Trials & Tribulations

I’d thought of several witty aphorisms with which to begin this blog but this morning I just don’t seem to feel witty so let’s begin with an explanation for nearly three weeks of silence.  In a word hard disc failure, not just once but three hard drives in one week and this on a brand new computer.  There’s a reason I don’t gamble; I also do regular backups to an exterior hard drive.  Restoring data is not how I’d planned to spend a two-week vacation but that’s how it turned out.  This leads to my next rant:

 

MONOPOLIES IN THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY    There are two companies who make hard drives; Western Digital and Seagate.  Memory?  A single plant accounts for 90% of the world’s production—forget brand names.  Processors?  Intel.  Operating Systems?  Microsoft’s Windows; everyone else is a very distant second—there’s a reason Bill Gates can afford to buy most small countries lock, stock, and barrel.  Browsers?  Internet Explorer.  Search Engines?  Google owns 50% of the market.  The equivalent in Automobile supply terms would be GM having a monopoly on the production of the world’s supply of motor vehicles; owning all the internal combustion engine plants; the tire plants; and the petrochemical industry.

My printer, (Canon i560) went wonky about the same time.  I don’t do that much printing but you miss something when you don’t have it.  I was going to use my shopping list software to print my grocery shopping list until I remembered that wasn’t possible.

 

On to another rant.  Why is it that the first thing people ask you when you tell them you’re on vacation is when are you going back to work?  Is there something about working that validates one’s existence?  What will they say in a year’s time when I tell them I’m retired?  I’ve taken May holidays for years to avoid the worst of the tree pollen season.  It’s so bad this year I’m virtually under house arrest.  Just went out to pick up the weekly flyers and a gust of wind released a veritable yellow cloud of pine tree pollen. 

 

WHAT I DID ON MY SPRING HOLIDAYS

 

 

Housecleaning.  Given another year and I might make a respectable dent in the ocean of papers I’ve saved over the years.  Thank goodness electronic clippings don’t occupy closet space.  I need library space for my CD’s, Books, DVD’s, and VHS tapes though.  Listening to music:  on CD, podcasts, and online.  DVD’s:  I’ve posted a few reviews.  Browsing and reading E-mail.  I’ve even made a bit of progress on my books.  Finally got out and did a bit of shopping.  And I did my laundry.  Doesn’t sound very romantic.  More like I caught up on necessary tasks and spent some time feeling lazy. 

 

 

Coming up on an Anniversay

In just over two weeks I’ll have been blogging for a year and in that time I’ve uploaded 170 entries or an average of almost 1 every two days! I suppose you could say that I’ve been infected with the bug.

Although it’s cool outside it’s definitely Spring here in Southern Ontario. There hasn’t been frost in some time; the grass is green but then there wasn’t enough ground frost to kill it this winter, the spring bulbs are flowering, the forsythia is in full bloom and with the air so cool it is quite brilliant yet; outside my window the silver and red maple trees have almost finished flowering and the leaves of summer are unfurling. The growl of lawn mowers has been apparent for several weeks now.

Don’t have that much to report regarding the week that was. On Monday went down to Bronte for dinner before I came home—hot spinach salad and pulled pork at the Coach and Four. Waitress tried to tell me it was too much but she reckoned not on my appetite. Tuesday went in to the Post Office to attempt the work of two men. The Dock man had already alerted me to the fact that he wouldn’t be in. Bungled my way through the day without hitting anything or getting anything or anybody too upset. Picked up The Queen and Alpha Dog at Future Shop, then came home and after my nap watched The Queen—see my review. Wednesday picked up an order I’d placed at Amazon after a long wait in line at the RPO. Listened to the Classical music I’d just gotten including music by Amy Beach and Howard Hanson. I’m still working my way through last season’s The OC. Thursday stopped by Oakville Place and picked up EYE, NOW, and Exclaim which I worked my way through over Chicken Salad at East Side Mario’s. When I finally got home slept until early evening then read myself to sleep early. Friday, began my day by installing Agnitum’s Outpost Firewall and Security Suite on my computer. It’s a trialware version and I’m deciding whether I’ll buy it for fulltime use. At least in the main it’s a more user friendly application then Norton’s firewall. After working my way through 3 tedious monos of mail Friday helped Barry Bentley sort up Walk 65, then cleaned up the office and stacked monos. Don, the CUS Supervisor brought in his Mother’s spaghetti and meatballs and I got invited to partake of a plateful before I drove out to deliver Barry’s drops. While I was delivering the drops got waylaid by Jimmy McCarty when I stopped outside his door at Nelson and Belyea so after I’d completed the run went back to have a beer with him. Carrie was visiting and I learned she’ll be off til June after needing emergency surgery during her vacation. After my nap started watching The Patriot.

Spent Saturday lazily browsing the web and reading E-mail while I listened to music and podcasts. Was awakened this morning at my normal time of rising by the return of the drunks from the pub at 2:30 AM but managed to sleep in until 4—that’s sleeping in for me. I’ve been listening to more podcasts today while I catch up on folding laundry, changing my calendars to May, and putting away my humidifier for summer. Outside the sun is shining brilliantly even if it isn’t making much heat—at least we won’t be having any tornados such as devastated Greenburg, Kansas Friday Night.

Here in Canada we have news of a different sort. Sam Steele is turning over in his grave. First a madman managed to murder four RCMP officers near Edmonton when they raided his farm. Then we learn that the head of the RCMP lied under oath. Next we learn that the RCMP officials looking after their pension funds absconded with some of the cash. Now we learn that their officers ignored information about the threat of a bombing aboard the Air India flight that blew up east of Ireland which they received just days before the event. It used to be that the RCMP was known for always getting their man. Nowadays it would seem as likely that the man they need to get is a fellow officer. How have the mighty fallen!