Moving Day!

I was planning to wait until Jan. 1st to move all of my blogs from blogger over to my Weebly site. Meanwhile, I have been frozen from blogging. By my own brain. Having to do things twice, or copy/paste, or decide which site to post what every time I wanted to blog. For the last 4 years, 2 months, and 1 day my brain just stops - or freezes when it is overwhelmed. And apparently all of this change has overwhelmed it because I have been unable to blog after the first few times caused a chaotic response (the "warning sign")... (Yes, I know, "but you seem so normal!" lol!)

So I decided that December 17th is as good a day as any to just do it. From now on, ALL of my blogging will be done at my new site. I will not be using blogger at all, and will eventually take the blogs down, once I get them archived.

I seriously need to be blogging. For a couple of months now I approach both sites with fear and trepidation, literally, and simply can't think of what to post when I log in to either site (even though my mind is full of posts until I sit at the computer!).

Thanks for your patience. Once the logjam is gone from between my ears, the river should start flowing again! :)

Nuggets of Truth

(Just a reminder that this blog will be moving to its new home at the end of this year.)

Yesterday's message at church contained quite a few "YES!" nuggets of truth; I just want to share a few of them here:
~*~*~*~*~
What do we do when we see something that is out of our price range?
Most of us go home & wished we had the money to buy whatever it is.
We say we want it, but in reality it isn’t enough of a priority to make the sacrifice to obtain it.
Too often the kingdom of heaven & our relationship with God are treated the same way.
We hear a sermon that challenges us, we are confronted with the Word of God, but we tell ourselves that we don’t have what it takes to obtain it.
That is a lie.
We do have what it takes, but the hard truth is: we don’t want it as bad as we claim.
We are unwilling to make the changes necessary to obtain the kingdom of heaven.
Because of our love for this world, we miss out on the greatest gift there is.
Ultimately, that will lead to us missing out on eternity.
~*~*~*~*~
You must be persistent.
You don’t have to convince God of anything because He is the one who loves you enough to give you His all.
Still, you must be persistent because there is a spiritual battle going on.
Jesus is on the winning side.
He has already paid the price for your soul.
His power & forces are unbeatable.
The devil is on the losing side.
His mission is to steal, kill, & destroy.
You are his target.
He will do everything he can to get you to exchange the priceless treasure of Jesus for the worthless things of this world.
He wants you to kick back, relax, neglect the gifts of God, & live your life for self.
He’ll make the treasures of this world look more appealing than the treasures of heaven.
The cost of all this will be your soul.
The day of judgment will come & you will have to give an account for your life.
He’ll try to distract you from that truth so that you will neglect the treasure that God has given you.
Don’t let him be successful.
Pay attention.
Know the Word of God so that you will not be deceived.
James 1:22 says “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Be honest with yourself.
Are you here to merely listen to the word?
Or, do you take what you have heard & do it?
Do you do what the Word of God tells you to do?
If you don’t do what God tells you to do, you are deceiving yourself.
~*~*~*~*~
I am thankful for a pastor who doesn't water down the truth, who doesn't just scratch people's itching ears with what they want to hear, and that proclaims the truth in love.

Lewy Body Dementia - 2nd Leading Cause of Dementia!

(Just a reminder that this blog will be moving to its new home at the end of this year.)

This is an article that was recently posted as a news story. October being LBD Awareness month, I wanted to write about this disease. As my mother's guardian - and daughter - I have a special interest in LBD. She lives in a nursing home just around the corner from me (actually it's a few corners but only a 4 minute drive...1/2 mile as the crow flies). There is no way I could care for her at home, but the professionals are doing a beautiful job with her, meeting needs that I could not meet, and giving her a much higher quality of life than she could otherwise expect. (She does come to my home quite often, loves to play with our critters, play the piano, help out in the kitchen, enjoy time with her great-grandson, etc...plus when I'm running errands I can swing by to pick her up so we can spend the time together, although we're nearing the end of her ability to do that unfortunately.)

Anyway, this article just touches the tip of the iceberg. One statement that is particularly important thought, is this one: "Winston [Jaron Winston, M.D., a geriatric psychiatrist] says because the disease takes awhile to show itself, often doctors won't realize the patient may be suffering from LBD until the patients are treated with Alzheimer's medications that tend to make the LBD symptoms worse."

In some cases the wrong medication can be lethal. As it nearly was for my mother. I can't stress enough that, unless and until you can find a "lewy-savvy" doctor for your loved one, you WILL NEED to be their advocate. A proper diagnosis is ESSENTIAL, and most physicians are not familiar with LBD yet, in spite of its prevalence. To many, "dementia is dementia is dementia, and it's all Alzheimer's." Given that an LBD victim can live many years with this disease (unless a wrong diagnosis and improper treatment shorten their lives), it is imperative that appropriate treatment is provided.

In my mother's case, in spite of the improper treatment by one hospital, the correct diagnosis and treatment helped her actually regain much of her cognition and all of her former personality. Once she once again was herself, she has been able to enjoy her life within each moment, and the misery and living hell that she had been existing in was a thing of the past - bad memories that she doesn't even have anymore. With her hallucinations and delusions under control with the right (delicate!) mix of meds, and her personality back, even with the memory issues, even with her "bad days" where her cognition is lower and confusion reigns (LBD is like a roller coaster of improvements and decline, unlike the steady decline of other dementias) - I have gotten my mother back. These 4 years are a blessing that I would not have had without the proper diagnosis, medication regimen, and care.

For more information about Lewy Body Dementia please visit the Lewy Body Dementia Association website. If you have a loved one with LBD, or suspect that they do, please familiarize yourself with this disease. Yes, it is fatal; but there is help for them!

The Plan.

Lovin' Weebly!

