AAArrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!! and a Fire in San Francisco and Hannibal~~~

Well Darklings,

I am frustrated, extremely so.... my poor computer is ready for "The Boneyard", impossible to upgrade, parts of it are deteriorating, and not able to really replace so I'll have to buy a new system.  Except for my printer, which is only 6 months old none of the other components will work with a new system.

What it is is that my system is so old that with it working with internet explorer is total garbage, cranky-slow-frustrating.  So to do research my IT person installed Google Crome as a stop gap, BUT I have to go to internet explore to bring up my e-mail and to do any postings with blog.spot because for some reason with my system Google Crome won't give me what I need to get into it, parts disappear.

So for research or to go to facebook its google chrome, but for e-mails and blogspot its internet explorer but to not make internet explorer my default.  Oy Vey!!!  Talk about a Rube Goldberg system.

But not having to go to work for the last few days (and tomorrow) Doyle and I have been looking for what I need, Oh decisions, decisions----I don't need anything fancy, but everything has Windows 8, which I'm told is really not a bad thing, but I'll be seeing a whole new screen to get use to.  Oh can my Model T-Ford Brain keep up with all the Ferrari's????  Well if I can crank it up a little.

But I've been looking a some tower types one even had 1Terra bit of ram----but do I need that much???

Until the IT sales person said that maybe I should look at an "all in one" save the cost of the monitor, don't have to "freak out" about wi-fi, eliminate the tower, don't have to buy a camera or speakers...HuuuHHHH????  Says I.

Well he showed it to us, and yes it's all in one, all built into the monitor, wired keyboard and mouse, camera in the frame and speakers same way, can increase RAM to 8 GB's from 4 GB's, no tower, with plug in's for UB and digital camera and my router and could convert to wi-fi, would install Microsoft word without installation costs, MacAfee virus protection, has DVD and CD player recorder, they will take out all the trial stuff and those aps I don't need, compatable with my current printer.

All for 1/2 what I was looking at.  Doyle was mentally hopping from one foot to the other like Homer Simpson (he's too dignified to do it in real time),  so I said "Wrap it up!"  But I have to wait a bit while they do what they have to do to it to make it completely mine, so I should have a new system by next monday at the latest.  So its a birthday present to myself, a bit early.  Well Doyle is going to chip in for half, the Darling.

So that is that....

And after all that excitment that Doyle went through the other Day, what happened was a horrible 5 alarm fire occured in China Basin area of San Francisco, this has been going through some serious redevelopment with apartments with busiensses on the ground floors,  one of the new buildings under construction (9 stories tall) caught fire, they are not sure what happened only the good thing is that it occured after all the construction workers had left for the day.

Doyle was visiting a client at his apartment around the block from where the new constrution was when they heard a commontion in the halls,  people evacuating from the west side of the building this was the side that was facing the fire,  Doyle encouraged his client to grab the important papers and they left the building, quickly and felt a tremendous heat,  Doyle saw the smoke rising over the buildings, he and his client walked East, away,  Doyle was glad he had taken a taxi to the client's place, what they saw was an inferno from hell,  as a matter of fact it was call the San Francisco Inferno.   At a safe distance Doyle and his client watched the fire, no loss of life, two firemen received minor injuries, one car was partially melted, the glass windows on the West side facing the fire buckled and cracked.  But damaged to the occupied apartments and the businesses was kept to a minimum, which itself is a miracle.

What the fire dept did was create a wall of water to prevent the heat and any embers from setting the near by buildings on fire, some embers did land on a roof top but was quickly put out. 

Everyone was evacuated at least over night including Doyle's client, Doyle called for a taxi and set his client up in a hotel for a few days until the O.K. was given for tennants to return,  the one's who live on the west side of the building will have to stay away for a few days while crews continue to put out hot spots still burning even as I type this, and also because they are demolishing the building and all it's melted metal scaffoling.  Doyle said that it was terrifying to see a wall of flames from that 9 story building, and the S.F. Fire Department did a heroic job getting everyone out and saving the already occupied buildings.

When he came home, I sat him down and gave him a bottle of one of his chilled Ale's and said "Rest, don't think, just rest."  

