Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! {WARM SMILE}

I do hope you have a good one, for a nice, full twelve days, however much of that you may or may not actually celebrate. I'm sure you can use twelve good days in any case. {BIG SMILE}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy Thanksgiving! (etc.)

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it today. {Smile}

If you celebrated it a month and a half ago because Canada does, I hope you had a good one then. {Smile}

If you skip it entirely because your country doesn't go in for it or something, I hope you've had a nice day. {SMILE, wink}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

November

First, Happy Halloween, since it is Halloween for a few more hours. {Smile}

Second, November is coming up. A few of my friends are doing NaNo (which is short for NaNoWriMo, itself short for National Novel Writers’ Month).  That’s when a surprising number of folks in many countries try to write a novel or at least 50,000 words of one in a month. (It went international very quickly, despite the name.)

If you’re one, I salute and encourage you. I watch somewhat wistfully. It does look like fun. Unfortunately, cramming 50,000 words of writing with no editing into a single month doesn’t go well with way I’ve been learning how write for slightly over three decades now. {Smile}

It does look like fun, but you want me to change how I approach this NOW?!? {SMILE}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Quick check-in

Popped over to check on friends due to the possible tsunami prompted by a Canadian earthquake. Fortunately, we live at 800 feet, so we're just postponing laundry and watching the news until the tsunami is clearly over. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Valentine’s Bad Day

Sorry I’ve been quiet recently. Nothing much has been happening. I’ve done chores, read and answered letters and posts, and played games, but nothing happened that seemed worth sharing. {Smile}

Friday, something finally happened. Valentine, my cat, wishes it hadn’t, but it did. {spread hands, smile}

After Dad and I ran an errand, I left a small paper bag on the counter, meaning to check with my parents before I threw it away.

A short while later, while I was Dad heard banging in the kitchen. He wondered what was wrong, but he was busy reading on the bed. Next thing he knew, Valentine wandered in from the kitchen with this small paper bag stuck over his head. He was walking around, banging into the bed and other things because he couldn’t see thru the bag. Dad got up to help when he realized the problem, and started to follow Valentine. Dad caught up with Valentine in the dining room. He quickly snatched the bag off Valentine’s head. Valentine promptly yowled loudly several times. We aren’t sure whether he was protesting the bag, or the speed with which Dad took it off, but he made it very clear he wasn’t happy with the situation!

I came to check on the yowling as soon as I could. By then, Dad had crumpled up the bag and tossed it so this couldn’t happen again; it was too small for most uses anyway. Dad was worried Valentine had hurt himself banging into things, but once he stopped yowling, he acted pretty normal. So I guess this had a happy ending. I do plan to be more careful with bags in the future. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Computers

Well, my computer finally came home yesterday with a new motherboard. It seems to be working so far. I certainly hope that continues, but it's hard to quite trust it after all the trouble I've had. {lop-sided Smile}

Now the loaner is in the shop, getting any viruses I picked up removed, virus protection installed, and hopefully the sound repaired. My parents want for a third/game/back-up computer. {Smile}

I just hope things return to normal soon here. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

{peek in}

Hello. Sorry I've been quiet. I did try to keep up during the Olympics. Honest. At first it was mostly working, but some time in the second week, keeping up on TV and online simultaneously got to be too much. So now I'm trying to catch up again. {Smile}

I did like the Olympics, except for the closing ceremonies. I'm really not fond of rock concerts, and that's really what the closing ceremonies were. But I enjoyed the pageantry of the opening ceremonies, and the diving, artistic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and rhythmic gymnastics I caught. I'm debating trying to watch some of the last two online. I think I missed most of their semifinals, and I do love the artistry of those two sports. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Loaner Computer

Well, we picked up a loaner computer from The Computer Store late Monday afternoon. It's old, and it doesn't have my files on it; I decided not to ask for that after all. However, I can surf the net and play games without worrying that Dad will want or need it. That is such a huge relief. Borrowing his computer for a week isn't too bad, but it should be more like a month this time. That's too long for two heavy computer users to share one machine. {Smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Computer and such

I know I've been quiet this past week. I blame computer trouble for that. If I continue to be quiet for the next couple of weeks or so, blame continued computer trouble, plus the Olympics. {Smile}

My computer has been in the shop for a week and a half. They did try to return it because they couldn't find anything wrong, but it still didn't work, so we took it back. They couldn't get it to work either at that point. Now they've decided that since they've replaced the video card twice this year already, it might be the motherboard. They've sent that to the manufacturer, and hope for a replacement in 2 to 2 1/2 weeks.

{sigh} That's a long time to wait. They can give us an old loaner if we can just got to them while they're open... maybe Monday. It won't be like having my own computer, but at least I won't be depriving Dad of his computer so much. {small smile}

Beyond that, the Olympics have begun. I usually get distracted trying to watch the gymnastics and such. I'm sure I will this year, too. At least my computer trouble shouldn't mess up that at all. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

general update

My computer decided to not turn on over half the time starting on Sunday. Since it was intermittent, I tried to live with it for a while, but I only got it to turn on once on Sunday, twice on Monday, and once on Tuesday. I need a more reliable computer than that. So Dad and I took it in on Wednesday, and I'm borrowing Dad's computer to keep up on the net until they get mine back to me. I sure hope they fix it this time. This is the fourth time we've taken it in this year. {frustrated look}
Otherwise things are going nicely. My writing might be doing better, the orange and cream lei turned out nicely, and the next lei has begun nicely, too. So life is mixed fun and frustration until they fix my computer. {resigned smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

A new lei in progress

Here’s a picture of the new lei. I wanted to share it for two reasons. It uses the other pattern that’s easy to make with two colors. It’s kind of a checkerboard, or maybe a lazy spiral. Also, the last of the darned spots are just braided in here. I’m happy with how it turned out. The darning made the ribbon quite stiff, so I was afraid those patches wouldn’t bend or hold their folds right. But they’re fine; I can’ spot the darning unless I look carefully.

