Day 2 Day radishes

March 31/ Computer Lent

 I am off my feed when it comes to my blog.  My computer continued to go crazy and eventually I ignored Mr. Radish and took it to be looked at.  Best Buy was my course of action, and they do speak American.  They did fix the computer in four days, and then we brought the computer home to down load our backup from Carbonite.  This is my third day of the recovery process, and it is only half way through.

What a good lesson to learn.   I am totally dependent on my computer.  And I might add addicted.   It is interesting that this happened in Lent and a lot of it in Holy Week.  I tried very hard to change my focus.  What is a broken computer compared to Christ hanging on the cross.  After all there is hand work to do.  I am trying to send snail mail envelope art to the sickies from church. But I lost my organizational way.  I did a little, but embarrassingly so.  I had in mind spending the week cataloging all of my images on my computer.  As I have on this computer 8000 images, I needed to get a good start.  

Our culture has all but given up on Holy Week.  Good Friday is now Spring break.  Imagine today when I turned on Laura  Inghram  and she actually used the words Holy Week.  For some reason her speaking up and using words about what we need to be doing this week and how Christ was suffering during this week,  and how she was reading the passion, meant more to me than the sermon at church last Sunday.  I am saying this, because it is a very real example of how you never know when you will be the angel, and someone will hear you.   

 

March 26/ What to do in Seattle?

Mr. Radish and I are off for a semi holiday to Seattle. What is a semi holiday?  Today it is where he makes some money for a short bit of work, and he gets a haircut, and then we go on to lunch and perhaps Nordstrom’s. 

 

He asked me if I would like to go this week.  I was hesitant.  You know I really never go to Seattle any more.   This is sad, but I do not know what to do there.  I need a road planner, or a tour guide.  I am a little agoraphobic in the city.   And I can not walk far.   I have forgotten the shops and the fun places.  I am more aware of money and am trying to be thrifty.   I have every kitchen gadget known to woman, and that even makes Sur La Table no fun.  No, it is really not having the money which makes holidaying so little fun. 

 

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Later in the day

 

In less that 40 minutes, while my husband was getting his hair cut, I went to the bathroom, made a phone call to my daughter, opened a charge account, closed a charge account, bought a little something (full price) for my daughter,  tried to give Macy’s my social security number, lost my cell phone, found my cell on the floor under the T-shirts, bought nine items (which I think I will really like), all for $184.00 including tax. And I got back to the parked car, which was two blocks away.  If you are over sixty, and do not like the baby doll look, race over to Macy’s today.  

 

Today was a LOT of fun. 

 

PS. One pair of jeans was $6.00

 

PS 2 I am not posting photos because my new, zippy computer has become corrupted and is in the shop.  I am making do with my old computer.  I am one lucky woman.   

March 24/ Being a Republican now.

 Well it is pretty damned yucky.  And although Congressman John Dingell has said that he was tired when he said the following,  he said something to the effect that it takes along time to do the necessary procedures  to control the people.  This imprudent thing he may not have meant. Nonetheless, being controlled is what I feel is happening.  

Last night I listened to a talk given by  Karl Rove, who I think is a political genius.   He was in Florida giving a speech to the local Naples Heritage Foundation. This was on the Internet," thanks to  Al Gore", he said.  The topic was about what we Republican/Conservatives do now. First, he said, do not fall in to the trap of hopelessness. This trap is where the Democrats/Progressives/Socialists want you to be.  He said WORK. Work at the local levels.  Sign up and work for your candidates.  He said involvement is imperative, and you might have some fun along the way.  SPEAK UP. Find the points that the Democrats are not talking about. These are the topics you need to speak about.For appetizers  I did not like the bribes and payoffs in the bill.  I do not like the IRS monitoring us. For example, immediately the IRS is going to hire 16,000 employees to do the monitoring.  Point out that this is a Ponze scheme.  It is primarily moving money around.  Talk about how this bill is going to ruin our fabulous health system.  Ruin the entire system to save some people who we could save with some TARP money?

