The Visible Woman...May 19, 2003

Today I learned that accidentally connecting the wrong AC adaptor to a gadget can result in frying. Yep that smell of melting plastic or whatever. Today I learned that Windows has a disk cleanup function that finds and offers to delete temporary files. (You already knew that, I'm sure.) But I also learned that an unsophisticated user might think that he couldn't delete other files. Or at least that he wouldn't know how or succeed in getting it done. Like the last four versions of AOL he still had on his machine. I learned how to use a new Olympus digital camera that someone else bought, too. How to set the time, the resolution, stuff like that.

I learned to use these band things to exercise when I can't use the weight machines.

None of this did me all that much good, of course. I will never take plugging in that little AC adaptor thing for granted again, of course. Amazing given that I must have seventeen of those in use in here that I haven't ever fried anything before. I also learned that if you return such a gadget to Fry's and say, "It won't power up." that they will smell it but that they will also give you a new one.

After having four different digital cameras of my own and looking at other peoples' cameras (including one I bought and tested for my niece), I have learned a lot of basic principles of digital cameras. For what it's worth.

It was also a day when I got a call to have lunch with someone who thinks I could help them in my old field. I suspect that they are wrong and, even if they aren't, I expect that I don't want to work. Not like that. I'm retired. I'm looking for a new course. And while I don't think my new course will involve helping people with their PCs and gadgets very often, I don't think I want to do database software again.

Well, tomorrow I'm going to take a refresher course in CPR. Learn something every day, I say. But where is all this going?

Well, when you are retired you can dig a little deeper into other things. Learn how to exercise, learn a bit more about the PCs you rely on. Advise your friends. I like the reading, thinking, and doing different things. Sometimes I even think it will develop into a passion and remuneration. But usually I just think it will make me an official retired person.

Monday, May 19, 2003

A Journal from Austin, Texas. A Project of LBFFP Stealth Publishing.
food	reading	writing	time	exercise	health and mood

What do I know anyway? "Knowledge is proud that he has learn'd so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more." William Cowper	learning new things A day in which I expand my horizons, but perhaps not in a meaningful way. Today I learned that accidentally connecting the wrong AC adaptor to a gadget can result in frying. Yep that smell of melting plastic or whatever. Today I learned that Windows has a disk cleanup function that finds and offers to delete temporary files. (You already knew that, I'm sure.) But I also learned that an unsophisticated user might think that he couldn't delete other files. Or at least that he wouldn't know how or succeed in getting it done. Like the last four versions of AOL he still had on his machine. I learned how to use a new Olympus digital camera that someone else bought, too. How to set the time, the resolution, stuff like that. I learned to use these band things to exercise when I can't use the weight machines. None of this did me all that much good, of course. I will never take plugging in that little AC adaptor thing for granted again, of course. Amazing given that I must have seventeen of those in use in here that I haven't ever fried anything before. I also learned that if you return such a gadget to Fry's and say, "It won't power up." that they will smell it but that they will also give you a new one. After having four different digital cameras of my own and looking at other peoples' cameras (including one I bought and tested for my niece), I have learned a lot of basic principles of digital cameras. For what it's worth. It was also a day when I got a call to have lunch with someone who thinks I could help them in my old field. I suspect that they are wrong and, even if they aren't, I expect that I don't want to work. Not like that. I'm retired. I'm looking for a new course. And while I don't think my new course will involve helping people with their PCs and gadgets very often, I don't think I want to do database software again. Well, tomorrow I'm going to take a refresher course in CPR. Learn something every day, I say. But where is all this going? Well, when you are retired you can dig a little deeper into other things. Learn how to exercise, learn a bit more about the PCs you rely on. Advise your friends. I like the reading, thinking, and doing different things. Sometimes I even think it will develop into a passion and remuneration. But usually I just think it will make me an official retired person.
JUST TYPING Not having to do the same old thing Opens you up To do different things All poorly.
		Food Diary. coffee 11am banana smoothie (1 1/2 bananas with nonfat yogurt, skimmed milk) 6:30pm lots of salad (spinach, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cheese, green onions, dressing); bowl of tortilla soup 10pm some aged cheddar cheese, some potato chips, water
		Time flies.... Get up about 7:30 Work on journal, answer e-mail, pick some stocks to buy. (Must pay more attention to our finances, mustn't I?) Around 10, go to club. Huge luncheon going on, have to park on street. Do workout, have a smoothie, work with my trainer on stuff for doing weight work while traveling. Take shower. About 1:30pm I was out at a friend's with some wireless stuff to try and help her set up her laptop for wireless access. Not far into this one piece of equipment fails, um, maybe because I plugged the modem's adaptor into the router, you think? Took fried equipment to Fry's and told them it wouldn't power up. (Well, that's true.) The guy smelled it! Yep. (I did, too, and that's how I knew it was fried.) He gave me a new one, though. Took a check to the broker to pay for stocks I bought, went to Academy and bought a new belt, some tennis balls and these exercise bands for my travel routine. Went home. Had e-mail from someone about helping them with a new digital camera, had e-mail about having lunch with someone about a job (but, but, I don't want a job). FFP says one of his clients needs help with his computer. I tell everyone I fry equipment...who would want me to do anything. Go to FFP's client and clean old files off his disk. He's running XP Home which, of course, I've never, ever seen before but nevertheless I don't fry anything. I advise him a little and leave. 6:30 Eat while watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Mess around with the computer and my new exercise bands. 8 or so SuRu comes by to download her pictures on one of my computers. 9:30 SuRu leaves Watch a bit of the basketball game, read papers, fall asleep in chair after midnight go to bed

		Reading. Robert Massie's Peter the Great...Peter visits London. Still reading Journey Through Genius. Archimedes and . Pi is so cool. There is a whole book about pi. There is a whole book about e, too. Pi has a better PR firm, though.
		No time for writing today. Too busy messing with other peoples' computers and digital cameras.
		Exercise 15 minutes on exercise bike Upper body exercises (shoulders, chest, back).
		Feel good when I get up. Feel good pretty much all day. Feel undaunted by failure and stupidity (mine or anyone else's). Physically I'm in great shape, feel strong and flexible and no pain anywhere. Digestion good. (See...I had nachos late last night...my diet really is unrelated to my digestive problems.) 106/75 67