Techno upgrades

I’m frazzled. Pleased. Tired. And only a little sticker-shocked.

The old PowerSpec desktop and failing Daewoo LCD monitor have been replaced. By a spanking new Compaq Presario desktop PC, and a Viewsonic 19″ widescreen LCD monitor on a swivel base that also can be tilted and raised and lowered.

The good: The new PC and monitor are better, faster and fancier. The Compaq is also more quiet than the Powerspec, which is noisier than any desktop I’ve owned including prior Powerspecs. Now I even have a Lightscribe DVD drive.

The bad: Making lists and checking them twice, gotta be sure to save everything necessary before I use Active@Killdisk to wipe the old PC’s hard drive clean. I’ve used that free program to wipe clean the hard drives of all my old PCs before donating them or handing them in for recycling/disposal.

The ugly: Trying to adjust to Windows Vista. Just when Windows XP and its predecessors had worn me down to putting things in the “My Documents” folder – including counterintuitive things such as pictures and music files – Vista has changed the locations of such things. Note to self: DO NOT EMPTY THE RECYCLE BIN (on the new PC). Maybe ever. I found my whole iTunes library in there an hour ago. Eeek!

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I laughed even as I wondered why

A couple of decades ago I started watching the reruns of a 1970′s BBC comedy show on our local PBS station. It was broadcast at 10 pm on weeknights, and I strongly preferred it to watching the local news. That was back in the far away past before cable TV gave us all more options.

The show was Are You Being Served? It was old and corny and politically incorrect and cringe-inducing, but it cracked me up anyway. I’ve probably seen each of the episodes at least six times, either on PBS or BBC America.

I learned today that John Inman – pictured at left – died earlier this month. He was a key member of the AYBS ensemble, playing the over-the-top campy Mr. Humphries, whose deep-voiced intonation of “Mens’ Wear” on the phone, outrageous costumes, perpetually sunny outlook, and way with a measuring tape when getting that inside leg seam measurement, will no doubt remain fresh in my memory long after I’ve forgotten my own address.

I really liked Mr. Humphries. I just knew that he would be a loyal friend to the end no matter what foolish things you did, that underneath the campy exterior beat a strong, brave and wise heart.

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Techno troubles

Uh-oh. My sort-of old Daewoo LCD monitor (Model F227B) has been misbehaving. I thought that the problem originated with with my old desktop PC, which has some shortcomings anyway, but it may turn out to be a failing of the monitor. The strange happenings have been intermittent so far. Garbled video display on startup of PC, then if I wait long enough the display eventually normalizes, generally from the top down. Or sometimes it has to be shut down and restarted a few times first. But it’s been working OK for most of this morning and now I can’t get it to replicate the crazy things it was doing all day yesterday and first thing this morning. Go figure.

I found this blog entry about a Daewood LCD monitor failure, with pictures yet. The one I’ve copied here looks a lot like my monitor when it’s gone all ga-ga.

I’ve backed up and archived all the computer files I can think of into an external hard drive. And I’m about to go shopping. I may come home with a new desktop PC and new monitor. Or I may come tottering home clutching only my wallet in sweaty hands, stricken with sticker shock.

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Inner children

My inner child is a pretty happy camper this month. Having convinced me it was time to retire – I swear she wrote that notice of retirement letter to my boss – she’s sleeping late and eating lots of treats and reading lots of fun books. And going to movies. Way more movies than has been the norm in my so-called adult life.

Day before yesterday my inner biker chick picked the flick: Wild Hogs. Certifiable Princess had recommended it, and we weren’t disappointed. It was a complete hoot, with a fun plot, lots of nice loud action, and so much eye candy of the male variety onscreen that it was easy to watch. Sweeet. The theater I saw it in – Colorado Cinemas’ Cherry Creek Stadium 8 – leaves much to be desired. Explanation below the fold.

Then yesterday my inner policy wonk chose An Unreasonable Man. A documentary, yet. More than two hours of talking heads, all about Ralph Nader.

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Lovable

You know what’s so funny and sad about us human beings? . . . We are constantly torn between the all-consuming desire to be loved and the terrifying fear of being known. Deep inside we don’t believe the two things can exist together, that if anyone really knew us, they would surely never love us, so we spend our whole lives concocting this wonderful, plastic shell that we fight like madmen to keep pristine. But eventually the plastic cracks and what is inside is a raw, quivering mass of imperfect humanity that has always been lovely and precious enough for God Himself to love.

