** CLICK thumbnails for larger image, which open in new browser window for convenience
Trivia Games * Check out our Trivia Hall of Fame
a Different Game Every Day .... Easy Multiple Choice Questions .... Compare Scores .... HAVE FUN !
sign out of the first before you sign in to play the second one
* J A N U A R Y *
1 January 2006 / Monday -- Thanks to Essex Thomas for allowing me to use his original graphic, Chincoteague, for the banner and separation bars on this page, and the 2006 Kardas Award for Internet Creativity. I tried to be somewhat minimalist this year in the above banner.
Sunday evening I was thinking about what to make special for dinner for the kittys and I -- why bother? I can order a pizza and have it delivered -- nah, pizza is tooooo ordinary for a New Years celebration -- so Chinese it was. Sesame Jumbo Shrimp in special brown sauce with sesame seeds on top and broccoli on the side, Boneless Spare Ribs for the cats, Shrimp Fried Rice, and I asked for more fortune cookies than they sent the last time a couple months ago. In about an hour the feast arrived. I cut up the spare ribs for the cats, and some of them dug right in -- I had a couple pieces and it was tender and delicious. They included a large free container of wonton soup, which I devoured half of, then onto the shrimp and broccoli in the largest of the containers, with ample servings of the rice. I surprisingly finished three fourths of it with French red wine, so the rest will serve as a snack later today. An added surprise was a 12.5 x 30' 2006 Wallscroll Calendar -- -- made of slats of some composition, mounted on wood bars, featuring the delightful image of a panda and her baby -- -- below are the signs of the Chinese zodiac, a list of the American national holidays of the year and the twelve months with the days in Roman numerals and Chinese script, each day glyph being different for some reason. I now have it hanging in a blank wall space above where I do some of the paperwork for the eBay things on the left of this computer table.
The fortune cookie says -- The respect and help of influential people will soon be yours. WOWSERS! I could really use some help of a money kind from anybody, influential or not -- yes, I can even accept PayPal! The lucky numbers are : 6, 10, 12, 16, 34, 35 -- hey, if you win the lottery playing these, please do not forget who provided them to you -- I am not greedy!
I tried several links to live web cams from Times Square, but either they were overloaded and unavailable or I needed some plug in or other to see them, so I listened to WCBS radio and when they said it was counting down to midnight, I gobbled up the 12 grapes and am now finishing this up to get it online quickly. I guess at least for this yearly event, I do miss having a TV here.
8 January 2006 / Sunday -- I have been sort of hibernating after the holidays, just puttering around, made a few scans for later use, did wash a couple times, picked up some small things from West Trenton, sorted things out for my next trip to the Salvation Army with a van load again -- I wore myself out trying to get the many seasonal things done more on less on time, it was crazy. The weather has been strangely almost Indian Summer like, but the nights do get below freezing -- my study gets chilly with the programmed 66 degrees on the heating, so I frequently have to raise that to 70 and still wear my knit cap so my head does not get cold -- what I really need are heated socks or something for my feet because they are usually quite cold, even when wearing my supposedly insulated work boots.
Since postal rates go up today, I had to get all of the eBay wins that were paid since Christmas to the post office before the new fees are effective. I charged the same shipping / handling costs for eBay stuff for over six years already, although they increased rates at least twice during that time -- I can no longer keep my shipping / packing charges at that price (I raised my base charge from $4.94 to $5.34, and the services I use now cost me 25 cents more than before for national stuff and at least 50 cents more for international shipments which I usually have several of), thus my sales will probably be affected, resulting in fewer and more miserly bids.
I saw that Ken from across the street was at his closed shop so I went in, as usual, and he gave me another orange steel shelf, which will replace a smaller one in the garages. There are a few more things there for me, but they will have to wait until the next time I notice he is there.
At least 2 months ago I got a new 2006 appointment book at one of the dollar stores in the area -- I know I put it in a safe place, but after days of searching could not find the safe place which must be within a metre from where I am sitting! So I went to six local places where one might assume that they have them to find a replacement -- a stationary store had closed since the last time I went there, and NOBODY else had them. Yesterday I went to a 99¢ store, one that I do not usually visit, and they had a lot of 2005 books, but I pawed through them and way in the back there was one black one available for 2006, so I can now jot down the dorky brief stuff that I usually write in them -- I was sooooooo thrilled that I also bought three 3-packs of nice dish cloths because I stopped washing them after weeks of use and just throw them out since after washing they sort of get ragged anyway.
