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- Fri, 23:36: I have 3 monitors on one CPU but the skills to setup only 2 of them. Watching myself trying to get them lined up... https://t.co/3gV3GTtKhM
- Sat, 00:06: I'm so hoping that Monday brings an end to 50 Shades of everything. https://t.co/4dCSQhoTST
Feb. 14th, 2015
Even though I've taken half my house to Goodwill more than once, I still have a crapton or two of computer cables and plugs and converters of all types and sizes. Seriously, it's embarrassing. And yet...
Yesterday, the monitor my brother sent to replace the one that died while he was here arrived. Instead of a DVI and VGA port like the one it replaced, it had VGA only. Since the dead one was connected DVI to HDMI and there is no such thing as VGA to HDMI, we had a problem. My computer has available HDMI and Display Port for hooking up monitors (it also has two DVI's but those are taken). So, since HDMI was out, that left Display Port. Did I have a Display Port plug in my crapton of stuff. No, of course not!!
Happily, there's a fabulous store of old and new computer parts about a mile from here so I hopped in the car and got what I needed, kind of. At least I was able to hook it up. I am not a fan of Display Ports. I've never had one that didn't do something funky. Of the two available, one made the computer crackle like someone was pulling it out and putting it back in over and over again. The other one makes no sound but the display goes black for 2 seconds about every 5 minutes. And the cable is too short and too white and too fat.
I think I'm going to swap out with one of the other monitors and run it DVI to HDMI and then run the new one VGA to DVI. But yesterday I was so frustrated that I just got it hooked up and quit. Part of the frustration is my insistence on the absolute minimum of cable showing anywhere. My designer did a 60% good job of designing cable hiding in the desk she had built. The cables are hidden but getting to them and doing anything with them is a royal pain in the ass. So there was a lot of cursing at her involved.
Then, once I got everything plugged in there happened a couple of hilarious hours when I couldn't get the software to understand the monitor configuration. I have 3 monitors. The far left is 1, the middle is 2 and the right is 3. I use them as one. But I could not get them in order so the mouse pointer would flow from 1 to 2 to 3. I'd get 2 right and the 3rd one would be wrong. I'd fix it and other one would go out of order. It was such a cluster fuck even I thought it was funny.
Today is my brother's wedding anniversary (yeah, Valentine's Day - at least Halmark makes sure he remembers every year - it's a third marriage for both so there could be some calendar confusion). I think it's their 16th. Their big gift is a giant overhang off the side of their house that has electricity and sound built in so they can spend evenings outside, drinks in hand, watching the world go by. They are replacing an old tent like structure that finally gave up the ghost so this new one will be great.
But, while he was here he wanted to get her some kind of fancy, pretty neck scarf. We headed over to Ballard - a neighborhood that has a ton of crafty, boutique-ie, free range, pricey, overly-adorable little shops. Parking is always a challenge but we found a spot and got out of the car and went into the first shop and found the perfect infinity scarf. It was quilted by women in a co-op somewhere eco friendly or something. It was nice. He'd never seen an infinity scarf before - I had to demonstrate - but we bought it and then had lunch.
Just now he sent me a picture of her wearing the scarf and a report that she was delighted. Nice. I always feel so guilty about his wife. She's a really good person who loves him and he loves her. And she took the most amazing and loving care of my mother in Mom's final years - I'll be forever grateful. But she and I could not be any different and I don't mean that in an opposites attract kind of way. I feel guilty about wanting him to visit by himself and grateful that she is so gracious about it. I'm glad she liked her scarf.
Time now to get suited up for swim. I may go find brunch after and I might just come home and make it here. I'll decide in the water.
Yesterday, the monitor my brother sent to replace the one that died while he was here arrived. Instead of a DVI and VGA port like the one it replaced, it had VGA only. Since the dead one was connected DVI to HDMI and there is no such thing as VGA to HDMI, we had a problem. My computer has available HDMI and Display Port for hooking up monitors (it also has two DVI's but those are taken). So, since HDMI was out, that left Display Port. Did I have a Display Port plug in my crapton of stuff. No, of course not!!
Happily, there's a fabulous store of old and new computer parts about a mile from here so I hopped in the car and got what I needed, kind of. At least I was able to hook it up. I am not a fan of Display Ports. I've never had one that didn't do something funky. Of the two available, one made the computer crackle like someone was pulling it out and putting it back in over and over again. The other one makes no sound but the display goes black for 2 seconds about every 5 minutes. And the cable is too short and too white and too fat.
I think I'm going to swap out with one of the other monitors and run it DVI to HDMI and then run the new one VGA to DVI. But yesterday I was so frustrated that I just got it hooked up and quit. Part of the frustration is my insistence on the absolute minimum of cable showing anywhere. My designer did a 60% good job of designing cable hiding in the desk she had built. The cables are hidden but getting to them and doing anything with them is a royal pain in the ass. So there was a lot of cursing at her involved.
