According to the National Weather Service's website, currently hereabouts it's 56˚F and raining. I'm looking almost due west…at a near-cloudless blue sky all aglow with a bright and shining setting sun. Nary a drop of rain in evidence anywhere. I know it's probably the weekend crew holding down the office—but bless them, I do wish that instead of relying entirely on their instruments and various space-age technologies, someone would take a look out the window before they post their latest report.
On the other hand, I'll not quibble about the temperature. It is cool, has been both yesterday and today, and 56˚F sounds about right.
I've been fiddling with my computer most of the day. It started acting up a week or so ago—and while it isn't getting any worse, it isn't getting any better, either. Nothing I do seems to matter. So I'm afraid a service call is likely in the near future, and maybe a new computer.
As usual, I'm conflicted. I love technology and I hate technology. It's great when it works, frustrating and sometimes almost crippling when it doesn't. Maybe those folks at the National Weather Service are having computer glitches of their own.
I think I'll go eat a piece of dark chocolate. Maybe two.
8 comments:
HI GRIZZ - Sunday was very windy and chilly here as well. My Sis made a Cinco de Mayo meal, taco salad, mini quesedillas and tequilla sunrises. Blended/pureed taco salad leaves a bit to be desired but that's ok, the tequilla sunrises were delish!
Off to the dentist today - get the stitches out, and so the healing continues.
I emailed you back and also sent a pic separately.
Love you
Gail
peace....
I share your ambivalence on technology, Grizz, and I remain somewhat nostalgic about a world in which we had one home phone, three television channels at most, and people were capable of seeing each other on the streets and talking, versus walking by mindlessly chatting into "smartphones," which, if the truth be told, may not be so smart in the larger scheme of things. As you can see by the inexcusable length of this sentence, I could go on and on about these frustrations . . . That said, I think that there is no better solution to this problem — indeed, most problems — than one or two pieces of dark chocolate. Why do I need to go to an ashram in India, when I can find this kind of wisdom on Riverdaze?
Love to see those dandilions! I'm too far north here near Ottawa, Ontario Canada for them to bloom yet. My honey bees will have to wait a bit longer. As per your computer problems, I find Macintosh to give the least trouble.
Love your blog.
Gail…
My Cinco de Mayo meals yesterday consisted of a late (11:30 a.m.) breakfast following more fiddling with the computer all morning—leftover chicken stir-fry from the lunch I did Sunday; a hot dog with sauerkraut and a bottle of water at 5:00 p.m. while shopping at Sam's, after running around all afternoon taking care of various errands; and a handful of peanuts and an apple about 8:30 p.m. while Myladlove had supper…which I didn't feel like eating.
I'm a real party animal, huh? I'm hoping to do better, mealwise, today—though I have a bunch of writing and a more errands to do, so it could be problematic.
I did receive your email and pix and will get back on that…eventually. In the meantime, I know you're doing well and taking things in stride. Which is the best any of us can ever manage.
Hi Jim - your plate is still quite full. I understand. Take time to relax, breathe, enjoy a moment. :-)
Love Gail
peace.......
p.s. not sure how often you r on facebook, but i posted a song on your timeline.
George…
First off, my friend, there's no such thing as an "inexcusable length" sentence. Each sentence is an individual thought journey, with words acting as the pathway; some excursions are simply longer than others. (If you want to read some long sentences, browse a copy of Thoreau's "Walden!"
The phrase "there's no free lunch" applies equally well to technology…nothing comes without some cost. Not simply monetarily, of course—though that is also very often one of the costs. In medicine and medical technology, we have so many advances which can save or improve lives—and that's good; but the cost can be prohibitive or impossible, even with great insurance or the latest greatest heath care plans and policies. So money enters the equation and all sorts of decisions must be made by various people and entities.
As a writer, I adore the ease of working in a word-processing program on a computer—and of zapping the completed work off to a publisher with a single keystroke. But should the computer or the internet or some other bit of technology in the chain act up, you're nearly crippled until it gets fixed…and anything more than the simplest problem requires a technician with way more savvy than me to figure it out and make the repair.
But the worst thing about so many of today's technologies—at least from a problematic potential—is the way they serve to distance us from one another, physically, psychologically, financially, etc.; we lose a measure of our humanity in the name of efficiency or improvement. Skyping isn't the same as a face-to-face talk with the real person; texting isn't the same as hearing a conversation; an email isn't a hand-written letter. I don't like this technologically-removed falsehood of supposed participation—it's a trap, an isolation from genuine life, and not something I want to fall into…the La Brea tar pit of our modern world.
However, I'm not about to become a Luddite. It's just that I do think there's a danger involved in putting layers of technology between us and real life. Digital reality is a paradox.
Finally, while some problems will never go away, I do believe that a few pieces of dark chocolate, a hug from someone who cares about you, and a good night's sleep can go a long way into putting many issues into their best perspective.
Out To Pasture…
We've had blooming dandelions hereabouts for a moth or more, in spite of snows and a record winter which never wanted to let go.
Hey, you're preaching to the choir re. Macs…I've never owned anything else. But like all machines—even elegant, quality-built machines—given time and hard use, they can have their issues. I would consider a new Mac instead of a repair simply because I'd like to have the faster processors for my photo work, and have been lusting over the 27-inch screen (versus my current 21.5-incher) for some time. But if this one deigns to run without hiccups for a few more years, I'm agreeable with that, too. I probably should have a back up something or other available, however; I've been thinking iPad.
Gail…
Thanks. I'll try to not be too slow.
FYI, I try and check Facebook once every week, though it's sometimes two; but I practically never post anything. My life is too boring to chronicle daily and I can't figure anything to say on FB. "Took out trash?" "Fed geese?" "Showered, shaved, and dressed without assistance?" Apparently I'm not a "sound-bite" sort of person. I mostly have an account to keep up with the doings of friends.
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