Firefox 1.5 has finally been released! Here’s what’s new:

• better notification of updates to extensions and browser
• faster navigation
• drag-and-drop tab reordering
• better pop-up blocking
• easier clearing and viewing of your cache and cookies
• better password management
• redesigned options menu and error pages
• and more

So go download it!

Thanksgiving went well, but since I don’t feel like writing about it, just go here to see the highlights.

It snowed again tonight, and again it’s not sticking. It was pretty at first and put me in a good mood, but then my computer decided to continue being stupid (more on that below) and so my yay-the-holidays-are-here-everything-is-supposed-to-be-peachy mindset isn’t as strong as I’d like. Went to Fair Oaks today and just looked around (didn’t buy anything for once … except coffee!) and then went to Brian’s house to do some stuff (even though he wasn’t there … and his new TV is awesome). But now I’m trying to fix my wireless (it’s been broken for months) and it’s still not working I’ve tried downloading drivers from HP’s website, disabling and re-enabling drivers, and looking through HP’s online help which, of course, is of no use. And I’m not calling HP Support ’cause the people can’t speak English (I’ve talked to one competent person there out of the 1940582 times I’ve called), always think I’m one of those stupid people who doesn’t know anything about computers, and keep reading from a script no matter what I say. I mean, when I’m home I can just use the Linksys adapter … but it’s still annoying ’cause then I can’t be online in Harrisonburg, at Brian’s, in New York, etc. without a cord *sigh* Something always has to be broken, doesn’t it?

On another note, I’m leaving for New York tomorrow and won’t be back ’til Saturday night. Will probably be taking my computer to entertain me on the always-longer-than-normal train ride, but won’t be able to get online ’cause of the aforementioned problem. Though I’ll probably be too busy eating good food, shopping ’til I drop, and not thinking about the mountains of homework I’ll have when I go back to school on Sunday to do anything else (which will literally last for 2 weeks ). Meh … I’ll get through it somehow. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

It’s snowing in Harrisonburg (and not Fairfax)! Well, it was when I left … I opened the door to take my stuff to the car and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw soft, white snowflakes floating down in the porch light — the first snowfall of the season always makes me happy. I immediately tried to call Brian ’cause he’s been wanting snow since last winter, but his phone was turned off or something … oh well.

Rent comes out tomorrow! Don’t know if anyone will be able to see it with me, but I’m definitely gonna try to make a showing.

I installed Service Pack 2 last night ’cause HelpSvc.exe kept randomly starting and eating up the CPU, so I did a search on it and found that SP2 is supposed to fix it. It hasn’t come up since the installation, so I’m hoping it’s gone for good. I also don’t know why everyone hates SP2 … I can still do everything I could before, the only difference so far is I have to tell the computer that programs like AIM and iTunes are okay to run. I’ll post an update if anything drastic happens.

Today’s been a really low key day. I thought it was gonna suck, but then my typography professor didn’t show up so we left (and later found out that he’d gotten there at 8:30, but since we’re allowed to leave if no one’s there after 15 minutes, he wasn’t mad) … and I didn’t feel like walking back home so I got coffee, studied for my metal quiz, and half laid there/half slept in TDU ’til 10:30. After the mostly-easy quiz we could leave if we wanted to (a rare thing with Mark), so I took advantage of it. Had lunch and read The Breeze, then came back here and so far have just been doing random stuff online.

Oh yeah, and that weird rash thing I had a couple weeks ago has been back since Saturday morning. This morning it decided to attack my lips so they were twice their normal size, my feet (again), and the right side of my back. By class time most of it had faded, but I still don’t frickin’ understand why it keeps happening. I feel perfectly fine and I’m not sick or anything, and since the rash has appeared at my house here, my dad’s house, and Brian’s house, it can’t be environmental … I haven’t eaten anything new … haven’t recently changed soap or detergent … sometimes I think it may be heat-related, but then heat rash doesn’t look or sound like what I have. I’ve searched WebMD and come up with nothing, and when I went to the health center a few weeks ago they didn’t really know what it was *sigh* Has anybody out there had something like this?

Edit: I have new smilies! Post a comment to see them

My grandma is the best … she sent me a hat! I told her she could knit me one for Christmas, but since she hadn’t yet learned how to do that and didn’t want me to be cold she bought one instead And though it’s supposedly made for skiers and snowboarders and snow-loving mountain-obsessed people, it also works great for those who are always cold (like me) … I’m still wearing it

I got the cutest Banana Republic catalog in the mail: they had it laid out as a series of fairytale, happy-ending, “true” holiday stories that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Yeah the models were all wearing BR clothes and the stories were interrupted with pages and prices, but I still thought it was a really neat idea. See the online version here.

I made a hexagonal box. My painting professor let our panel painting be due the Tuesday after break instead of next week. It’s almost the weekend. Brian has some kind of surprise for me at home. Only one week ’til I’m in Manhattan. Today was cold enough to wear my winter coat. My frickin’ awesome 2006 Hanson calendar (with “Doughnut Day” marked) and t-shirt came. Happy day

There was a Hanson mention in The Breeze today! LOL … from the “Darts & Pats” section:

A “thanks-for-bringing-’Mmmm…Bop’-back-to-JMU” pat to the girls next door who loudly played the song at their party Saturday night.
From an exhaused water polo player who needed the laugh after a rough day of games.

That made me smile even though it wasn’t a completely positive comment What’s also cool is one of the bands in UPB’s fall concert is The Juliana Theory. But even though I run their fanlisting, I don’t know if I’ll go ’cause 1) they’re opening for Phantom Planet, 2) tickets already went on sale, 3) I just saw them this summer, and 4) the concert’s on a Tuesday night.

I am so ready for a nap. I signed up for yoga at UREC during class this morning while Cardo (my typography professor) let us sit there for two hours as he took his time playing on his computer, talking to people at his job, and going over our second-to-last project sketches (mine being one of the last) I hate that class … 90% of the time it seems like he doesn’t care (he’s also weird). Grr. But yeah, dunno if that’s gonna happen ’cause I also have to paint like crazy tonight and find chipboard at The Craft House for methodology. I should do that soon.