All the Apple Computer geeks are drooling over next weeks rumored announcements by Steve Jobs when he presents his fabled Keynote Address at the MacWorld thing in California, on Tuesday, I believe. From large plasma TVs (Apple did make a TV many years ago, but discontinued it), dual core Mac Minis and laptops, to new iPods, new faster movie downloads, and other stuff -- it happens every year, and then after the wowser new fangeled things are announced (few of which were as rumored) and on the shelves, the same geeks are lusting after yet more advanced toys that they hallucinate about! They never seem happy with what they have, for some strange reason -- new gizmos, newer apps that are so bloated with soooooo many options that the user gets dizzy just trying to figure out how to do the simple things they did with their much older programs. Quite a different scenario than those herds of Microsoft users who spend so much time worrying about and trying to fix all the constant bugs and viri they do not have time to form a religious sect dedicated to Saint Guillermo Gates [notice the first three letters of his first name : GUI, something Gates never seems to get right and has to try to copy how Apple does it] -- anyway, he is a fallen angel, they would have to use witchcraft, incantations, spells and clump together within circles drawn in chalk surrounded by candles to even get him to appear before them and work his magik -- IF they can remember the registration number and password which they changed, again, after their box was hacked for the tenth time in three months!
14 January 2006 / Saturday -- my birthday -- -- which is, as it has been in the past several years, very low key. It is raining, and the day is totally dreary at 07h as I begin this update.
I just put the concluding thoughts on my 2005 Christmas page, which always ends today.
Two days ago, Renee, Jule's wife, instant messaged me saying that her hubby tore the ligament in his rotator cuff moving tons of things from their old place to the new, plus doing all that flea market work every Sunday. He will be operated on next week, and may be out of action for a long time. He has been my main source of things to sell on eBay for at least 15 years already.
On that same day I raised the daytime thermostat to 69 rather than 66 degrees, and the after midnight temp from 61 to 65 -- it was always sooooooo chilly inside with the old settings which I have had since I moved back here many years ago -- the new efficiant more powerful furnace pump seems to work much faster and better and I think the furnace is burning many hours less than before.
Yesterday Sergeant Dorene called when I returned from West Trenton to get some things (noticing that many of my books were missing from the shelves there) and said she would meet me there to look at the wrought iron fence I have for sale, so I had to go back -- she saw the ad on YardSaleNet -- she loves it, but has to find the funds to be able to purchase it -- I wish her luck -- we spoke on the phone several times last week, and chatted a long while as she checked out the fence -- -- she brought me a 2006 appointment book which is a lot nicer than the one I found at the 99¢ store on 7 January -- I reciprocated with a case of M&Ms, a monster bag of small individually wrapped Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, and a sealed box of cigars . She also looked at the things I still have in that house and wishes she could get a lot of them too. Curiously, when I went to show her a very classical (and expensive) art glass lamp, I found it was on the floor broken, which must have happened in the hour I was gone while the electricians were there updating the wiring -- -- I immediately called Bernar at work and told him that he would have to cover the costs, and he said OK -- we shall see how OK it is. Of course I believe him just as I do everyone else, which sometimes can be a huge personal defect both with friends and in business related matters.
Kamiel, my oldest Sphynx, is still extremely thin -- he eats and immediately shits, and although he heads for the litter boxes, he does not usually make it too frequently, which is more work I have to do almost daily. He does eat dry and caned cat food just like he always did, and loves whatever I make for dinner, which is usually salmon or chicken -- here he is munching on cooked chicken leftovers with broccoli, garlic, carrots and french fries that I toss into the large pot as a stew -- -- he actually eats somewhat sparingly for many months already, returning several times to resume where he left off, but with less remaining because the other cats have had their share. He worries me constantly. He was born on 3 October 1994 -- gawd, how time flies! I still remember picking him up at the Newark airport with Bernar-- he was in the usual animal carrier / crate lined with a lambs wool kind of cloth. He still jumps up on the kitchen counter when I am preparing food, nudging me with his paw and head, and purring away when I pet him. What he does not seem to do anymore is jump on top of the new microwave when I reheat things -- maybe it makes an unpleasant noise or something?
