More fun with Mom

[featherynscale]

Talked to Mom again today. Much less unpleasant than last time, altogether. She wanted to know if I got her package, which I did, just a few days ago. In the package was a bunny-fairy finger puppet, and a white wizard dollie who's bent-legged and balanced as if to say "sit me on top of your computer monitor!" (which is of course what I did with him). There was some discussion at EHQ when the package arrived as to whether its contents implied that Mom was being subtly pagan-friendly or not. As it turns out, the bunny-fairy was picked out by my grandmother, who was apparently enjoying menacing the other shoppers with it, and Mom thought that the wizard was a Santa (Grandma thought it was Old Man Winter though. Which sounds pagan-friendly, but I *know* she's not). Oh well. Here I was hoping we wouldn't have to have that conversation where the family finds out for certain and in the open that I've converted. Well, maybe we still won't. I've been pagan for almost 9 years now, and we've avoided it so far, so I suppose there's hope.
The most probing question I got was "What do you want for christmas?", so that was good. I pointed her to my Amazon wishlist (and then popped over to Amazon to clear all the magic and mythology-related stuff out of my preferences). Hopefully that will help.
She also wanted to know if I had any books about how to build a PC. I didn't know such things existed. She was looking for a gift for my Uncle Chuck, who wants to build computers now for some reason, but has no clue about things like what jumper settings mean, or what BIOS does, and other such. I told her I couldn't reccommend anything, but he could call me instead of calling her about these things. I may live to regret this.

Comments

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

Might I suggest this?


D.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Gods, it's true. They have a book on everything, those Dummies.
Thanks much :)

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

Uncle Chuck is ten years behind the times.

It used to be the thing to do... build your own PC. This was back when PCs ran $1500+ and everything was inflated as hell.

Now that the market is saturated, and there is a price war on everything from memory to two dozen different disk readers, building your own has lost it's edge.

There used to be a few good books on PC building. Heck, there is even a For Dummies guide that would be relevant, and great for a guy who doesn't know BIOS from USB. That is, if they have kept the book up to date.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I did it just last year, myself. It was the best way to get everything just the way I wanted it. Of course, I only took that option because I *knew* how I wanted it. Chuck doesn't. But then, I suspect that he's building PCs with parts he's scrounging from Gateway's dumpsters or some such thing.

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

I built a PC with the cheapest components I could find on the auction sites (this was back when ebay was one of but a dozen)

I built an $1800 PC for under $400. I will never never ever never do that again. Even at minimum wage rates I spent so much time 'fixing' that thing that I could have bought two for the $2000 machines and had money left over to buy a Starbucks. Not a drink mind you, the whole store.

From the factory Dell. Works, and even when you do stupid stuff, all the drivers are right there on the website.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

*shrug*
I built a $700 PC for $700. I just wanted to do it, and I was being component-picky. I was lazy though, and didn't hook up all of the things on it that you could possibly hook up (things like front USB, some of the LEDs, etc), which apparently bothered Shane to the point that he took it apart and hooked up everything while he was at my house back in May. I haven't had to take it apart at all (except to play with the case, which was an aesthetic thing, not a functionality thing), or do much of anything to it, really.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I pointed her to my Amazon wishlist (and then popped over to Amazon to clear all the magic and mythology-related stuff out of my preferences).

I'm taking the more serendipitous route with my Floridian mother; if she happens to come across something that's unabashedly pagan, then we'll have The Talk, otherwise I'll keep right on trucking...of course, in my case the road ends sometime before next September. You, my dear, could theoretically go on cruise control forever..

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I should be so lucky. What you're forgetting is that they're planning on coming to visit. I can pack up my altar and if I'm really industrious, clear all the books off of the shelves and pack them up somewhere, but at some point, they're also going to want to meet all the friends. Especially you and kittenpants. I might be able to spare everybody else, but you two will definitely have to deal with them at some point. Blerg.

Lucky us!

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

What you're forgetting is that they're planning on leaving eventually. You will let them pass through you, and when they are gone, only your chosen family will remain.

Re: Lucky us!

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope so. On the other hand, you may meet my relatives and then decide that nothing that comes from that line could possibly be good, right, or putupwithable. Although, if you can accept my dog, odds are good you can accept my parents.