life in the old lane

Testing – will this “outfit” work for Japan?

The technology do over. For less than $400 I can get a perfectly fine Windows 7 laptop with optical drive. That should take care of my Windows requirement. I’ll get one that  runs Ubuntu. For my inner geek.

That will allow me to ditch the tiny Fujitsu and the big Dell box.

My elderly printer/scanner might be an issue. The Airness will not drive the scanner part of the printer/scanner. And, I am not sure that Windows 7 will either. But, Ubuntu 10.4 ran the scanner nicely. And, if all fails – I can get a new printer/scanner.

There will still be money left over for an iPad and a little roll around laptop tray. I can put the printer on a bookcase. That is better than spending over $1,000 on a wood box to stash the old gear in.

I have been “enjoying poor health” today. Think I have an old fashioned cold.

Been rethinking my technology. I am happy with The Airness and the iPods. The Airness is not a work horse. It’s disk is small. It has no optical drive.

The Dell is a big gray work horse box that runs Ubuntu and Windows XP fine. It does not have wireless. And, it is slow. And, it takes up a lot of space. It doesn’t taxes and copies DVD. And, in the old setup – it was a file/print server.

The tiny Fujitsu is just too tiny. It can be connected to a keyboard and monitor and mouse. Then it is not too tiny.

The printer/scanner has never been happy with The Airness. Well, it prints. But, it will not scan.

I have a dog’s breakfast of ill matched equipment. I need a do over.

I was trying to solve the wrong problem. Carlton told me that he would pay for what ever “workstation” I wanted. Seemed fair to him since he has a whole room and balcony with a view of DC all his own.

Also, note the term “workstation”. That is surely a management term.  Anyhow, I hunted, searched, measured and finally settled on a way too expensive wooden cube thing from Crate and Barrel. I was having a really hard time spending Carlton’s thousand dollars on a wood box.

And why do I need a one thousand dollar wood box. That is what I asked myself while walking to the farm market this morning. I need a one thousand dollar wood box to hide all my computer crap was the answer. So, the problem is not the $1,000 wood box. The problem is all the computer crap.

What I need is something to put the printer on. Somewhere to store some paper, the DVD drive and a couple of USB disk drives. I don’t need the big ass Dell computer that I bought used last year when the HP Vista Whore machine melted. I don’t need keyboard and mice. I DO need something to run Windows because I do my taxes in Windows and Windows is a lot better if you have a mind to make a copy of a DVD. A cheap laptop from the Dell or Fujitsu outlet should do the trick. Or maybe, the old Fujitsu which is too small to be really serviceable – maybe it will do the job.

So, I was trying to solve the wrong problem. The problem is not finding something to hide the gear in. The problem is the gear. And, it will be cheaper to get new gear. And not a new $1,000 wood box.

I don’t want a “workstation”. I NEVER wanted a “workstation”.

Ten years ago, we went up to Skagway for the summer. I am trying really really hard to finish my photo album from our two summers in Alaska before the end of the month.

As geeky as I am – I still like hard copy photo albums. Generated by Shutterfly. And, somehow, I think that when I get to be a really old woman – I’ll enjoy sitting in the sun on the porch of the old ladies home and “remembering when”.

When will I ever learn to pay attention. Got a new credit card today. I duly called the 800-number and got the card going. I listened to the sales spiel for ad-ons and features that I neither need nor want. I signed the card. Did I sign it in the signature spot? Noooo, I signed the magnetic strip. Don’t think it will matter – but still… How hard would it be to watch what I am doing? And maybe consider reading the directions?

Starting to get interested in the trip to Japan. I have us booked into world class big $$$ hotels for about 1/2 the trip. Time to get so hostel/budget options mixed in.

Life is not all Four Seasons.

Actually, I don’t think this is ordinary time. But, to my pagan soul – today seems like I have finally returned to ordinary time. Not Hawaiian time, not just returned jet lagged time, not frantic about finding a new place time, not packing time, not moving time, not unpacking time. Just ordinary time. Ordinary time is good. For now.

I am going to get a spotting scope for the living room. For me. Not for Carlton.

Also going get some chunk of furniture to hold my computer and its accoutrements. I am not a good furniture shopper. And, I don’t want another monumental chunk of furniture which will prove problematic next time I move. And, I want it to hide all the stuff. For the last 6 years our living room looked like a computer repair facility.

I had hiccups last night – I was sitting in the living room – waiting for them to leave – when I realized that I didn’t need a tripod. All I had to do was zoom out my little point and shoot camera and sit it on a library book on the window sill and take a picture. Right thru the window.

Here is the same view, not zoomed, from the comfort of my own living room chair.

Not too shabby. It is actually a view “to die for”. Speaking of which – it would be really easy to suicide off the ledge outside our window. Not even requiring a stepping stool. I have no problem with suicide. But, I do have a problem with making other people unwilling participants. Jumping in front of trains, death by cop, and taking a header into the metro plaza all fall into that category.

I had a very fine Mother’s Day – and Happy 50th Birthday to the Birth Control Pill. Thank you Margaret Sanger and Katherine McCormick, and Dr Gregory Pincus and Frank Colton.

Back to Mother’s Day – I made baked chicken breasts coated with those French’s canned fried onions that are so popular on canned green beans around holiday time. Canned fried onions are much better used as a “breading” for sauteed or baked fish and chicken. Trust your momma on this one.

DSL still works fine.

The new answering machine/cordless phone is going back. Carlton hates it. No need to buy the man a present and have him say the F-word every 15 minutes about it.

This happens everytime I try to buy him a present. Well, I have finally learned. Never again. Heck, it even happens when I buy him necessities. That is why he generally looks so shabby. If he doesn’t care, neither do I. I am not his Mommy. Thank the Goddess.

But, DSL is still working. That is good. Very good.

Do I have DSL service or not? Well, if you ask me…I do. When I came back from today’s outing, I turned the DSL modem on – and – TaDa – the DSL light lit. I fired up the Airness and it connected. Sweet. So, I went about my offline business. (Setting up a new answering machine for Carlton.)

After a while, I decide to check my WiFi signal from around the apartment using the iPod Touch. It happily connected to the internet – and started doing important iPod stuff.

The phone rings – I answer it and it is Verzion. With a mechanical message telling me that my DSL service will not be connected until Tuesday. I noted that they didn’t call until after all humans left for the day.

So, I don’t know if I have DSL or not. Maybe, I should cancel my order and continue to get DSL free???

All Right All Ready. I want my DSL back.

Getting back to normal.

Decided it is time to start cooking real food not food where Trader Joe or Whole Foods did 90% of the work.

Also, went back to the volunteer job today.

Not all normal – still no internet love from Verizon. But, I am still enjoying the freedom that being offline provides.

Got the closets measured for shelves and rods this afternoon. When you pay a whole lot of money – they take very good care of you. It is like assisted living – but the inmates are younger.