What have I got myself in to?

Donald and the girls went with me this morning to Costco, where I bought a Dell Inspiron laptop.  The screen on my Mac is 13" and the one on the Dell is 15.6 (or something like that).  When we got it back to my house and started setting it up I realized what a learning curve I will be going through.  I doubt I'll be very proficient by the time of my surgery so I will be going through the period of recovery without using the computer.  I realize how much better my Apple screen is, but maybe when I can figure out the settings I want and how to keep them that way, I'll be ok.  For a little more money I could have gotten the 17" screen, but I find that my field of vision takes in the 15+" very well, where the 17 is a little larger than I can comfortably see all at once.

The new computer has a touch screen feature which I really didn't want but after using it a few times I realize how much time it can save.   It will take time to get used to but it might be worth it.  In addition I bought a Seagate backup device.  I've always been really lax about backing up my computer, but no more! 

I also disconnected that annoying voice that wants to help me with the computer.   I am not crazy enough yet that I am going to talk to a robotic voice, whether the name is Siri, Cortina, or whatever.   The only times I talk out loud when I'm alone is when I've done something particularly well, and I might say out loud:  "Damn, Marty, you're GOOD!" 

Well folks, that's been my entire day!  I'm really tired and it still isn't dark yet, but I will be in bed about the time the sun goes down.  I have to get an EKG tomorrow morning - Steve is going to take me to the clinic which is only about 15 min. from my house (but 45 min. from his!).  If I don't post tomorrow I will be back the following day.
 

 

A few more photos from trip

Here are more of the photos I took on the train ride back from NY.  Click on a picture to enlarge it.   I really enjoyed my approx, 7 wks with my son and his family, and a few days with Ara but I am ready to get my house in order before my eye surgery.  I saw the oncologist today and she was very happy with all the results of the blood tests - all were  in the normal range except for one, and it was very close to normal.


The first picture is of an apartment bldg just on the outskirts of Denver.  I thought it was so unusual in appearance I took a picture of it.  Can't say I like it, but then I'm not  a fan of Denver area architecture.   The newer "modern"  buildings seem  so uninspired and out of place.  I liked "Old Denver" much better but that is just a personal opinion.

Most of the following are taken along the Colorado River, and I really can't remember where Colorado turns into Utah.  The next two are photos of clouds that I liked.

 Morning sky.

I took way fewer pictures on the return trip but enjoyed the scenery nonetheless.

The cursor is jumping all over the place so it's time for me to quit.  If I find more photos to post I'll add them later.

You win some, you lose some!

I'm still having difficulties with my computer cursor - it jumps all over the place and it is almost funny how much it messes up what I'm trying to do.

So my son Joe took me to the lab to get blood work done this morning (I have a visit with the oncologist tomorrow), then to Walmart where I bought a $13 cursor.  I brought it home and it worked like a charm - for a time.  I just recently found that even with the new cursor the old one still calls the shots sometimes.  

While Joe was here he washed all the windows and took the screens out so I could clean them before putting them back at the windows.   The clean probably won't last long as I am situated in a dust tunnel - everything blows directly at my house and driveway - but for now the view is really good!

I just found out that my sister and b-i-l are in Sacramento and were planning to go back home (Nevada) but decided to stay another night and see if any of us could join them for Straw Hat Pizza.  While I would love to go to bed early, I don't want to miss the chance at being with the group.  I've enjoyed retiring earlier than usual and getting up early (NY time).  I get so much more done in the morning. 

 My return trip from NY was very tiring but I didn't spend a lot of time resting from it.   I seemed to jump right in and get back to normal.

I haven't been able to deal with the photos I took from the train window on the way back, but if I can get this computer figured out I'll work on it soon.  Right now I need to get ready for Straw Hat!

 

Home again!

I arrived nearly on time on Friday afternoon.  On a cross country trip via rail you must always expect delays in the trains for one reason or another, but I think Chicago to Sac was only about 25 minutes late this time.

I haven't taken much time to rest and relax since I've been back as I needed to restock my food supplies, and it turned out to be a fun shopping day with Jeannie and Autumn.  This morning I was up early - Eastern time - and did laundry and several other chores at home.  My driveway was full of dried leaves and I even took care of that, although more will fall every day for a while.

I'm very discouraged about my computer which has been acting up constantly.  I believe it is a bad cursor but there are no doubt other problems with it.  I made a huge mistake in installing the latest update and subsequently find it completely changed just about everything on my computer.  I lost so many items and information, and they even deleted all past update versions from my computer so I can't reinstall a past version.  I am so angry about this because I am way past the stage where I eagerly look for positive change.  For the most part I feel
if it ain't broke, don't fix it!".  It wasn't broke and many of the changes seem to be at the whim of developers, who have to make even unnecessary changes in order to stay employed and busy.

I took some photos on the return trip, and will try to post them soon if I can.  I need to get something done about the cursor problem before doing anything serious, and I think I'm also going to buy an inexpensive Windows computer more as a backup.   I hate to think about doing without a computer for days or weeks at a time.

I had a wonderful trip but am relieved to be back home and get things taken care of here so that I won't be too stressed after my eye surgery.

All good things must end!

My wonderful vacation is nearly at an end and I will soon be boarding the train for my long journey across the country.