Long ago I discovered that I can communicate with my cats via telepathy -- I am NOT joking. They can be in bed under the covers with me, and even without seeing me and / or my body language or voice, they know when I mentally call them by name! Kamiel knew what I was writing about him -- realizing the extra care I have had to give him for well over a year already, he sacrificed one of his few remaining nine lives to escape through a crack in the kitchen window. Two hours later the doorbell rang -- well, I thought it was the shipment of the new Apple quad powermac with a 23" flat panel screen that a certain liberally challenged AOL aapl board poster publicly promised me, IN WRITING over a week ago [hey, this is a local joke; don't ask and I won't tell!] He seems to have a fetish for little holes, you know, like that where the stem attaches to a small grape, but, hey, size doesn't really matter in his case -- he seems to keep all the mosquitoes in his area of the country perfectly satisfied, both males and females -- he says they fly away bow-legged! -- anyways
when I went down to answer the bell, what I found was this this hormongous -- -- I very quietly went up to the kitchen and slowly opened the sliding door -- there was Kamiel just getting back through the window. He jumped down and walked to the large fruit box on the bottom of the stack of three I have under a window as a roomy cat condo, each with a large clean towel which they like to snuggle under -- the bottom one is heated via a flat electric puppy litter heater underneath, and is where he always rests. When he saw me enter with the surprise cake in my paws he smiled -- I smiled privately back at him and winked, so he knows that I know about his escape and all. Thanks, you sweet, always attentive and caring kitty -- I do not know what I would do without you and the rest of the feline family. SMOOCHES! Likewise to everyone else who helped make this special day for me more like the distant olde daze.
Ohhhhhh, yes, and a shocking NEW detail -- after a snooze, just before midnight I looked out the window and there is at least 2" of snow on the ground with more to come!
21 January 2006 / Saturday -- yesterday I finished my 6 pound birthday cake, saving the top left part until last -- that averages a pound a day. I used the crock pot for the first time in about a year to do a salmon concoction that lasted three days. Today I may do chicken in it.
Bernar called me on the 18th to say the van would not start -- I went to see what was wrong, and my portable recharger got the lights and alarm to work, but it would not start up -- I then went to Picernos, which is nearby, sort of, and asked them to see what was wrong. They had to tow it, and the next day I discovered that the almost new battery was dead, they replaced it -- they also flushed the transmission fluid and replaced it, something they were supposed to do last November -- the van makes weird noises when in drive gear. When I picked up the thing I was told that there were minute metal flakes in the fluid, which means that I need a new transmission! GAWD, that vehicle only has about 5 or 6 k miles on it -- it is a 1994 Dodge Ram -- I basically only used it to go to the flea market on Sundays when I sold there, which I have not done for at least three years, so I see absolutely no reason for the faulty transmission at this point. Anyways, they charged me almost $400 for the pleasure of their work -- that is more than I usually make on eBay in a month! Incidentally, two days ago I finally got my 10th positive feedback on Yahoo auctions! Hopefully the van will work today and tomorrow when I MUST remove my remaining things from Bernar's place -- it will probably take two van loads, maybe more -- now I have to figure out where the stuff goes.
The new owners theoretically bought a couple things of mine -- an oak Mission server and dining room table, the fireplace equipment, an oak corner table near the washing machine, my super heavy professional stainless steel Thermador range, and my GE refrigerator; Bernar (who is escaping to Hawaii again for a week on 24 January) got two wooden bookshelves, an ornate standing easel, French mantle clock, marble pedestal, two Victorian metal plant stands with alabaster inserts, an oil painting, a leaf / branch shredder, the three elephant foot sculptures, and a large French marble top server. I slightly updated my special personal for sale web page, and may use it to list other things -- this new tacky banner may also change when I am in a more relaxed creative mood -- which better be soon because I am going completely batty!
Since I woke up at 08h this morning I have had the galloping shits accompanied by gaseous eruptions that would rival that of any erupting volcano -- I just took a second Imodium tablet after visiting the bathroom for at least the 8th time -- I almost feel as embarassed as Kamiel does when he does not make it to the litter box! I shall wait until this subsides to go to West Trenton to pack some more things and do one last load of laundry.
-- Kyra / eCard -- Linda / Kitty Says -- Donna / Brokeback Mountain --
22 January 2006 / Sunday -- I got up early, bought two cups of coffee and two cream donuts at Donald's, then went to West Trenton. I gathered most of my stuff and piled it at the rear entrance of the basement, packed things in the Honda and van, and took the van full to the apartment -- just piling the stuff up where ever I could find an open space in the garages and shop. I rested a while (my hip was killing me and I could barely walk or get into the vehicle). Since Bernar had not contacted me in several days, I called him (he did not work today but had a birthday party to go to) -- he will go there in the evening and help with some of the heavier stuff. We loaded the grandfather clock, an oak display case, a very large pastel by Evelio, a large Czech art work in the van, and some smaller things in the Honda. I quickly decided that I simply do NOT have room for a fabulous Mission sofa and arm chair, a wood book shelf, the 32" TV, the wrought iron patio set, a Spanish style server and a drafting table, unfortunately.
