You know what’s worse than moving overseas?
Moving overseas at the end of the year.
It took my stuff two and a half weeks to reach the US via container ship from Iceland; it’s now been a week and a half in Customs, and I only got the release confirmation on Thursday. They still haven’t called to arrange a delivery, so I’m guessing that if I’m lucky I’ll get my stuff before the new year. But it might be later than that.
This is distressing for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that my PC case, PSU and processor are among the items that were shipped. I’ve been without a gaming PC since the middle of October at this point, and while I can borrow my brother’s computer whilst he’s out at work or class, it’s not my own machine with my own settings and hardware.
I’ve been using a MacBook I purchased in 2009 (long story short: I utterly despise this infernal aluminium doorstop, and the money would have been better spent on an Alienware laptop, but what’s done is done). It runs EVE Online enough for me to use the game as a very expensive chat program, falls over if I attempt to run Steam, doesn’t understand what it’s meant to do with Lord of the Rings Online, and generally fails at being a computer.
It’s very good at being a sort of oversized iPad; unfortunately that isn’t what I need it for, and even my actual iPad doesn’t understand the MacBook well enough to transfer files over bluetooth. My previous MacBook was excellent, but this one has killed what was left of my affection for Mac products.
I’ve been building my own PCs since the mid-’00s. Initially I needed assistance to assemble them; these days all I require is space to work in with no cats in the way (easier said than done, but I can put up with a crying cat outside the door for a few hours). I used the same transport method I’ve used since I had to move back to the US from Scotland in 2009: wrapping all the working parts on the PC in static-proof bags and tucking them among my clothes in my suitcase. Unfortunately, the local Best Buy no longer stocks cases, processors, or PSUs in-store, or I’d have had the whole thing back together already. I was tempted to order new parts, but since I had no idea how long it would take to get them versus how long it would take to get my shipment from Iceland, and it would essentially be a waste of money anyway, I’ve just been waiting patiently. Blargh.
The only reason the processor is in the case is because it’s seated in a burnt-out motherboard, and the new motherboard is still safely wrapped in its original packaging, unopened. I burnt (a different) one out when I moved from Scotland four years ago, so it really wasn’t worth risking this new one, as well.
But I’ll tell you, it’s been frustrating to not have a gaming machine. Usually, if I run out of mental energy for various projects, I’ll pick up from a save point and finish a quest line, clear a dungeon, or hunt down some other players and make pretty explosions. I’ve been exploring mobile gaming options through my ironyPad instead, but it’s not the same.
On the up-side, I’ve been reading a lot of books lately, mostly new to me (Dune was the most recent re-read), and quite enjoying them. (I’m always happy to recommend novels, by the way; feel free to poke me on Twitter about it.)
But I do miss my PC.
Inqorporeal 