What an incredibly frustrating day. Mostly because my house is a complete disaster! Despite best intentions and efforts, the mess that is getting kids ready for school while avoiding unpacking from vacation continues to overwhelm. Topping that off my wireless mouse finally died! Really sucks. I am going to buy a new one today (I have a half dozen decent wired mice, but none are USB???) What to do with a dead mouse anyway? What about the keyboard Sharon fried with a water spill? (And she wonders why I don't let her use my laptop!) Or the dozen CPUs I have stacked up in our crawlspace (including my original 286!) Peripherals, oh I got me a heap o-peripherals too. It really makes me sad.
I have a friend who makes wonderful greeting cards from old CDs. I have a pile of them to give her tonight. But other than that, I have so much stuff to get rid of that it isn't funny. So why not curb it? Well that is a good question.
If I curb it then it goes to landfill, not so good. I'm sure the inheritors of this planet will not be too impressed even if I have all the instructions to make my old BBS run again! (No ECHOZONE will not live another day on my watch, well I shouldn't say never - but you get the idea) Landfill is my least favourite option. But what other options are there.
I know there are computer recyclers. I should box up all these darn things and take them there. But then the second problem hits me - memories. Maybe it is the last bit of a dying self. Before theology I had a decent IT Security career. At one point I had a large network of computers (PC, Sun, and Mac) so that I could simulate client environments. But what gave out was my heart. In IT you constantly re-invent yourself. I went from college teacher to programmer to multimedia consultant to web developer to database developer to security expert to policy analyst to corporate trainer/PKI and permissions based computing expert to I don't care about computers anymore! Sure it took me many years, but here I am with a dead mouse remembering how much I dislike techy stuff now. To think I was considering trying to fix this darned thing. No my heart gave up on computers long before I did.
So that leaves me frustrated.
I should be excited. I'm in the last leg of my studies. It has been a real fight. But really good. Friday I start a reading course with Dr. Heather Eaton (my director), a research orientation at Ottawa U and I'm hoping to catch up with the rest of Heather's PhD students (there are four of us) for dinner. That means I'm off and running. Messy house and all.
Well I just need to pick a spot and start cleaning. Perhaps the bathrooms.
6 comments:
Computer Recyclers is a good place to bring your old PCs,peripherals and other crap. I'll have to take a tript out there myself at some point. The problem is finding the time that is matched with the desire to do it. It's not too far from you, but across the city for me.
http://www.computerrecyclersottawa.com/index.html
Computer Recyclers Inc
163 MacFarlane Road,
Nepean, ON
K2E 6V4
(613) 723-3135
I saw an add on the Weather Network, I know I know...so I was bored ;-). They had a Computer Recycling company from Vancouver go through the process of recycling old computers. They were very thorough. Reusing what could be reused, seperating all the different plastics, metals, conduits, etc.. to be recycled properly.
This is readily available to all of us, there is no need for any computers to end up in a landfill
Oh I meant to mention that it is free and they also take other electronics.
Yeah I know that place. I really need to clear out my office, put in a floor and build custom shelves. But the first step is to build a custom shelving unit in our kitchen that can house both the microwave and a computer. We want the kids playing on the computer there rather than downstairs. That way my office will be more of a reading room (print server room) and library. I'm mostly on my laptop anyway.
BTW this response brought to you via my spiffy new Kensington low profile wireless optical mouse. It is orange! my favourite colour. I'm happy again. :-)
We should do a coffee sometime soon Steve. Where are you working these days?
I downtown again. I am enjoying public transportation...Yippee!!!
I'm at EDC again, after taking 3.5 years away I am back.
Laurier and O'Connor. Let me know when would be a good time for you.
Too bad your not a breakfast person. There's a nice and cheap breakfast place downtown.
BTW: Congrats on getting yourself a funky orange mouse. I hope that it provides you with years of pointing and clicking happiness ;-)
Oh this orange mouse is wonderful. The last one only made it 1 year! I sure do hope to get more than a year out of this one.
Breakfast would be great but there is a lot of juggling involved in getting out of here early enough. Once the kids are parceled out I have more breathing space.
Soon as I arrange some sessions for my reading course I'll suggest a few possible times for coffee (via email). One more day before I start!
Post a Comment