I still have another van load of things to get tomorrow, and he leaves for Hawaii on Tuesday. I have to unload all the stuff, then reload the van with piles of things for the Salvation Army, including some electronic gear, three Victorian pie tables and boxes of things taking up space in the garages. If I would take the goodies to the flea market I would make a couple hundred clams, but I do not think I have the energy for that any more although I loved doing it.
23 January 2006 / Monday -- today I did not sleep at all -- went to West Trenton and loaded up the Honda, took it to the apartment, unloaded, then waited for Bernar to call and say he is on his way with the van full -- somewhat after 12h he arrived, it stopped raining, we put the stuff downstairs -- he saw a bronze sculpture and a large metal figural Victorian lamp he liked, and he told me he would trade them for the 17" G5 iMac he ordered in mid May 2005 a day after it was introduced (I mentioned that he got it at the time in my YES) -- I was only slightly surprised because the idea of this kind of trade was mentioned conceptually at least a week ago -- some years ago he switched from a Mac to Windows, and what little he does on the computer uses microsoft software, even though he thinks the Mac is way easier to use. Naturally I was thrilled because in April of last year I had been thinking about upgrading my old G4 eMac to what he got. He had to go to work and would meet me at his place after 16h, and he would call me when he was on his way. It was after dark when he called, and I found him cleaning the refrigerator, kitchen and everywhere else for one last time -- I loaded what I could into the van, and he again asked how I was going to move all of my larger things such as the wood bookcase, Mission living room set and other stuff, and again I said I would leave it there because I have no room to store them -- YES, I would take it if I somehow could. OK, so he decided he would take it all and called a friend to help him load it into his Jeep and an SUV. The pal went to Titusville, about 5 minutes away, unloaded his stuff, returned and followed me in the van back home, where I left the van and returned with pal to get the Honda. Bernar was finishing up and gave me the computer packed in its original box, and a case of 2003 French wine and a bottle of Goldschlager schnapps with gold flakes, which I can never find at Frank's place near me (they say that the flakes of pure gold keep the immune system functioning at a maximum). They leave at 04h tomorrow to catch a flight to Hawaii -- I would return to West Trenton on Tuesday to get some things from the garages -- Bon Voyage.
24 January 2006 / Tuesday -- I was up all of Monday night until his plane theoretically took off, playing with the iMac -- -- here it is sitting on another work table in my study -- checking to find out if it would run my old apps for photo processing and PageMill for web design (both several years old but MUCH easier to use than any of the newer programs I have tried, less complicated, fewer options and faster to get the basic results I want -- luckily my apps worked well in some preliminary trials -- when I finally crawled into bed I did not get up until after 17h! I guess I needed the rest? I spent a few hours loading things from the external hard drive that I use for backup on the eMac to the new toy -- this is the iMac sitting next to the eMac on the left -- -- he had it made to his specifications -- another view -- it is a very thin CPU (about 2 inches thick), with a 17" widescreen, (some 1.5 inches wider than the eMac screen, but somewhat shorter -- I think it will be great for movies), speed of 2GHz, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, superdrive (so I shall be able to burn both CDs and DVDs when the spirit moves me), modem incorporated (something which the newest model does not have for some strange reason), airport, Bluetooth for wireless connectivity, USA / Spanish ethernet, a wireless mouse and European keyboard (uses Bluetooth), loaded with the latest apps, all documentation (in Spanish!) -- all I have to get is the extended warranty which is always useful with these techy gizmos. Notice that there are NO wires cluttering up the iMac -- that small thing to the right of the incorporated stand is my FireWire SanDisk card reader to get the pics from the FlashCard of my digital Camera (would you believe that I took over 25 photos of the new setup just to get two that I was mildly happy with?) The mouseie needs 2 AA batteries, and the keyboard uses 4. I am amazed at how well they function, but am having slight problemas con el teclado -- there are many keys that are different from those of the American keyboard and I constantly glance to the left at the other one just to see where the punctuation, parentheses, etc. are supposed to go -- an example is the key that has a question mark on it actually prints a lower dash, the semicolon key registers a > -- I did not yet install PopCharX, which always helped me type in every possible key configuration hidden from view necessitating special keystrokes. The font set included is hormongous, so I shall eventually have to eliminate many and add a few that are not in the system, but this happens every time one changes computers.