–Earlene Fowler, Steps to the Altar*, p. 177.

*Although the title suggests a book about marriage, it is the name of a traditional American quilt pattern, and the book is a crime novel.

 

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Good questions

Whether you went to Holy Trinity Grammar School, P.S. 159 or Yeshiva Elementary, you learned in first grade that when you don’t tell the truth, it is called a lie. And telling a lie is wrong.

We learned that at school. We learned that at home. We learned that through our faith. And if somehow we needed even more reinforcement, watching Pinocchio’s nose grow and grow did the trick. Lying is wrong. Simple enough

Why is it that smart, powerful people, including presidents and people who work for presidents, who have all spent more days in church or synagogue and many more years learning about right and wrong and what constitutes lying, don’t seem to have a good handle on this simple concept?

So asks Susan Casey, a guest columnist in today’s Denver Post. Whole thing below the fold if the link has expired.

On the same page of that paper, Ed Quillen writes that the American people have been at some kind of war more often than not, but that we are fed up with being misled. That column is also below the fold in case the link expires.

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Self-indulgence

Oh my goodness. I LOVE being retired. It’s nearly 10:30 on a Monday morning and I’m taking my time getting dressed. I am doing some errands this morning and again this afternoon for our condo building decorating project so it’s not All Me All The Time. But still. I could get used to this. It will be interesting to see what I think in few months, when I look back at this blog entry.

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When flying first class is worse than economy

That would have been this time.  (The story is below the fold if the link doesn’t work.)

I’m surprised that the flight crew didn’t at least explain things to the nearby first class passengers before plopping the late lady into a seat, and bringing her relatives up there to wail and mourn loudly for the rest of the journey.   (I doubt that diverting the flight and leaving the body in some other country would have been workable.  That could have created unimaginable snarls of bureaucratic and legal red tape for the family and maybe even the airline.)

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Sunday night’s fortune

My Fortune Cookie told me: Never try to tapdance with parrots on a shrub. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

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Makin’ my movie list for the week

Thanks to Certifiable Princess, I’ll pass on the film 300. She gets right down to brass tacks in her review:

Are you psyched to see the epic wonder called “300″?

Let [me] save you some cash. Do the following…

Get the movie Gladiator for real cheap at like…WalMart, in their $2.99 DVD bin. Throw it on the ol’ DVD player. Get a bucket of popcorn and a kid with acne to throw it at you while trying to watch the movie. Next, get a musclehead who hasn’t spent more than one night away from his Bowflex to come over. Have this same man get really greasy and make him throw steak knives around

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Just remember, ladies: bring only paper and pen to class

Well, you might bring eye and ear protection too.

Yet another reason not to mess with a woman from Oklahoma. The Altus Public Library is presenting two courses FOR WOMEN ONLY.   Yeah, it’s sooo politically incorrect of me, but I’m totally in favor of this.  Details – and signup information - below the fold.

Southern Prairie Library System Presents: FOR WOMEN ONLY

Learn To Shoot
NRA Certified Instructor

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Another reason I never really fit in there

From today’s Denver Post, the news (full story below the fold if that link has expired) that Oklahoma, besides being the buckle of the nation’s Bible Belt, is still a hot spot of activity on the beauty pageant circuit.   The story says that Altus (population 21,000) even has a traveling fan club for its contestants.

I knew about the Bible Belt buckle thing, but not about the other.

The state has produced two Miss America winners in a row; this year’s is Lauren Nelson of Lawton.

Bibles and bikinis and high heels. Somehow they manage to work it all at once.

Which reinforces something I learned long ago from observing my wonderful Oklahoma cousins and friends:  Do. Not. Ever. Underestimate. A. Woman. From. Oklahoma.  For good or ill.  You have been warned.

By the way, I was born there too.

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A cup of green, to go

A sweeping tip of the hat to author Annie Dawid for her generous act: she bought a case of stainless-steel travel mugs and handed it over to the operator of her local coffee shop in Westcliffe, Colorado. Which was the start of something good. Customers are happily passing up styrofoam to-go cups in favor of reusing the travel mugs. Since Dawid got the ball rolling, many more of the travel mugs have been put into service.

The whole story is in today’s Denver Post and since these things go off-line fast, you can also read it below the fold here.