I am going to work on my local congressman's campaign.  I do not know what I can do,  I guess I could start by asking  him.  

As in all large projects, it is good to have a buddy.  Two by two.  Anyone need a buddy?

March / Better

 I am on the phone listening to elevator music waiting for the Adobe guy to  show up and turn my Photoshop back on.  While on the phone I have been reading some articles on the web about creativity.  In my week long project of taking photos,  I have also tried to make some layouts .  What a flop. I event copied exactly something out of a magazine, but I guess my details did not translate to the magazine’s. Have I  been bothered today about health care? No,  because I have rejected what has happened .  No, I have been wondering  how  I can possibly revive my project.

My bedside reading has been BETTER, a surgeon’s notes on performance,  by Atul Gwawande a surgeon. Creativity is not the same as surgery.  It is almost the opposite.  Although this is a book about medicine,  it is for everyone.  Most of us want to do well.  It is a book  about detail, and attention and as one case in the book even in the last minutes of an inmate on death row.   When you think you have all the details correct, go back and find more.  You will know a lot more about the medical profession after reading this book.   As for me,  when Photoshop gets me back on track, I will rethink my details of my project and look for a little something different, or maybe something a little more normal is called for..  Maybe the answer is staring me in the face.

March 20/ First day of Spring

 This imperfect photo is one of the daffodil fields that we passed today on our weekend jaunt through the Skagit Valley.  The photo is one of my week long project of taking photos for creating a record  of my week.  I think the field is breathtaking when you see it up close.  

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Should the Health care bill pass tomorrow, I will be in mourning for an indefinite period.  But I do have topics in mine, so check back.  

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I wear either khakis, jeans or black knit pants.   My khakis have been put away  for a while as I do not generally wear them in winter.  They are almost the same weight as the other two, but I perceive them as being too cold for winter. I have three pairs of the these pants, one good and the other two from several years back.  Mr. Radish always wears khaki. I brought my pants out from storage for the trip to Florida.  I finally got all caught up on all my laundry.  This week I was buttoning my pants and somehow the waist band seems sturdier than what I usually wear. The feel of zipping up, and the final button seemed almost imperceptively different.  I then realized I was wearing Mr. Radish's pants.  I guess that we have grown more like each other than I thought.  We are exactly the same in everything.  

 

March 18 Memories Guess which towel is mine

 I am going to participate in A WEEK IN YOUR LIFE which is an activity  that scrapbookers do every year or so led by Ali Edwards, a creative and talented woman.  This would be my first time.  It is a lot of work, or not, depending how you do it, your choice.  If you think you would like a great finished project, then it is a lot of work.  Basically, you take a lot of everyday, photos of where you are, and write some journaling that somewhat associates with the picture.  I am choosing to make a simple list. 

Why would anyone do anything this daft, because it is a really good record.  If I could tell you how many times I have tried to recreate spaces in my childhood home, you would be surprised.  I would love to see little things like my Mother’s dishes.  Or how did the turn from the kitchen into the pantry go.   What clothes did my mother wear?  What was the view out her kitchen window? I would like to see the T-shirts that my brother wore.  And frankly, my grandparent’s house would be even better.    I would like to see the kitchen water pump.  I would like to see the sleeping porch with the sloping floor. I thought the bathroom mammoth. Was it really? Water was brought in tea kettles to heat the bathtub on legs.  I am not sure that I would want have 70 years of A WEEK IN THE LIFE. But one or two years would be good. 

 This week is my week  because I am busy the scheduled week.  But officially project starts April 19 at www.aliedwards.com.  I feel strongly about doing this at least once.  I think that I am going to volunteer doing it for my youngest daughter who has young children for a day.

I am taking a lot of pictures and really could do more.  Here is what I have found out. At the very least this is a good record for insurance.   But I look my house and belongings  with fresh eyes.  Some things do look worse, and I think I should get these dust bunnies off the floor.  But you see some beauty in some objects which you never thought about before, things like the shape of a cup.  I took a picture of my bathroom.  In the picture I could see it as in someone else’s eyes.  It was tidy and nice. Why is that so difficult for me to acknowledge ? I am trying to photograph the good, bad and the ugly.  As in dirty dishes.  As in weeds.  Like my garage.  

