Friday, February 28, 2014

Five for Friday

It is FRIDAY. And let us all thank God.

I am pretty much done with this week.

I am pretty much done with this month.

February has the fewest days of any month, but this month drags on like no other. I am recommending cutting a few more days from February. If any one knows where to send this month shortening request, let me know. It is just a proposal at this point. I can not find a point person for the Julian calendar. I was hoping it would be on Twitter so I could mean tweet it. So aside from February...here are my five things for Friday...
  1. Rage Against the Machine. My garage door is a jerk. Technically it is the garage door opener. Mechanically it is sound, but the eye-beams keep going on the fritz whenever the mood strikes. The repair person has been out twice this week. Nothing needs to be replaced, in his professional opinion. It is just a total craps shoot if this door will go back down after it is up. I have learned how to override the eye-beam system. But it is annoying. Yes, this is a first world problem. I know people that have to park outside, on the street. I should be grateful. But I am still pretty darn annoyed.
  2. The Polar Vortex.  I am done hearing about the polar vortex. Actually, polar vortexes, since there have been more than one this winter, and more in the forecast. If you have never felt -17 to -25 Fahrenheit wind chills over a several day period...count yourself very lucky. It is miserable. The dog is depressed because she can not go outside for more than 5 minutes at on time. The kids are sick of it. Everyone is just done with cold. I think I speak not for just myself, but the entire state of Michigan, and perhaps the whole Midwest.
  3. Mom and Stylist Some how, I have no idea how or why, my daughter finds that I have a good eye for fashion. Not for day to day dressing, but for occasions like dances and parties. She actually consults me on what to wear, and how to wear it. She likes me to accessorize and put together the right hair & make-up. I have no training in fashion, other than I dress myself each day. Being the stylist for my daughter is a lot of fun. When I am in the shops and hear girls complaining to their mothers about clothing suggestions, I realize I am insanely lucky. Never once have I been told my suggestions are "lame" or "stupid". We have other areas where we disagree, it is not all sunshine and roses, but we somehow we bond over clothing. I will take it.
  4. One to Watch Have you watched House of Cards?  It is a NetFlix series. It is addictive. I ignored NetFlix recommending this show to me for a long time. I am not sure why. I love politics. Washington DC is one of my favorite towns. This series really pumps up the political drama. The main character, played by Kevin Spacey, is truly Machiavellian. He is a detestable, manipulative, and horrid person. Yet I can not stop watching. 
  5. One to Read My beloved gives me books each Christmas. He knows I love to read. He never asks me for suggestions for books, yet he always seems to find books I enjoy. This year he gave me Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. It is a beautifully written and told in a parallel story style. It is a redemptive, and hopeful story. It is fiction, but based on events that truly happened. Check it out. It is a good read that will leave you wanting more. (That is always the sign of a good book, wanting more of the story)
That is what I have for this week, two gripes and three praises. Enjoy your weekend. Think warm thoughts.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

I have spent the last three months trying to save a 12 year old laptop.

Yes, it was slow. It never was all that quick. I would really notice when I used my beloved's Mac. However, I am not a Mac person. I am not all, "Apple is the best ever". I do not let myself fall into that lemming way of computing. I also do not think, "Apple is the devil". I have an iPad. I find it very useful. I just like to be diverse in my technology use. I like a good PC. Who does not like something you can fix by shutting it off and restarting it? (Until that stops working too)

Yes, it quit letting me sign in to my blog. It did not stop me from writing, just from sharing.  To be honest, you did not want to hear the horrific thoughts I had during my "repair" phase. It got pretty dark.

Yes, I am not very tech savvy. However, I have learned many things about computers through trial and error...many many errors. I am fully competent in using flash drives to save, and back-up files from a dinosaur computer. Unlike past crashes, I am losing nothing. In fact I may have saved way too much. I suppose I can always lose the flash drives..they are small.

Yes, I hate change. That is pretty much it. I dislike doing things differently.

Yes, I have finally given up...only because Windows XP is no longer going to be supported, and there is not a chance in hell that that poor old laptop will survive a software update. She has been de-bugged, cleaned, rebooted, and refurbished. It is just time to let her go. It is the kindest thing to do. She has typed papers, essays, blog posts, Christmas letters, and countless other documents. I learned how to make a spreadsheet on that computer. I signed up for social media sites on her. I have checked countless e-mails on her. I learned how to search the web on that computer. Online shopping? She was the best. Coupon searches? She was a champ. And now it is time to move on. Mostly for my own sake.

I have invested too much time and caring in an inanimate object that really does not care back. It is like my own personal Her (the movie about a guy that falls in love with an operating system). Sometimes everything is personal, even when it is pretty clear that it is not.

Who has not bargained with a dead car battery?

Who has not cried over a broken coffee carafe?

Who has not felt a little off when they have left there phone at home for the day?

Who has not wept openly when finding a hole in your favorite piece of clothing?

Our things become a little bit of our comfort. We count on our things to be there, and do what they are suppose to do. And if you are a sentimental fool (and many of us are), you want those things to be with you forever. Even though they won't. They are things. Fortunately, I have a very tech savvy daughter that is helping me adjust to my "new normal" on a six year old laptop with Vista that has been sitting around since it was brushed aside for a shiny Mac a few years ago. My daughter really cares, and was starting to think I was never going to move on. At least she knows how dedicated I am. It probably terrifies her.

I am working my way up to Windows 8.1.

Very slowly.