DLL HELL

OMG! I have been without a properly functioning computer for a week. I just reformatted my hard drive this morning and finally got my computer back to its normal working self.

A week ago my boyfriend was getting online to check his bank account and some strange windows started popping up. Pro Antispyware 2009 is the Devil! It started running all of these processes that made my computer run slow and freeze and it wouldn't let me get onto certain websites that had anything to do with anti-virus, anti-spyware. I found info on how to manually uninstall it, that didn't work. I went through my registry, my hard drive, deleted anything that had something to do with this thing and that still didn't work. I bought Defender pro 5 in 1 antivirus, that didn't work. After it scanned about 20% of my hard drive the whole computer froze. A friend burned a copy of malware bytes for me and I couldn't even get it to run. Ai Dios Mio! My last resort was to either get professional help (too expensive) or reformat the hard drive (free). I opted for the cheaper and am now enjoying the "out of box experience".

I think I lost a few pictures though. I put what I could onto photo bucket. Eventually my computer started to freeze every time I tried to upload my pictures so I could only upload so many. I threw whatever else I had important onto a 2g flash drive and called it a day.

The only thing that sucks about starting anew is all these programs that I never use that come pre-installed with your operating system. I don't like to pay for what I don't have to and Mcafee requires a monthly subscription That costs as much as my credit card bill. I never use the google tool bar or the google desk top, I'd just rather go to google.com

So, after a week of headache and probably a new grey hair or two. I have a fully functioning computer and no more stupid malware keeping me from my daily computing.

Fancy cake

I made my very first professional looking cake Sunday night. It came out really well. Its a red velvet round cake with cream cheese icing, pink roses and "Happy Birthday" in green.

I've been wanting to take cake decorating classes for years now but could never find the time because of my schedule. I've learned a lot of things from very helpful Youtube videos like embroidery and spinning yarn so I figured, Why not learn about cake decorating? I found tons of videos, most very informative, and followed those. I ran into one problem. I was using store bought "whipped" cream cheese icing which was a little too soft to do anything 3 dimensional. Even after I added about a cup of confectioners sugar my roses seemed to melt off the rose nail. I had to chill my icing in the fridge to make it more firm, and them when I made my rose I had to get it into the freezer as soon as I made it so it wouldn't fall off the nail. I must have made about 100 roses, but only ended up with about 10 on the cake. I worked out well though, just in the future I will have to make my own icing and not use that funky store bought stuff.

I'm bringing the cake to work tonight for Barb's birthday. I'm sure everyone will enjoy it, I'm just hoping that I get it there alright. I'm totally looking forward to making more cakes. I want to learn how to make gum paste flowers and work with fondant. Look out Sylvia Weinstock! LOL

Something new

OK. My boyfriend is from Mississippi. The country part. He really likes chicken livers, fried especially. I am not an organ meat eater, as far as i know (McDonald's?). They kind of gross me out though I really don't know why. Maybe it's because the organs aren't the "prime" part of the animal that most people eat.

I went grocery shopping today and picked some up. A pint of liver, is that what its called? So, there's a pint of bloody chicken livers in my fridge and I plan on surprising B.A. w/ some home-made fried chicken liver. I don't think he's had them since we went to Koz in June. Here's the clincher... I'm going to try them!! Who knows, I may like them. Besides, I'm also a really good cook and I have to make sure they taste good. No other way to do that than to taste them.

I hope they come out alright.

Life in general

I 25 soon to be 26 and I've been getting heartburn for the first time in my life. What is up with this? I had plain 'ol bacon and eggs for breakfast followed by heartburn an hour later.

The first time it happened I was at work, working the night shift, and decided that I would eat some garlic bagel crisps for a midnight snack. Oh my gosh! About an hour later I had heartburn that radiated from my ears to my elbows. I ate pepto tablets antacids and it still wouldn't go away completely. It finally went away when I got home that morning and ate some yogurt and drank a glass of milk. Apparently milk is the savior.

Is this old age setting in? I suppose now I really have to watch what I eat. I'm of Cajun and Italian decent. I love spicy foods, garlic and tomato sauces.

Oh what a year! I stop drinking alcohol because all it does is make me tired and now I have to give up my favorite pungent and acidic foods. I suppose I'll do anything just to avoid "the menacing burn".