Just had to get that out of my system.

In a nutshell, I'll be using Weebly from now on. For everything. I will be blogging there exclusively starting the first of the year. Between now and then I will be working on saving my blogs to PDF files, some of which will be available for downloading should anyone want them. This blog, probably not, since there isn't really any reference information here, very few links (which are old, if there are!), and nothing anyone would probably need to look back on. The new site will simplify things for me, and save time, in so many ways!

My Cheap'n'Easy Lowcarb Living blog will be available as a PDF file, and I will spend some time between now and the end of the year copying/pasting the recipes to the new blog over there.

My Nissen Fundoplication blog will be made into a PDF file and available for download after Dec. 1st. That will be my 2-year anniversary of the surgery, and I really don't have much more to add anymore. Anything that needs discussing will be addressed in the Nissen Fundoplication group on Facebook.

As for the VitaInVia blog, it is young yet, with not that many posts; I plan to copy/paste each post to the new blog at Weebly.

As for everything else:

I will make/download a backup of my google voice account, and then delete that. Shame, really, since I love my phone number there, and have used it a LOT. But I also have a Skype number, and Skype will do most of the things that GV does for me so it will just be a matter of getting used to using it instead.

I have already deleted all of my uploaded youtube videos; I already have copies of them. I'll keep the account just so I can still access playlists (mostly stuff for my grandson) and subscriptions...at least, unless/until google decides I need a + account to even do that.

Forgot the I use the google reader for my rss feeds. But feed readers are a dime a dozen; soon all of my RSS subscriptions will be taken to another reader too.

All that will be left after the 1st of the year (2013), is my android phone. The contract expires in the spring. And then that will also be gone.

All of this is causing some inconvenience of course. And it seems that most people probably don't want to give up the ease of using one service for everything, the convenience. There aren't many people I don't think that really care if they are forced to join one service just to use another, or that have the privacy concerns that I do. This is a different world, and a different internet than the one I used before there even WAS a world wide web. (Ahhh, the simplicity of gopher, relay chats, ftp, fidonet...!) Then it was about sharing, disseminating information, providing; now it is about profiting, taking, stealing even. And I have to say that I just don't trust it - or those who seek to control it...or me...

Enough of all that, though. Onward to better things - like simplicity :).

Owned by Google Part II

I've discussed this all with my husband to make sure I wasn't just being paranoid and reactive. And he doesn't think I am...so working on a plan to de-Google my life...

The easiest changes will be with my YouTube account (still really ticked about that, how DARE they hide my videos until I join Google+?!?) and here. I will simply delete my YouTube videos and my account. That's not such a big deal, there are plenty of other places to host vlogs and videos, if I decide I want to continue posting them. Not really into it anymore, my excitement about vlogging has been squashed, but if eventually... And I can move all of my blogs (Blogger being another Google property) easily to WordPress, apparently - at least from what I've read. If I lose the photos - which is the only problem I think? - it's not that big of a deal. Then I can delete this account as well. (There are people who also post vlogs at WP, I've read, if I ever think I might want to try that again!)

My contract for my android (Google's o/s) phone is almost up. And there are a couple of linux/ubuntu-based tablets out there, but more in the pipes for release within the next year. Instead of a smart phone, I can get a cheap cell phone service and a linux-based tablet to do the same things I can do now with my Droid - for less money! (I currently use Ubuntu on my own computer.)

I don't use the Google search engine, but do have a Google Voice number I have used for a few years. That will be tough to give up but I will. For the things I use my GV number for now (mostly anyone that isn't a personal friend or family, who all have my cell #), I'll just use my Skype number. Not a big deal. At least unless Google decides to buy Skype too...

This is all doable. It will take time. But I will phase Google out of my life. Everything they have of mine already (conversations, videos, these blogs, etc.) I'm sure they won't delete - when one has such a complete dossier on people that makes money for one, one doesn't give that up. But I will do what I can do, and lesson learned: Keep my online information and social life spread across various sources. In addition, I am working on minimizing it drastically...more on that in another post.

I just want to say once again: When a company does something and does it well, they have earned the right to prosper. And I don't hate Google for who they are or what they've grown into. What I hate is that I got myself into a position where a company could try to force me to do something I didn't want to do, just so I could do something I did want to do. Even though the easy way would have been to just keep the Google+ account I didn't want, I choose not to be assimilated.

But I Don't WANT To Be Owned By Google!

Everybody who knows me, knows that I believe in business, I believe in success, I believe that capitalism is the key to a strong economy. I cheer on successful businesses, and love to see them grow and prosper and make lots of money for the brilliant minds that brought them to where they are, for the stockholders, and to provide jobs for those who choose to work for them.

But not at my expense. And to Google I am a commodity. I would become THEIR commodity if I continued to graze in their pastures like the rest of their sheep.

Yes, I have an android smart phone. When my contract runs out in the spring, I will no longer have to use Google's o/s. In fact, I am not planning to use a smart phone at all. I want a dumb phone. And a tablet. Linux-based. Which will be fine for what I plan to use it for.

Yes, I have a GMail account. That too, will be history in the spring, since the only reason I have it (but don't use it) is because my phone requires it. (Requires it...key phrase.)

There is a plethora of search engines to be found, some even better than Google. And those are where I go when I do a search.

And obviously I don't use the Chrome browser.

I've been working on breaking Google's grip on my online life for a while. And now, finally, the reason I am writing about this tonight:

If you have followed this blog, you know that I have been wanting for vlog for a long time. And, of course, YouTube is THE place to put up vlogs. Last week I finally started, and excitedly posted my first 3 vlogs on 3 different days. It was strange that I had to make some changes on my YouTube account before I could upload the first one, and stranger yet that I started getting notices of people adding me to their circles on Google+ since I have steadfastly refused to join or use that service. I guess I didn't understand what YouTube was asking of me but I was so stoked about finally making and posting some vlogs that I just agreed to whatever I was agreeing to.