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Check out the picture of Chuck

Oh, I love it when Dooce posts some of the hatemail she gets. Scroll down that post to see her response to the guy who complained about how often she posts pictures of her dog. A classic.

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Together forever

I’d lived in this part of town for awhile before I realized that there’s a large cemetery nearby. It sits behind hedges along the main big street, and its signage is discreet.  Then a few months ago I heard that one of my uncles was buried there.

Today I stopped by the cemetery office and asked if they could tell me where his grave is. Not only could they, they took me to it.  I found that Uncle Wayne and Aunt Avis – who died within a year of each other – are both there. “Together forever” the marker says. The cemetery folks are going to have the marker cleaned and raised a little; it’s been a bit overgrown after 35 years.

Wayne and Avis were a constant presence in my life when I was a small child in Oklahoma. . Later in my childhood they moved to Kansas, and then we moved to Texas. We didn’t see much of them after that.  Wayne and Avis never had children.   They never lived in Colorado; I think they were buried here because Avis’ sister lived here and made the arrangements.  

I think I will go back next month to see if the marker’s been raised.

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Maxed Out, the movie

It’s a crazy old world. Here in the USA so many of us are frequent shoppers, filling our dwellings past the bursting point with our stuff – and then paying rent on offsite storage units for the excess. And all the while the average American household is carrying thousands of dollars in consumer debt. For all that stuff. Most of which we could live without.

This afternoon I saw the documentary film Maxed Out:

Maxed Out takes viewers on a journey deep inside the American style of debt, where things seem fine as long as the minimum monthly payment arrives on time. With coverage that spans from small American towns all the way to the White House, the film shows how the modern financial industry really works, explains the true definition of “preferred customer” and tells us why the poor are getting poorer while the rich keep getting richer. Hilarious, shocking and incisive, Maxed Out paints a picture of a national nightmare which is all too real for most of us.”

It’s good. Very good. I think every high school and college student should be required to see it. It wouldn’t hurt for most adults to view it too. I plan to buy the DVD if/when it’s released. I also intend to buy the companion book. Ann Hornaday’s review in the Denver Post and Washington Post appears below the fold.

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Nooz clips

From The Daily Nooz, these items:

~~~~~~

California’s Golden State Fence Co., which has a contract to build part of the wall on the Mexican border, agreed to pay nearly $5 million in fines because it had been employing illegal aliens.

~~~~~

At a Piggly Wiggly store in Sheboygan, Wis., a man waved a gun in a clerk’s face and demanded he be given a large bag of potato chips or he would shoot.

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Movies movies movies

Yes, I did retire. As of March 1. I’ve been busy for the past ten days even without a job: a homeowners’ association project, personal business, and [bless their hearts!] colleagues, friends and family have variously celebrated my retirement transition with parties and dinners and event tickets and lunch invitations. I also have a sinus infection; I think the prescribed antibiotics are finally turning the tide – although yesterday I wasn’t even up to leaving the house.

I’ve had time to go to the movies. I’ve seen some excellent films: The Lives of Others, mentioned here. The Departed. This afternoon I saw Breach, the dramatization of the final weeks of the FBI’s work to capture its own mega-traitor agent Robert Hanssen.

On the list of possibles for this week: Happy Feet, Babel, and The Pursuit of Happyness, which are all at the nearby bargain movie theater ($1.25 before 6 pm; $1.75 after; all shows $.50 on Tuesdays). I’d like to see Dreamgirls but I may have waited too long; there are only a couple of places it’s showing, neither conveniently located, and both with late evening show times only.

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When truth is as scary as fiction

The other day I saw the movie that won the Oscar for best foreign language film, and I’m glad I did. The Lives of Others is worth the price of admission and the effort of reading subtitles. This review in the Baltimore Sun explains why.

The film is set in 1984 East Germany. It’s a socialist country, as yet untouched by the winds of glasnost, where the Stasi – the state secret police – keep tabs on everybody and keep special watch on persons of interest. Comprehensive audio and video surveillance, even a big surreptitious mail-opening operation. It was chilling to watch the movie’s stark illustration of that system, and to think of what life would be like for regular people like me in a situation like that.

Then yesterday we read this story in the news:

WASHINGTON- The nation’s top two law enforcement officials acknowledged Friday the FBI broke the law to secretly pry out personal information about Americans.

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