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

{SIGH}

Whoever decided that “darn it” is a mild curse never had to darn four separate chewed spots on a quarter inch ribbon. I’m suspicious they didn’t have to darn socks, either, but they certainly didn’t have to darn such a narrow ribbon. {wry look}

Valentine found an orange-and-cream ribbon lei I’d just started a couple of nights ago. I didn’t realize how much he was chewing it, and I certainly didn’t realize how much damage he’d done before I got it away from him. He actually chewed six places, but two are by the end, and don’t really affect the strength of the ribbon. The other four are more central, and torn up badly enough, I had to darn them to make sure they didn’t break during or after braiding. I did most of the darning last night… Boy, does that take patience! {Lop-sided smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Ribbon Leis

One hobby I’ve gotten back to recently is braiding ribbon leis. It doesn’t take a lot of thought, so it’s great for keeping my hands busy while I think. I do prefer to have something to do, so I’m not just staring off into space while I’m working something out. {Smile}

Since some of you haven’t seen my ribbon leis, I took a couple of pictures. Besides, it was a way to try out my new camera on something easily repeatable if I messed up. {Smile}

Here are the leis I’ve finished more-or-less recently. Two are blue and gold, because my Dad and I needed new ones in our high school colors; our old ones went to visiting aunts who also went to Hilo High School:

Here is the lei I’m working on now:

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Camera update

I’ve been slowly figuring out my digital camera. Early this week, Dad looked it over, installed batteries, set the date, and showed me how to turn it on and take a picture. Today, I figured out how to copy the picture from the camera to my computer. It would have been easier if the manufacturer’s directions mentioned you need to turn it on before you copy from it. I suppose that’s supposed to be obvious, but it’s a lot more obvious in hindsight than ahead of time. {rueful chuckle, Smile}

Anyway, I have a picture of the ribbon leis I’ve worked on recently, and another of the one I’m currently working on. I’ll share it… when I feel more like figuring out how I’ve shared photos before. There’s enough looking up of stuff I’ve forgotten involved, this it isn’t going to get done today. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Hello, {smile}

Well, my computer went back to the shop a couple of weeks ago. Dad’s had to go in before mine came back, so I was offline entirely for a while there. I’m caught up again, and my computer might really be fixed this time. It helps to replace a non-working video card with one that works reliably. The tech hopes she did that this time.  {Smile}

Dad’s computer is back, too, and appears to be working better. I certainly hope so. {Smile}

I hope our computers stay fixed for a while. That would help me get my online activities in better order. The break I’m taking from Facebook is going well, except that I’m finding it hard to stay away from mindless online games when I’m done keeping up with my friends thru email, LiveJournal, blogs, the alt.books.m-lackey newsgroup, and Goodreads. I’m afraid none of those take that long. {rueful smile}

I don’t suppose anyone has suggestions about how to revitalize things? I’m trying, but I’m afraid I’m kind of stuck so far. So I’d really appreciate any suggestions. {wistful smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Hello again…

{peek in} Sorry to become spotty at replying so soon after I delurked. {apologetic smile}
As I mentioned to some of you in email, last week Monday (a week and a half or so) we had a bad power failure in our part of town. It started with lights going on and off and on like someone was playing with the light switch. I assumed that’s what was happening, so I took a while to turn off my computer, modem, and battery backup. After that it didn’t work right, so Dad and I took my computer in to The Computer Store Wednesday morning. We got it back Saturday with the tech’s assurances that it worked great for her. She said if I still had trouble, try plugging it straight into the wall, because it might be the battery backup. She was right. The problem was the battery backup. I bought a new one Monday, Dad installed it Tuesday, and I took my time moving things back. I just wasn’t in a mood to rush.

While my computer wasn’t working, Dad let me use his. However, that’s never quite as efficient as using my own, so I kind of fell behind in my reading and responding everywhere except in email. I think I just caught up with the three places I’m currently trying to read to keep up with my friends beyond email, including my friends’ blogs and LiveJournal, and at least one usenet newsgroup (alt.books.m-lackey, which isn’t quite totally inactive).

Anyway, I hope I’ll be better at keeping up now that I’m back on my own computer. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

I hope I’m back

{peek in} Anyone still here? I do hope so! {tentative smile}

I’m very sorry that I disappeared for so long. {bite lips} I kind of fell sick last summer, and only got well again last month. Oh, I wasn’t sick with the same thing the whole time. At least four illnesses managed to overlap in a way that I wasn’t well for entirely too long. {apologetic smile}

Anyway, I am better now. So I’m trying to rebuild my life without taking on too much at once. I’m probably being too careful about taking things slowly, but I’d rather fight some frustration and boredom than risk a relapse. {wry smile}

Anyway, I’m now trying to get back to reading my friends’ blogs, and at least occasionally writing in my own. I do hope this works, because I’ve missed everyone quite a bit. {Hopeful Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin