almost there, almost there

Y'all, I have finished the first coat on the Torchwood story.  I've been working on this thing on and off since like February, so I'm pleased to be at this stage.  I think it should be ready for posting early next week.  Very exciting.

In other news, I've done the painting in the kitchen, but it still needs some editing.  And then it's just doing the bathroom and proofreading a couple of spots in the dining room.  Woo-hoo!

a computer-related mystery

So, lately, like in the past few days, my external HD has taken to telling me that it could work better if it were plugged into a USB 2.0 port.  Then it disappears.  Thing is, it is plugged into a USB 2.0 port.  Anyone have ideas why my computer has decided its USB ports are not high-speed all of a sudden?  I can't even find them in the control panel to correct whatever the problem is.  (I can find USB devices, but not ports.)  I'd hoped updating Zone Alarm, which I've been prompted to do since I moved to the new place and just did this evening, would help -- but no dice.

This is kind of pissing me off.  (And that's not even counting the fact that I knocked the damn thing onto the floor tonight and spent a very anxious half-hour or so getting it back up and running.)