish in one day. I hate anxiety dreams. I hate anxiety in general, and I shall have a lot of it when I get back to college, because I'm paranoid that way. At least it saves me having anxiety fits later on when I really have something to worry about. Since I don't need that book arcessita gave me to take notes in the LOC anymore, I think I might start using it for a dream journal, so I can write my dreams in the morning before I forget them and maybe use them for stories later.

It's about noon now, I've been awake for four hours and I've already had a strange mix of good and bad (life in microcosm, I suppose). This morning when I went downstairs Benji was watching TV. At first he kept switching channels because he can't seem to watch one thing for more than sixty seconds at a time. Then he started saying and doing disgusting things, one of which was mooning me. I chased him out, he went to the kitchen, pulled out a steak knife and brandished it at me while cursing and making threats. I wasn't scared, because it's not the first time he's done that and he was just being a drama queen, not really losing his temper. I don't think he'll ever really try and hurt me with the knife - probably I could have just walked up and taken it from him. After a couple of minutes of this foolishness he put it away. I told Dad about it and he told Benjamin that it's not appropriate to threaten people with knives, though he didn't really yell at Benji, much to my disappointment.

Dad drove the van this morning so he could drop his shirts off at the drycleaner's. The owner has been cleaning and tailoring Dad's clothes for years. His name is Sarkis, and he used to live in Beirut (though he's Armenian by birth) until a bomb went off near him one day and he decided he'd had enough, packed up his family and moved to the U.S. Of course Beirut's not that bad anymore, so he went there a few months ago to visit his mother.

After the drycleaner's Dad and I cruised the Rockville Pike looking for a place where I could buy a laptop case, which I was at the time carrying in a tote bag. We stopped at Staples, where they had some bags and cases. We found a nice Targus backpack, but Dad said it wasn't ideal because Targus makes things specifically for carrying laptops and accessories and everyone who saw the brand name would know I was carrying an expensive piece of equipment. We managed to find a nice red Samsonite backpack instead. It'll fit my laptop, accessories, and CD case with room to spare.

We went to the Metro. Dad got off at Farragut North as usual, but I went to Metro Center and then Capitol South because I need to check some stuff out in the Library of Congress (where I am now). At first I went into Madison building (which was a mistake, since the stuff I want is in Jefferson). I set off the metal detector so they had to wand me. That's been happening a lot lately, and I thought it was because of my Evenstar necklace, but it wasn't - more on that later. When I put my bags through they picked up my little pocketknife in my purse and told me I couldn't bring it in. This is funny in a sad way, since they never caught the damn thing in the dozen or so times I've been here before. The security guards told me they weren't allowed to keep it up front, so I went out, thinking of what to do. I realized then that I had to go to Jefferson anyway, so I did.

There I had an inspired notion. I decided to put my knife in the flowerbed that faces along the street (it's in a raised stone box), underneath a clump of plants at the end. You can't see it at a casual glance, so you can only get it if you know what you're looking for. It's kind of like a spy-message drop site or something. As long as I remember to get it back everything should be fine.

At the entrance to Jefferson building I started taking off my Evenstar pendant, since I thought that was what set off the metal detector. One of the security guards (or someone else on the LOC staff) was sitting outside on break or something and asked if she could take a look. I told her where I'd gotten the pendant, but that it was sort of expensive (although I did not tell her the exact price). She said she has all the Lord of the Rings series DVDs and that they have order forms for these things inside them. I suggested that she check out The Noble Collection, which sells Evenstars, One Rings and stuff like that. She had heard of them and referred to the Lord of the Rings chess sets they make. I told her that if she orders anything from them she'll get a free Elvish Script keychain (which is true, although I'm not sure whether it goes to the person who orders the item or the one who recieves it). I recently got a confirmation that the Evenstar I ordered for Dinsey was sent - it took a while, I guess because they had trouble with my credit card earlier - so I should ask her if she recieved it, because I haven't heard from her.

I went into Jefferson building, set off the metal detector, and had to be wanded again. I had taken off my earrings, necklace and ring, but not the "old silver" bracelet that Amanda gave me. That made the wand beep, so I guess that's what keeps setting the detector off. For future reference, I should not wear it on those days when I go to the LOC.

Across from the main reading room there's a room with computer terminals to search the database. A sign said that the online database was down, and the librarian was assuring everyone that it would probably be working soon. I was worried because I didn't have the call numbers for the books I wanted. But no worries - the search engine was working after all. Now I'm waiting for my books in the main reading room. I just got one of them. I think I'll write my letters while I wait for the other.

Finished chapter 6 of my Ruse fic. The scene did not quite go as I expected, but it turned out well. Hope to have more done in the near future.