night calls and colour printers

so last week son calls me up wanting to know about some stuff related to backing up files on the laptop that stbx-Mrs_C bought. he wanted to know because he wanted to back up his files because he was upgrading his linux distribution on the system.

you see, he partitioned the laptop into a multi-boot machine (against my advice), right after they bought it. he accidentally trashed the whole laptop including all of the electronic pictures they had since the split. there was much unhappiness.

eventually the computer was restored and a new windows partition created.

last week son upgraded his distribution and accidentally wiped out the windows side again... i had counselled him against doing it at that time because i wouldn't be able to walk him through this somewhat tricky procedure. this was when the major shit was going down with my boss having to resign. but son is invulnerable, and super-humanly capable... being 15 and all.

so i told him he would need to find a file recovery utility and see if he could recover the latest photographs. he found a utility and a howto, so we will see how that turns out.

anyway,

last night i'm at home. i'm just about to go to sleep (early for me - 9:45), when i get a call from daughter. she needs a report printed in colour and the printer they have won't work (son hadn't installed the linux drivers for the printer). apparently it didn't print in colour in windows (before the most recent trashing), either. she needs the report for the morning.

after a little back and forth, and given the technical proficiency of an 11 year old, i decide that i will go pick up her USB memory key and print the file out at work.

(don't get me wrong on my estimation of daughter's technical proficiency. she is pretty good to be able to handle herself in a heterogeneous software and operating system environment including basic desktop publishing/layout in a program she's never used before, AND, understanding the methods required to make/save her files compatibly with the software used at her school [after only one conversation on the weekend over the phone to explain to her what she would need to do to get that cross-compatibility])

anyway, i get dressed, head to the house, drive to work, print the shit out, and grab a report cover - in my experience, if you put a decent report cover on a well laid out/well presented report/essay it almost always gets you a 5% gain in mark.

i harp on my kids about the layout and presentation of their work, and have taught them basic design concepts. i always keep a variety of styles of report covers around for the kids schoolwork. i have a swack of report covers somewhere at the house still, but stbx-Mrs_C threw them in a box when packing up stuff after i left and doesn't remember where they are and won't go look for them. i bought a few more covers at the apartment, but son has recently used them up - i haven't had occasion to properly "re-inventory" my personal office supplies.

i grab the USB key, go to work and print out the file - get ribbed by the security guards about my late night arrival - and head back. she is quite happy. she gushes much love me forever, and doubly so when she sees the report cover(s) (i took a few colours to choose from). she runs to get me some gifts of appreciation. a thing she had crocheted, and a pin/button of her in her ethnic dance outfit. i was thrilled and warmed that i had made her so happy.

i was pleased to be able to help her out. son, over the years, caused me infinite grief with his reports and essays.. this was little trouble by comparison with most of the situations he would land us in (late night cruises to friend's houses to cobble together supplies for art and other assignments [like building a gothic cathedral in one night...]).

i am happy that i am building a new relationship with her. the old one is really swept away, but the warmth and love is still there, and with that we are able to begin anew.