Does Not Compute

Posted in Geekery by

I have been having some CPU issues lately with the good ol’ laptop and trying to decide what to do. I have a 15” MacBook Pro that is s few years old that is currently running on Mac OS X Version 10.4.11. Pretty old, since Mac will be rolling out Snow Leopard in September. I’m running on about 75 to 80% capacity on the hard drive, I can get an external hard drive to free up space, so not too worried about that aspect. A main problem is that I need a new battery. I have to keep it plugged in at all times in order to keep it charged, basically tethering me and negating the “mobility” a laptop is supposed to provide. REALLY annoying.

An other issue is that I am running on iLife ’06, this suite includes iPhoto, GarageBand, iDVD, iMovie, and most importantly iWeb, which I use to publish this site. It’s gotten to the point where I have to reload my entire site every time I update it. Very annoying! It also has weird errors where it thinks that it doesn’t update the site, when in fact it does. I’ve done patches and fixes for the program, but it is just so outdated that it doesn’t help much. Plus, I don’t have the option to add widgets or publish remotely. Not to mention I am pretty bored with the style options. I also would like to get my hands on the new iPhoto which seems to be much easier to navigate and search for photos that the one I am currently running. Plus the editing and effects options seem to have a little more muscle.

Problem is that in order to upgrade to iLife ’09, I need to be running Mac OS x v10.5.6 or later. So, I’d have to upgrade my OS as well as iLife. The current price for Leopard is $129 (which will be replaced in a few months with Snow Leopard) and iLife ’09 is $99. Plus the new battery is an additional $129. Not to mention an external hard drive that would be another $150 or so. See how it is adding up? I don’t really know if it is worth it to spend $500 on a this one or replace it with a new one for about $500 more? Or, I could just get the new battery and suck it up with the current OS and iPhoto and possibly move my website to Typepad, SquareSpace, or some other external publishing site, but then I’d have to pay a monthly fee for it, why would I do that when I already pay $100 a year for MobileMe? (Which I really love, even though I can’t use it to its full advantage with my current OS.) Ugh. Not sure what to do, any suggestions?

Rozzie’s Wrist Warmers

Posted in She's Crafty by

Well, I finished up my latest knitting project. Roz requested a pair of arm warmers/wristlets . (Sorry, no picture yet. Will try to get one up soon.) She gave me some teal yarn that she had at her house to make them. I decided to use the pattern “Voodoo Wrist Warmers” by Bonne Marie Burns that I found on Ravelry. (Great name, huh?) Pretty easy 2×2 rib pattern, the hard part was this was my first project with using only DPNs. I would have preferred to use circular needles, but the circumference was too small. After getting the hang of them, they knit up fairly quickly. I think that I would like to try these again using a higher quality yarn. Maybe something that is variegated or striping. . . good think Roz can never get enough wristlets!

Dad’s Club Covers

Posted in She's Crafty by

Here’s my latest completed knitting project: Golf club covers for Dad. Decided about a month ago to make them for him for Father’s Day. I found a pattern for them on Ravelry and changed it a little bit to add the stripes and numbers. Pretty easy to do, surprisingly enough. I even found a neat little gadget to make the pom poms at JoAnn Fabrics. Much easier than the one I was currently using. Please notice the colors . . . Chicago Bears! Here’s to hoping that he likes them.

Peonies

Posted in Homey Goodness by

Just have to share about the peonies that I purchased yesterday at the farmers market. They are BEAUTIFUL. So luscious and full. I love them! They smell divine and are scenting the entire house. I can’t believe I got so many for only $15! Here are a couple more pictures of them for all to enjoy. I just wish that I could have smell-o vision on this for you.

Yum Zum!

Posted in What's Cookin' by

Went to the Dane County Farmers Market this morning with the hubby and it was the first week for strawberries! I bought two quarts and i’m a bit worried that they won’t through the weekend. Delicious! I also picked up some fresh peas and some gorgeous peonies. Huzzah!

