My neighbor's beagle

Last week it finally happened. Our neighbor came over and asked us not to let her dog in our house. However, I must say, it's very inconvenient to run laps around the house to try to evade the dog and keep her from getting into the house, especially when one is balancing a large load of purchases. So yes, there's a dog here. She tried to get in when I left, and she was still there on the doorstep three hours later when I got back from my epic shopping trip. I'll take her back to her yard again, like I already did several times today. But really, I somehow don't feel to guilty about it all. Can we help it if the dog has adopted us?

The future has arrived: welcome to 2009

Yes, yes, I realize that 2009 is considered the past for most of us, but for my trusty Mac it's five years in the future from 2004. And it finally made it! It's only taken about two years of hemming, hawwing, and contemplating on my part (plus a little shove from a RAM transplant), but better late then never. :) (This post brought to you from the newly improved Mac.)

Tidings of technology and joy

I'm beginning to think I ought to rename this the Technology blog, in light of my abundance of techno posting . . .

Our first techno tale is a continuation of our TV etc. saga. Not long before we left Ohio, our DVD player gave up the ghost. Wouldn't respond to cleaning or anything, just refused to play perfectly good discs that our computers had proven were still working. That's when we rediscovered our VHS player and our relative dearth of VHS tapes. A friend loaned us some tapes, and once we got to Utah we found VHS tapes readily available for 75 cents a tape at our nearby thrift store. That in itself was fun: I felt so very thrifty and gifted buying all sorts of "expensive" movies that I'd long coveted at their full retail price. My husband loves the tapes because they are straightforward: you tell them to go forward or backward and they do it, without throwing in all sorts of menu options. Amanda loves the tapes because they're in our budget and because she's been introduced to "new" films through them. However, I still wanted a new DVD player. After much drooling at regular retail stores and online, I finally got brave enough last night to pick one out from the thrift store for $10. And it works! It's almost 10 years old, which means it actually has enough built in buttons to make it so you don't have to have a remote to navigate menus. After I told Amanda about the new machine, she asked sadly, "So does this mean we don't get to watch the tapes anymore?" She felt better when I reassured her we could. Blu-ray? Bah! We thrive on decade-or-older technology around here! (Kidding, of course; I am VERY glad to have an iPod around the house!)

My other big technology story for the day concerns a hard drive. A couple of years ago I bought an external hard drive on eBay. It was advertised as a 160 GB hard drive, but for some reason I had it in my head that it was only a 40 GB drive. It had been a long time since I'd been able to use it thanks to various cords being MIA. After a semi-epic struggle, I learned the identity of the last cord I needed and secured one from eBay. Before it arrived, I'd tried opening up the external hard drive casing to see if maybe I could just stick the thing in my "new" computer rather than bothering with a new cord. That's when I saw the sticker saying the hard drive was a 200 GB one. Really, I wondered . . . where does the other 160 of it go when I turn it on? With the new cable plugged in, I asked my computer how big the hard drive was. The computer recognizes the 200 GB listing, but apparently the formatting or something on it mysteriously takes up a lot of that, but it still leaves 186 GB available. Wow. Not 200, but definitely a lot more than the 40 I thought I had. After using 1, 2, 4, and 8 gig memory sticks to transfer files, it's so nice not to have to worry as much about backup space anymore!

First post from the FAST "new" computer

The bad news is, the keyboard from the curb has expired. The good news is, my old-but-faithful Mac keyboard works just fine with my "new" PC. Score 1 for Mac! This is especially important now, when I so desperately want to play with my newly sped-up computer. Yes indeed, my computer now has four times the RAM it did before, which means it no longer takes forever to start doing anything and everything. Yipeee! I'm also feeling very proud of myself for installing the new RAM myself. A good day in the tech world, all in all. :)

My "new" Dell

Due to recent life changes, the blue laptop that served as my connection to the "newer OS/PC only" side of the web is no longer at my disposal. However, after a week of not-so-patiently waiting, I have now secured for myself a "new" computer (or at least it was new about when my Mac was new, based on its specs).

I'm actually very proud of my new little computer and its hodgepodge of helper hardware. Wireless internet comes through a USB port attachment. Its pictures show up on the monitor that got us through the great laptop screen blackout (before we got a new LCD display), and the mouse and keyboard are ones we salvaged from the curb back in Ohio (and they work fine!). The power cord mysteriously came home with me after a visit to my parents. Thanks to its older operating system, it should work just fine with my older printer/scanner/copier (Windows 7 only let me print from it, wouldn't talk to the scanner). Oh yes, and it's all plugged in to the power strip that used to keep our phone & internet set up going back in Ohio. A motley crew, to be sure, but it works!

