Oh My Freakin' God...

...it's COLD! It was -2 degrees on the way to work this morning. Wind chill is -22. Yes, those are both negative numbers. I know, I know, I said I wanted winter. If you recall, I specifically said snow. Not ice, not this frost-bite shit, but snow. C'mon... work with me.

Happy Birthday Wishes!

Go over and tell Amy to have a Happy B-day! I know I will be...

Updating more later.

Strike Two!

...and another day has come and gone and the new 'puter is still in the box.

I must add that I'm one step closer, tho'. I think I got Hubs all fixed up, and Son has everything at his house and connected - even if I still have some twinking to do on his as far as setting up the i-net, e-mail and so forth. (Don't give me any grief. Twinking is an accepted technical term.)

Today? Maybe? I may even take tomorrow off from work just to make sure the bonding process is complete. Those of you who get new computers understand that, right?

Unreasonable Expectations

My hubs has it figured out. We both get frustrated (read grumpy) when we set unreasonable expectations for ourselves. Case in point? My new computer came yesterday afternoon! YIPPEE! Yes, I was doing the happy dance! I left work early to get it set up. Would you believe it is still in the box? Yeah. Why?

Well... in my family, when I get a new computer (it is usually me who gets the new one, however last time it was Hubs) I have enough children and spouse that I just pass my "old" ones down. Usually someone is ready to upgrade, and my "old" one is just that. This doesn't happen without some planning. In this particular instance, Hubs' computer isn't that old, but he likes my monitor better - it's bigger. Therefore, he's getting my old monitor. His printer has been acting up. It works, but you have to finagle the paper a bit and he's not patient when it comes to technology, so I've gotten him a new printer. His old printer, his old monitor, as well as my old computer is going to my youngest son. (Keeping up?)

Since my old computer is going away, I'm cleaning off the hard drive - after backing up all the things I wanted to move to an external hard drive my eldest son loaned me. In theory, this would be easy, however, I haven't yet figured out what asshat decided it would be more cost-effective not to include the operating disks with computers anymore. Instead, they give you links to this and that and if you really, really, really want the disks, they'll send them to you - for a fee. Needless to say, the links to this and that are long-gone and the simple process of restoring my system isn't so simple anymore.

Hence, the unreasonable expectations. I wanted to have all my switching done last night and have my new 'puter up and ready to go. *sigh* Yep. Still in the box. Maybe today...

Dibs and Dabs

Catching up a bit...

