Why do I build my computers?

I've been asked a few times why I build my own PCs. Aside from it being a hobby, and the sense of accomplishment in knowing that every time I boot up my PC, I built it, there is significant savings in buying your own parts and putting it together yourself.

Pros:

• Price, usually MUCH cheaper than buying a computer with the same specs
• Customization, you can put exactly what you want in (and also future-proof so you are spending less to upgrade parts, usually can't do this with a pre-built PC)
• Learning process and sense of accomplishment

Cons:

• Troubleshooting, if anything goes wrong, you're on your own to contact the manufacturer, figure out warranty, or play around with settings to make it right
• Learning about components in order to make sure you are purchasing the right things that will work together. Examples are socket types of CPU/Mobo, making sure you have sufficient wattage, RAM types supported by the mobo, etc
• Reading the manuals. Yes, I tend to browse through them, but really you should be reading EVERY manual for EVERY component, because sometimes they have a silly way of doing things (plug in your single graphics card in *this* slot, rather than either one)
• Learning how to put it together. While it's tough these days to really screw things up if you handle them correctly, it's very possible to bend pins when inserting the CPU, or crack your motherboard by screwing it in too tightly

In all though, if you have a problem then it's likely someone else has had it as well and you can find the solution in a forum. You have to know your limitations (I don't touch BIOS unless I have to, because it's the easiest way to screw something up majorly). But the physical process of putting things together is a bit like playing legos. A complete novice can definitely build their first computer because of the amount of information at your disposal. There are even sites and youtube videos that lead you through step-by-step.

So, how much can you save? I bought these components within a week, keeping an eye out for sales. I definitely could have saved more if I had waited to buy until a new technology was coming out, or waiting for black friday, but I didn't want to take the chance on them selling out and the deals were pretty good last week.

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz $319.99

ASRock Z68 EXTREME4 GEN3 $194.99 - sale price $184.99

Arctic Silver AA-1.75G Thermal Compound $5.98

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM $99.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 $44.99

Antec DF-85 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case $189.99 - sale price $149.99 - after MIR $134.99

ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X DVD Burner $20.99 - promo code $17.99

OCZ ZX Series 850W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Gold High Performance Power Supply $199.99 - sale price $169.99 - promo code $152.99 - after MIR $122.99

GIGABYTE GV-N570OC-13I Rev2.0 GeForce GTX 570 $344.99 - sale price $329.99 - after MIR $309.99

(using old hard drives, bought a new 500GB WD Caviar Green for around $90 for the old machine I'm giving to my parents, 500GB are around $150 on newegg due to flooding in asia - not including in price)

Shipping $8.25

Combo Discount (motherboard & CPU) - $20.00

New Preferred Account Promotion - $15.00

Total ibuypower.com price (common build-for-you site): $1812 + $75 shipping = $1887.00

Total newegg regular price: $1421.90 (plus shipping fees)

Total I paid after all discounts: $1215.15

What I've learned in 2 weeks

So this was our first time as parents and I'm not going to lie, we were scared, anxious, and worried we would do something wrong. The first few days home went pretty good. Collin was mostly waking up every 2-4 hours to nurse, and Dustin took baby duty and slept on the couch in the living room with him, bringing him in to me to nurse, diaper, and lay back down when he showed signs of hunger. I was pretty much playing Human Bottle at night, which worked because my C-section pain seemed to be worst at night, and I was keeping my legs elevated to relieve the massive swelling I had from the fluids pumped into me at the hospital. My legs, thighs and feet were so swollen that my pregnancy stretch pants barely fit, and I had to wear Dustin's stretched-out thong sandals because nothing else fit my feet. My legs were so bad that they were actually rock hard, and I thought they would end up splitting open from the pressure. I had actually left the hospital the same weight I was when I went in, which was pretty discouraging when you've gained 60 lbs! A good note is that after 2 days of elevation, I managed to pee out 25 lbs of fluid overnight. Yes, 25 lbs. And since then I've lost another 5-6 lbs, putting me halfway to where I need to be. We all need little things like that to offer encouragement, especially when we're told not to exercise for 6 weeks, and not to diet while breastfeeding.

