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I have always had this strange notion, or perhaps "feeling" is a better word that Christmas Eve should be a good day. A day where hopefully, if you're lucky, all the shopping, present wrapping etc is done, you don't have to work (again, if you're lucky) and can relax doing "Christmassy" things and just maybe, start a little moderate drinking not too far after lunch.
My experience over many decades has proved this to be, in my case at least, a fallacy.
This year, I made the conscious decision I won't promise any elaborate dishes that will require most of the day to prepare only to result in ultimate disappointment. My only challenge would be to clone the other half's HDD onto SDD to quickly whack into place in her laptop on Christmas morning.
So, I briefed her, I would defrag, disc cleanup etc in advance at times to suit her. Then - make sure she has a copy of everything in say, her email, saved somewhere just in case. I would then do my thing and clone the drive on Christmas Eve.
So, ready to start. "Oh, hang on, I've got a few things I want to do on it first ..."
In the words of the old text based adventure games - time passes...
Right, so I can finally start. I think I'll use "belt & braces" and create a restore point just in case. No probs there.
Next, over to my PC to run SyncToy to backup all her files onto my machine. No, that won't work because, as usual, my computer can no longer get access to her laptop over the network. This is not unusual as virtually ever Windows update breaks it.
I check the usual causes in Network and Sharing and nothing looks amiss there. It tells me I don't have permission, so I check the Sharing and Permissions on her machine and yes, I do have permission.
Life's too short for this on Christmas Eve. So, I go to plan B. This failure almost always only happens in one direction i.e. my machine can't access hers, but hers can normally access mine. And it does. So, I download Sync Toy to her machine and backup all her files to mine.
Install True Image - or at least try to. At this point Bit Defender wakes up and starts chewing up disc and CPU like it's having a good old Christmas gorge on a Yule Log. Still, eventually it is satisfied and gives up and I get the cloning underway. Obviously this will result in some sort of disaster later at around the 99% - 100% mark but for now at least, life should be pleasant.
"There's something wrong with the garage door." I hear.
Handle hanging out one side, refusing to open from the outside, she tells me. "If you shut it you'll have to go to the other (vehicle) door to open it from the inside."
Now, in true festive fashion, the temperature has plummeted. I look at the car thermometer which tells me it's a balmy 5 degrees. This I think is the equivalent of a man being asked "Does my bum look big in this?" It has given the "correct" answer, rather than the "true" one. I suspect rather colder. Now, I know this figure constitutes sunbathing weather people such as temperature hardened Canadians but for us Brits, after a mild spell, it is a shock to the system.
So, cant get the lock off as my hands are very cold and the screws are thoroughly rusted in. Manage to get the inside part of the lock off and re-connect everything, in rather a bodged fashion but at least the door has a handle both sides and can be opened and shut.
I retreat indoors for a chance to get warm but that plan has been quashed too. Having recently had some decorating finished, herself now decides the house stinks of paint and has helpfully opened all the doors. So I am now sitting at my PC, still with my coat on, wondering what festive joys are still awaiting me on this relaxing, pleasant day.
Ho ho elephanting ho!
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Rich Leyshon wrote: Ho ho elephanting ho!
Do not google "Ho ho Kevin Bloody Wilson" ... or at least turn the volume down first ...
Have a festive Yuletide, and enjoy the little victories! 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I don't have Kev's Kristmas album, but got enough suitable tunes of his for the occasion including the charmingly festive "Santa Claus you ****" and the one that seems to fit now, "Absolute **** of a day"
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He can spin a tune for most occasions!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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As I sat in my gloom, a voice said: "cheer up, things could be worse".
So, I cheered up.
Things got worse.
clonezilla is your (ugly) friend.
Cheer up 
If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, perhaps you don't understand the situation.
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Strange, probably angel-related events have occurred:
1) The good lady advanced her plans and decided that she'd now like her upgrade today not tomorrow
2) True Image did it's thing in quick time without any errors.
3) SSD and RAM went in without issue.
4) PC now works with power-up to login screen time reduced by 83%
This is too good, there must be something very dark waiting for me around the corner!
Have a good Christmas everyone and stay safe.
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In the old days, we would say:
Murphy is out there................. waiting.
Happy day.
If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, perhaps you don't understand the situation.
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Rich Leyshon wrote: This is too good, there must be something very dark waiting for me around the corner!
Yes, the Lord of the Files* must be coming for you!
* Not a typo!
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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I wish every time a nice day and hope for it... but as for you... I just want to reach the 27th and be able to say... OK, survived another year. Now 362 days of peace.
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Aperitif.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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The Everly Brothers[^]
The winter’s flaking data is brushing through the binary trees
I stuck my hands down deep inside my app
I think of years ago and half remembered libraries
And functions that still warm me with their glow
The cold and empty evening hangs around me like VB
I listen to my hard disk badly seeking
The sound of one man debuggin' through VS can break your heart
But stopping doesn't help, so on I'll go
And Christmas Eve can kill you
When you're trying to code an app in anything.
The butchered code I’m writin' is all that keeps me on my seat
I feel like I've been coding all my life
A PM goes running by, the man don't even turn his head
Guess he's busy being Santa Claus tonight
The saddest part of all is knowing if I switched with him
I'd leave him debuggin' ragged by the code
I'd ride that super highway to the arms of my sweet family
And forget about the stranger with the code
And Christmas Eve can kill you
When you're trying to code an app in anything.
And as I type I'm prayin’ to myself, no longer silent drive
Hoping I can save before it fails
Oh, God forgive the man who runs right by the other dev
Have pity on the stranger with the code
'Cause Christmas Eve can kill you
When you're trying to code an app in anything.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Upvoted for The Everly Brothers, and thumbs up for your poetry!
I am now going to have my lunch with 'Songs our daddy taught us', having been reminded of those guys.
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Brilliant ! 
«One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams.» Salvador Dali
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Apology accepted...
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Wow, what a beautiful and original poem 
modified 3-Jun-21 21:01pm.
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Seasonal graduate shifts blue decorative item (9, 6)
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Christmas Bauble?
It goes without saying
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You got it!
So you are up Tuesday, January 5th 2021 with the next one!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Care to explain for the others?
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I hadn't got it, but having seen the answer, the explanation is ...
Seasonal = CHRISTMAS (The CCC topic for this week)
Graduate = BA (Batchelor of Arts)
shifts blue = UBLE (anagram of blue)
=> CHRISTMAS BAUBLE
Merry Griffmas
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Dat's de bunny!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Quote: Roll over Beethoven
And tell Tchaikovsky the news
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