Back on the Mac Wagon

When I was born, there was an Apple computer in my house (or I think there was, there was one when I was a baby, I know that). I have always lived in a house with an Apple computer. I had no clue how to use a Windows computer till I was in high school. I only learned because my dad bought one in case he had to join the real world again and find a job. (He did not, but he did have to know how to use a Windows Machine.)

I went off to college without a computer. I don't remember why we all thought I did not need a computer, but for some unknown reason, we all thought I could just use the computer labs. Least to day, the first week I was there, most of the computer labs were closed and after they were open, it kind of sucked going to the computer lab and saving things to hard disks (yes, we still used disks back then). I began my campagin for a Mac. I told my dad I wanted an iPod.

Yes, I wanted an iPod. However, to me the iPod was the pod like Mac I had seen on the website. He wrote me back asking if I had meant the iMac. He sent along a picture. And I said, "Yeah, the pod one."

He was confused on why I did not want a laptop. I do not remember why I did not want a laptop either. I wanted the pod computer. So, for parents weekend, they appeared with the pod computer and I loved it dearly.

Then I went to Scotland. Pod (later named Milo) and I could not travel to Scotland as we traveled to Beloit. (Milo traveled in a clothes basket. I am serious. He traveled in a clothes basket surrounded by blankets and sheets and my robe. He traveled like that to St. Louis and then Del Rio. He traveled without the basket to Alaska, but was packed in with his blankets and sheets.) Naturally, i wanted a MacBook to take to Scotland. However, my father could not fathom paying for a MacBook that I'd use for two years and need a new one. Somehow, he talked me into getting a Dell computer with the promise of getting me a MacBook for graduation.

He claims not to remember that promise. Least to say, I did not get a MacBook for graduation. They gave me a car which they had all ready given me. They later gave me the same car after I got married. Yes, they gave me the same car three different times. Anyways, so the Dell Laptop remained me with till this past winter when, poor Jess got very old. I got him in 2003. He lived to 2009! It was much longer than anyone thought he would live, as he was always kind of...special. He went to Scotland and behaved (other than not wanting to import a McFly CD and then refusing to connect to the University internet...) but once he came home, he began to act funny. He basically acted like a moody teenager for the rest of his life. My dad rebuilt Jess a few times, added a new hardrive and memory at one point when Jess refused to run Photoshop (a new harddrive and memory was cheaper than a new laptop at the time.) I finally decided Jess had to go when he REFUSED to run Photoshop and I needed to run Ireland Scott Designs. I ended up having to use my brother's computer to edit my photos and build my banners. Jess, it became clear, was not up to the challenge of running anything in general. The weekend it took him three days to back himself, it was clear new computer was needed.

After much research and looking at laptops, I gave in and decided I'd just get another Windows laptop, as the kind I wanted in windows was 200 dollars cheaper than a MacBook. So I got Hewie the HP Laptop. He crashed and died six months ago and went off to HP Land to be fixed. He returned and I found out I am missing a ton of stuff I thought was backed up, but it vanished into the nether world. Major sad face.

Pilot Boy came with his laptop (Merv) and Merv kinda died around the same time Jess retired. Merv did not all out die, just refused to operate with a battery, thus he was usable to be a laptop. Merv was also super slow, so we got Pilot Boy a net book after he decided he really did not want an iPad. Pilot Boy then parted with his net book (Hubert) when the backpack Hubert was in was driven off without Pilot Boy in the state of Georgia. Now, because of Pilot Boy's job, he leaves a lot and needs a laptop when he leaves. So, we once again began looking for a new computer.

At some point, Pilot Boy decided he liked Macs and did not hate them. He decided we needed a Mac in our lives (even though he hates iTunes). From a price point, an iMac made more sense than another laptop, as in reality, we do not need two laptops. So, I told him he could take Hewie off with him flying all over the world (it'll be an exciting life for Hewie), and I'd keep the iMac with me here at home.

The only thing, I don't think this new version of the iMac will travel well in a clothes basket....

Holiday Cheer

I used to work retail when I was in high school. Right after Thanksgiving the Christmas music would start and it would not end till after the new year. I loved Christmas music till I listed to the same loop of songs for two Christmas's. I also hated working during the holiday season and grew to hate Christmas all together. The magic was lost on my 17 year old self.

I did not get it back until later in life. It still is not all back, as I do not enjoy wrapping presents as I once did, nor do I enjoy decorating for Christmas as I once did. I also dread shopping at Christmas time. I seriously dread going to the post office or stores in general.

This is why some relatives fail to get gifts in a timely manner.

This year as seen me making holiday theme purses. I have been up to my eye balls in the holidays since right after Thanksgiving. I should have been before, but I failed. I just could not get myself into the spirit. I actually started making the holiday theme purses before Thanksgiving, but I did not start soon enough. I guess at least next year I can get going before Halloween. I'll be in my own house next year, so I can get in the spirit with music. This year, my mom wasn't too keen on holiday music till after Thanksgiving.