But once I realized that I now had the Google+ account, I deleted it - it definitely isn't something I want! Then tonight I went to upload my 4th vlog, and I can't! In fact, it appears that all of my former videos aren't viewable on my channel anymore - in fact it appears I don't even HAVE a channel anymore - since I deleted my Google+ account!

NOW I AM TICKED! I will make sure I have all of my YouTube videos on my external hard drive that I use for archiving and backups, and then I'm taking them all off YouTube. I have been a long-time YouTube user but I won't be a YouTube/Google property.

I will find somewhere else to vlog. If it's even worth the trouble; I'm not so sure it is anymore. I'm fed up.

NO, Google, you cannot own me OR my "online life"!

Vlogging! (SERIOUSLY???)

I've probably mentioned that the idea of vlogging has intrigued me for a while. Strange thought for me though, who would have thought I'd have that narcissistic streak in me? I don't like anything that's "all about me" - so go figure, not even sure why I've been wanting to do it. But I have, so I'm giving it a shot. 2 vlogs posted so far in fact!

Things I've noticed: Yes, my voice sounds split outside of my own head too! Years of being bathed in acid have wrecked my larynx. Ugh. But at least it's not all the time. And just think, I can sing duets with myself! :)

My mouth looks funny when I talk. Can't describe it, it just looks funny. I don't like watching it. Have I always looked like that?

I have a LONG way to go before my vlogs look anything like the ones I watch - lots to learn about doing this thing, it sure ain't as easy as it looks!

I never saw a vlog until a couple of years ago, I was browsing around YouTube and I saw this woman talking about cosmetics. Since I have no interest in cosmetics - don't even wear them - I was mesmerized. She was taking it all so seriously! Holding up various items in various colors, telling where she got them, and it was as if she were reporting the nightly news or something, she was so focused and intent on describing these cosmetics. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, how could anybody care so much about makeup?!? So of course I subscribed to her. As time went on I saw that she had a whole lot to say that had nothing to do with vanity, she was a real 3D person who took care of herself and her family. She talked about her life, TV shows she watched, books, the things she did, crafts, cooking...I really enjoyed listening to her. Then one day quite a while ago she talked about leaving YouTube, she was clearly upset and depressed. I found myself praying for her, she had become such a part of my days, and I grew to care about her as if she were a "real-life" friend. She did come back to YouTube, and I was glad. And now to this day I look forward to seeing what is new in her life, and praying for her and her family. It is almost like legal stalking - lol!

Hers isn't the only blog I watch. I watched Shay Carl's posts for a while, he's quite popular and with good reason, too! But he got to start feeling not so personal, more commercial, or something, so I rarely check in him anymore. I started watched a woman who is also in my generation who is into low carb eating, natural supplements and products, and has vlogged somewhat about her life but mostly about her health, and I follow her pretty closely. And I was following a gal who was traveling across the country in a truck camper. Loved her vlogs, looked forward to see how she was doing and make sure all was well with her, prayed for her...then she ran into some bad times and her language in one of her vlogs was really disturbing to me, profanity grieves the spirit, I decided to unsubscribe from her but I will hope she is doing well, and pray for her.

So none of this explains why I want to vlog. As a person who typically wants to stay OUT of the limelight, doesn't like being the center of attention, and lives a fairly private life, I don't understand it. But since the urge to do it has persisted for several months, I'm trying it. There is no reason for it. I just am.

Here is a link to my YouTube channel, if you are interested.

Facebook

Facebook is such a strange society. I've been quite active there for several years, most of the time having a love-hate relationship with it.

Then, a few weeks ago, the Lord started telling me that it had become my god. While I didn't worship it in the same sense as I worship the Lord, it had become the place where I went when I wanted to share something, get something off my chest, talk about things...instead of to Him! And as always He gave me confirmation...so over 2 weeks ago I took a hiatus from my wall. I get notifications in my email about people who post to me, and have chosen to respond only to messages, deleting most of the wall posts after a quick scan. (Previously I was compelled to go to FB to respond to every one of them.) I have a couple of Facebook groups, and belong to a few other groups on FB. But it was The Wall that had taken God's place in my life. I continued - and continue - check on the groups and even participate once in a while.

It has been interesting. Where I thought I would miss it all terribly, I haven't missed it at all. I'm talking to my Lord a LOT more now about what's on my mind or in my heart, instead of posting them to my wall. As light social outlets I use Pinterest and Twitter (which I've used for longer than FB), and spend about 10% of the time on those combined than I used to spend on Facebook.

It is interesting to note that this has also been a humbling experience. After not posting to my wall for 2 weeks, only one of my hundreds of FB friends has apparently noticed my absence...at least enough to contact me and ask about it! WOW, and here I thought that there was this terrific mutually important party line going on with my "friends" - but learned that it is so UNimportant, absence isn't even noticed! It is definitely humbling to get evidence of one's insignificance in the lives of others.

Another side note: when I post to twitter or pinterest, or my blogs, these are fed onto FB. I don't have to actually go there and post, so maybe people see these and ignore the source, so don't now I'm not there, it's just an automatic feed? Who knows? All I know is that this experience has been enlightening and freeing...and that I'm once again talking to my Lord, my precious Master and Savior, continually as I go through my days. So whatever is - or isn't - happening on Facebook, and whoever does - or doesn't - know that I'm not really there, really doesn't matter as much as I always thought it did!

Whether or not I start using Facebook as a social outlet and communication tool again remains to be seen. I have no desire to do so at the moment, although I have started skimming my wall to make sure all is well with my friends once a day or so, and have even clicked a couple of Like buttons. At the moment I don't really think about it too much, and when I do I'm ambivalent about it all, and I certainly don't feel it drawing me back. So, who knows?

