Giving The Computers Hell

Darkside and I had a lot of fun Friday with the computers. You see, DeVry's getting with the future and is getting all the classes and such so you can register for them online, personally, and it keeps track of all the prerequisites and all those good and yummy things that each and every college student is too dumb to do for him or her self.

Of course, if the school should rearrange the prerequisites, and take out some classes, and combine some classes, this is all well and good for the entering student who has never dealt with the system before, and has no prerequisites, or for the advanced student who's not had any changes in their course and needs just one more semester until they're out in the Real World.

For a 7th trimester transfer student, it's hell. Classes conflict. Prerequisites aren't there, or when he signs up for something because the computer says he needs it, that he's taken before at the other college, even though it doesn't show up as a prerequisite, it shows up that he's taken it before and he's not allowed to take it again.

Darkside was fuming. When he's pissed, he broadcasts the "stay the hell away from me" vibe out at people. I'm glad I know it doesn't apply to me. We had at least a limited amount of fun pointing fingers at the computer and taking turns attempting to whammy it. I suggested that he print out the error messages to turn in to the people in Academics, which he thought was an excellent idea -- that way they'd know he'd at least tried, and failed miserably not due to his own incompetence, but due to the complete way that DSOS is fux0red if you're not an Ideal Student with the Typical Schedule.

Family

I talked to River today on the phone. Seems that he and Biosis are a lot more informal in their relationship than my mom's making it out to be. He says that they'll probably visit us sometime. That would be cool, extremely cool.

River doesn't think he's worthy of being a part of my family, the biological part. Apparently we've got this whole very strong family thing going, despite the way I have of going my own way, the way Biosis has of going her own way and doing her own thing... we've got very strong family ties despite us being on different sides of the country. There are a few things that my family does really brilliantly, and for the rest --

-- I've never seen a family that works as well as mine does. Yes, we've all got our faults and flaws. But we hang together where it counts, and there's none of the horrid dysfunctional crap that I hear about so much from a lot of other people's families.

Of all my friends here, I'd say that Darkside's got the strongest family bonds. He spends time with his family every week, and they have fun, even if they are playing golf. They care about each other, even though there are a few issues that they don't do so well with.

Votania has become part of my family, as has River. Neither Votania nor River grew up with an especially strong family: Votania was better-off when it came to family that sticks together, and River was better on the family that loves each other issue.

I'm glad I've got mine the way I do. We love each other *and* stick together *and* tolerate each other and let everyone do their own thing without interfering, generally.

Lethal Sundaes

Last night, Votania, Nephew, and I had lethal sundaes, so named by me for the high chocolate, sugar, and (in my case) alcohol content.

We started out with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Sis added green tree sprinkles and white sugar sprinkles (for snow on the mountain, you see). This got me creative, and I pulled out the marshmallow fluff. Then I invoked cherries, caramel, peanuts, and candy-corn. Over the top of mine I poured just a little bit of Bailey's Irish Cream.

Delicious. Lethal. I read aloud from The Fellowship of the Ring and all had a wonderful time.

Wow.

Adam came over this afternoon. Normally I'm the one who delights in playing with him; today he played with me quite extensively, and now I'm not even sure I'm going to be very good at walking.