That day while he was escaping from a fire I was doing my jury duty stint,  Oh sitting there, waiting to be called to a court room, then going to the court room and waiting while everyone gets together, and then waiting to be called as a prospective juror, finally they came to me,  and asked me a few questions, one of which was "Do you own a gun"  "Yes"  I replied  "And I'm a member of the NRA"  ---- Dismissed and Thank you, you have done your Jury Service for the year....Thank yu, Thak yu vry much.... totally shot my day, it was a murder...would have loved to have been on that jury.   Oh well picked up some goodies at a very good Deli that I like and had an easy time for cooking, while waiting on the outcome of my ancient computer.

So my ancient computer has been cleaned up and will work for a little while, I'll retire it to do word processing until it finally gives up the ghost, maybe I'll have Coralline use it for her homework when she has to write out reports and essays, much better than waiting to use my computer.  Yes that would be a very good thing.

I don't know if any of you have been watching "Hannibal" but frankly its getting a little too grusome even for me,  I know I will never allow Coralline or her friends watch it, the convolutions and psychological aspects are to the point of beyond bizarre but just short of perverison or maybe not.  We record it to watch at a later date as Doyle likes "Blue Bloods", and then watch it early enough in an evening to discuss what its all about but after dinner for sure, of course we love "Blacklist", but it conflicts with "Castle" so that is recorded as well,  we enjoy the psychological aspects of situations but we tried "The Following" and found that it really wasn't going anywhere, and boring, why its still on is a mystery to us.  But "Hannibal"....I just do not have the words for it except that Gillian Anderson's character said it that he is too dangerous, only with the divider of the Televison screen can we be safe, but what of those in the outside world.  That is where "Hannibal" becomes disturbing.  For anyone.

Now I must go and prepare the salad for tonight's dinner.  The weather is a bit warm right now, the fake mulberry trees with their clusters of white flowers are in full bloom, to the point where the light breeze has the petals falling like fine snowflakes, in a spring wonderland,  Mom and Dad were married at the time the Snowball Trees or bushes would bloom and their petals would fall like snowflakes,  We have a picture of them in front of such a huge bush all the white blooms, surrounding and arching above them, a lovely wedding picture.  When I see the flowers blooming now I'm reminded of that, and feel a lightness of being.

Later Darklings

Of Computer going off-line~~~~

Hello My Darklings,

Well sadly, I'm going to have to go off-line for a week at least,  my computer here at home has been acting up and my IT friend is going to go through it. 

It's either something that is failing (equivalent to the old T.V. picture Tube) or it just needs an upgrade of some sort.

So I'll not be able to pick up or send out e-mail or anything.  Pooh!!

And I won't use either Doyle's or my sisters computer systems as they need it for their work, and I don't want to take the chance of compromising them.

And  at work there is a whole new list of restrictions...Fugdesicle I say. 

So I will be out of touch for a while.... I had notices some problems, and thought a simple clean up would do it, but it appears to be more than that.  That is why I have not been posting of much lately.

And there is also the possiblity that I may be doing Jury Duty---I sincerely hope not, but I won't know until this evening when I call in, at least the court house will be local.  ***sigh***.

So until Anon... Happy St. Patrick's Day to come.

Later Darklings

Of Computer problems and possible phone lines~~~~

Dear Darklings,

I seem to be having more computer problems with my old (13 years old) computer, and Doyle, bless him uses his for his work as well as Sis and Brian.  

The computer that I use mostly at home if for my personal 'pleasure', and so I do not want to in any way compromise the other's computers and even the one I use at work is now a shared computer, some cut backs in expenditures.

Now it could be the computer or it could be the phone line connections across the street, espeically after that horrible wind storm, and I've noticed that when a Comcast worker works on the lines, I always seem to have trouble and have to call my phone company to get it corrected.

But right now we haven't a clue if my computer system is finally degrading,  or the phone lines,  I really don't want to buy a new one,  but we'll see.

So if Darklings I do not post for a while or its sporatic that is why. 

I hope to have it worked on next week, right now things are very busy.  So next week will be the earliest (hopefully) to have this worked on and resolved one way or the other.

I've been told that this computer is positively "ancient", but I'm not big on buying the latest thing for personal use, only if I have to.  Even my cell phone is just a cell phone, no apps, no text, no blueburry or blackberry or android and only for emergency use anyway.   

Some people call me a Ludite, which is fine if it means keeping life simple and uncomplicated. 

But I felt it only right to give warning to all of you who are following my blog.  Do not worry, I'll continue to post until the last minute.  Then I'll come back with a vengenance.

Take care My Darklings and Enjoy the Holidays!

Later Darklings

I seriously hope I do not have to put my computer out of its misery, but if it keeps acting up I may do something drastic!