Actually Glad It's Monday: A short guide to fixing Adobe's screw-ups, general frustration and a few good finds.

Adobe, Sometimes You Suck!
This weekend I learned that, as a graphic designer, it sometimes helps to have an IT degree along with your art degree. I defragmented, checked disks, wiped every program from my computer, uninstalled every printer, ran a registry check and every virus/malware/spyware program known to mankind.

The problem started when I installed my new Wacom pen tablet. Shortly thereafter, I begin getting messages while working in Illustrator. They varied, but the most common one was, "Licensing for this product has stopped working." I contacted Adobe support and was told to use a script to wipe all Adobe products from my hide drive reinstall the program. It certainly did that. The thing I wondered at the time however was, why do I need to use a script that was created to wipe-out the Beta version of CS3. Should they not have wiped-out this issue when they created the final shipped version? At any rate, I re-install the programs and. . .nada. Same issue.

I called Adobe again and was told to install the programs under a new administrator account. I had much the same result. I did Adobe one better and, just short of removing Windows, removed everything from my hard drive. Still, nothing.

I have searched every forum, every Adobe tech support page and I still really don't have an answer to all of my issues this week. There are as many theories as there are error messages and not even Adobe seems to know why their programs won't run properly. Some said it was a problem with initial installation, though I never seemed to have a problem until I installed the Wacom. Others said it was a problem with the print drivers. Again, had not had a problem before. Basically, Adobe is useless when it comes to resolving problems.

My software seems to be working properly for now. I finally downloaded a registry cleaner  and adjusted my paging file size. This seems to have helped. But I'm using my CS3 programs with an incredibly high level of anxiety today, waiting for those little messages to pop-up any minute.

Of course, I had a deadline to meet when this all started. Maybe it has nothing to do with Adobe and the gods just decided to seriously mess with my nerves this weekend.

But There is Light!
I found several very interesting design related sites this weekend. The first is a site dedicated to everything logo related. You can find hundreds of articles on everything from conception to execution. The site layout is nice, clean and very easy to navigate.

The second site I found was a blog with random design goodies. Everything from links to free design goodies to tipes and tricks. Again, I think the site appealed to me because of the clean look, easy navigation and content.

Go check-out all of the links above! You won't be disappointed. Also, if you have any other links that you think I should check-out, send 'em!


The Girl's Got a Plan
After all of the drama and the headache of the weekend, I am truly glad it is Monday. I'm ready for a fresh start and new projects.

I have a few gigs of the paying variety, but I am mostly looking forward to working on a few of my own. I'll be re-installing the Wacom and giving it another go. I'm very excited about those brushes! The piece I am currenly working on is a bit of linework combined with some image manipulation. It's very. . . editorial. I look forward to sharing it all with you very soon.