[SEL] Totally off topic-just a "rant"

[Mark Shulaw]

I'll drink a Black Velvet and Coke for you tonight.   Cheers,   Mark


At 02:17 PM 1/11/08, you wrote:
>Hi Guys,
>          This is a really off topic post but what the heck.
>
>          I've had a really s___t week and just feel like spreading the load
>amongst my mates.
>
>          I live in an area of South Africa prone to very heavy electrical
>thunderstorms and do have all the necessary "lightning protectors" etc.
>installed on my house, computers and such but in the last 2 weeks we have
>had 2 thunderstorms here, the like of which I've not experienced since
>moving here in 1969. (Can I blame this on America - climate change and the
>like ??) :-)
>
>          The first was at 12:15 one morning about 2 weeks ago. It knocked
>out my telephone lines, my cordless telephone as well as the "lightning
>protector" it was connected through, woke me up, scared the hell out of my
>pets (dogs & cats) and me as well. Remember that this is an area prone to
>heavy storms and I'm used to them but this one was just too close for comfort.
>
>          The next one was at 5.20 last Saturday morning when we scored a
>"direct hit". It woke me up and my first recollection was of this orange
>fireball in my garden - it slowly faded away and I went and changed my
>shorts :-).  This one lasted for about an hour.
>
>          It knocked out my main computer (also connected through all the
>necessary protection) as well as burst a few underground water pipes (I
>dunno how), broke some windowpanes and took my telephone connections out
>completely. (The Lord alone knows why it did not take out my electricity as
>well)
>
>          This computer is the one that I do all my business on so I've had
>a pretty stressful week trying to get this fixed. Fortunately all my data
>is still intact and I do have backups but my business revolves around this
>machine and finances preclude me from just going out and building a new
>machine so I had to "fix" this one. I'm sure that many of you do know that
>it's easier to just get a new machine but my whole business is configured
>around his one. (Pentium 4 - 2 Gig)
>
>          Anyway - buy a new motherboard, processor and memory and try to
>get it sorted out using all my existing HD drives, DVD writer, CD Writer,
>video capture card and additional I/O cards.
>
>          HAH !  Get it working only to find that my monitor does not speak
>to the new motherboard, - sort that out but the new motherboard also does
>not have a parallel port ( it has the connection but does not have the
>actual "plug in socket" (everything is USB these days but my signmaking
>plotter only works on parallel - no USB). Back to the supplier (60 miles
>round trip) for the parts.
>Get some totally useless advice from their salesman that could have caused
>my hard drive to crash had I followed it (with my "Data Recovery"
>background I do know a bit about hard drives!).
>
>          That's where I was an hour ago - 8.00 pm Friday night after having
>wasted a whole week and got next to nothing done.
>
>          Decision to be made - what next ?
>
>          Answer - Pour a "Brandy & Coke" - write a totally irrelevant
>letter to the guys on the SEL and leave the damn computer for tomorrow - so
>this is that letter :-) ( and I feel better for it - thanks Guys - or maybe
>it's the other "B&C's" I've poured since starting this post !).
>
>Keep well,
>Jerry
>
>Keep the revs up (or down)
>Jerry Evans
>Near Johannesburg in Sunny South Africa.
>Etched Brass Engine Plates made to order:
>www.oldengine.org/members/evans/plates/index.htm
>
>
>
>--
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>
>
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