March 17/ Man at the Airport & I think he is off to Ireland.

March 16/ Monday night TV

 Monday nights are big at the Radish house during the winter season. This is the night that we watch our two weekly shows, other than the millions of hours that someone I know watches sports. We watch House and 24 consecutively.  We record for an hour and then we start watching and fast forward through the advertisements. 

Am I proud I watch these? No.  Do I want you to watch them? No. To me House is hilarious.  He is sooo bad, but each week I hope to find a redeeming character.  Sometimes I do.  But it is like being a high school girl: you could reform that bad boy.

24 is a complicated plot that goes on for 24 hours and is made up of crazy characters, violence and Jack Bower, the hero.  I can not watch this program without ice cream.  A lot of the photo techniques are so that you are ready for the knife to slash, but only rarely do you see it happen, until one day you do. The cast  is killed off one by one, evil mounts, and sometimes someone turns out to be good.   Whew! But Jack is always steady and like superman shows no wear and tear..

 

All of the above amounts to a lot of ice cream.  I cannot take all the action.  I can get through House, but then when Jack’s girl friend is going to get shot, I cannot stand it.  I need ice cream. I suppose any dessert would work, but it would not be the same.  If I do not have ice cream, I resort to little licorice things that I bought as  a teenager at the movies.  Ice cream hits the spot.  I am now buying less expensive, less caloric ice cream, but the kind that is best for the show is something like Tillamook’s chocolate mud slide.  Then you can get an extra sliver of chocolate or a piece of nut when they detonate a bomb.  Strawberry ice cream could never take that much action.   

March 15 Getting Rich on Photoshop

 I am writing this while waiting for Adobe Tech Support.  By the way the whales are here.  I have not seen them, but then I have spent a lot of time on the couch and haven’t looked. 

I have thought of a way to make money.  I need a really creative lawyer and a Photoshop rat.  I have the lawyer, but the will is not there, so far no rat.  I have a conspiracy theory that I think can be made into a movie.  I think that Photoshop has created software that when you put Photoshop compeditor’s  software on the computer,  it will jam your Photoshop.  Not only that, I think that they have created a system that when you don’t buy more storage, they jam your machine.  And if they really get nasty, they can delete your photos.  

The movie is me talking on the phone to the Philippines,  sending my detective to work as an insider and revealing  many detail of techs saying what a -------- idiot I am in my mind, and then me saying, I am sorry, I am sorry I will never corrupt again.  But then someone will come out of the woods like Russell Crowe and he will show all that the Adobe industry has done to keep my computer from working. 

I hour later***

I talk to India.  Very nice man. He can speak English.   He says my computer is now fixed.  I had a corrupt catalogue, and in fact when that happens I do have to call, and have them fix it.  But this time when the supervisor asked me about my experience with Adobe was,. rather than saying it was a wonderful experience, I said I would like for the product to work, and not have to call them.  I specified that this technician could speak English, and was nice besides.

Can you imagine if I owned the real Photoshop?

I guess that movie is now in the round file.  

March 14/ Technical support

   I have been collapsed on the couch for a while, dealing with either a cold or allergies. 

 My giveaway  envelope is in an envelope to be mailed Monday.  The give away was good fun for me; I will have another give away. I am thinking, I am thinking.  

Well it turns out that my chatting with India about Photoshop Elements is really the Philippines.  This last week I simply could not understand the man technician at Adobe.  I asked if I could speak to someone else, because I did not  understand him.   Only after he had more or less fixed the problem was I allowed to speak to the supervisor.  I told the supervisor that the man could not speak English, that the sounds were not correct.  The technician spoke slowly, but that was his only correction.  Here is what I mean.  We were typing in lots of letters and numbers, one of them was "J", The man added " J for Jello".  I think we spent 20 minutes and finally I figured out that it was Y for Yellow.  This was an exhausting conversation.