Meanwhile I relax happily with Pinterest, and communicate via my blogs and twitter and occasionally email, and enjoy so much more time with God. Life is back in balance.

Big Nell is Home

Well, it took a few weeks from broken to fixed but Big Nell got home a couple of weeks ago, and with a new hard drive.

She's running just fine now, and all the little niggling problems that made me nuts before are resolved...probably the original hard drive had defects, and that's why I had so much trouble with running Ubuntu and Linux Mint so was stuck using Windows, and even had miscellaneous aggravations with that!

Anyway, I now have Linux Mint installed and it's running perfectly. Still using Windows during the day for my job because it's where all of my files and software are currently loaded, but that will change so I can use Mint all the time instead.

The hassle of returning Big Nell was still a hassle. But now my husband is happy with his new computer (he hasn't had a new one in 6½ years, I've had at least 2 new ones since then!) and I'm happy to have Big Nell back, AND WORKING PROPERLY! :)

A Fun Game with Leelan!

Leelan is my 3YO grandson. He loves playing with his "bowling bat" (a plastic golf club) and a big red ball but of course not so good to play with in the house. We have a vacant lot between our house and the house to our south, which we maintain as a lawn, so Saturday Leelan & I went out there and made up a new game. It was great fun for me too!

One of us chooses a place to stand - close to a bush or tree, or on an incline, is a good spot - and that person is the "goal." The other one takes the ball about 20' away, and hits it with the bowling bat toward the "goal"; touching the ball with hands or feet is not allowed! You have reached the goal when the ball touches that person's feet/legs AND stays there, so s/he can pick it up without moving from their spot. 1 point is scored for each stroke, as in mini-golf. One the goal picks up the ball, s/he becomes the player and the other one becomes the goal. The player stays where s/he is and the goal chooses another place to stand. Play continues, reversing roles, until a certain score is reached - the person that reaches that score first is the loser.

What a fun game for both a preschooler and a grandma to play together!

The Word and The World

As I've mentioned before, I get a lot of chaos in my brain since my stroke. Too much input (which now means just a couple of things happening at once!) results in mental confusion or even inability to deal with any of them, as well as frustration and even anger. I wasn't like this before obviously...and even though it's been a few years, I still struggle in dealing with it, since I apparently can't "screen out" input so as to concentrate on one thing at a time...

Anyway, recently I've increasingly been experiencing this mental chaos/frustration/anger cycle going on and haven't been able to pinpoint exactly why. My environment or the people around me (who "get it") haven't changed. So, what then...?

The internet has been great for me. I can talk to people, post updates, and be social without having to think quickly, or deal with other stuff at the same time. I can do it on my terms, when other things aren't vying for my limited attention. I used to be quick and smart in conversations; now I can still be quick and smart when I'm writing because I can take time to think and control the environment.

It's been great being able to witness and share the gospel online, especially via social networks.

But there, as in "real life", there is a whole lot of the world. And I have really let the world's concerns bore holes in my spirit. It's been a slow, incremental change, but a change just the same, until it all started upheaval in my carefully-ordered world. I found myself struggling with even mundane, common tasks and thought processes, frustration and anger taking over more and more...

It took a while to realize what was happening. It wasn't the fault of the internet or social media, it wasn't even a "fault" at all, just an encroachment that I didn't see happening and therefore didn't stop.

The reason I'm even writing about it is that the same things can happen to any of us. The world, its views, its problems and issues, all start taking up more and more space in our thoughts and lives. It isn't that we aren't to deal with them - share and love our brothers and sisters, take the gospel to the world, uproot sin in the name of Jesus wherever it is found - but that these things can't be allowed to become our focus.

Our eyes must always stay on Jesus. Our hearts must always be full of the Word. Even as we do whatever He has called us to do, it is still all about HIM and not about the world. I have to say that again, it is so important: It is all about Him and not about the world.

So last week I decided to take a sabbatical from social networks for the weekend, and focus on Jesus, on the Word, on prayer...then yesterday - Sunday - came, and church, and a guest speaker/singer. And God used her in such a mighty way in my heart!! The things she said were like arrows, shooting the truth right into my spirit! So many things I can't begin write them all down (I can't remember them anyway but I remember their gist), and I'm thrilled that Pete "taped" the whole thing on his Droid! He's never done that before - another way God moved - but I can listen to her again and again!

I need more time with the Lord. My social networking will be severely curtailed, so I can spend time in the Word and in prayer. I haven't been blogging as much either, and that's going to change. I've overdosed on the world, on worldly events and issues and too many things temporal. Now I'm craving once again fellowship with my Father and a spirit that is centered on the spiritual and the eternal.

I am so thankful that God didn't just hand me back over to the world!

(Note that links to this blog are posted on various social sites. If you reply there, I probably won't see it. Just sayin'...)

Update on Big Nell @aspireonenews

I've always liked Acers and she definitely isn't my first...but she will be my last. First of all, she will have cost me 50% more in labor and shipping fees by the time I get her back - IF they will fix her - than what I originally spent to buy her. Second, their tech support is apparently in India, they have heavy accents I can't understand, speak quickly, and have an attitude when I ask them to slow down. Local tech told me the hard drive is totally dead. Probably why she hasn't worked right since I got her the end of March. Cost me an hour of his labor to find that out, and Acer doesn't supply RMAs for free shipping as part of their "warranty" so I have to pay for that. And I HAVE to send it via UPS or FedEx, he told me they won't accept USPS packages...even though we have no UPS or FedEx office in our town - so add gas to the total. Not even counting that I had to buy a new computer just to do my job when she crashed...(and not an Acer, this is my first non-Acer in years.) A bad machine happens every so often and I can understand that...but I don't do business with companies that have such poor customer support.

