Journal Entries
Getting to grips with Windows XP!!
Posted Feb 16, 2002
Well, now I've done it. I've upgraded my Windows ME to Windows XP today!
It's the most weird version of windows I've come across, it's very user-friendly but the old favourites are gone. Where is my 'Scandisk' function. It seems to be gone. The disk defragmenter doesn't show the clusters of data being moved around, so you don't know what it's doing until it's finished. I used to enjoy watching the little squares turning blue as the data was optimised and now I've been denied!
Seriously tho, it does seem to have speeded up my internet connection..and the net seems more stable; less crashes occur.
However, be warned, Windows XP doesn't seem to like certain hardware and their drivers. I spend a very long time trying to get it to acknowledge my printer...it did it the end but boy was it hard work!
I like the fact that when it crashes, Windows XP give you the option of sending a report about it to Microsoft. So, I guess it was rushed out then and there will be tons of patches in the near future.
My honest opinion, it's nice for the net but I'm still struggling to get to grips with it. I'm more used to the old windows OS!!
Andy
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Feb 16, 2002
Dealing with a dying relative
Posted Feb 13, 2002
About 5 months ago my father was diagnosed as having cancer. This in itself is a odd thing to deal with, not just for the person who has been diagnosed but also for those whose lives are affected by it.
I mean, what do you say? My brain went numb searching for the appropriate response. To make matters worse, about 4 weeks ago, the consultants said there is nothing that could be done. The tumour was too far advanced and they couldn't slow down it's progress. Due to this fact, the normal treatments of radio and chemotherapy have not been offered because they consider it to be a worthless excercise.
So, he was sent home..with morphine painkillers. Sent home to die. Each day, when I visit my parents, I watch as my father's life just slips away from him. I talk to him and his replies don't make sense because the pain has been so severe for him that he's had to take morphine and the drugs have made him incoherent.
It's odd, at least in my mind, that he is receiving so much support at this stage. Yet he waited months for the initial scan and subsequent diagnosis. It's not odd that he's receiving the support as such. Afterall, his time on this world is limited and he should spend it as comfortable as possible.
What's odd, to me anyhow, is that there is a lack of support for the relatives who are trying to come to terms with the approaching death of a loved one. I've tried on a few occassions to get information from my father's consultant about the nature and extent of my father's illness. Each time, I was told that it could not be discussed due to confidentiality. In doing this, no-one seems to address the worry and concerns of relatives. The relatives become unimportant in some way.
My poor mother, who is now in her seventies, is worried sick about the possibility of losing her husband. Yet, not once has a doctor or support worker asked 'how you coping with this'or 'is there anything we can do to make your life a bit easier'. So often are sick and dying relatives left to be cared for be relatives who, perhaps, are not in the best condition to look after them.
Maybe someone knows of a support group, where people can discuss the fears they have and receive some comfort. If so, maybe they'll be good enough to tell me.
Thanks for reading this.
Andrew
Discuss this Journal entry [31]
Latest reply: Feb 13, 2002
Andy Barber
Researcher U189909
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."