FOLLOW UPS FROM PREVIOUS POSTS

  Hello again! Today I'm going to try and follow up on  and update some of my past articles. Let's see if I can remember everything I want to say!

    First, I have to say that my class is moving right along. It's been seven weeks already, although because of Christmas, we lost a week. Lots of computer work. Thank God I bought the Microsoft Office-I didn't realize how many helpful templates and forms are on it! There are so many cool features that I don't even know where to start.  I'm so glad I took this class, wish I had done it a long time ago, when I had more time. But the good news is, I'm actually doing well with budgeting my time, and it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. My instructor is very nice, and was understanding when I was having trouble uploading my work. Next week is the mid-term test! I have projects to do as well, and I put those off, so I'll be busy finishing those up this week.

     Once this first 16 weeks is up, and assuming I pass, I will be 

reimbursed by the company. I think I want to use the $600 towards a new laptop, with blu-ray, and 17 inch screen. That's called incentive.  In the meantime, I'm going to save up for the second part of the class, so I can keep right on going with it, and finish it!! The second part is mostly about management.  And anybody who knows me knows that I can use some work on that, though I think I am a stronger person now than I was before.  If I make the same mistakes I made in the past, shame on me, not anyone else.

      The article I wrote about cameras got me doing a search for 126 and disc cameras-Amazing how something that seems so obscure has such detailed websites! If you want to learn more and see some nice pictures of these vintage cameras, just do a google search.  You'll find more stuff than you'll have time to read!

       I did a column about the towers I can't get away from. I haven't heard anything else about the guy who lost his life. But there is definitely some new stuff up there. It sounds funny, but I can look at the various towers and know right away if there's even a minor change, because I'm looking at the darn things so much.  

      Cindy, my Collie/Cattle dog mix is doing fine. Not out of doors as much in cooler weather, but she gets lots of walks and rides instead. I'd like to upload a clip of her riding in the car at some point, she's so adorable.  I have a video project I started last year that when finished I will definitely post.

     Did you notice the updates I made to my blog page? I tweaked it, by adding a sidebar of the most popular posts (It did it's thing by itself). It looks great with the little thumbnail pix next to a teaser of the post.  If you are receiving an automatic e-mail of each new post, you may not have seen the changes. So don't forget to check it out!

     The latest on our hawk--It wasn't a red-tail after all, we think he is another sharp-shinned. He was flying around the other day, but it's been a few days since I've seen him. And this morning when I took Cindy out, I saw a squirrel climb into the nest! So maybe it was a squirrels nest all the time, and the hawk just parked his butt there for a minute or two. Or maybe it was the hawk's nest, and he abandoned it. We have seen and heard the cardinals almost every day recently.  I'm still worried about them, but we've decided to just go ahead and start feeding them. What's worse, dying a quick death from the hawk or starving slowly? Only the birds know for sure, but as long as the birds have shown up, we'd better feed them. Ocean State Job lot is where we go for our birdseed and fruit flavored suet, very reasonably priced. 
     I got a lot of feedback from my story about Facebook! Three who agreed with me, and were not members either; and one who told me I could have a page w/ as much or little privacy as I want. I still haven't decided to take the plunge, I'm too busy now anyway.  I started a "Zazzle" account recently; It's a website that sells personalized products online, that you make with your own photos or images. I made some note cards with one of my best swan photos. After I set up my "store", I tried to find my product, and was shocked to see at least 1000 other people beat me to selling their swan photos!! I don't think I've sold any yet. You get a percentage.
     Well, I guess I'd better close this for now. Take Care and have a great night!

Karin

     

     

     

EVER HAVE A WEEK WHERE EVERYTHING IS ANNOYING?

