let's hope my hard drive doesn't melt/explode within the next month or so
August 10, 2002 | 5:16 p.m.

I'm poking my head in again. My updates should be semi-regular from now on, moving to as regular as they've ever been when I return to college in September and have internet access every day for certain (except, you know, weekends. Maybe I won't be able to update so much then.) Of course, I'm saying this in the hope that college haven't decided to bring some new rules involving computer and/or internet use and/or access since last term. They've had a £4 million+ extension to the college which is supposed to be finished when we go back this term. The rule I use whenever my Dad is supposed to be picking me up from somewhere applies here - add a good looong extension to whatever time was originally stated, and then be bloody happy if the resulting second limit is actually met. With my Dad, I add on either half an hour or an hour and a half depending on the mood he's in. For the new bit(s) of the colege, I think half a year should do it. Maybe a year and a half though - for all I know the buliders could all be well pissed off and planing on staging a walkout, and they could have to get another lot in.

By now I bet you've got the idea that my grasp of logic isn't as strong as it could be. Ten points for you.

I got a little bit sidetracked there. I wanted to say that college like adding random new rules to remind everybody that this isn't just a huge free internet cafe with classrooms dotted around it as someone's idea of a joke, or possibly odd taste in interior decoration. They're anxious to make sure we know that we can't do what the bloody hell we like all the time, basically. They get paid to order us around, and that's what they'll do, gosh darn it.

Example - you now can't listen to music on headphones in the computer rooms. I'm afraid that is just fascist, pure and simple, and I think something should be bloody well done about it.

I just looked at my profile - it's been twelve days since I last updated! I really didn't think it had been that long. Since I've had regular internet access again I haven't really been online that much - we have a pretty rabid virus at the moment which I think is basically eating our hard drive alive, so I've been in a bit of a flap about it. I tried to get rid of it myself, but my knowledge of the actual mechanics of computers is rudimentary at best, and I've now officially given up. I rang the shop we got it from and they told me I'd have to bring it in, with the box, and they could definitely remove the virus for £25. (When the woman said they'd need the box, I thought she was talking about the box it came in. I said "I think we have the box, but I don't know, do we really need to bring that?" By 'the box' she meant the tower.) She also said that they could definitely remove it, even though I didn't tell her which one it was. I suppose this big scary virus is the work of a couple of minutes for someone who really knows what they're doing.

I hope so, anyway - if we have to leave it there, what's the betting that they have a quick poke around on the hard drive, weirdly-named virus-infected files excluded? I'd better delete some of the more embarassing stuff I have floating around on there. By that I mean half-finished Diaryland entries and notes and lists of things I make, which make perfect sense to me but would cause a stranger to wonder why the hell I haven't been sectioned yet. Kind of like if someone could have unlimited access to my mind without me there to hide the insane bits. Of which there are many.

On more thing - if you've seen the Harry Potter movie, you need to read Harry Potter and the Stone of Your Choice - Breadbox Edition. Just as good as the LotR one. (I almost wish I knew something about Star Wars so I could appreciate the Attack of the Clones one too.)

INT. CGI HOUSE ON A CGI ROCK IN A CGI SEA

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