Those feelings I mentioned were even worse in me, because Dustin's 10 days off from the Navy started the day I went into labor, so he returned to work on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday he was gone all day for an Army physical in San Jose, 2-3 hours away. And he worked again Wednesday and today. Given that he works 14 hour nights (and that's if he comes home on time), I was on full-time baby duty for 5 days straight and it's starting to wear me thin. I don't know how single moms can do it alone. Collin goes on crying spells from 10 PM to 4 AM, and in the case of today he didn't stop crying every time I put him down until 4 or 5 PM, when I got a nice hour-long nap. It's amazing how such a short nap can change your ability to cope with the world. Every time I laid Collin down, he was quiet for 10 minutes if I was lucky and then started crying again. And I cried with him, begging for just a half hour of uninterrupted sleep.

Finally, last night, I pulled out the Fisher-Price Rainforest Swing that was gifted to us at the baby shower. He actually slept for 2 hours, with just a single cry or whimper here and there. I was amazed. I always heard it's not good for babies to sleep in the swings, but searching around the internet I can't find anything that supports that. I am finding a lot of people use the swings to get them to sleep until they are 2-3 months old and they start being able to sleep through the night on their own. I'm at the point where I try to keep him in his Pack n Play as much as possible, but if he starts up and I'm starting to get delirious, I'm letting him sleep in there.

To close, here's a few things I've learned in the past 2 weeks:

- I can do a lot more one-handed than I previously thought

- I can last on catnaps a lot better than I previously thought

- Nursing is a lot more taxing than you would think, and I'm really envious of formula moms who can actually get a good night's sleep when someone is watching the baby for them

- Following that, having a pump will be a lifesaver for me, and I already started saving up milk today

- If you like an outfit a lot, babies will pee or spit up all over it the first chance they get. If you don't like it, it will be spotless all day

- With boys, ALWAYS COVER THE PEEPEE DURING CHANGES! I can't stress that enough. Also, a towel or blanket under then on the changing table is worth it if you want to avoid pee going up their back and all over their clothes

-Babies will sleep when it's the least appropriate and you won't be able to wake them up no matter what you do. They'll also stay awake and/or wake up when you are praying for them to sleep

- Babies REALLY ARE poop-sleep-eat-cry machines!

Collin's birth story

Collin James Phillips was born at 8:03 pm on May 6, 2010. He is 9lbs 7.9 oz and 21 inches long, with brown hair and (currently) blue eyes.

I went in for my stress test May 5 at 11 AM and there was a heartrate drop during a contraction that concerned them...since I was full term they decided it was better to induce me than have something happen if I went home. I was induced starting at 4 PM with Prostaglandin, went into (back) labor at 11 PM that night, and Pitocin was started at 4 AM May 6th. My water broke around 7 AM and I managed without any pain meds until 11 AM when the combo of all that just got too strong and a narcotic shot didn't help for longer than 30 minutes. I went on an epidural and really quickly dilated the rest of the way about 2 cm per hour (twice as fast as "good progress" is). My father flew in from Buffalo and made it in around 3. Shortly after it was time to push. I pushed for 4 hours and his head just wasn't fitting through...we thought it was an 8.5 lb-er at the time but now we know why he didn't fit. He was stuck at -1 station and only 1/2 of his head could mold enough to make it through.

Nonetheless, I cried over the decision to head to a C-section and the whole process. I felt like the non-stress tests that I didn't really need led them to seeing a case of the heart rate dropping (which could have been an error in the machine, a fluke, him squeezing his cord, all kinds of things), which led to me being forced to an induction, which led to stronger contractions and me needing pain medication, which meant I couldn't move around any more (and it was tough to move anyways since I had to have the infant monitors on me the whole time and they slip around easily), and finally being stuck with a c-section. Plus I was exhausted from no sleep since 8 AM the morning before and dealing with labor pains from 11 PM the night before. I still understood what I had to do, but I'll always wonder if my hips would have spread enough if I had allowed labor to start naturally and at home.

