Sunday, May 27, 2007

Near Miss


"Cool! I think I get to go back to Cairo for a few weeks. Really soon. Maybe even next week. I'll go post that on the blog as soon as I finish exporting this 1996 Director animation to Quicktime."

I thought that yesterday, just after lunch.

Then I couldn't get the sound to come along with my Quicktime movie. Which isn't really surprising. I'm running a UNIX-based Tiger iBook and don't even own a current copy of Director or Quicktime Pro. So I was loading up Director 4 on the system's OS 9 emulator.

Still no sound.

"Cairo is going to be hot. I don't want to wear sleeves. How can I get around that? Maybe something flowing and linen."

I booted up in OS 9 for real. My laptop is old enough to still have the real thing.

Still no sound.

I started rummaging through old CDs. The kind burned from old Zip Disks. One is even labelled "Old Floppies, 1993." I found a bootleg copy of Director 7.

"Where did that come from? But more importantly, should I head up to Petra this time? To Jerusalem? I've been to these places but it's been years. I'll take the passport with the Israel border stamp."

Then, nothing. The iBook seized up as the questionable software sputtered and froze.

Damn. Hard restart.

But I couldn't get the iBook to restart. It spun and spun. I'd lost my startup disk. Scrambled something in the directory. Restarts with various key combinations did nothing. I couldn't see my Tiger anywhere.

Swearing, I pulled out various legal CDs and went to work.

Sixteen hours later, an archeological find--a copy of DiskWarrior from before cats took over the Mac OS--saved the day. It gave me the right choices under "Startup Disk" and let me click my OS, something I hadn't found using my Tiger install, Techtool disk, or by holding down X or Option at startup.

Bleary-eyed but having backed up my entire system now as well as having assembled all my new white IKEA furniture (I was productive since I couldn't get online), the iBook is back and ready to get some work done on this Sunday morning.

But first, maybe I'll just go look at some airfares to Cairo.

7 comments:

Matt Hollingsworth said...

Restlessness returns, eh?

Marie Javins said...

Oh, the Cairo bit is a job thing. The idea of Petra and Jerusalem is just what happens when you suddenly find yourself toiling along at a routine on a daily basis. I have so much work to do here that I'm beginning to bore my own brain with my stories of work and routine.

And I liked going places on the weekends in Cairo. So why not Petra and Jerusalem? Last time I took the wrong passport so would have had to take a long ferry ride. This time I'll take the right one and just skip right over at the Taba border.

I guess it could fall through. Won't need a passport if I just end up at the Met looking at the Temple of Dendur.

Marie Javins said...

I really want to post that animation. Maybe if I try Director 6.0...

Ed Ward said...

I don't get it: you have to pay your own way over for a job thing?

Marie Javins said...

No, I don't have to pay. But since I'm in management I get to find the ticket. And it's in my best interests to fine one that routes me through a city I want an overnight in rather than accepting whatever someone else gives me.

Anonymous said...

cute office.

Anonymous said...

Marie,

Looks like you did a good job with the Ikea bookcase. Seems like your office is shaping up.

Kraiger

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