Curiously I found he had an iTunes playlist, which is strange because I do not think he has an iPod, but since one does not need an iPod to listen to music or whatever on the computer, may explain it. It was an audio book read by its author, David J. Lieberman, Get Anyone To Do Anything and Never Feel Powerless Again, lasting an hour and a half -- he provides various key psychological methods to make people like you, sell them things, get laid, make them do things for you, give you things and innumerable other topics. It was sooooooo exciting I fell asleep after about 20 minutes and did not wake up until the Sun was going down, which means that I could not do more moving today, even if I wanted to -- I highly recommend this eBook to anyone with insomnia problems. He emphatically repeated that the new owners would take possession of the place today, that was the urgent reason to have everything personal removed before closing. I suspished that this was inaccurate and misleading because he did the exact same thing with the renters who lived for several years on the second floor, told them that they had to get their things out of the garages because the owners were coming the next day and it would be theirs -- that was about 3 months ago! He also has some Belgique radio stations in his playlist, but I could not listen to them because I was offline.
I just had to change the colors somewhat in the automated Adobe PageMill color set for text color because it was the default set and a couple colors I use were not in there -- not a problem. I already set up FETCH, the FTP app to add and remove web pages / files from the servers, checked them all and they work. I shall be using it for the first time with this page when I update my news section.
25 January 2006 / Wednesday -- OK, I was up bright and early, emptied out the van and now cannot move too far into the garages! Went to West Trenton, totally filled the van to the roof with my things in the garages, went to stash it in my storage space on Lalor Street, then went back for a last and final load, then back to Lalor Street. Although I sometimes seem to complain about not having energy for doing heavy lifting and that sort of thing, I actually find that I can do it by myself -- one example was a small-ish safe I allowed Bernar to use -- he alone lifted and moved it into the van for me with much effort, but when I had to take it out and get it upstairs in the apartment, I was able to do it rather easily! Likewise for a double door Victorian oak display case and two really large Indonesian wood sculptures -- incidentally, there was NO sign of the new owners, they had seemingly not been into the house, so as I suspished, actual closing has NOT taken place yet.
I put a dual plug on the single phone line in the apartment and connected both the eMac and iMac to it, which was a brilliant thought that should have occurred to me years ago! Now I do not have to unplug the phone jack from one computer and plug it into the other one to get online -- dumb me! And you should have seen all the cables I removed from my computer desk from the old Apple Titanium PowerBook laptop and a flat panel Cinema Display that I used with the Apple Cube many years ago -- oh, yes, and Bernie told me that I have to get the phone in West Trenton disconnected because he never changed it from my name on the billing -- that I did today, but he himself could have done it because they did not ask me any secret personal questions or anything. I did catch two computer snoozes of several hours each because I guess that I must have been tired -- did not eat supper but do not feel hungry -- I am updating this at about 05h of Thursday in order to get it online with the latest news of the last three daze. In theory I still have to return to West Trenton to get a large and heavy Della Robbia ceramic saint panel from the garden which was my memorial to Evelio, and my olde fashioned heavy iron drum cook out thingy from the patio -- that would totally finish my schlepping from there. LIFE IS GOOD!
26 January 2006 / Thursday -- I got up as the Sun was appearing over the horizon, after snoozing at the computer -- the first thing I did was wash the three days of dishes in the sink, something that never happened before as I always have everything washed the same day. I attended to the cats who had not seen too much of me lately. It was cold outside, so I waited until 13h to unpack the van, while shivering and sniffling. I went to West Trenton, picked up the Della Robbia and the outdoor cooker -- a lady appeared on the back deck and said hello, I asked her (she is probably the mother of the dude who bought the place) are they moving in, she replied yes -- there were two SUVs in the front driveway, empty, but I saw no furniture in the back sunroom.
