Saturday, April 25, 2015

Change Isn't Always Good

I love my old computer.  I have had it for nearly 7 years.  It has had a workout, for I use it for many tasks as well as entertainment.  It is a desktop model with a large monitor screen, so often in the evenings I would find something interesting to watch, get comfy in my recliner and sew or crochet and watch a video.  Or listen to music.  Or listen to an audio book.  Or listen to the police scanner.

But more often than not, my trusty old computer has been showing me the blue screen of death.  Lucky for me, while recovering from health problems this past winter,  Youngest Son agreed to go buy me a new laptop.  It's not his fault.  He bought exactly what I told him to buy.

The latest version of Windows is, in my opinion, the worst operating system ever.  In the vernacular of my Father, "You have to go all the way around the barn to get to where you want to be."  I've sort of got it figured out now, after much trial and error and the use of many new swear words muttered under my breath.

But it's not just the inconvenience of the operating system.  I had Google Chrome installed on the old computer.  I didn't have it installed on the new one. I was using Explorer.  This version of Explorer doesn't like Google's Blogger or YouTube.  While working on a post for my new genealogy blog, I needed to upload photos.  Sometimes I could, and other times not.  I get all sorts of error messages popping up when trying to post.  And worst of all, while trying to watch a YouTube video, I get sound but no picture.

So I installed Chrome, which fixed some of the problems.  But I still can't watch videos, which irritated me no end as I wanted to watch my granddaughters dance via streaming video over this weekend.

Guess I'll have to swallow my pride and get a computer savvy grandkid over here to sort it all out for me.

On the up side, I hope to be knee deep in poultry next week.  According to the news reports, the price of chicken and turkey will be going up due to the outbreak of bird flu here in Minnesota and some of the surrounding states.  The sale ads for the local grocery stores come out over the weekend, and #1 Son says he will do a grocery run to buy up any chicken that is on sale.  And even if I have to buy it at regular price, and even if the bird flu weren't a factor, the meat will still cost more by next year.  Whatever I am able to can or freeze now will save money in the long run.

I have been sorely lacking in blog posts lately.  My only excuse is that I have been spending time working on my granddaughter's scrapbook for her graduation in June.  I don't know why it is, but when working on anything that takes just a bit of artistic creativity, the mojo is either there, or it isn't.  Sometimes the digital scrapbook pages go together like a dream and other times I fight to get the look I want.  It has been a good time for indoor activity, for the last few days have been cool and wet.  No storms but just lots of drizzle.  This morning the temperature has warmed to 48 degrees and the sun is shining.  Sunshine is good.  Makes for a whole new outlook on life.

And now I am off to make a fried Spam sandwich for lunch.  My Dad dearly loved a fried Spam sandwich and he passed that love along to me.  It is one of my comfort foods.  I'm sorry.  :)

7 comments:

  1. I've tried Spam every way that I can think of, including run over by a truck (literally), but I've never managed to like it yet. I DO love fried bologna sandwiches, however! lol

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  2. Gorges...Fried bologna is good, too. There is no accounting for taste! My Dad liked that nasty stuff that comes in a little can and is called Potted Meat. I like it, too. Woe is me!

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  3. Windows will now discontinue with Explorer. They have something new they'll offer, which will probably lead to choice like a choice between a root canal, or having your thumb smashed with a hammer.

    I had a fried bologna sandwich, with a fried egg, mustard and some chips on the side, a few weeks ago. Kings, and queens, may not eat such things, but their lives are sorely incomplete, without savoring such foods.

    As far as fried Spam: I like it best dipped in a cornmeal batter, and deep fried.

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  4. Jess...I'm thinking that both of those options sound better than dealing with Explorer. At least with those options, the pain goes away after a while. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that a goodly share of my computer problems might have something to do with operator error. :)

    The privileged classes have no idea of what they are missing in the way of culinary delights. I hadn't thought about a cornmeal batter for Spam. Kinda like Spam wrapped in cornbread. I may have to give I a try. You're talking to a girl who, as a child, sat on the back steps with her Dad, eating pickled pig's feet out of a jar. I'll try most anything!

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  5. jess, thanks for cornmeal batter idea.
    vicki, daughter's new computer was put together for her by a young man who has a computer business.
    seems he can build anything.
    put in windows 7 for her.
    great!

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  6. Deborah...Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't spent all that much time learning Windows 8, but if I get much more frustrated with the whole thing, I will look into having an older version installed. Usually this old dog is capable of learning new tricks, but I'm not so sure about the new Windows!

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  7. Wow, seven years is quite a long time for a device like a computer these days. Even if everything on it continues to work perfectly, it becomes a question of whether it can keep up with everything you now need to use it for. I find it useful to bring my machine in to an expert computer repair service for upgrades.

    Alison Henderson @ Expert Computer Repair Philadelphia

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