Vanity Skirt

Posted in Homey Goodness, She's Crafty by

Today was a good day. I was able to finish sewing the skirt for the vanity that my mom gave me. It was made by her grandfather for her mother when she was young. I’ve made skirts for it before, but never with a machine. Usually just hand-stitching or rigging up something with fabric glue. I felt that they never really lived up to the original design and workmanship, so it has been naked for quite some time. I’ve had making one on my “101 things” list, in order to get myself motivated. Since I’ve figured out the sewing machine, aka Bro, I felt confident enough to give it another try. I went to Joann Fabrics to find the right material and decided to go with this white on white print. I like the whimsicality of the print, but felt that it was still subtle enough to be fairly neutral in case I move it to a different room or redecorate. I also decided to use some navy grosgrain ribbon on the upper edge to help finish it off and add a little color. I am super happy with how it turned out. (I personally think that the photo doesn’t do it justice!) Now I need to figure out what my next project will be. . .

Shuffle

Posted in Lists, Tunes by

Last 20 songs that shuffled out of my ipod:

1. French Fries With Pepper by Morphine
2. Wang Dang Doodle by Koko Taylor
3. Blue Orchid by The White Stripes
4. Ella Y Yo by Omara Portuondo
5. Guilty by Billie Holiday
6. Superbacana by Caetano Veloso
7. Buono Sera by Louis Prima
8. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John & Kiki Dee
9. Broken Train by Beck
10. P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
11. Funkin’ Around by Outkast
12. WDA by White Denim
13. Oh L’Amour by Erasure
14. Baby Please Don’t Go by Muddy Waters
15. La View En Rose by Edith Piaf
16. Skin and Bones by The Naysayers
17. Mo Money Mo Problems by The Notorious B.I.G.
18. Hello! Let’s Go To A Disco by Ursula 1000
19. Clarinet Concerto in A Major: II. Adagio by W.A. Mozart
20. Just Like California by Old 97’s

Earth 2100

Posted in Geekery by

I am hoping that some of you caught the ABC News Special ‘Earth 2100’. Part worst case scenario environmental report, part dystopian sci-fi choose your own adventure, it was truly an amazing piece of journalism. A two-hour, prime-time special, hosted by Bob Woodruff, speculated on what the world may look like if humans take no action on addressing present environmental concerns. The program invited historians, economists and scientists to make projections on the state of various locations in the world in the years, 2030, 2050 and as far ahead as 2100. (I highly recommend that you check out ABC’s site, you will be amazed.)

Most of the scientists seemed to agree that the world was indeed heading for a kind of collapse, unless something was done right away to address existing concerns.
Experts pointed out that it will take only a hundred years before the dramatic man-induced climate change, shrinking natural resources, famine and war make for a world that may be uninhabitable. It was a pretty dark view, but one that I think is fairly realistic and pragmatic. What I found most interesting was how they showed the ramifications of how global politics will effect things.

The interviews, statistics, and reports were intertwined with a fictional narrative following a woman that was born in 2009 that lives through the earth’s eventual collapse. It used a graphic novel style that was a brilliant choice to portray the possible outcome on at a intimately human lever, much more so than if it would have been a live-action film.

Even though the vast majority of the special focuses on the gloom and doom scenario, the last ten minutes focus on the fact that this future is not set in stone and that we have the ability to make the changes needed to change our, and the Earth’s, future. I just hope that we choose to follow the correct path.

Meet My Bro

Posted in She's Crafty by

Hello, Bro! Please meet my sewing machine, Brother LX-3125, aka Bro. Bro was given to me by my mom a couple of years ago for Christmas. Unfortunately, Bro and I never got to know one another outside of the box, since moving and having him in storage kept us apart. Well, I decided recently that Bro and I should try to get over our estrangement and start anew. So, I dragged him out this past weekend and toiled over the directions. Which were terribly written, I must add. Geez!

Anyways, I was able to figure out the basics and got him loaded up with thread. I had some scrap fabric laying around, so I practiced my stitches for a bit and finally made a ditty bag for my knitting. Basically its a small pillow case with some ribbon attached to tie up the top, but still! My first machine sewn item! I need to practice a little more, so I might try to make some decorative pillows or something. Once I am comfortable with making straight seams, I am hoping to move on to making a skirt for a vanity that I have.

I really would like to get to the point where I might be able to make some simple items of clothing. Sundresses or something?? Who knows. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. But a girl can dream big, right? Wish me luck on my new crafting adventure!