So I was just in time to get what was sitting outside. Headed back home, and on my way I got some meat ravioli at Marrazos, cat food, and some cubed beef for tomorrows gourmet dinner, probably using the crockpot again -- I gobbled the ravioli down with a beer, and then guess what? Again I fell asleep at the damn computer and got up 5 hours later! So all the picking up of my things is finally completed -- hopefully I will be paid for the treasures purchased by Bernar and the other peeps as soon as he returns from Hawaii in a week, then I can get a washing machine and a new electric stovetop for the kitchen -- the next Herculean task is to sort the stuff out, reorganize my garages and basement here, shift some cabinets and other stuff from where the washing machine will go downstairs, and figure out what I will donate to the Salvation Army. Another option is to take the antique furniture taking up space to one of the local auction houses, but the prices they would bring in after discounting their commissions would be far less than what I can get as a tax writeoff as donations -- what I find very strange is, now that I am retired and only have my reduced early retirement pension and social security disability coming in (which is about half of what I earned when working), I have to pay more in taxes than when I was working -- it does not seem logical somehow. When Evelio died I took a couple large UHauls filled with goodies to a well known auction house in Philadelphia, and got pennies on the dollar for the things -- auctions are always crap shoots, and, needless to say, that includes eBay. Incidentally, I have not listed anything on eBay for several days, so I shall have to get back in that swing of things again so that my bidders will not forget about me and always find something listed if they bookmarked my seller list. I still have trash to get ready to put on the curb for tomorrows pickup -- I missed Wednesdays recyclables pickup, so those bins will be overflowing on the next pickup in two weeks.
I am thus far extremely happy with this new iMac I traded Bernar for two things of mine -- it works very well, is faster than the older one, probably partially due to the 1GB of memory -- it rocks! I still prefer a CRT monitor, though, at least for my photo work. Until the organic crystal / OLED screens appear on computers, with their improved color rendition, reduced energy consumption, and viewable from any angle just as a CRT is, this one is fine and dandy -- comparing it to the Titanium PowerBook laptop screen, this iMac screen is a great improvement overall.
28 January 2006 / Saturday -- OK, let me show you the difference between the Apple American standard keyboard which I have been using with the eMac -- -- and the European Spanish one that I got with this fabulous G5 iMac -- -- if you can keep both enlarged scans on your screen at the same time, notice the differently labeled keys and varied placement -- the RETURN key is totally different, and there is an added key where the previous RETURN was. I did not show the key pads on the right, but the symbols are slightly different on some of the keys. Although somewhat confusing, I am gradually becoming accustomed to the layout, and I have added the PopCharX application, which makes finding any letter or symbol in any font much easier no matter which keyboard one uses -- some examples of weird-ish symbols not seen on the keys include : Æ - Ø - ¤ - ¦ - ß - ¢ - ^ - ¬ - « -- OK, maybe if I show you what the PopCharX screen for the Geneva font looks like, it might help -- -- you can choose any of the fonts in your font folder, simply click on any letter or symbol and it is added to whatever you are typing. I have used former versions of PopChar for about 10 years and find it extremely useful, simply because I do not want to have to remember the special key strokes needed to bring the symbols up without using PopChar, although some peeps delight in knowing all that stuff.
I may add more details about my G5 iMac (this model has already been updated about a week ago to an Intel dual chip model which they say is screaming fast) and the neato applications included with it on a special page when I have a few spare hours. One thing that I find very kewl with this iMac is that it makes absolutely NO noise, something that I always complained about with the eMac when compared with the Titanium PowerBook laptop I used before it.
* F E B R U A R Y *
3 February 2006 / Friday -- The weather has been off and on sort of warm-ish, rather unusual for the winter season, and quite wet and dreary. Ken returned on Wednesday to his closed shop and gave me two more metal shelves which I already cleaned the decades old grime off of and somehow got upstairs, placing them in the entryway where boxes of auction catalogues and books had been piling up -- I was able to completely eliminate 15 boxes and am finally able to see what I have in my stash instead of having to move boxes from on top of other boxes to look for what was in the one on the bottom of the pile -- -- that is a view from what is generally called a living room, but it is just as cluttered with several shelves and display cases filled with things -- there is a wood shelf to the left of the first orange metal one -- the bottom shelf is used for boxes of hardback references, and on the shelf tops I simply put lighter boxes with miscellaneous things in them. Notice that the shelves take up a few inches less floor space than the boxes piled up in the background -- there are still two of these shelves at Ken's, one is sort of ratty so I would have to use the 2nd for replacement parts, which is OK. With two more units to the right of the ones shown I can sensibly reduce the clutter and easily find specific titles when I have to.
