Out for Delivery

I love seeing those words when I plug in my tracking number. This is my new computer arriving today. On Monday, I left a return for UPS to pick up. They generally come anywhere from 1-4 pm but on Monday the tracking for the pickup shows they were here at 10:20. Probably that was just a tease and today they won't be here til 5.

This is a new machine (my last several have been referbs) and it's got both an ssd drive and Windows 10. I have an el cheapo Windows 10 tablet but it's too el cheapo to do much. I upgraded to Windows 10 when it first came out and after a month reverted. So this will be my first Windows 10 experience.

In the olden days, getting a new computer was a BFD because I had to transfer all the programs and all the data from the old to the new and it was slow and treacherous and so took days to get everything set up. Now so much of what I do is on a server far away, and my internet connection is so painless and fast, that really setting up a new computer is an hour long process at most. (Especially since I bought it from my brother and he's already done all the Windows updates - thanks, bro!)

I use Microsoft Publisher to edit my brother's newsletter, and Media Monkey to rip CD's to MP3's for my swim iPod Shuffle. The rest is really gravy. I have an old graphics program I like and some other nice-to-have stuff. And I'm interested in really seeing Windows 10 work the way it's supposed to. So... fun!

Today is also house cleaner day. My kitchen really needs it. No matter what I do, I can never get it as clean and sparkling as she does.

The jury is still out on swimming today. Tomorrow it's back to first thing in the morning swims. The gym in Ballard will be doable traffic wise tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. And hopetogod, my gym will have the freakin' pool fixed by Monday. So today, probably if no computer yet, I'll go about mid-day. If computer, I'll probably take the day off.

A fun computer note. Years and years ago - actually 2009, I just looked it up - I bought a little Windows software program of Big Ben Chimes. It was expensive for what it was but I love it. It's like having a grandfather clock in my house. I particularly love it in the middle of the night... I hear it chime down 2 am and know I still have a good half of the night yet to sleep. It's made by a company out of Singapore who, it appears, has not updated their software or their website in a loooooong time. I know from experience that it is not at all easy to move this Big Ben software from one computer to another. The licensing situation is weird and strong. If you can uninstall it, it's easier. That's what I did last time. Not an option this time. Today I sent an email with my order number and within an hour I had an email that the license was renewed and released so I can install it on the new one. So, even though it was pricey in 2009, it's been worth every penny!

I think I'll do a tour of the house to pick up anything that might get in the house cleaner's way and then hit the sewing room.

It's never easy...

How in the world could setting up this PC turn out to be so difficult??!! It was like whackamole in this living room but, finally, all the moles are whacked. And I think I am, too!

But, let's go back. The housecleaner was late - some convoluted excuse that got lost in the translation from Bosnian - I knew that if I hung around, she'd be chatting me up a storm and take forever to get the house clean. The city pool was open so YEP. Swimming turned out to be the perfect solution in so many ways.

On the way home from the pool, my brother is texting me to go down and get the UPS delivery. I think he thought I was in the sewing room just ignoring The Big Delivery. He can see me via the webcams in the living room. Maybe I should put one in the sewing room... hmmmm that's a good idea!

Anyway, got home got the box, got lunch and got to work. The computer is much bigger, lighter and funner than I anticipated. Windows 10 is far more intuitive than not. The most difficult time I had was finding the damn search window. But finally I stumbled on it and found the rest of the stuff I needed after that.

It is so fast. It reboots in like no time flat. Really nice. What I was shooting for was a nice, zippy little laptop that I could keep hooked up to my monitors and always on but also easily decouple and use in my chair in my lap. That set up took some doing and a while and a lot of stretching under and around stuff and pulling cables and trying stuff. And doing it wrong and not figuring out how/why and finally finally finally getting it good. I'm pretty sure that now it's easily unhooked and rehooked and it works find tucked away using the external mouse, keyboard and monitors. I have more tweaks to do and I need new little USB speakers. The one I have now will do until the new one gets here.

Computer hardware and software has grown up so much. It's really amazing. I want to spend some quality time tomorrow exploring how Windows 10 works.

My house is so nice and clean. It's such a luxury.

I called the gym tonight:

I'm calling to see if there is any news about getting the pool fixed.

Oh, well, we've ordered the parts so it should be fixed in a couple of days.

In other words, nope... no news. Just the same old same old. Tomorrow I'm off to the far away gym. It really is better to swim first thing and it's also the best way to start the day.

I had Stouffer's Cream Chipped Beef for dinner and it was delicious. And I did get a doll done.



And I just ordered a web cam from Amazon for the sewing room :)