A Dream I Had

Last night I had a vivid dream. I rarely remember my dreams, if I have them at all, and even when I do remember, they typically fade from memory within minutes of waking up. This dream, though, didn't feel like a dream when I was in it, and I remember it now, nearly 3 hours after I got up.

In this dream there was a young woman, and she was laughing at my faith in God, laughing at the things of Him, and I said, "Get thee behind me Satan!" Then in her place appeared a man with wild eyes, almost yellow eyes, wearing a black shirt with a black hood. What I could see of his hair was dark and wild, and he was scornfully laughing at me. I knew that he was telling me (without words) that I had no power to send the devil out of this girl, or to get him to leave her alone. As mean as he was, though, I had no fear whatsoever. I looked at him steadily and said, "I have no need to fear you, I belong to Jesus and He has overcome evil and death! You have no power over me and you cannot harm me! IN THE NAME OF JESUS, LEAVE ME ALONE!" and he instantly disappeared. I wasn't surprised in my dream, I just took it as a matter of fact - it was as expected and normal as flipping a switch and the lamp turning on. There was no sense of "WOW, that was really something!"

Then as I was reading one of my devotions this morning, I started to cry. This is the devotion. I started reading it and found it interesting...then as I got down to the 2nd half of it, I saw that girl from my dream and it was my daughter Casey. It isn't my place to share her life here, but I will say that my heart has been burdened for her for a long time. I have been praying for God to put people in her path who know Him and will share Him, for her to have an awareness of God in her own heart, for Him to speak to her and call her...some prayers of anguish and grief, some pleading prayers, but never have I said what I say now:

Satan, YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!

Big Nell - HOPEFULLY A Final Hurdle Passed!

She's been working fine in Ubuntu 11.10 for the last week or so. Most importantly, I've been able to do my job! Well, most of it anyway...all except for listening to the voice mails. All of my calls are routed through a computer program, which keeps track of each of them including statistics and voice mails. To listen to voice mails, however, requires Flash. And I have been unable to install Adobe Flash.

I have gone from forum to forum, from troubleshooting site to troubleshooting site; I have copied umpteen lines of code into my terminal, installed package managers and Firefox add-ons. I have added and removed files numerous times, and was about at the point of (probably foolishly) uninstalling and reinstalling Ubuntu. Yet again. Even though it's the only thing that's mostly worked on this machine.

Then I found a post that I had somehow missed. GarvinRick4 (is there REALLY a GarvinRick1 GarvinRick2 and GarvinRick3 already??) posted the simplest of the simple fixes. So simple that I was sure it couldn't possibly work...yet, it did! And now I finally have Flash working on my ubuntu install! Does it really matter how I missed it before this?

One last thing: the other distros and versions I had tried wouldn't find or accept my wifi. So far since Ubuntu 11.10 I haven't unplugged the router cable from Big Nell. I'm kinda afraid - what if she won't only ignore the wifi, but will no longer work on a wired connection either? But I know I have to do it, if for no other reason than I will be rearranging my living room for its summer arrangement soon, and my chair won't be right next to the modem!

So that will be next. But not today :).

Big Nell and Night #2 (update)

Yesterday I used Nellie to do my job. Last night after wiping Big Nell clean and starting over with a fresh install of Window 7 Pro (via the Acer app to restore to factory settings) I tried once again to install Ubuntu 10.04, the stable, LTS version. I really liked Mint but if freezing up is a known issue, then I can't have it, not when I need a reliable o/s for my job every day...

But I had the same issue with it not finding my wireless router, or accepting the information when it was added manually. And I had other things to do at midnight - like sleep! (I did have a 90-minute nap after work) - so I uninstalled Ubuntu 10.04 and reinstalled Mint 12. All was well, everything was working, then I did the updates, and it had the same issue as Ubuntu: wouldn't get online, couldn't find router, wouldn't accept it when added manually. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

So once again, I uninstalled it and reinstalled - this time without the updates. And all is well. I installed Evolution & restored my 753MB of emails from the tar.gz file, installed Skype, added my saved profile onto Firefox that I'd backed up with FEBE, put my schedules and other docs that I use for my job back on, and I'm all set to work today. I will do some research and find out why Mint has a freezing issue, so I can see how to prevent or even if I can. And I will get information about the whole router issue so that I can hopefully install the updates. But none of this until the weekend, when I won't be so pressed for time in case something goes awry :).

I'm not adding my photos or documents or anything else back onto Big Nell yet, they are all accessible from my external HD anyway - not until I have a stable o/s installed, whether it's Mint 12 or Ubuntu 10.04 (I hated 11.*). I even tinkered with the idea of trying Jollicloud last night, but after the 36 hours I'd had with this machine, that would have simply been foolhardy to add yet another variable.

So we'll see what happens now.

Big Nell & My Long Night

Let me start out by saying It's Not The Computer. I wanted cheap, I got cheap, I can't complain about that. Big Nell is very basic, no bells, no whistles, not even much of what I'd expect to be basic - but she runs.

After a lot of grief last weekend I got Linux Mint installed and running by using the Mint4Win tool. Kinda like Ubuntu's Wubi. And it worked just fine. Installed Evolution, it read my backup and when I opened it, there was everything just like I'd left it on Nellie! Very good! Ditto Firefox; I used FEBE and it worked a charm to copy my profile over to Big Nell. Installed Skype without a hitch, it worked a treat. All was well.

But I noticed it lagging and some of the apps running slow or hanging. (Could be because there's only 2GB of RAM? Don't know if I can upgrade to 4GB and since it didn't come with a manual, nor can I find one online, I will have to buy it and try it I guess!) But Nellie only ran on 2GB and she ran smoothly - maybe Mint 12 was heavier than Ubuntu? I don't know...but I just went with the flow...