He also gave me a shitload of candy and other stuff that the Hispanic across the street said he wanted to buy months ago for his corner store but never found the time to walk across the street to get -- tough shit! I include that stuff in the Goody Bag that I leave on the front step every early morning after midnight, and somebody always picks it up before daybreak -- giving to others was always one of my better traits. Some of the chocolates I munch on, of course, so I am supplied for many months to come.
Bernar theoretically returns from Hawaii on Sunday, 5 February, so hopefully I will get paid for the goodies sold with his West Trenton property and be able to shop around for a front loading washing machine.
OK, let me tell you about another difference between the old G4 eMac and the G5 iMac, this time having to do with the FIND function -- a table format may be useful here, and I shall use different examples for illustrative purposes --
G4 eMac
FIND
Function
my G4 eMac functions under the Mac OSX operating system version 10.3.9, also known as Panther
in this screen shot I want to search my hard drive for any and all files related to the application program, PopCharX, that I use to type in the hidden characters in any font I am typing with, to transfer them to the iMac
I usually always do a search in Specific Places on the hard drive, depending on where the files are located -- in this case it was on the hard drive
when I click SEARCH, the results are shown on the next screen shot, to the right -- this time for a different search so that I can explain another way I do things realated to eBay, Yahoo, YardSaleNet.net and everything else when I have to find a particular thing I am selling
Results
in this screen shot, the results list all the files related to the pic of an eBay item, j161 to be specific -- every item I ever listed online since about 1988 has a special file name beginning with a series letter, in this case j, k (for eBay), by for Yahoo USA -- the following three numbers are the the sequential item listing # (ie: k381 = the 381st listing in the k series)
then comes a dash, followed by the photo code -- as you can see, that particular photo was used in many different auctions for the same book, since I usually have several duplicates in my stash, and it is the ONLY way I can find a particular book when I am processing online orders -- the letters following the photo code tell me that I used 5 different scans in that item description
when I want to list the same book, all I have to do is find the last time I listed it, duplicate that file, change the format to whatever one I am then using
now that I have this search list I must click on a file to see what it actually refers to, and then go to the Parent folder, somewhere else on the hard drive, if I want to get / duplicate that file
G5 iMac
and
with this G5 iMac and its updated Operating System, Mac OSX version 10.4.4, also known as TIGER -- many things have changed, including the SEARCH or FIND function -- notice that the screen is now quite a bit different from the older one shown above -- as I am typing in what I am looking for, the computer is already showing results instantly for every additional letter or number I type in until I finish the one at hand -- this example illustrates some scanned photos I was working on for a 19th century book by Eugene Field -- each and every photo file I use has gone through three different older apps to get them to the desired readable size and to reduce the actual file size to the absolute minimum number of bytes while still preserving the details I want, which makes for faster loading on a web page
I do not have to click on any one of the images to see what the file refers to, which saves me an extra step and provides me with instant results, which is kewl as shit!
Changes
in
the
Kitchen
about 12 years ago I got (at IKEA, near New York) a kewlio wrought iron thingy to hang in the kitchen for pots, utensils and whatever else I might want to store there -- it saved cabinet space at the place in West Trenton, hanging below the window -- I now have it in this kitchen above the air conditioner, which has a plastic bag over the opening to keep out the cold winter air -- I know, Martha Stewart would not approve, it is way too tacky! It will eventually go to my place in Tenerife, God willing
on the lower right you can see the cat condo made from fruit crates I get at Sam's Club to schlep what I buy there in -- the two cat crates on the left provide yet more personal space when they want it, and each one has its own preferred place to sleep, sometimes with a pal or two -- beneath the condo is an electric litter warming device that I use during the winter to keep them warmer
on the small table below the window, which replaces a much larger Victorian pie table, is a wood wine crate lined with a towel that they use for sunning themselves
10 February 2006 / Friday -- on 7 February Ken gave me the last two orange metal shelves he had left, piles of candy, snuff, pouches of tobacco and other stuff. For the first time in years I took apart the metal shelving units, removing bent shelves and uprights, replacing them with good components from the second unit -- it took several hours! The newly reconstructed 6 shelf unit is now to the right of the two five shelf ones shown above -- I emptied out another several boxes, the contents of which I had not seen in quite a while.
Yesterday Bernar stopped over to give me a check for what he owed me for the several antiques and art items that he sold to the new owners / purchased for himself from his West Trenton property -- just in time because taxes on this place are due, I want to pay off another credit card and look for a front loading washing machine next week.