Then, once I got everything plugged in there happened a couple of hilarious hours when I couldn't get the software to understand the monitor configuration. I have 3 monitors. The far left is 1, the middle is 2 and the right is 3. I use them as one. But I could not get them in order so the mouse pointer would flow from 1 to 2 to 3. I'd get 2 right and the 3rd one would be wrong. I'd fix it and other one would go out of order. It was such a cluster fuck even I thought it was funny.
Today is my brother's wedding anniversary (yeah, Valentine's Day - at least Halmark makes sure he remembers every year - it's a third marriage for both so there could be some calendar confusion). I think it's their 16th. Their big gift is a giant overhang off the side of their house that has electricity and sound built in so they can spend evenings outside, drinks in hand, watching the world go by. They are replacing an old tent like structure that finally gave up the ghost so this new one will be great.
But, while he was here he wanted to get her some kind of fancy, pretty neck scarf. We headed over to Ballard - a neighborhood that has a ton of crafty, boutique-ie, free range, pricey, overly-adorable little shops. Parking is always a challenge but we found a spot and got out of the car and went into the first shop and found the perfect infinity scarf. It was quilted by women in a co-op somewhere eco friendly or something. It was nice. He'd never seen an infinity scarf before - I had to demonstrate - but we bought it and then had lunch.
Just now he sent me a picture of her wearing the scarf and a report that she was delighted. Nice. I always feel so guilty about his wife. She's a really good person who loves him and he loves her. And she took the most amazing and loving care of my mother in Mom's final years - I'll be forever grateful. But she and I could not be any different and I don't mean that in an opposites attract kind of way. I feel guilty about wanting him to visit by himself and grateful that she is so gracious about it. I'm glad she liked her scarf.
Time now to get suited up for swim. I may go find brunch after and I might just come home and make it here. I'll decide in the water.
Broken brain
Feb. 14th, 2015 11:59 amI am home where, I hope, it is safe for me to operate. After my swim (which was great - especially for a Saturday), I was almost home when I realized I didn't have my Shuffle. I had unclipped it to take inside to charge it and then lost track of it. I must have left it there on the bench. Back to the pool. Checked the bench. Nope. Checked with the receptionist. Nope. Checked with the lifeguards. Nope. Sigh. It has my name and phone number on it so maybe it will turn up. (I do have a spare.)
And then I decided to pop into Walgreens. I went to pay with my phone. No phone. What the Phuck? I know I had it after the pool... Back to the car and the phone's not in its holder. I checked everything again. Nope. Oh, wait. There it was under the crap on the passenger seat. Then I dug through all my swim stuff and there was the Shuffle. Wrapped in my wet suit.
I figured I had better get home where it's safe and if my brain dies it will at least be in familiar surroundings. So... home it is. Breakfast done and all is cool.
My Saturday swimming buddy, Tanya, was way out of shape about my being missing last Saturday. She did say she was glad I wasn't dead. 'But you can't just not be here! That's unprecedented and we can't have that.' hahaha Nice to be noticed.
---
While my brother was here he remarked that it was kind of interesting how I had lived so long in so very many places and had so many experiences over the first 40 years of my life but then have spent the last 25 in the same exact spot. And he's right. I know the cultures of the South and the Northeast and of the midwest and even of Northern California. I've lived in all of those places. BUT what I know is information at least a quarter of a century old.
My brother has lived in a lot of places and currently lives in Texas near Austin. It's kind of a cosmopolitan place but... no cannabis stores, no bins/barrels for all the different kinds of trash/garbage, stores there still hand out plastic bags for free and take out food comes in styrofoam. Living in Seattle is like living in a bubble.
And then I decided to pop into Walgreens. I went to pay with my phone. No phone. What the Phuck? I know I had it after the pool... Back to the car and the phone's not in its holder. I checked everything again. Nope. Oh, wait. There it was under the crap on the passenger seat. Then I dug through all my swim stuff and there was the Shuffle. Wrapped in my wet suit.
I figured I had better get home where it's safe and if my brain dies it will at least be in familiar surroundings. So... home it is. Breakfast done and all is cool.
My Saturday swimming buddy, Tanya, was way out of shape about my being missing last Saturday. She did say she was glad I wasn't dead. 'But you can't just not be here! That's unprecedented and we can't have that.' hahaha Nice to be noticed.
---
While my brother was here he remarked that it was kind of interesting how I had lived so long in so very many places and had so many experiences over the first 40 years of my life but then have spent the last 25 in the same exact spot. And he's right. I know the cultures of the South and the Northeast and of the midwest and even of Northern California. I've lived in all of those places. BUT what I know is information at least a quarter of a century old.
My brother has lived in a lot of places and currently lives in Texas near Austin. It's kind of a cosmopolitan place but... no cannabis stores, no bins/barrels for all the different kinds of trash/garbage, stores there still hand out plastic bags for free and take out food comes in styrofoam. Living in Seattle is like living in a bubble.
I suck at spelling and excel at typos
Feb. 14th, 2015 12:02 pmI realized with the last entry that I wasn't using HTML mode on the LJ new entry page. Visual editor lets you think everything you are typing in is letter perfect. Liar liar Pants On Phire!
Visual editor, you suck.
Visual editor, you suck.