Then Yesterday Big Nell froze at boot. At first it was when she couldn't find the wifi where we were. I clicked on the Network icon to give her a little help, and she froze completely up. Hmmm...rebooted (using the switch obviously) and tried again - same thing. And same thing when I just tried to start Firefox, thinking the app might give the network a good kick...nope. Then she started freezing up earlier in the process - after I typed in my password, then before...but always after the Mint screen came up, so I knew it wasn't Grub - it was Mint.

I just kept trying, and on 2 occasions I got her to run, get online, and act normal. But her heart wasn't in it, and for every time I got her to run she froze at least a dozen. The 2nd time she was up and running I exported/copied all of my files & settings onto the external HD.

I uninstalled Mint, and installed the good old standby, Ununtu 10.04. Ahhh...so familiar, like an old friend. But a friend who couldn't seem to find any networks even though there are 4 right around here. And I couldn't add them by force either. No good if I can't get online...so I uninstalled that and installed Ubuntu 11.10 (not a fan, but better than Windows!). Now it was about 4 a.m...I had to get up in 4 hours, so I was hoping this would work. And it did. Got online a treat, took over an hour to load up all of my files (my email tar file was over 750MB itself)...all that was left to do was install Skype. YEAH!

Uh...no. Skype doesn't play nice with Ubuntu 11.10 apparently. I got a dire warning message after I did the apt-get that I would seriously damage my system if I continued. Um, really? SERIOUSLY? And on I went.

OK, after uninstalling my 2-hour install of Ubuntu 11.10, I decided I'd just use Windows for work today since it was already getting online, Skype worked fine, I could access my email at the host's server via the web, and it could obviously read .xls files - the 4 requirements for my work computer. Thought I'd give it a shot to make sure it worked; by now it was after 7:00.

Guess what? MS Office Starter wouldn't allow me to edit MY OWN FILE, nor save it! I turned off all the protections that it proudly proclaimed were saving me from myself - still couldn't use the spreadsheet that is the most important file that I use every day. I tried to get help, was sent to a MS Knowledge Base article (which is never helpful), which sent me to another page after I wasted more time reading several screens on that one...then read how I had to alter the registry keys. And to follow all the instructions VERY CAREFULLY. But of course I wouldn't HAVE the instructions with me as the I'd have to have my browser off. I'm no stranger to tinkering in Windows registries, I've done it a LOT. But not after 10 hours of solid frustration, no sleep, need to start working in 90 minutes (but first get my grandson up and dressed and cuddled and prayed over and ready for his day)... As soon as my daughter's dad picked up my grandson, I had a meltdown of major proportions. No sleep, hours and hours and hours of frustration, my hatred for all things Windows and feeling forced to endure MS torture...I had had it.

Thankfully, hubby got home from work about the time I was supposed to start taking calls, and he let me use Nellie. Yes she has her problems, but at least she can do what I need her to do. Except Skype, which just means that I will be using cell phone minutes today that I can ill afford to do...but at least I can do my job...

And Big Nell has now been wiped clean, and reset to factory settings. I'm kinda punchy and can't think straight, so I'm making notes on EVERYTHING having to do with my job, so I don't mess anything up. And after a nap at 5:00 I will get back to work on Big Nell...don't have a plan, don't know what I'll do, but I have to make her do what I bought her to do!

Goodbye Nellie, Hello Big Nell!

I've got all of Nellie's files backed up onto my WD MyBook (hard to believe I paid $259 five years ago, for 250GB of space). Ubuntu is gone, she's unplugged and ready for her new adventure with my husband. I'm a little sad, Nellie & I have been through a lot together these last 2 years, but life always marches on...

Big Nell's 11.6" screen still seems huge to me, but I'll get used to it now that I'm not working on both computers. I love that I can see more of a page without making it so tiny that it's useless, yet with very little extra weight. (I keep my computer on a small table next to my chair. During the season that I work, I'm continually picking it up and putting it down with my left hand/arm. Last year my left elbow was so painful by late summer that I didn't get relief until well after the first of this year! So a light little machine is very important to me.) I am getting used to the keyboard, which is flat and very little touch-differentiation between keys. Nellie's keys all had a dip, and larger spaces between them. Big Nell's keys all run together to my fingertips. But within a few days I will adjust, as long as I keep my fingernails very short.

So I like the display, I'm getting used to the quiet keyboard, and BN stays much cooler than Nellie ever did. I didn't dare run Nellie, even for a few minutes, without a cooling fan under her. No such thing with this machine, and stays cool to the touch, top and bottom. SO QUIET without the outside fan!

What I don't like: There are no indicator lights! No light telling me when the hard drive is working or the caps lock key is on...the only lights tell me when I'm connected to wifi, when she's plugged in, and when she's charging. Also, Big Nell has the same major problem that Nellie had: the cursor jumps across the keyboard as I'm typing. If I'm not watching the screen, I will find that I've typed the last few sentences somewhere in the middle of another paragraph elsewhere in the document, that I then I have to find and correct. It is a frustration to be sure, but one I lived with on Nellie so I guess I will have to live with on Big Nell.

Re: sound, Big Nell's speakers are better but the headphone jack isn't Nellie's Dolby 5.1 surround sound - and I do miss that! The sound is more than adequate in headphones of course, very nice even, but definitely not anywhere near Nellie's. As a musician and music lover, sound is something I would have paid more for, had I been able to.

Lastly, Big Nell didn't come with a manual, nor can I find one on the Acer website. I'd like to double the 2GB RAM that came with it, but not sure if I can. I'd hate to spend the $ on a 4GB chip only to find it doesn't work. I have had other questions as well that a manual would have answered. Never have I bought a computer without a manual, or at least been able to find one online. I will contact Acer about this though.

