So, in addition to my external hard drive failing and my father dying, it appears that my computer is also on the verge of extinction.  A few days ago, I began to have problems starting up my computer (it takes at least 5 minutes to boot up) and with missing files and errors in several programs.  The computer now fails to connect to the internet (both dial-up and Verizon Fios connections have failed - I am using a school computer to write and publish this blog entry) and this morning, while attempting to repair Windows XP my computer encountered several “thermal events” and turned itself off.  As of this morning, my computer can only get a couple of minutes past the boot stage before turning itself off, making it so far impossible to try any recovery attempts.

Because of this, it will likely be quite a while longer before I will be actively posting images again.  While I did do some shooting this weekend (I photographed flowers that my mother and I received as sympathy gifts from family, friends, and neighbors since my father’s death), I do not readily have access to the software I need to process those photographs on any computer other than my own, which is out of commission.  So, while I’ll do my best to keep you updated, for the time being, my posts will probably be fewer and farther in between than usual, until I can save for a new computer.