Dorienne's Log

So, every once in a while I hit this sort of event horizon in my own psyche, and it always floors me. Tonight, I’ve been sitting here at four o’clock in the morning and three obsessions have sort of cascaded over one another. I’m simultaneously watching The X-Files, looking for Sailor Moon episodes on eBay and Amazon just to have while writing my SVU fanfiction novel. It’s amazing…

But, more importantly: I took a call tonight and the customer was this woman whose mother had died and computer had crashed, both on the same day, and she was telling me how, when in times of crises such as family loss, I should never make major purchases because one’s mind is clearly in a right state. At her mother’s funeral, people had convinced her to buy a Mac and proof that she was in a bad place was that she actually went ahead and bought one. Of course, she needed it for a business purpose and Macs are crap in generally anyway and the thing didn’t work. So, she was disputing the charges and what not, but the call stuck with me for the rest of the night. She was so clearly still trying to get herself stable after everything that had happened and I can remember her saying she wished she had someone there with her to help her through this, even her ex-husband. All I wanted to shout was, “Go to church! Find absolution through Christ!” but I didn’t say it. I didn’t even hint at it and now, I feel terrible. I rationalize this to myself, saying that I could have penalized at work because I revealing a religious preference and she could have been offended by the suggestion. All this not withstanding, I still feel terrible. I wanted to cry with her and tell her how she shouldn’t feel so bad if she went to church…but, I didn’t. I guess I can only know pray about it and hope for the best, but I still feel bad about it.

Actually, it’s not, but it does feel that way for some odd reason. The quarter is over and finals have begun. I’m going to study tonight and much of tomorrow. I’ll probably stay up all night for the 730 one. Why in God’s name would someone find appropriate to have a final or ANY class for that matter at 730 in the morning? It’s obscene! The world would be a better place if the “day” started around ten or 11. Oh well….

The stupid network for the stupid website is down…again. I suppose I got what I have paid for, but it still doesn’t make it any better. And my stupid computer mouse is dying again. The damn thing just eats batteries. That’s ridiculous!

I’ve spent much of today finding new ways of circumventing the proverbial “man.” I’d decided I wanted to create my own background for a page on the X-Files site and that it should contain that classic X. Upon checking the “X-Files” font I had saved on my computer, I realized that the X was nothing like the classic one and the more I looked at the font in comparison to what was on the show, I realized they looked nothing alike! Off I went, searching like a devil, trying to find an adequate X-Files font, when finally I discovered it: Trixie! Trixie, the name of this wonderful font! I shouted with glee, thankful that I’d finally found the needed font. However, glee quickly to turned to confusion which in turn became rage. Trixie, apparently, is some special font that cannot simply be downloaded and used like any normal font, oh no! Trixie was a deluxe font that must be purchased and then downloaded! Of all the impertinent flim flams in this world! How could anyone charge not 10 dollars, not 20 dollars, but 65 dollars!!!! for a font that should my computer decide it’s had enough and just dies, my 65-dollar font will go down in flames with it? The idea of it was laughable and I would have done so if I wasn’t paralyzed with rage. And thus, my day-long crusade began. What I do find interesting is that the holders of this 65-dollar font would display crystal clear images of each character of said font, and display it in such a format that would allow easy downloading. I suppose the sellers could not possibly imagine someone taking the time to download each image separately, download a free program which will take said images and turn them into a perfect Windows and Mac-enabled font, and go through the painstaking process of creating a new font from the downloaded images, all out of principle and spite…

All that’s left now is to size my new and improved Trixe font properly and I will have saved myself 65 dollars. True the better part of a day has been spent to this crusade, but good things come to the patient and the willful. Anyone, could have pulled out a credit card and pushed a few buttons to acquire this grail, but only someone who could continuously grind her teeth saying, “It’s the principle of the thing!” would be able to screw over those who feel that charging 65 dollars for something that could be easily recreated is anything but reprehensible, by offering said item for free on her website.

**changing the world, one minor injustice at a time**