So this machine isn't as fun to use as Nellie was before she started breaking down, but it is adequate - about what I'd expect at this price. I am, however, enjoying Linux Mint 12 which isn't all that different from Ubuntu but it does have enough different features that I'm enjoying it.

All in all, I got what I paid for, no more and no less, and it is satisfactory to do what I need to do.

New Computer, The Final Chapter

I'm on the new computer, and running Mint - YAY! I was going to give up and install Ubuntu after my 2nd try, then I ran across this article by the How To Geek (love it, get the newsletters, have for a long time). And that's how I ended up doing it. SO easy!

I was concerned about getting my emails and Firefox profile moved from Nellie to Big Nell (as I've decided to name this new bigger netbook) but I needn't have been.

Ubuntu 11.04 ran Evolution as the email client, and I exported all of my emails, accounts, settings, etc. per the instructions. Thunderbird here on Mint claimed to import everything from other email clients, but just looked blankly at me when I pointed it toward my Evolution files. So I installed Evolution on Big Nell, imported my "backup", and within a couple of minutes my new Evolution looks just like my old one! Couldn't be easier!

For Firefox I used the FEBE add-on. Same thing...used the backup facility, installed it on the new machine, created my new profile and restored the backup right into it.

I also needed to move my documents, music, photos, etc. here but of course that was no problem. I copied them all to my external hard drive, then plugged it into Big Nell and copied them here.

For my job I use an .xls file, which the linux LibreOffice suite handles with ease, and I use Skype, Just installed that and tried it out by calling my sister, all is well there.

So I think I'm ready to go! My husband will be messing around with Nellie now, as soon as I delete all of my stuff off her hard drive (or I might just delete the Ubuntu partition and save myself some time). Hopefully he'll have fun with that.

alllllllllllrighty then - ready, set, go!

New Computer, Pt.II

Well, that didn't work! I was all set to install Ubuntu again, but am giving Mint one more try, following these instructions. If THIS doesn't work, I'll have to just install Ubuntu 10.04 instead. (I had 11.04 on Nellie but hated it and was sorry I'd upgraded.) Seriously do NOT want to be running windows....

New Computer, Pt.I

I had to do it. Didn't want to, couldn't really afford to, but had to. Usually a new computer is cause for celebration and excitement, this is the first time it isn't, although I'm not hating it or anything, just not ideal circumstances. It's a very basic machine, cheap from Walmart - far from my ideal situation when acquiring a new computer!

I have been using Nellie (my 10.1" Acer netbook) continually for 2 years, especially for my seasonal job, and she has performed admirably. But she's getting old - I guess one of our years is about 40 netbook years - and losing functions. First she lost the use of her lower left corner keys (Ctrl, Fn, Alt); the the W started acting up like rheumatism in a rainstorm. Then the display started blanking out on occasion...then on more occasions...then many times a day. Then the mic and speaker jacks - which were a thing of beauty, aurally speaking, with their lovely Dolby 5.1 sound - got as crackly as a 90-year-old with laryngitis.

To do my job I need to have a computer that is reliable and stable, that has a screen that stays on, and especially one with which I can use my headset! And Nellie couldn't do it any more. It was time to put her out to pasture.

So yesterday I picked up an Acer 11.6" netbook. I call her MintyFresh, since I will be using Linux Mint on her. (I haven't used Windows in a few years, have been running Ubuntu on Nellie and on the computer before that.) In fact, I'm downloading the ISO right now. Thing is, netbooks don't have visual drives. So I'm following some instructions that I found online. Right now I'm just waiting for the ISO (chose KDE 64-bit) to download, then I'll install the Universal USB Installer, then get on with things. I'll check back when that much is accomplished. Hopefully all will go smoothly and the next time I boot up MintyFresh she'll be running linux!

A Good Friday Graphic

I used a beautiful graphic from Christian Graphics and used their facility to add the verse...

Today Hubby & I Had a Date!

We drove down to Flint to an RV Show. This is my new FUN! Ever since we decided we want to become full-timers I have been obsessed with all things RVing. I spend whatever leisure time I have perusing website and videos, and reading blogs written by full-timers and other RV enthusiasts. I am planning in mind what we will do with all of our belongings, and studying travel sites to find a list of places to go when the time comes.

When the time comes is the new catch phrase around here. I foresee it happening when Pete retires in about 4 years. However, if we can make it happen sooner, we will...but I write about all of that in my Vita In Via (Life on the Road) blog...

It was a beautiful May day today, except that it is only mid-March. Unseasonably warm weather. I will get my complaints out of the way early :). It was too warm - no secret that I love cold temps and snow, and that I feel totally gypped out of winter this year; we didn't get our first snow until the end of January, and it was already melting away the first part of March! And now it is May in March. And of course from the walking and climbing in and out of RVs by the time we left the show I needed my walker and pain drugs as my arthritis (spine, hips, right knee) was painfully stiffening me right up...and that's all the bad stuff for the day which isn't all that much, just the usual really :).

But the RV show was really lovely, and it was great to see "real life" models of the units I've seen online, They are quite different walking through than just watching!

After the RV show we went to Best Buy. This netbook that I bought 2 years ago has been performing like a trooper! Even though they weren't really made for heavy work, this has been my main computer for the entire time I've had it, on duty for all of my waking hours (whether I'm actually using it or not, it's running, usually playing music at the very least). But it's been developing some issues: the headphone jack works sporadically, and the mic jack makes my voice static-y - these things make Skype use impossible, and it is Skype that I use for my seasonal job. The lower left part of the keyboard has quit working. The display periodically goes all white, for no reason that I can find, and I have to reboot, which doesn't always fix it. One of my 3 USB ports doesn't work anymore. And a few more annoying issues. But when I'm taking calls on a busy day, one on top of the other, I don't have time to be rebooting or retyping. And I certainly can't afford to pay for all of the minutes I use on my cell phone plan!