I had 2 cases of absolutely horrible back muscle spasms when they gave me a shot of Lidocaine, and for some reason the Anesthesiologist insisted that they had nothing to do with the medication he injected (I guess that's why he did it a second time after the first time threw me into the worst pain in my life for 15 minutes?). It was so bad that I was screaming and writhing in pain and gripping the arm rests and all I wanted to do was die. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, I can say that is the worst pain I will probably ever experience in my life. Another Anesthesiologist I saw after the birth told me it was probably because it wasn't placed correctly and the injection went out into the surrounding back tissue rather than into the cord where it belongs, which is what caused the back spasms. Probably also due to the incorrect placement, they couldn't numb me from the waist down so I had to be put under completely for the c-section, which meant Dustin couldn't be in the room with me. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed as I was still experiencing back spasm pain. Collin was delivered at 8:03 PM and I was woken up and taken to see him at 11 PM. Luckily, his blood glucose didn't drop below 50 which meant they could delay on giving him formula and instead I could breastfeed. I think the nurses were really pulling for that considering it was super important to me and they saw how everything else fell apart. From there it went great though, I was walking the next afternoon and managing on minor pain meds since then...finally got to shower and have my IV, BP cuff, heart monitor, etc taken off Friday night (best shower I've ever taken). I was supposed to go home Saturday but they kept me because of some high blood pressure and pulse readings, so I finally got released around noon today. Most of the nurses, my midwife, one of the doctors handling most of the process, and the 2 Peds we saw were great. We're gonna have to get some baked goods to drop off next week for everyone.

I'm disappointed everything went pretty much opposite of my birth plan, but proud that I lasted 12 hours in such hard labor and worked at a fast recovery from a c-section. I'm confident I did everything I could have done right and that next time I could handle a natural, medication free birth if there weren't complications. Now it's time to focus on completely recovering from the c-section, losing the baby weight and being the best mommy I can be!

Two Years Already?

Yesterday was our Two Year Anniversary. It's crazy to think that two years have gone by so fast! Everyone says the first couple years are the hardest, and it was extra hard on us with everything else we were facing. It's nice to know that we made it through, and that makes us that much stronger. Especially looking at everything we've had to face...it's nice to go back and think about how well we've made it through.


*Moving out here, away from everyone and everything that we knew and loved, to a place that we absolutely hate. Going from always being in big cities, to being out in the middle of Texas-in-California was really tough. I even cried on the first drive out here to look for an apartment. Driving 20 minutes just to get into "town" (which is a strip of stores, and that's it), 45-60 minutes to a decent sized town, 2 hours to the mountains, 2.5 hours to the beach, 3 hours to LA, 4-5 to San Francisco...you could imagine how many times we even feel like going out knowing how long the drive is. I'm thankful we both like gaming, because I don't know how else we would not go absolutely crazy out here!

*Dealing with the issues on this base, especially with the quality of medical care I've received, was tough. Even today, I was told that I couldn't get back in to see the OB/GYN for another month (for an important follow up visit), unless I was pregnant. Pregnant people ALWAYS come first there, even if it is routine pregnancy check ups. By the way, I did get through to a nurse who scheduled me in quicker. And I was told that I didn't have asthma, that Valley Fever (which is VERY common and can be VERY serious) doesn't exist/is rare, and that my breathing problems (which I never had prior to moving here) basically didn't exist and/or weren't brought on by here. It's tough when you can't even trust the medical staff anymore...and that's one of the reasons we've been waiting to try for a baby, which has been driving us nuts because we really want one!

*Employment - the long hours Dustin works have been hard too. 14 hour days, 4-5 days a week takes it's toll. Especially when I was working, we would be two ships passing in the night. Also, not having any jobs out here for me (well, nothing professional or using my degree) is tough. I am such an independant person, and feel so guilty not working, even though it really isn't my fault!

*The problems we had with Sierra, which I'm not going to get into here, but you all know the story already anyways. That was really hard on both of us.

*Money of course is always an issue with newlyweds, especially here in California when everything is so crazy expensive. I don't think I have to mention the stress with debts, credit cards, or misc expenses that we all face...and that double when you get married.

*We haven't really met anyone out here that we REALLY feel a connection to. Back in our homes and in Virginia, we had really good friends that we could count on...out here it feels like a different world that we don't belong in. Anyone who we might've been able to get along with seems to get out of the navy or change bases too quickly for us to make any real connection. Anyone else, while they might be fun to hang around, we don't really feel CLOSE to in the same way.

