What the...?!?

What IS it with me and computers!?! So, I’m all sorts of excited about the fact that yesterday we got high speed internet at home WOOOO HOOOOOO!!! And today I sat down to put together some pics to post. I downloaded a couple of pics from the camera and the next thing I know the mouse doesn’t work, and the computer just sits making a kachunka, kachunka noises (like it is trying to digest a particularily pesky piece of gristle) I wait. I wait. I wait some more. I try the keyboard - ctl alt delete. Nothing. In disgust I finally hit the start button to manually turn it off. I restart it. Nada. I restart it again. I walk away fuming as the computer continues to make irritable bowel noises. I feel sorry for myself for a while and return. The computer sits glowering at me (no really). I move the mouse. It works. What the…???

So, we’ll see if I get through this without further major mouse/computer stoppage and Karen blood pressure risage (yes, I KNOW that isn’t a word- but it SHOULD be).

So, as I was saying, we have high speed internet! You can refer to any previous pic of me with a huge goofy grin and that would be me. I set up the webcam and Chuck helped me get the Skype set up and I called my friend to see if it would work. She has used Skype for several years and is an old pro. Well, she could hear me, but I couldn’t hear her. Great… we messed around with buttons for awhile and finally we could hear her - turns out her computer was on mute. Then, she could see me, but I had no picture of her, more messing with buttons. Finally she found out her camera had been disconnected and once she plugged it in we had picture too. Woo Hoo! I'm pretty excited about it. I’m sending Kelsey a webcam so I can actually see her, Miguel and the girls when I’m talking to them. I’m hoping that someday J&J will have internet so I can see them too. It would all be so much easier if they would just move closer. It’s all about me you know.

So, the pics I’m posting are the before and after of the initial stages of the basement yesterday. We decided to move the computer into the family room and in order to do that we had to move two bookcases and all the computer paraphernalia. As you can see, there were a few things that had to be moved. It took a major portion of the day. And I just have to say “How do you ever get to the point where you can get rid of books?” I am the WORST! I went through all those books determined to eliminate, eliminate, eliminate! I had maybe three that I put in the DI box (one of those was called “Curb the Carb”, so it was a no brainer). As a recovering packrat, I’ve done a lot better getting rid of stuff over the last couple of years, but books seem to be the “chocolate” when you’re on a diet. It seems particularly ironic as I don’t really allow myself to read for pleasure except for illness, summer and school breaks. So, when am I going to find time to read all those books? Yeah, it’s a dilemma.

What IS it about books? The ability to escape, entertain, intrigue, refresh, inspire, mystify, and the list goes on. It’s the whole package for me. I love not only to read, but I love the anticipation of getting involved in the story/information. I love the paper, the typeface and cover set up, and the illustrations – OH, the illustrations! I love a good illustrated children’s’ book. I loved reading to my kids when they were little, just to see the illustrations and watch them take in the details. One of these days I’m going to be able to relive that with my grandbabies. Well, I suppose that is enough ranting for one day. Chuck wanted to know if I was writing a novel. Nope, just a short, photo illustrated story.

Oh, the final 3 pics are of the new living room rugs and what I put in the cubby going down the stairs....