This past weekend Mike and I drove to Maryland where he booked rooms near the Baltimore airport.  He had meetings on Saturday; Ara met us at the hotel and on Saturday we drove to the suburbs of Washington DC to see my Aunt Lenora.  It was so good to see her again - I think she will celebrate her 88th birthday in September.  My first trip to Washington was to see her and her husband right after I completed the 8th grade, and I've been back often.  We saw a lot of each other for the years I lived in Northern Virginia.  This certainly has been a memorable trip for me, and I thank my son and his family for making it possible.

Before we returned to Maryland, Ara wanted to see my old condo, as she remembers visiting me there many times, so we drove to Tyson's Corner and walked around the condo bldg which brought back memories to both of us.   I have forgotten so much about the area with many of the roads turned into limited access highways, new bldgs that alter the skyline in many places, etc.  I was reminded of the saying, "You can't go home again."  I loved the area while I lived and worked there, but I'm glad I moved when I did.  I don't belong anyplace as "high powered" and  "fast moving" since I retired.

I started packing last night and have most of it done except for the "little things".  I'm going back with a suitcase that seems heavier than the one I came with! 

I hope I can get wifi on the train, but at least at the Chicago station where I'll have a fairly long layover so I might have a chance to post again soon.  Sorry about the lack of photos - I made the big mistake of installing the last upgrade on my Mac, which is absolutely awful as far as I'm concerned.  It changed everything including how I manage my photos, and many other features.  It also deleted every old version of updates, so there is no way to go back. 

One more short trip

This afternoon Mike and I are driving to Maryland, where Ara will meet us.  We'll spend the night there and tomorrow morning Ara will drive me to visit my aunt who lives in Virginia.  This aunt came to the hospital when Ara was born, and after Jeannie and me, she was the third person to hold the newborn Ara.  We all go back a long way!  We will return to NY on Sunday morning, and I will start my packing for the trip back on Tuesday.

I've really enjoyed this trip, and my son and d-i-l have made sure I got to see people and places I love.  What a vacation this has been!  I'm anxious to spend the two weeks after I get back home in getting ready for whatever the surgery brings.  The thing I just don't know about is what will I eat and how will I fix it.  I may live on salads for the most part because they will require no heating, and especially for the first week or until I can hold my head up, I'd rather not deal with the stove or even the microwave.

I brought way too much stuff with me but I wanted to be prepared for whatever or wherever we went.  I brought a fairly dressy dress and silk shawl, plus dress pants and top, but never had the desire nor the opportunity to put them on.  I think it might just be part of my generation to be prepared for whatever comes; people today figure, "Oh well, if I need it I can always buy it somewhere!"

So I will wish you all a great upcoming weekend.  I don't think I will take my computer this weekend, but will try to publish one or two short blogs before I get on the train home. 

Here are three more photos I salvaged from the visit to Boston.  Two are of the monument atop Bunker Hill, and one is a view of part of the cemetery on the grounds.  I think quite a few of the burials here are of free blacks who fought in the Revolution.

What a mistake I made!

I really dislike updating sotware, but I eventually do it.  I've been getting notices of an update for the Mac operating system and finally decided to do it today.  WHAT A MISTAKE!  They have totally changed their update procedure it seems, and while in the past your computer kept the older version until you deleted it, this doesn't currently seem to be the case.  It looks like I'm stuck.

What don't I like about it?  For one thing Siri is mandatory and can't be deleted from my computer.  Siri is an "assistant", being able to give you the time, weather, etc., plus a myriad of other things you want to know or get help on.  It is a spooky application with a human voice that is listening to you 24/7.  To my knowledge you can't turn it off.  I live alone and don't normally talk to myself, but if my computer is on while I'm on the phone or have visitors, it hears and recalls every word that is spoken.  Instead of being helpful - "Siri, what is the weather forecast for today",- or some other innocent question - I feel it is an invasion of my privacy.  And I can't turn it off or dismantle it.  That isn't right!  And in addition, Siri shares whatever "she" hears with whatever entity "she" serves.  I think Siri is available on Windows also, so it's not limited to  Apple Corp. or Microsoft Windows.  What is higher up than these two computer systems?  I'd like to know.

If I am wrong about this, I'd appreciate it if someone would let me know how to get my older version of the operating system back.  If I had purchased a device called "Time Machine", and if I was diligent in backing up the entire contents of my computer, there might be a fix.  But I'm not diligent in much of anything, least of all backing up my computer.

As I've written lately, I've been going through the "Stay with Apple" vs "Go Back to Windows" dilemma.  I decided I didn't want to learn a new operating system (Windows) so I planned to update some features of my Apple.   Now I'm really confused as to what I should do.  I would hate to get a computer using Windows to find it has the same weird spooky voice listening (and keeping a record of) everything you say while the computer is turned on.  

On another note I will be returning to Sacramento next week, and will be running back and forth between various doctors, labs, etc. for two weeks until my eye surgery.  I am dreading it but I hope it heals fast and that the surgery actually makes an improvement in my eyesight.

Boston was a wonderful experience and I'll write more about it when I get back home and can retrieve the rest of my photos.  Unfortunately the memory card died and I didn't bring the charger along with me.  I don't often take photos these days and forget about planning for it.