    Have you ever had a week, or even just a day, when it seems like everything is irritating? I'm in the midst of that now, and I'm taking a few minutes to complain about it!  First irritant is my computer. It's getting slow. All those homework downloads are taking their toll.  Aside from that, "Chrome" is always crashing. I have to use Chrome to upload the homework, but half the time I am trying to access the online classroom, or this blog spot, I get a picture of a computer with x-d out eyes, telling me I have a choice of "killing" the pages or waiting. Once or twice is OK, but every time is a little much. I  tried to run a scan with some software my Mom used and found effective. But it was a complete waste of my time. It told me it wasn't compatible. So I gave up, maybe I'll try again tomorrow. But that "dead" computer icon is creeping me out!
     School has been fun, but this week was especially tedious in the planning and evaluation forms I had to fill out and upload. Not hard, just very time consuming. And I didn't have much time to do my homework this week because I was working the weekend. Too tired to study, which left me to do most of the work on Monday. I was burning the midnight oil, then had to get up early, so I'm probably irritable from that, too.
    I'm annoyed with cable TV, how expensive it is, there's nothing on except commercials. They give us a station that actually has good old shows, but they put infomercials on during the best ones (ME-TV). And they got rid of Retro-TV. I can't wait to get rid of the cable TV. But I have to upgrade or TVs first. 
    I'm annoyed with how much I spend at the grocery store, even when I only buy things that are on sale. That's an outrage I will have to fix.
    I love my job, but this week has been a real drag. I'm annoyed about everything that's been going on recently. I can't elaborate too much, but lets just say that with the economy still bad and good jobs hard to find, I have to suck it up unless I win the lottery.  And the chances of that happening are slim to none. And that annoys me too!
I'm annoyed that my hours have been cut, and the union is here to screw up my life. I don't see a way to get out of that, and that annoys me. I'm irritated that I have to wear the same color shirt every single day. I realize it's the least of my worries, and it simplified my mornings figuring out what to put on...but it's SO BORING!!! And DRAB! The residents loved my taste in clothes, I liked to wear bold colors and patterns, and florals. Unless I become a department head again, I'm stuck in this navy blue polo shirt. Whoopee.
     I'm just plain annoyed with myself sometimes. If I sleep late, if I don't do things I had planned on my off days, if I don't feel good.  It seems like nothing I do is right, and I'm not satisfied with anything lately. Maybe I just have the mid-winter blahs. At least we got rid of the snow quickly, and it was up into the 60's today. I shouldn't complain!
     How do you get out of a funk? I may get some fresh air, or work on this blog. Maybe have some ice cream. That's my cure-all!  
    I saw three robins today when I was on my lunch break! I'll take that as a positive sign, and end this post on a happy tone. Here is a pix of a robin from last spring! I'm annoyed that it didn't show up here, at the end of the story. But I can't fix it, so just scroll up and get another look. He is beautiful.
Enjoy, and try not to let annoying things get you down. It's not worth it! Have a great week!
Karin

January is moving right along!

    I'm happy to say that January is flying by. Is it going quickly for you?   I hope it keeps going like this, with a minimum of bad weather. We had our first snowstorm last night since October. It was very pretty, about three inches of wet snow after two days of bitter cold. I can't complain, because it's been a pretty easy winter so far (knock on wood). Last year was so miserable, it will take awhile to forget. 

     Anyway, the snow is already melted.  Do you like the snow? I do, I just don't like the inconvenience of trying to travel in it. Snow can be beautiful, especially the dry fluffy stuff. I don't mind it at all when you can just sweep it away. I think it's neat that every snowflake is different, like a fingerprint. I don't know if you have ever heard of "Snowflake" Bentley. He took photographs of snowflakes on microscope lenses, revealing the intense beauty and individuality of hundreds of snowflakes. I have to buy the book, it is fascinating and beautiful.

 This is Cindy, playing in the snow

 Can you see the cardinal among the branches? This is from 2006

 I'm not sure what kind of woodpecker this is, but he was the first one I captured with my new camera last year.

 This is from last winter, a view from the driveway. Those tall pines are pretty with snow on them!

 Here is Cindy-poo again, at work this time, keeping her eye on something!

     I really love this shot-with icicles from the bathroom window, and the blurry cardinal in the background. This is my current desktop on my laptop.

We have already started to gain back some light in the morning, as well as quite a bit in the afternoon. This is encouraging!  Before we know it, it will be March.  I'm looking forward to spring. I might just start some basil seeds so they will be big enough to transplant.

     Have a nice week, and remember, spring is just around the corner!

Karin

Am I the Only One Afraid of Facebook?

     I have to admit, it's tempting. I'm tempted to join Facebook, but so far, I've been able to resist. I don't know if it's a good idea. First, I keep hearing that it's a real time sucker. I don't have enough time for my current hobbies. Second, I don't know if I want to be "found" by long lost people. And I would feel guilty just ignoring them, which is what I'm told I can do when I ask Facebook devotees what I would do in that situation.  
     Then you have the awkwardness of co-workers and former co-workers. The whole thing is too political for me to even attempt. What if I was friends with so-and-so, who can't stand my boss, and vice- versa? What if my boss finds out and holds it against me, even without meaning to? 
     Bosses aren't even supposed to be friends with their staff. That is a good thing. Back when Facebook was new, people I knew felt obligated to friend their boss, and it was a total disaster. That day I vowed I would never join. But I'm starting to cave a little.
    Why? Mainly because I'm nosy. I want to see the pages of people I know, and used to know, even if I don't necessarily want to contact them. But if you don't join, you can't see very much.
     The other issue I have is how easy it is to goof up and share a private comment with everybody. I know there are privacy settings, but even then, mistakes happen. I wouldn't want to take that chance.   As it is, I've revealed more about myself in this blog than I planned on, and I don't like the whole idea that big brother is watching, recording every move I make online, even if I don't have anything to hide. Do you know where I'm coming from?
     At any rate, I may at some point sign up, put a generic profile up, and just use it to check out other people's profiles, though that doesn't seem right either.  If you're on Facebook, let me know how it works for you.  I'll let you know if I decide to join!

