It's like getting a new pair of glasses.

I need to adjust to the immense screen of the new computer. I feel as though I need to sit back another five feet. I'm quite overwhelmed. Big adjustment from three years on a laptop only.

The "kids" are going to help me remember the rule about turning it off by 10:30 each night. I will need their help. Though right now I feel rather bed-ready and it's just minutes past 9:00.

I've done three loads of laundry, watered the yard, folded laundry, and transferred all the data from the laptop to the iMac. Took a nap while waiting for that to happen. I am a very file-intensive computer user, but what is somewhere more than 80,000 files between friends?

And oh! The bliss of transferring with a firewire. I would have had to leave both my computers at the Apple Store overnight to have them do it. Right. Can y'all imagine me without a computer for 24 hours? Not a pretty thought, is it? This transferred all my applications too, so the hours I thought I was going to spend loading software: not needed. Hallelujah, praise King Jesus and Holy Mother Mary!

[This is where I do my happy dance but you will be spared the visuals.]

-the BB

I'm back! - Important update

Fran introduced me to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, a very special patroness of New Orleans, so I will begin by giving thanks to all who have prayed for me and for the restoration of my internet link and thanks to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.


Thanks also to St Isidore of Seville, patron of the internet. I don't know how I forgot that this was his realm since he is one of my medieval faves - inventor of the encyclopedia, if you will. This photo comes through the Diocese of Southeast Florida, which is why their web site is one Izzy's screen.

And though she is not patroness of the internet, since I invoked St Catherine of Siena, a shout out to her, because I am sure her prayers were involved too.

The problem? The ISP was given the wrong serial number for my modem so when the account was "provisioned" it wasn't coming through here. Mike from Cox Communications paid me a visit this morning and we got it straightened out. Nothing techie whatsoever, just a setup glitch (which was more my impression all along).

We have not been working overtime this week and this means I had lots of free evenings to be online and could do nothing about it. I doubt that I will have much free time after this weekend. Murphy's law and its children and second cousins all seem to be at work.

I have not melted in the rain we are having this weekend (lovely thunder this morning) because I am not that sweet. I don't find myself slathering lotion on my hands and forearms the way I have to do in New Mexico.

Susankay is in ABQ right now and the state is very dry and they are still battling wildfires near Torreon and Tejique, so prayers for getting those under control and all who are threatened by them.

I will write more shortly. Right now I have to catch up on my blog reading and see what's going on with y'all!

[Imagine wide, gleeful grin.]

Update:
I should mention, however, that though the internet is working just fine and I can receive mail, I am having major trouble with outgoing mail. I cannot seem to send anything. So I am relying on posting here or commenting in your threads to communicate at the moment.
--the BB

Blog, but not blogger, down

As regular readers know, I have had computer problems off and on for the past two months. On my last visit to the Genius Bar they ordered a new hard drive, saying that the next step is just to replace my drive if I continue to have problems. In the past two days four of my five most common applications have suddenly crashed. So I am going in for a brain transplant on my laptop later today. I may be without it for a few days.

Everything was backed up last night, so I have no fears about documents etc. Reinstalling applications is a bitch, however, and too tedious for words.

I do have another computer (an iffy one that I never use) so I might be online, but not sure.

And, speaking of technical difficulties, my chest cold continues. I feel physically (but not emotionally) rotten.

The sun rose just a little while ago over the Manzanos Mountains and the sky is cloudless.

That's the news from Desert Farne.
--the BB

Fat Tuesday, Super Tuesday, miscellaneous

Photo via Susan Russell

If you are in a state voting today, make your voice heard!

Here is my first-hand report of the Democratic caucus in my neighborhood:

I voted at Pajarito Elementary School on the southwest edge of ABQ. Someone in line said he had talked to a relative who arrived there at noon and there was no wait. I arrived at 12:35 p.m. and there was a line from the door of the gym out to the sidewalk. The wind was blowing, (gently, thank goodness) and folks were cold. The crowd was mostly Hispanic and mostly 60+ in age, though there was a sprinkling of younger folk and they seemed to increase in proportion by the time I was leaving.

We found out there were two lines (A-L, M-Z) and I was in the second and shorter line. That helped us get inside sooner. I did not chat about preferences or political thoughts except generic pleasure at Dems eager to vote and that was shared. Folks were inconvenienced by the wait but pleased with the turnout.

No ID was asked for (something I cannot imagine in California where I moved from). I just signed my name and checked the box by my listing. Ballot was simple copied form. Some folks, perhaps chosen at random or every nth person, had a questionnaire to fill out; I did not. I filled in the box by my candidate's name and put the ballot in the box.

The entire process, exclusive of parking and walking to and from the gym, took 35 minutes. As I left the now-double line extended out the door and all the way to the curbside. I doubt those arriving as I left could bet out in less than 45-50 minutes.

There was a chap at the entrance to the school road off the main street with Hillary signs. Other than that I neither heard not saw any campaigning in the vicinity. Folks seemed in good spirits.

I would not want to get there at the end of the day when it is dark and even colder and have to wait outside. I take heart in people--well, Dems, specifically--being eager to vote.

On the computer front, I was ten minutes late to the Genius Bar (an Apple term, for all the PC folks), so had to reschedule. I go back again at 3:45 this afternoon, which means leaving in twenty minutes.

I will stay on that side of town afterward, drifting toward campus for my Russian class tonight. Maybe a green chile cheeseburger at the Frontier, read the first lessons in the text, see how much I can do in my workbook (learning Russian cursive--gackkk!). The printed Cyrillic alphabet is no longer much of a problem but the handwritten version is very challenging. The lowercase "t" looks like our cursive "m." Ugh. I so wish I could work around this particular part of the challenge but I also know that if a Russian ever writes something down for me I will need to know this.

Having class this evening means I will not be online distracted by election returns. I much prefer learning how things come out when it has all quieted down, so get my wish tonight.

And speaking of Fat Tuesday, a certain person has slammed on some weight, just after loving some. Feh.

Happy shriving. Play fair in the pancake races. Don't drown in butter on your blinis tonight. And repent, the lot of you. Hell, I may even repent myself.
--the BB

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

My browser is not launching (I do blogging in Firefox but my Mac default browser is Safari). The last time this happened we had to reformat my hard disk and I lost everything that was not backed up. Fortunately, much was backed up. I have an appointment tomorrow morning to look at this. Here's hoping. Backing up and restoring is very time consuming, especially for folks like me who at one time had many myriads (in the strict definition: myriad = 10,000) of photos and graphics on this computer. Even my jump drive holds 6GB and it's a drop in the old bucket.

I am accustomed to composing in Blogger in Firefox while researching in Safari, bouncing back and forth. I also do my blog reading in Safari; that is where all my bookmarks are.

I am a Taurus. Like the orangutans, I am skeptical of changes in my cage.



Someone told me
It's all happening at the zoo.

I do believe it,
I do believe it's true.

It's a light and tumble journey
From the East Side to the park;
Just a fine and fancy ramble
To the zoo.

But you can take the crosstown bus
If it's raining or it's cold,
And the animals will love it
If you do.

Somethin' tells me
It's all happening at the zoo.

The monkeys stand for honesty,
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.

Zebras are reactionaries,
Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo.
--by Paul Simon

UPDATE:
It is now 3:33 a.m. I have managed to backup all my data (on the storage device I should have had hooked up a year ago (I know, I know). So now I feel much better about going in to "the shop."

Peace out.
--the BB