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We’ve been walking more in our immediate neighborhood. I don’t usually talk about it much, because – well, there’s not much to talk about. It’s a sketchy, industrial area. And I don’t typically take photos of it because – well, I don’t want to walk around with my camera for fear having it snatched from me. But, there’s a lot to see, and a lot of photos waiting to be captured. There’s tremendous texture to be found in industrial lots.
We used to go urban-exploring all the time in metro Detroit…. around all the abandoned buildings and lots that littered the city. One of my favorite places was an abandoned turn of the century asylum for children – so spooky. Recently I discovered that Massachusetts has numerous abandoned asylums, and I brought up this funfact to my husband and asked if we could go explore and photograph the buildings. During [what seemed like 2 hours] a few seconds of awkward silence, I realized this was the difference between someone who grew up in an old industrial city, versus someone who grew up in modern suburbs around the world. MP just thought I was insane for bringing up the idea (no pun intended), let alone thinking it would be a fun adventure. We’ll see.
Small steps that will lead to big changes. That’s the plan anyway…..
I love Ashley’s drawings. Her work appeals to me on many levels, but I am often captured by the subtle little faces of her people and creatures. I’ve collected many of her pieces, both squirreled them away and given as gifts. I decided to focus on a particular theme and started collecting all of her pieces that involve houses. It started with the black houses and grew. Now, every time she does a house, I must have it. Eventually I hope to have this wall covered with her house drawings.
We had a three day weekend and it was outstanding.
Friday started off tense and wrapped up relaxing. Sometimes those are my favorite days because you feel like you lived two days in one. And since lately I can’t help but feel time is completely beyond my grasp, it was a refreshing change. I finished the yellow dress but it was very rainy and dark, so I didn’t get any good photos…. I will try again this week.
Saturday we installed the [bent] blind and it has completely transformed the space. The light is so different… now when we are in the kitchen the glass wall is illuminated in a soft glow. Really, it’s changed the entire feel of the loft and we can’t believe we didn’t invest in this little project sooner. Saturday night was The Concert and it was outstanding. Our tickets were in the 25th row, and they had to move us to accommodate a disabled patron, so they moved us to the 6th row. So. Close. Neko was funny and charming, and she can really play guitar.
Sunday was spent in Rhode Island, a beautifully sunny (though cold!) day. Lottie loves it there. She runs through the yard….. runs…. runs…. runs….. all by herself, just for the pleasure of running. We just sit on the deck and watch, eventually she plops down next to us to watch some of the birds. It’s good to know someone would watch her at a place that makes her happen should I ever bring myself to travel without her. Gasp.
We had a custom walnut blind made for the bedroom to the tune of a lot of cash, the kind that stings just a little bit. We didn’t have a lot of choice as our windows are 8 feet wide by 7′ tall. It arrived Thursday, shipping container in perfect condition but the product chipped at one end and bent in the middle of the metal hanging rail. We thought the wood valence would hide it, except the dent is right where the valence clips on. Plus you can see the dent when it’s mounted (as it’s up high). So we called to find out our options and she said “just throw it out, we’ll send you a new one”. Which dumbfounded me.
We felt so wasteful. On one had we could just live with it, on the other we paid a lot of money for it and it should be perfect. We’d rather live with it dented if the alternative is to throw it out. The company’s policy is full replacement, no questions asked. It didn’t leave us with a lot of middle ground and we had to decide in 24 hours, a system designed to take advantage of people like us. By the time I called back, ready for a fight, the blind was already ‘in production’. So there you go. Thankfully we found this place, and will take it there. Alternatively, we may see if someone in this building could use it because after all, they have the same giant windows and it would be a perfect fit. One of the benefits of community living.
Kay always sends the most wonderful treats. We are in a serious treat lull here due to a broken fan motor on our fridge (the guy is coming back Thursday…. but we had to get rid of a LOT of good food. Sigh). Marshmallows are my favorite, and these look scrumptious.
And the mug! This mug is my new favorite, it’s beautiful!
A new friend has been made at the apple store. My appointment at the Genius Bar was fruitful on many levels. The person assigned to my case was a happy fellow with a passion for iBooks. (It’s also worth noting that this fellow’s past time activities involve a fair amount of D&D and LARP). When I explained my story, he looked at me and said “I love these computers and you’ve taken excellent care of this one”, which of course made me tear up. To which he responded “See my necklace, it’s made of iBook parts”. And on that note I felt I was in good hands and MP rolled his eyes and walked away. Disbeliever!
He had me type a few things and right on cue the keyboard went nuts. He popped off a couple of keys and low and behold – a tiny little piece of paper towel was stuck under the control key. That’s it. Problem solved! No triage, no surgery, no potential lost hard drive. He smiled and we had ourselves a hearty guffaw. Hilarity!
Then came the tough love. He commiserated with my fear of losing the little machine. But he also had to lay it on the line for me: Parts for this machine will no longer be available through Mac in about another month or so. In fact, the plastic macbooks will not be available much longer at all – all metal, all the time. My long-bearded genius and I, we walked s l o w l y over to the laptop displays and he showed me some neat things the new machines do. And I asked him to confirm that they could completely transfer the innards of my machine into the new machine seamlessly. He made a squinty face that said volumes, saying since I’m 2 operating systems out, it’s not likely to go off without a hitch. MP walked up at this point and rolled his eyes at me again, smirking.
So now, I’m biding my time. Backing up and trying to act like everything is back to normal. But I know that in the coming months (weeks?) I may have to visit my genius again and walk away with a new machine. For some reason, this is not an exciting or fun thing for me. I like this computer and it does everything I need. I don’t like that there’s no option to extend the life of this machine, I’m forced to abandon it and just move on. Perhaps I’ve taken WALL-E to heart too much?
My laptop is dying. It appears to be a slow death, starting with the keyboard. They very link from me to…her. The way we talk. The way she knows what I’ve needed for the last 6 years. It’s awful.
It started before Thanksgiving. Little skips or oddities while I was typing. I came up with a little work-around (pop out the keyboard and pop it right back in), but now I must go through this little exercise every 3 or 4 minutes. It’s becoming complicated – the simplest commands are now laborious, and it’s breaking my heart. Why can’t she just understand?
A trip to the Apple store today confirmed my diagnosis, it may technically be a simple fix. However, it may be a costly fix and I should prepare for the weighing my options. The 12 year old salesperson (okay, she may have been older than that, but I’m talking 18– tops) talked me down and explained that they can transfer everything about THIS computer onto the NEW computer so that when I turn the new computer on for the first time, it will look and work exactly the same as my old computer….except newer, faster, cleaner….. I have no idea why, but I started to get a lump in my throat. And when I asked “what do I do with the old one, if it’s broken no one will want it” and she gave me a delicate shrug. I bit my lip and the wall of water on my corneas gave way. How humiliating. There was an awkward moment where she just stared at me, and I leaned back against a very patient MP, gripping my computer like a stuffed animal. Next weekend we will get the ‘genius’ diagnosis, but I have given myself this week to say good-bye. Sniff.