*The stress of our Vow Renewal, and planning everything from out here. But we wouldn't change that for the world, and we are so thankful that we could have that and have all our friends and family there (though we were really sad that a few people couldn't make the distance or get their leave granted).

And I'm sure there's even more things I'm forgetting about. But it makes me feel so much better to look back at all these stressors and problems and think "We made it." I feel like we can make it through anything life throws at us now. And all of the stressors will hopefully be changed in the next 2 years, as we move and grow and opportunities present themselves. There's hope and love, and, really, what more do you need?

Trials and Tribulations of a picky eater

Lola is starting to drive us crazy with food! When we got her from the previous owners, she was used to her Pedigree Puppy food. We decided to switch her to a better brand. For most dogs, this is a relatively easy switch, considering the better foods have more meat and are actually more appetizing to them. But not to our pug, of course! Keep in mind we are mixing wet canned food (that we know she likes) AND some of her Pedigree in each time we try to switch her.

First we tried Taste of the Wild. We bought a bigger bag since we have to go out to Visalia or Fresno for it (30-45 minutes each way). She scoffed at it and refused to eat for 2 days so I gave up on that one. I wrote to them, Dustin had thrown away the bag since he dumped it into our food container, and they said that I could mail in the receipt for a refund. Thankfully, most of these food manufacturers have 100% guarantee. They also sent me a bunch of samples of the other flavors, but she wanted nothing to do with them. Strike one.

Next, we tried Wellness. They sent us some samples of Super5Mix, Core, and a few others. She didn't want anything to do with any of those either. Oh, did I mention that when she doesn't like a food, she will drop it all over the kitchen and living room floors? Lots of fun to pick up, and I'm just hoping we find a good food before the mice start coming out again.

Next, Halo. This is Ellen DeGeneres' food...it's good quality but EXPENSIVE. Well, of course she likes their chicken variety. BUT it's weird shaped and tiny pieces, and because of her weird-shaped mouth, she has trouble eating it I think. When I mix it with her Pedigree, she picks the pieces out and spreads them around as if she doesn't like it, but then she will go back and eat them. Oh well, we bought a 3 lb bag of it since they had a special but we still want to find her something cheaper, and that she won't keep spreading.

Next on the list - Blue Buffalo Small breed (formulated for picky eaters!). Now, she DOES like the food itself. BUT there is a catch. There are these little ball things called "Lifesource Bits". They are a bunch of vitamins/minerals that are cold-formed rather than baked into the food. This preserves their antioxidants and keeps them at relatively full strength. Great thing, right? Well, Lola doesn't like them! She'll eat the regular kibble part of the food, and pick out the Lifesource Bits, spreading those around the floor. Without those Bits, this food is just as good as a cheaper brand. So this food is out, and we get to do our first "satisfaction guaranteed" return of an opened bag of food to Petsmart.

Speaking of which, I never knew so many places had this policy! If they didn't, we would easily be out $100 by now because of her picky taste buds.

So, what's next on the list? There's Solid Gold, who don't offer samples. But most of their products contain fish, and I'm fairly sure she doesn't like fish. So that's a potential "return the opened bag" situation. Another option is Innova Evo, who also don't offer samples. This is the MOST EXPENSIVE brand of dog food, but also the best. It's the closest you can get to a BARF/Raw diet in kibble. In between the two, is Nature's Variety. They have 2 types of food, Prairie (high quality kibble) and Instinct (high quality and also grain-free). Grain-free can be tough on a dog's tummy though, so I think for now we will try Prairie. I have a coupon for "buy 1 get 1 free" on their bags, so that will let us try more than just one flavor.

Now, the question is: do these small pet stores take back opened food? I tried calling 2 of the listed retailers, and I got 2 "answers". One was, "Generally, if its within 14 days and most of the food is there we'll exchange it for another kind of food." The second was, "I believe its 100% satisfaction guaranteed, you can just bring the bag back." I'm kind of curious what ever happened to "yes" and "no" answers. I guess I'll just have to ask again at the store and make sure before we buy it.

And if she doesn't like this? Back to the drawing board, AGAIN! Thankfully, she seems to like whatever canned food we throw at her. I thought Pugs were supposed to looooooooooove food! Oh, and we recently found out she likes lettuce (of all things!) as a snack.