• Yes, it snowed. Although "officially" we only got about 5", our deck says otherwise - try about twice that. It's beautiful. Cold, but beautiful.
• I'm taking a jammie day. I hadn't intended to, but woke this morning feeling achy and icky and hoping I'm not getting the current cold that's going around. I made an executive decision to stay home and be warm and cozy and medicated and hope it gets killed off before it gets too good a hold on my body. I can hope, right?
• My new desktop computer for home is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow! Whoot! I'm so excited. It's going to be powerful enough to play WoW on, and yet... smart enough to get my bookwork all neatly organized. To be fair, I've done pretty well on the laptop, but there is something about paying bills while balancing things on a stupid folding card table just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I want my desktop computer to be functional again - along with the nice big calculator and the better workspace. It just puts me in a better "working" frame of mind. Of course, this means work to get everything switched off of the old one so I can give it to youngest son, plus he's getting Hubs' printer, plus Hubs is then getting my old, bigger monitor and youngest son is getting Hubs' smaller monitor and Hubs has a new printer to connect. I think you're getting the picture. It really shouldn't have to be this much work.
• My new desktop computer for home is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow - at work. Need I say more? You know where I will be tomorrow.
• I've been doing some crafty things I may not have mentioned. At Christmastime I cross-stitched some bookmarks for some of my dearest friends. I knitted nice long warm scarves for most of the kids (except the ones I knew wouldn't wear 'em). I also re-did a cross-stitch of Noah's Ark for my parents that they lost in their house fire. My mother even cried when she opened it. I was glad I did it. Since Christmas, I've finished crocheting two baby afghans for friends having babies. One was just born and the other isn't due until June, but it's done! I also got into making prayer shawls through a real-life friend. Although I have some cross-stitch wedding samplers to get done for my boys, These shawls are pretty mindless tv-watching type things I can do when I don't want to think too much. I just finished one and have started another. Also picked up some more yarn "just in case" I want to make a couple of other little projects. When it's cold out you can't beat knitting or crocheting on an afghan or shawl. The more you get done the more it keeps you warm as you work on it. Someday I'd like to learn how to do socks, like Jen does. I think they'd be fun. She makes the most beautiful things.
• In case you missed it, Helen got engaged! Whoot! I can't imagine someone who deserves as much happiness as she does.
• The new World of Warcraft video game expansion "Burning Crusade" is out and is really exciting. I know, I know, I'm too old for this shit. Blame my kids. They got me hooked. I don't play near as much as I used to ... "life" seems to get in the way. However, when I do play I remember why I like to play and how much I miss playing and how much I miss the people I play with.
• A friend from blogland got me hooked on the Jim Butcher "Dresden Files" books which just premiered as a show last night on the sci-fi channel. I liked it! I'm normally more mystery and gore than sci-fi, but it worked and I enjoyed seeing how they put together things in the books with things on the show. In my mind it works much better than "Bones" does. I loved the books, but the show just leaves me a bit flat. The character she's made herself out to be (it's based on the real-life of foresic anthropologist and fiction writer Kathy Reichts) isn't quite the same as the one she's portrayed herself in her books. Maybe that's the point, I'm not sure. However, I have a hard time watching and not seeing flashbacks to "Angel" (David Borrenos co-stars) - not sure if I spelled his name right and too lazy to look it up.

I think we're caught up now, for the moment. Feel free to carry on with your regular scheduled activities...

Be Careful What You Wish For

Y'know how I was wanting it to snow? Yeah. Well... it came, although not as much as I'd hoped for. We only ended up with about 4 inches. But it blew. And it iced up. And my internet satellite is frozen in a cocoon of something-or-other that keeps it from working. Damnit. So... that's why so quiet the past few days. I stayed home. I read. I slept. We finally had our meeting with the banker (and get to farm another year - yippee!). I even ordered a new computer for home (over the telephone).

I've missed the "outside" world of the internet more than I thought I would.

Of course, I came back to work to a pile of stuff a foot high and a list of calls to return a mile long. This is supposed to be the sloooow time. The time I can be gone and no one misses me! Guess I'll have to hold out for February.

An Extended Pause

(Sit down. Get comfy. This is gonna be a long one.)

I've noticed something in the past couple of years I've been doing this "blog-thang". There seems to be a natural ebb and flow to the collective creativity. Even people who blog with an almost 100 percent productivity rate, that is to say daily, have days when they resort to memes or a pictorial or a one-line blurb about how they are sucking stones trying to get the creative juices flowing again.

Then there are the burn-outs. People who have lost the feeling and just can't seem to get it back. They write with such an outpouring of emotion that when the end comes it comes with an empathetic thud. One such person that comes to mind is Darrell. Such a prolific poster he filled day after day with sharp observations and thought-provoking images, only to stop abruptly... now only a trickle of words trip across his blog. The "mad murmurer" has become the "shy whisperer".

Most people give notice they are leaving the blogosphere. We get a short paragraph stating they are "taking a break", "burnt out", occasionally "we are getting out while we can" or "found" by some "real world" people they would just as soon not have peeking into their minds. My own child can be held as example. My eldest had a lovely little blog that several of you visited - but because of some actions by a "real world" former high school classmate it made her uncomfortable and she decided she'd rather just read 'em than write 'em. I miss some of the insights I got into my own daughter's life, but acknowledge her right not to share.