So I wanted to see the different sized laptops. This has a 10.1" display and an 87% of full size keyboard. Now there are 11.6" keyboards out there, so I wanted to see them, see how heavy they are, feel the keyboard. There are also 13.3" keyboards. That's really the biggest that I want to go, but when I have the $ saved up for my computer replacement it will all come down to the best machine for the price, and the size of it won't be as important to me as the features in the end.

We saw a Good Will on the way to Best Buy, so we then stopped in there. I got some cooler clothes for Leelan (all he has here now are sweats and heavier winter clothing). There were a couple of other things that I could have purchased, but really didn't want to spend the money. And finally we got Halo Burgers for supper! They are so wonderful...and we hadn't have them in years, so it was fun to have one again! I really REALLY wanted a boston cooler but am afraid to try one since my surgery - can't have any carbonated beverages, and even though the mixing process gets rid of a lot of carbonation in the Vernors, I didn't want to be in pain all the way back up here if it didn't sit well in my belly. So I had an iced tea instead.

It was an exhausting day, and I don't know if/how I'll be able to move tomorrow, but it was so worth it to spend time with my Petey, doing things together that we love, no distractions...just he and I :).

35 Years Old Yesterday!

OK, that's 35 years since I was born of the Spirit. I had planned to write about this last night after Leelan went to sleep but had computer issues so I'm a day late...but in the scope of eternity, a few hours is less than a blink.

It was 35 years ago that a friend from high school and I sat in his car talking, and he told me that we aren't guaranteed even the next breath, and if I didn't have one, what my eternity would be like without Christ. This was the culmination of a lot of prayer and sharing by others, though. It didn't hit me that night. Others spent years prior telling me about Jesus and hearing me reject His message over and over again. Yet they persisted, gently at times, not-so-gently at others.

I know my sister dedicated her life to serving Christ several years before, and tried to tell me about Him, but I wouldn't listen. It had no meaning to me. And I'm sure she was praying for me during that time...

My friend Alona never gave up either. We'd hang out, play games, listen to music - CHRISTIAN music (remember the album Love Peace Joy? I knew every word to every song, I heard it so often at her house!) - and talk. And she patiently listened to every argument against Christianity that I could muster, and remained my friend, and didn't give up on me, and continued to share Him with me.

So my heart was ready that night that Jim forced me to make a choice. Forced is a strong word, but he told me I had to either accept the salvation that God was offering to me, or flat-out reject Him. And he informed me clearly what my eternity would be like if I rejected Him. So that night, Jim's Bible there between us and the Word that he and others had shared filling my heart, I prayed with him...

Then I went home, feeling so different, so light, so open, not hard anymore, thinking and seeing everything differently than I had just an hour earlier, I was a changed person, in those minutes my life was changed. Gwen came into my room and asked me what was wrong with me, it was so noticeable. I remember clearly, as if it were yesterday, I asked her, "Can you get saved in a CAR?"

God had called me. His Spirit was working in those around me, whom He'd put into my path. And in His timing and plan, He brought me Home.

I think of this a lot. I think of all the people - hopefully me included! - who make a difference in the lives and hearts of people around us when we're obedient to the Spirit. We may not see them make a choice to accept Christ's offer and live a life of joyful service to Him, we may not know where they will choose to spend their eternity, but we can know that - like Gwen and Alona - we are allowing the Spirit to reach them through us, and He will see it through.

Jesus tell us, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (Jn.14:1-3)

Where He is, there I may be also...that is what it is all about! Thank you Gwen, Alona, and Jim...thanks for making sure that we all will be where He is!

Thinking About The Future

Of course, none of us knows what the future holds, and nobody knows that better than a Christian! Personally I'm just waiting for the day of Christ's return, or for the day He takes me home...but in the meantime, I've got to do His work here wherever and whenever I can.

So we've been thinking about retirement. Pete doesn't retire for another 4 years (if there will be a retirement at all for those of us who will be depending on social security), but we've been talking about what we will do, where we will go, how we will minister after that. And until recently we had wanted to move to Marquette, Michigan for a variety of reasons. We both love Marquette, but are now thinking that maybe living there full-time may not be the best thing for us anymore.

Several months ago we started discussing the possibility of fulltime RVing. We had brought it up many times in conversation over the years, but never seriously considered it. Now, however, it really is seeming more like a calling than a dream. So I started researching it, and the more we learned and talked about it, the more it felt like the right fit in our hearts for our future.

We're not sure where all this is going, but we know we want to be free to go where we are called to go, we've learned how economical RV living can be, how many ways there are to do it, and most of all that it really IS feasible!

By the time Pete retires, the number of our pets will have naturally declined to a manageable quantity, and we will have this goal in mind as time goes on and we are tempted to rescue more, since there will be space and cost considerations as well as time (especially for the parrots) and energy to devote. We will also use these next few years to lighten our load. We don't have a LOT of "stuff", living in <1000 sq ft mobile home, but we have too much. We will need to pare that down to only enough for immediate needs, and nothing more. For example we won't need service for 16, a houseful of knick-knacks, tools for every possible situation, dozens of clothes for each and every season and situation, 7 rooms of furniture, etc.

There is something very liberating even in the planning and working toward such a goal. And it is an exciting prospect to be knowing we'll have unencumbered ourselves to the point that "Where He leads me, I will follow" can be a reality!

So that's where we're headed now, with this goal in mind, to hopefully someday be our new lives!