Sisters on the computer

When the girls and mom are over using my "automatic" washing machines, Yari the 12 year old likes to kill time using my Internet. Facebook is popular and less expensive on a computer than her Cel Fone. This is the first time Nahima, aged 5, has been really interested. Yari does her homework (a lot of it) on that computer. She knows how to plug in the USB printer, load paper, use Google search and cut and paste text and graphics into MS Word to print.

Direction change - Like it or not

A few intentional and unintentional derailments in the last month with interesting results for each.

The most current one is this weather. We´re into the 4th day of unexpected rain, and not a light rain.   At least an inch a day so far and the forecast says it may ruin the New Year´s Eve party tomorrow night. At least I have no school bus driving responsibilities until about the 7th of January. I just turned on the pilot light on my water heater as cold showers are no longer refreshing.

The second was the second death of my PC. After thinking about it for about 5 in days I decided to buy a small Samsung laptop just to stay in touch and what ever else I might manage with it.  So far it´s working out fine although I really don´t like Windows 7, it´s in Spanish and Windows 7 does not support my 2 older (not that old) Lexmark printers. Gonna have to look at new printers and or building another Windows XP machine.  I just bought 2 new printer cartridges which we all know cost almost as much as the printer and hopefully are not outdated.

The real change that we are not supposed to talk about until much further into the process for fear of looking either real weak or real stupid or both .... is dumping the tobacco.   I have no idea why I´ve allowed myself to smoke up to age 70 or why I was willing to pay $1600 pesos ($125us) a month to do it (probably 3 times that in the US).   Anyway we are 3 weeks into the "process" and I´m a physical and psychological mess .... but I still suggest cold turkey.    Just don´t do it is the only way for me. Vamos a ver !!

The Internet Withdrawals

Been a long time since I've had them and this was both a good and bad experience.    Good to get away and bad dealing with the frustration of trying to solve the problem.   My large external drive died a few months ago and I don't have a USB stick large enough to copy half my computer to.  Couldn't find a large USB stick in Melaque so I had to rely on some local computer techs.

Without the computer I didn't have the number of the local preferred tech so went to one that I'd gone to years ago thinking they could figure it out quickly.    First they said a virus and then a hard disk error.  Could have been a combination of both.   So for 5 days it was manana after manana with little progress.   5 days to do what I could have done in one.   I just had no way to back up files. It did require a reformat and install but that's not a real big deal.   Lost a few programs but can get most back .... and lost all this years photos.   These guys are in the Internet Cafe at the end of taco row and I suggest you stay away even if the other techs are harder to find.

So I'm back with hopefully no more problems, thinking of backup solutions and up to our necks in water.   Been a very wet summer.

I forgot to add that thanks to Google Chome as a browser ... all my lost "Favorites" and passwords were recovered.   Favorites are super simple to copy and these techs didn't bother.