Funny thing, though. The Dell is almost identical to the Mac, technically speaking. However, the Mac boots faster, takes up less space, and doesn't crash much. So fear not, dear Mac, your place in the family is secure as long as I have anything to do with it.

Now for the funniest part of the Dell saga. Much of the software for it was already on hand, stored away on the Mac in a folder called "PC software for Dell." That's what the old red laptop of bygone days was; guess we've come full circle now.

My son just made a new friend for me today

I have a new Facebook friend. I've never met him, but he has a cute baby for his profile picture and he knows one of my cousins. This is what happens when a 2 or 3 year old (not sure which) touches lots of buttons on an iPod. I found out about all this when I got the notification that "my" friend request had been accepted. Funny stuff, technology.

Ships passing in the night (or something like that)

While in the midst of planning our latest birthday party, it's been funny how many people can't come because they'll be out of town. What's even funnier is how many of them are out of town right around where we'll be in town not long after the party.

Tales of mice and fingernails

First off, just so you know, the two headline words aren't actually related. That said, on to the mouse.

The mouse: All the basement dumping done by our boys made the place quite inviting to a small rodent in search of food. After a couple of brief sightings and a couple of discovered hide outs, I decided to try a glue trap I found at the store. The mouse conveniently showed itself long enough for me to see it dash behind a shelf. So, I set a couple of the glue coated papers down by the shelf and waited. That evening after a few hours had passed and the kids had gone to bed, I proudly showed Dan the very stuck (and very scared) little critter. It was cute, and so when he suggested it might be fun to try to cage it (since mice are allowed pets here), I understood. The makeshift cage he constructed of plastic bins and odds and ends was impressive. There was just one problem: how to get the mouse off the glue. Thinking outside the box, Dan grabbed some WD40 and squirted a little on the stuck parts. It worked a little too well, and the mouse was loose in a plastic bin with little holes along the sides just right for a mouse to wrap it's little feet around. When I tried to get it out, it jumped clear of the cage and dashd under another shelf. It felt like a typical sitcom ending, where despite all the action, we were pretty much right back where we started out. Almost: The mouse was stuck on that glue paper for an hour or more while we worked on the cage and the unsticking, and who knows how long before that. It lost a fair amount of fur in its struggles, and was thoroughly traumatized by the time it escaped. We haven't heard from him since.

Fingernails: A couple of months ago, a can and a hangnail joined forces to give me a nasty infection in my thumb. The infection went away with a little help from the doctor, but I still had an oddly broken fingernail. As it's grown out, it's gotten more and more snag prone, with painful results when snagging occurs. Dan recommended a nail strengthener, so last night I got one and applied several coats to create an artificially solid nail. It's been working, thank goodness, but it leaves me wondering what my edge-of-finger nail line will look like. I already have a funny nail line on another finger on that hand from an incident at a gas station a couple of years ago. Maybe it's time to start using the other hand more . . .

My International Audience (updated)

This post is actually about statistics from the main blog in my semi-vast network of little blogs.

I've had visitors from:

• Belarus
• Brazil
• Croatia
  
• Germany
• Korea
• Saudi Arabia
  
• and the United Arab Emirates

It's so fun to be international. :)

Rabbits, and squirrels, and hares (oh my)!

We've got bunnies in the yard, including a cute little one who mainly hangs out in the backyards, but who may or may not be responsible for the destruction of my rose bush in the front yard. We've got baby squirrels in our hollow tree. I saw them out with their mom the other day. I figured out they must be family not just because there was a big one with two smaller ones, but firstly because they were all feeding within three feet of each other without chasing each other away. And then we got something different in the yard, something beyond the usual fare of bunnies, chipmunks, birds, and squirrels. It was a hare: a rabbit too lean, lanky, and leggy to truly be one of the cute little puffball bunnies we usually see. So what, you ask, rabbit, hare, what's the difference? Aren't they all just a bunch of rodents? First off, they are NOT rodents, they are lagomorphs. Secondly, whatever order of animal they are, they are different species, meaning that they are as much like rabbits as rats are like mice. So there you have it. My little lecture on taxonomy and local wildlife. Thank you for your attention. Class dismissed.

Social Media . . . ugh!

