Well my new laptop is up and running. My old laptop was from 2004, so it was getting to be quite a dog. My new laptop from Dell is 3 times as fast, has 8 times as much RAM and 10 times as much disk space. So far I’m impressed with the performance boost… it may have been the lack of RAM space that was really killing me on my old machine. As apps kept being upgraded on line, I’m sure they continually were demanding more resources.
It has taken pretty close to 2 solid days to get things up and running. Transferring files, getting the network connections set, figuring out the Vista interface, loading all my applications, etc…
I’ve only had 2 real problems. The first problem is with iTunes. While all the songs came over, somehow the playlist and rating information did not transfer. Then when I connected my iPOD, it still had all of that info, but apparently iTunes is not set up to upload the information… so I guess that is lost unless I decide to recreate it all. Fortunately, my Palm PDA did a nice job of uploading all of my calendar and contact info onto the laptop. The second problem is with DeskPDF… a program that acts as a pseudo printer and converts files into PDF format. It worked fine on my old machine running Office 2003. Now on Vista running Office 2007 I get a bunch of macro error messages. While I don’t convert to PDF very often, it is a nice capability to have. Hopefully I’ll be able to find another solution for this.
I’m also tiring of every app asking me to join their mailing lists, to register, to find keys to unlock software, etc… I’m sure the extra security in Vista is a good thing in the long run, but right now as I’m installing programs and changing settings I’m getting tired of all the alerts and roadblocks that need to be overcome.
It’s tough to teach an old daawg new tricks… but that is hopefully what will help keep my mind sharp. Probably in a week I’ll be a very happy camper enjoying the greased lightning speed and improved visuals (I got a 19″ monitor for use at my desk). By the way I opted for a smaller laptop (13″) than my old one since most of the time I’m using it at my desk, but when I do take the laptop I’m often on my bike & the 15″ size was just too large to comfortably pack along. The new laptop is the same size as the writing portfolio I carry & so hopefully that will work better.
Well, I need to get off to go watch the 6th game of the Blazer – Rocket NBA playoff series. Go Blazers!!!
On Friday my wife and I went on a spectacular hike in the Columbia River Gorge. The hike is called Coyote Wall and it is a 9 mile loop on the Washington side of the river just a bit east of Hood River. It was a beautiful day, temperatures in the mid 60s and clear sunny skies. Since it was a Friday there were only a few other groups of people on the trail. This route is also used for mountain biking so we saw several groups of people out on their bikes as well… by the way, we saw two young women out on their mountain bikes & it was just another reminder to me that women are out doing everything & anything on their own… a very positive thing.
The hike starts out in a sparse forest, at the base of Coyote Wall… a sheer cliff that probably rises a couple hundred feet above the forest floor. The trail is good & the shade is nice as you are gaining elevation at a good clip. Interesting to see Ponderosa Pines here… an indication that there isn’t a whole lot of rain. There are several forks in the trail and the guidebook isn’t real clear on the directions, so we follow another group of hikers for awhile. Finally we hit a gravel road that was about a half mile further out than the guide book had indicated. We stop for lunch in a sun dabbled meadow… a beautiful spot without any wind.
The route continued up the road for about a mile. Two cars went by while we were walking and we passed a handful of relatively new homes built into the woods. At various spots along the way there were beautiful views of snow covered Mt. Hood. We leave the road and return to a trail and about one mile later we pop out in a meadow on top of Coyote Wall. What a view!! WOW!!! Mt. Hood is dazzling as it still has a heavy cover of snow. The grass in the meadow is lush and shimmering in the wind. There are yellow & blue wild flowers scattered across the meadow and popping up from cracks in the rock wall as it plunges to the forest below. Then there is the mightly Columbia River flowing across the scene. On the Oregon side, the fruit orchards are a sea of white as the trees are all in blossom.
I’ve traveled the world and I have seen many beautiful places, but the Pacific Northwest continues to amaze me with its beauty. We are so lucky to have such stunning beauty at our door step… and I’m grateful that my wife and I continue to get out and enjoy these beautiful hikes and bike rides together. A beautiful day, a gorgeous setting, shared with my best friend. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
I hope you get a chance to enjoy this wonderful hike some time soon.
I have changed tires on a car hundreds of times. My total is higher than most people because our snow tires are mounted on an extra set of wheels, so when we need snow tires, I just change them myself. As far as I know I have never had a problem changing tires… until this spring.
I took the snow tires off our van just before we left to visit our son in NYC. When we returned I heard a rubbing sound. After a couple of drives in the van it was bothering me. I looked all around the wheel wells and I could not find anything that the tires or wheels were rubbing against. Finally I decided I needed to remove each wheel and reinstall them just to see what was going on.
It seemed like the noise was coming from the rear wheel on the driver’s side, so I started there. And guess what I found? The lugnuts were loose. Apparently when I put that tire on I did not tighten the lugnuts all the way down. I have a pretty set routine for how I tighten the lugnuts after changing a tire, so I’m not sure exactly where I went wrong… but I did.
So, if you ever hear a sound like your wheel is rubbing against something, but you can’t find anything… check to see if your lugnuts are tight. Apparently with the loose lugnuts, the wheel was wobbling on the lugs as it rolled… thus the rubbing sound — wheel on lugs, without any externally visible interference.
So it does matter that the lugnuts are tight when you change a tire!
Well, my posts are getting slower… its been two weeks since my wife and I went to NYC to visit our son who is now living there. We had a great time!!! I’m not sure what the magic is, but NYC is definitely a magical place. I think it is a combination of the density of people and the mix of retail, residential, and commercial in virtually every neighborhood. It boggles my mind that little mom & pop grocery stores are located right next to retail giants and seem to be doing just fine.
We did many of the normal sight seeing things… bus tour, broadway show (In the Heights – it was great, a must see), central park, etc. We did a great deal of walking which was very enjoyable. Our son lives in the East Village and we were staying in a mid town hotel. We took the subway a few times, but I was glad that we always were with our son as the maps were confusing to me and there are so many options on routes, stops, etc.
Among the non touristy highlights… seeing our son’s apartment & helping him shop for furniture; going into Home Depot in Manhattan – very different feel from the normal suburban big box store; Little Italy (off Spring Street??) great restaurants, bars, atmosphere; dumpling hole in the wall restaurant in China town; Madison Square Park – a beautiful spot; shifted living hours (sleeping in, eating dinner at 8pm, going to bed after midnight).
Fabulous trip!!! Can’t wait to go back & I’m glad we now have a reason to visit on a more regular basis.
Wow, what a game last night!!! It was my birthday and my wife got tickets to the game against the Lakers. The fans had the house rocking like in the old days… it was rock concert loud. It was a tight game throughout the evening, but the Blazers came out on top with some solid play to end the 4th quarter.
Maybe it is because the players on the court are so visible, or maybe I have more experience with the game, but I find the athletic skills of NBA players to be beyond belief. Rudy’s alley-oop reverse dunk was beyond amazing. Watching both Kobe and Rudy work tirelessly without the ball to get some separation between themselves and their defender was an amazing demonstration of persistence, skill, and stamina.
Anyway… a great birthday present and hopefully a sign that the Blazers will be a force in the NBA playoffs for years to come. Go Blazers!!!