WinXP for 64-bit ships (and there was much rejoicing)
Ars Technica reported yesterday that Microsoft has released Windows XP Professional x64 Edition to manufacturing. Let me be the first to issue a hearty, Spongebob-like "Woooooo!"
As an early adopter of the Athlon 64 (Clawhammer, baby), I've been waiting for a 64-bit version of Windows for quite some time. Linux distributions, from Fedora to my new favorite, Ubuntu, have sprung out left and right with x86-64 (aka AMD64, EM64T) ports. This is definitely a good thing. However, the fact of the matter is that 90% of my time is still spent in Windows. Perhaps one day, when an emulator comes along that doesn't drive me mad I can switch entirely. Until then, I'm stuck with Windows to fill my gaming needs. So running 32-bit Windows on my 64-bit chip didn't sit well with me, nor with a lot of other Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX and Opteron owners. Sure, it still made for a blazing fast machine...but damn it, I want those 64-bit extensions!
So driver support be damned, and nevermind the lack of 64-bit applications. 64-bit Windows is here, and I'm going to throw a little party.
On the home front, life at Casa Jessi y Sam is settling in slowly. The place is still a little bare, which wears on the nerves, but it's slowly coming together. We got our kitchen table on Sunday, which filled the gaping hole of our ginormous dining room. Next week will be a futon for the living room (a placeholder until our couches become available) and possibly a new television. We're hoping to get some decorations for the walls as well. Slowly but surely, slowly but surely.
I've been plagued for about a week with an awful toothache. A tooth that was cracked last year but could not be repaired at the time (I'd hit my limit on dental for the year) had sat quietly in my mouth for the last six months, causing no pain or discomfort of any kind. Last Monday, during my Microsoft class, it started to grow sore slowly throughout the day. By Thursday, I had an official toothache.
As much as I despise pain, I've never been particularly afraid of the dentist. I dialed up good ol' Dr. Rufatto's office and made an appointment for 2:00PM yesterday afternoon. I was expecting a quick examination, followed by the "simple extraction" I'd been promised back in December.
No such luck. They did a cleaning and set me up with an appointment for May 18th to have the tooth pulled. I was told to continue taking ibuprofen to manage the pain. Grr^2.
To top other insults, we've recently been told that our unit (due to be consolidated into another agency in nine months) is being moved to the data center in the basement to make room for non-IT staff. That's right, we're being Miltoned. Gone will be my cubicle, with room for documentation and a test workstation. In its place will be a simple table with enough room for my workstation and phone. Woo-fscking-hoo.
Bastids.
-Sam
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