July 17, 2003 - 8:34 a.m.

simon backed up all the computer files and reinstalled all of the programs. he does this every few months but would like to do it more often. i, however, can't stand it.

yes, it's great to be assured you've got your files backed up, but i hate having to reconfigure everything to my tastes. there usually seems to be some problem with the firewall, meaning i can't get internet access immediately. and the piddliest little thing makes me the craziest - all of my favorite blogs are now in alphabetical order instead of the order in which i like to read them. what, you didn't know i played favorites? well, not really, but i do have a certain routine, and i like my routines, you know?

i suppose i get angry because we have windows xp, which means simon is "system administrator" and knows all the passwords for the various facilities (e.g. firewall, etc). i, on the other hand, do not, and it makes me feel like a baby.

i know perfectly well how to use a computer, and i rarely need to ask for help. i hate having to yell, "honeeeeeeeeey???!!!!" when i can't access something properly or something is not the way it used to be. i do not want to be a baby. i miss my laptop, which i've been informed has been given to my sister. thanks a lot.

simon and i watched ned kelly (the heath ledger version), and i thought it was so-so. i started giggling at the end, though, when the big shoot-out happened. i knew very little about ned kelly, and i did not realize part of the folklore was that he used two guns at the same time. i remembered the scene from malcolm where the dummy ned kelly (i now know) rolls out of the vehicle with two guns to fool the police. ha ha ha ha. good inside joke, australia.

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for those who were wondering, miko got a clean bill of health last week. she looks fantastic, has finished all of her medication and is allowed to go outside on saturday. hooray!

in other fun miko news, she's been kicking cat litter outside of her litter box. on one particular day, she jumped in the bathtub (her favorite), then jumped in the litter and planted clay pawprints all over the wooden flooring. i spent a good amount of time mopping, but not until we'd purchased a covered litter box.

this new box has a swinging flap, much like a pet door you'd install so your cat or dog can go outside at will. she was scared of it at first and couldn't figure out how to get out. now she thinks it's a toy and can entertain herself in there for quite a while. weird, but at least she's happy.