I think I might have screwed up the iTunes installation. I might have to...make new play lists. Oh no. It might be good for me, in reality. I've had the same play lists since I got my first laptop, also known as Jess, when I was 20. I'm six years older now (Oh no!) and don't really need the play lists that are mostly centered around guys leaving me, being depressed or being over zealously happy. The lists are still on Jess, so I might just transfer over the useful ones.

Oh, holidays. I think I am tired of you all ready and you haven't even started yet.

gloomy last day of summer

Today is the last day of summer. And here, it is gloomy. Sort of rainy, sort of humid, sort of warm, sort of uncomfortable.

And I am wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt, mostly because there is still a part of me that thinks 82 degrees is cold. Rationally, I know this not to be true, but the Texan in me thinks it is cold.

I retook a bunch of my purse pictures and edited them down to size yesterday when I had access to a working computer with Photoshop. My laptop, known to the world as Jess, is currently in a fued with Photoshop, so they aren't getting along. This is unfortnuate for a wide array of reasons, one being that my husband's laptop, also known as Merv, is dying a slow death. I all ready went through this, I believe but Merv only will deem to work if his battery is removed. The past two days I've been looking for laptops, talking to people and have decided for now to let go of my dream of Mac ownership (well I own one, but Milo Mac is old. He's like nine or something) and buy another Dell. That is if my husband decides to buy one, as of last night he deemed Merv worthy enough to go through phase three of training with him, when he needs a computer to read his pubs (don't ask, no idea what they are exactly in nature.)

Anyways, I've got a teacher sort of bag I will be posting this week. Its a large tote bag, basically. I took its pictures yesterday in the overcast skies in the green house. It turned out okay. I guess we will see...

I have been feeling pretty lazy as of recent. Also regretting not bringing my sewing machine with me, as I think I might do more sewing if I had my own machine and did not have to wait for my mom's machine to be free. Oh, such is life.

Life getting in order

So, last night I began to read a guide book I got for my husband on Alaska and the highway we must use to get there.

And I freaked out a bit more. I did find the section of traveling with pets helpful, but most of the information is geared to the summer traveler, not those of us insane enough to travel in the winter (which if I had my way we'd wait till MAY to go, but guess what, the military has other ideas. Who tells someone to report to Alaska in February?)

I guess I need to do further research on the topic.

In purse news:

Been working on the fall line. I've got this 5 year old laptop named Jess that I use to run my shop. Jess, recently, decided he hates Photoshop. Thus, it is hard to edit pictures of the purses. This has hindered me greatly in my quest to update the fall line. (What has also hindered me is that I failed to realize the scope of my mother's quilting quest.) The other day I finally asked my dad if it was okay if I used his computer (Dellbert, yes we are strange in my family) to crop and resize my images. I had tried my mom's Mac, but her iPhoto doesn't allow me to resize the image. I can crop it to my heart's content and do everything else, but resizing isn't an option. This makes me sad. But, anyways, so I went up to the office the other day to use the computer. It was off, so I turned it on and then realized the screen wasn't on. There is no clear POWER button. The first one I hit did nothing and I was unwilling to hit more buttons for fear of screwing the screen up and incurring the wrath of Dad. I sat for a moment then realized my brother was at work.

So I picked up my camera and went into my old room, now my brother's Man Cave and room while I live here for the time being. I sat down at his computer and plugged in the camera to the UBS port on his screen.

Nothing happened.

I opened Photoshop (he's got the whole Abode suite. I hate him).

Nothing from the camera.

So I used one of the USB ports on the actual computer and WHALA! It worked.

And I breezed through what I needed to do in half the time it takes me to do the same work on Jess. Man, when you've got a new computer...Photoshop works wonders.

I then took the images back to Jess and spent almost a half hour adding a new purse to my shop. Part of this was due to the fact I forgot to mesure the purses, so I had to go do that, the other is that Jess is old (he's like super old in computer years) and the internet here is sort of whacky at times. You'd think living in a major metro area you'd have good internet, but ours has a mind of its own. The internet in the Dirt Hole got slow around the time work let out and everyone went home to surf the internet, but here it'll do it randomly in the middle of the day.

Anyways, the fall line is up and running. I'm going to expand into teacher bags! Basically large tote bags. I've got all these teacher friends, so I might as well use them. lol. My aunt also suggested I do dialysis bags. She has to go to dialysis regularally and always seems to need a bag for her stuff. Which is a good idea. New market! She said she'd have my uncle email the specs for the right size. I am uber excited. I really want to sell some purses so I can buy more fall cloth. The Hobby Lobby here has the best prints in the world. I see purses everywhere!

Well, I'm going to go be productive today.