We are supposed to get a gigantic blizzard tomorrow -- in advance I removed all of the candy and other goodies from the Honda, stashing them in the van after taking out the heavy cast iron barbecue from West Trenton and dragging the thing to the small patio -- it will hopefully be scraped of rust / painted in the spring and perhaps I can use it again -- I love that charcoal grill. If we get more than 30cm of snow, as predicted, things will slow to a crawl and I will not be able to get to Sam's Club to do some much needed shopping until the roads clear -- perhaps I might go very early tomorrow, hopefully before the snow begins. As you can see, I included a bunch of links, and am now caught up on the most recent saved ones -- thanks to all those who provided them.
Here is another screen shot of the fantabulous instantaneous FIND option on this new puter toy -- -- it shows a primitive art catalogue, file L499, for which I took eleven scans for one of my most recent eBay item descriptions -- each and every pic appears as a photo and not just a file name -- IF, for example, I take a book from the shelf and did not record its reference file code in my hand written database, knowing or thinking that I made the scans in the L series, all I have to do is type in L and all of the photos / files starting with an L appear -- if not there, I then type in L1, continuing until L4, until I find the photo/s and main file# -- it is unbelievable and can save me many hours of manually searching through thousands of files stashed on this contraption.
12 February 2006 / Sunday -- [sorry for the delay -- I am writing this update on 17 March just to finally end this page and start a new one for my next update] -- well, it is finally snowing again after weeks of almost Indian Summer - like weather -- I guess that groundhog really knew his stuff when he predicted more weeks of winter -- -- -- -- -- Victor, a friend from Tenerife studying in the USA sent me the link to live video coverage of the Carnivales in Santa Cruz -- notice how much exposure the news gal gets there! --
I have been extremely busy getting things into my eBay store, a lot of postal service sports mats, each with 8x10" photo and First Day Cover -- interestingly enough I sold over 12 of them thus far, although I did not make very much on each one -- a winner from Germany sent me payment in a very curious way -- cash $ folded and wrapped in aluminum foil [which cannot be seen through if they use X-rays on things at the postal service] -- the money was folded and scotch taped to a CD [composite view, foil as received / opened] -- -- the next surprise came when I loaded the CD in the slot -- -- it contained 15 European rock tunes which I added to my iTunes playlist!
I also added more of the things from Irwins at YardSaleNet [link below], including boxes of cigars, six varieties -- Ken has been there about once a week picking up his personal stuff, and I have continued getting shitloads of goodies from him -- next on my list is this back lighted KOOL ad sign with digital clock -- -- I have to take a claw hammer to remove the two nails on which it hangs, then onto eBay it goes. Today I took a pic of his York single door safe -- -- which I may also acquire for the back room of the unused shop on the first floor -- it is about 21 inches wide, 24" deep and 59" high -- another view in situ at Irwins -- I could also get at least another eight metal shelving units, but have no place to put them, unfortunately.
The kewl links have been piling up again, so I am now going to select a few to add here --
Oh, yeah, and while we are at it, St. Patrick's Day is coming up this weekend -- so as AOL suggested on their main page -- EAT ME, I'M IRISH !!
I found that it was way too much work to add new Kewl Links to the special pages I began last year, so I decided to include a couple following the entries on this page. The ones for 2005 may still be found at the following two links, and they will eventually be upoaded with some stuff that I have sitting here in a folder, some for over 7 months already
-- 2005 #1 * Of General Interest * Health * World News *
* Inspirational / Religion * Humor / Fun Stuff *
-- 2005 #0 * Apple Computer / iPod / Mac * Apple Computer / IBM Intel *
* Computers / VoIP * Podcasting *
Countdown to Easter
God Bless !
Questions and comments may be emailed to the author of the above YES at
My items on -- -- eBay
My stuff on -- -- Yahoo USA
My treasures on -- -- Yahoo Canada
My goodies on -->> YardSaleNet.net
Archives
YES - Main
YES - 2006
Skype
YES - 2005
YES - 2004
YES - 2003
YES - 2002
YES - 2001
YES - 2000
YES - 1999
YES - 1998
YES - 1997
YES - 1996
YES - 1995
YES - 1994
RESUME
SPECIAL REPORTS
This page was updated with the able assistance of an
Apple G5 iMac with wireless mouse and keyboard
PageMill and the PageMill logo
are trademarks of
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Free counters provided by Andale.
COPYRIGHT © 2006 - 2008
by La Atlántida Web Design. All rights reserved.
due to the constantly changing nature of the Internet, some external links may no longer be valid
My Other Domains
Privacy Policy