That brings me to the drop outs. The ones who just stop and fall out of sight. They appear to be going along on a normal course of day-to-day living and sharing said life with us when one day - they don't. Ever again. Leaving us asking "where are you?" "are you okay?" "is everything allright?" in comment sections and possibly even in e-mails. Mr_g comes to mind. He had a pretty prolific blog which increasingly became disturbed as he realized his wife was having an affair. It continued on until he became paranoid that she (and her lawyer) had found his blog wherein he created a new site and continued to let us faithful readers know how he was doing embarking on his new role as 'single guy'. Oddly enough, his last post was about him getting "visitation" with his dogs. This begs the question, "What happened?!?!" No reponse to e-mails or comments for months. Did his ex kill him and bury the body? Did the dogs eat him? Did the lawyers find him again and he felt the need to "get out of town" cyber-speaking?

I have a valid reason to ask. A few months ago I had a comment from a new person and being the perfect blog hostess I immediately went to visit and say thanks for coming by. Oh, who am I kidding? The truth is, I didn't notice this person had commmented on an older post so it was a couple of months before I contacted them. Trust me... I learned my lesson. As I am prone to do, I went to their blog and started at the beginning. I like to do that. Go deep into the archives and read chronologically, getting to know the person before I commit myself to opening the door of blog friendship. His blog went back a couple of years and in reading it I found him to be well-written, funny, warm and sensitive. In other words, someone I would like to keep reading. Abruptly, a month after he'd posted on my site, his stopped. I searched frantically to see if there was a clue to why. None. He'd talked about only good things happening in his life and I couldn't see there was a cause to leave, unless, like some of the rest of us, a busy life just got in the way. In reading over the last comments I started to be alarmed when I started seeing "he'll be missed" showing up. Stepping bravely into the unknown, I sent a couple of e-mails out to some regular commentors who appeared to know this person in real life. Bless their hearts, they responded. He'd had cancer (which he had never once indicated on his blog) and had died while being operated on for it's removal. I was stunned. Speechless. Someone that to me I'd just "met" was gone before I even had the chance to thank him for his kinds words on my site. Needless to say, I'm a little quicker on the responses now.

So, what do you find in your blog life? (Don't kid yourself - it is a whole 'nother life out here in the blogosphere. We have friends we've never met who we become attached to and for whatever reason have bonded over words. Just words.) Have you, too, had experience with people dropping out of sight and wondering "what happened?". Have you been that person who took an extended break and came back only to find the blogosphere had moved on without you? Am I putting too much thought into this?

...maybe I just need more sleep.

The Only One?

Am I the only one who didn't figure out it was de-lurker week? C'mon... give me some love...

If You See My Post, Send It Back

I think Michael has the right idea. I need a mind recorder. I swear I was laying (lying?) in bed last night with the best post running through my head. Do you think this morning I can even remember the topic? Hell no. So, instead you get me rambling about how I can't remember my post.

I think I'm one of those people the real writers complain about.

Feelin' Mighty Cocky

Yes, you heard me right. I'm feelin' might cocky right now. Remember Monday? Yeah, right down there, below this post. I was bemoaning the fact we had no snow in the forecast. Mwhaa haa haa.

We are expecting snow. Big-time. Soon.

Rain starting today, turning colder tomorrow, to ice, then to snow on Saturday afternoon and a chance of HEAVY snow on Sunday and Monday. 6-12 inches. Blowing. Cold. You know, winter!

Some of you know what this means. Grumpy Bunny (not blogging at the moment), Miss Sizzle, and possibly one or two others of you... it means... jammie days are coming! Whoot!

I need to go buy a lottery ticket. Who knew I could be so powerful?