So, as I'm sure most people have heard by now, Osama Bin Laden is officially considered dead. I first heard the buzz on Facebook in the wee small hours of the morning while my baby was not sleeping, and so I googled to learn more. Google News brought be a link from the LA Times about Bin Laden's burial at sea, and now all of my Facebook friends also know I looked at that article because I somehow unknowingly "recommended" it. Now, I've seen the "recommend" option available before on news articles, but I never click it. Apparently, though, my finger clicked it for me as I fumbled with the iPod in the night. Am I thrilled that I can let everyone know about my obsessive news browsing habits? Not really. But it is gratifying that two of my friends "like" the article I "recommended."

The powder saga: turning point

Our poor basement has been plagued lately by a combination of small boys and spilled dry goods. However, thanks to a generous gift from visiting grandparents, I am pleased to report that the spare pasta, sugar, and other such spillables are now locked up tight, literally. I think if I had about 20 or 30 more cabinets like the one we have now, I could have the house virtually spill-proofed.

Curious George

We inherited some Curious George videos, and while watching them today, I suddenly realized why he seemed so familiar: He is my children. I now understand why kids like him. Now, any chance of them learning from his adventures of good intentions + poor understanding gone awry? Besides the obvious of leaving more for me to clean up, that is.

April is here, and so am I

My most faithful blog reader dropped by in person to ask me to update the blog. So, here is an update. Life in our little world has changed a bit with the departure of some of our neighbors this past weekend: we now officially rule the back yard, complete with a partial swing set. Just in time to get it all broken in for summer.

Introducing 2011

Well, here it is, January 1, 2o11. Honestly, it was quite a bit like December 31st, 2010, except that it got colder as the day went on, feeling like it could have been spring in the morning (with green grass and "April" showers to prove it) but then returning to our regularly scheduled winter chill by nightfall. However, I am in "historic" mode right now, and so I shall record some events from today just because, since no matter how "normal" they are now, it is inevitable that "normal" will change, as it has many times before.

Technically, the day began with going to bed after staying up to greet the new year. The next events revolved around feeding and changing baby Lydia. Around seven, the sounds of chatty children in their bedroom could be heard, and by about 7:20 I went in to see why Curtis was crying and generally send he and his older siblings, Amanda and Jared, down the stairs for breakfast and such. As I did not particularly feel like being awake just then, we had a very casual first couple of morning hours, munching on waffles from the freezer section and watching one of our Christmas movie acquisitions, The Princess and the Frog.

Eventually, though, Dad (the kids' dad, that is, my spouse) woke up and inquired about the progress of Amanda's daily academic endeavors (yes, this is normal, even for a Saturday during winter break). From then until Amanda's school stuff got done it was all a rather typical blur of "Jared, be nice to Curtis. Amanda, back to work! Yes, I'll go get Lydia. Curtis! Be nice to Jared!" etc., with an occasional break to answer the phone, dispense food, or change a diaper.

One of the phone calls was to inform us that a party had been postponed a week, which was a sticky bit of information for me to be holding, since that party had been Amanda's motivation for keeping up with her paternally-mandated home school work. I decided not to share my knowledge until after the work in question was completed, and all turned out well after some evening treats like a little party with Mom and Dad, hosted by Amanda, and a chance to pick out a fun little something to purchase with math money (so goes the financial math in our home for Amanda: math money=mad money).

I went out shopping twice today, to two different stores. Lydia accompanied me on both trips, and as I got her tucked into her car seat wrap for the second trip, she wriggled happily, as if she remembered the drill and was looking forward to the outing. Amanda came on the later trip, too, which was when she got to pick out her toy. She chose a little Princess Jasmine doll, one of those that is only about 2 or 3 inches tall and that comes with soft plastic/vinyl clothing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the spare outfit that came with the doll was even completely modest! Especially when that turned out to be the outfit Amanda preferred, too.

Other events from the day included Dad going out on and adventure to take our famous (infamous?) minivan to its original dealership for some recall-related servicing, and another excursion by Dad to help a friend with some revisions on a paper to be published. I also had fun putting the boys to bed. Jared requested a story with a giant toaster (inspired by a Veggie Tales episode) and Robot Rex (inspired by a Backyardigans episode). And so I told of how the brave Robot Rex fell inside a giant broken toaster, repaired the the toaster, and then lived happily ever after with the toaster as they shared toast. This was the first story in several days that wasn't required to have a dragon in it. Pity, too, since the dragon always worked in well as a toaster when Jared first started wanting toast included in his stories. Oh yes, and I also played a little US states geography game online and beat Dad and Amanda's score by about three hundred seconds and ten correctness percentage points. All in all, a fairly typical Saturday as compared to those of December 2010. And now, to get ready for tomorrow, when I shall have a rather unique experience: I will be substituting for Jared's primary class. Rather interesting, since it's going to be his first official day in primary; guess I'll be one of the first to know how it goes. :)