It's fun to learn new things!

    I feel so liberated this week, because I have gotten a lot accomplished. Aside from that, I have learned to do some stuff on the computer that was long overdue-like attach a photo file that had more than one photo on it. To me, this was huge!   
     Since I started this class, I have learned how to upload, which was easy, but I had never done it before. It turns out my browser was not up to snuff, and I had to upgrade to Chrome. All of a sudden, like magic, the uploads went on their way. What a  relief!
    I was kind of shell-shocked at paying over $100 for software, but I've needed it for a couple of years and was just too cheap to spring for it. It was only Microsoft Office, and it seems like it should be free when you buy the computer! Anyway, it does so much I may never finish learning to use all the features. It has power point, which I am also supposed to use for my class.
    The class itself is going well, I'm happy to report that I'm getting full grades-all possible points have been collected from each week's assignments so far-I'll get back to you when I finish the mid-term exam! I wish I had done this years ago.

    I'm also excited about getting a good picture that exceeded my hopes. This week I got a really nice shot of the moon setting in the early morning. My mom liked it enough to post it on her Facebook page. I am going to include it here. It's not close enough up here, but if you would like me to e-mail you the photo, you will be able to enlarge it enough to see the details! All 3 of these came in the span of a couple of minutes, but they don't look alike at all. Must be because it was getting bright out.
     Now I feel like I can tackle all  the other things I've been putting off, too! It's nice to feel optimistic.  I'll try to keep the good feeling going ! I hope your year is off to a good start, too!

There's a Hawk's Nest in my front yard!!!

     Yesterday was a beautiful winter day. It was bright and sunny, and mild for the second day of the new year.  It seemed like a Sunday, but it was actually Monday, an official holiday because New Year's Day fell on Sunday. Anyway, I was off after working the weekend.

     As is customary on my off days, I like to take my dog for a ride in the car. Nothing makes her happier-just say the words "Cindy, would you like to go for a ride... in the car?"  and she breaks into a smile, and runs down and waits by the door. She gets in the back seat, and we roll down the window and let her stick her head out the window. Her favorite destination is McDonald's. I go there for the coffee, which is any size for one dollar, which is a good deal, when you consider that in my opinion, it's better coffee than Dunkin Donuts, for half the price.  Cindy loves to watch any people, especially children, who might be walking past the car. If she's really lucky, someone might want to pat her, or at least admire her from a distance.

     Once I buy the coffee (and if Cindy is lucky, I will also get a $1 hot fudge sundae) it's back home again. Yesterday, we got home and I got out to put coffee down first, so I can then get Cindy out of the car.  As I headed for the front door, I looked up and what do I see? The nest I've been looking at since the leaves fell off the trees, has an occupant. A HUGE one, at that. It's a hawk! Beautiful, fluffy, and did I say HUGE?!
     I alerted my dad, who was still in the car. Then I ran in the house to get my camera. By the time got back out, he had flown away. But, he (or she) had flown up on the telephone pole outside our yard. I was able to got one shot, dark and a little fuzzy. Then it gracefully flew across the street and out of sight. Wow, why did this bird have to set up housekeeping here? I admit, I'm flattered it would want to live here. But I have an allegiance to my other feathered friends, the ones who have disappeared and who probably were eaten for lunch by "Hawkeye". 

     We decided to refrain from our winter hobby of putting out seed and suet. According to the advice I saw online, if there's nothing left for it to eat, it will go away on it's own. No use giving it bait every day. I'm worried about my cardinals, who have only recently returned. I was looking forward to a winter of bird photography (they are easier to film in winter because of the lack of foliage). Oh well, maybe next year-I guess I'll be taking pictures of the hawk instead.  There are lots of hawks around here. In the past we've had sharp shinned and last year a cooper's hawk, that swooped down and caught a squirrel (I only know because we found it under the bushes a little later.) I managed to get a picture of that hawk before it flew away-see above-my new hawk isn't loaded into the computer yet. We are reasonably certain it's a red-tail! Will be keeping a close eye on the sky until we are sure. I shoud get one of those camera setups that you put outside and it is motion sensored-needed it last summer to see what was raiding my garden.  Until next time, keep looking up! You never know what you are going to see!

    Here is a shot of Cindy from this past spring. She has a very serious look on her face when she is on a ride!