Putting Away the Christmas Decorations

Okay, to be honest, they're still up at home. I decided I needed to put them away here in blog-land, however, so ta-da! Here we are fresh and new in our winter coat. Unfortunately, it is drab and grey and brown here in Iowa. I know, I shouldn't complain. Hubs keeps telling me he's happy not to have to fight the snow. I know in my mind it is safer for driving and walking and general well-being not to have a foot of snow on the ground (let alone ice). Me? I'm ready for a good two-feet of blizzard where I can snuggle up next to my fireplace with a bunch of warm-blooded critters and just veg. Not much hope of it in the forecast. Darn.

Do You Hear That?

That, my friends, is the sound of silence in my office. There is no cussing or throwing things or stomping of feet... because... my computer appears to be working this morning! Whoot! Okay, now everyone knock on wood. Seriously.

What's Next?

Would you please look me over? Check my back... is there a target painted there I didn't get washed off when I showered? Is there a black cloud over my head? Is "666" on my forehead? Something has to be saying it's my turn...

I get to work this morning and my brand new wireless keyboard and mouse don't work. At all. For some reason, Bluetooth thinks my license has expired? After an hour trying to get a "wired" keyboard and mouse to hook up (who knew the new computers all had wireless or USB connections and don't even come with the old keyboard connectors?) I finally was able to access my computer to download a new driver which (computer provider to remain nameless) swears will fix this problem that they've never seen before. Egads! I'm a lab rat!

What Year Is It?

Andy posed a good question in the comments of my last post. "What year is it in Iowa?"... I'll tell ya, at this point I'm not even sure. I just had to look to see what day it was. After working my buns off (don't I wish...they're no smaller - shaddup) trying to get my new work computer filled back up with data and programs (can you say, 14 hour days?) I was greeted yesterday morning to a black startup screen.

Black? YES.

Now, I know just enough about computers to be dangerous. I may experiment with various things on my personal computer if things go wrong, but the work computer? Nope. I turn chicken and go right to the office tech support people. I was able to get myself into "safe" mode. At that point the tech people wanted me to do a "restore". Well, gee... the most recent restore point was last Friday morning at 8 a.m. Against the rumblings of my gut, I ran it. It made no difference, except, of course, (you see this one coming) all the data that I'd entered in since then was gone. I'd be terribly surprised if you didn't hear the cussing several states away. Did it fix anything. No. I was so brave. I didn't even cry.

Now the tech support people had me run "spybot" and "ad-aware" and to defrag my hard drive. Spybot wanted some update that it couldn't get, so it wouldn't run. Ad-aware found 5 bland cookies, and I spent 2 hours running defrag.

Did it work? Yes. Why? No clue.

Now I call tech support to see if they can tell me why, as I do not want this to happen again. They have no clue. They say, "just keep re-booting periodically to make sure it's working". Helpful, aren't they? They tell me to call the tech support people for the major GPS software program I use (which was basically all I'd been using for day before, trying to restore and re-run previous data). That tech support person suggested I may have a lemon. He thinks I may have an unstable hard drive and/or something wrong with the motherboard and gee... I should contact my computer manufacterer to see if they can run some diagnostics.

I call the computer company. (I'm not naming names as they have always been good to me... and until it has been proven to me that it's junk, I'm not bad-mouthing them. They are not the same company as the computer that failed.) The computer tech support person (he spoke ENGLISH! Whoot!) tells me there is a 'fix' in Norton anti-virus version 10 and proceeds to have me change one setting and re-boot. He tells me this is going to take care of it. Huh. You mean, I could have avoided doing a "restore" and losing all my data?

I, and my company tech support people, are skeptical. However, my computer booted up this morning as though nothing was wrong (after spending all yesterday once more loading data back into my program).

One day soon, I hope, I may be back in the world of "normal" people. You know... the ones who work 8 hour days with a lunch break and who get to go home at 5 o'clock to see the people they love and cook supper and watch TV and play WoW and read friends' blogs... oh, yeah... that's called a LIFE, right? I vaguely remember. Keep your fingers crossed.