Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Reconnections

Brrr!!!

It's been a very cold snowy week here with extra layers on and even the odd old sweatshirt on at night as we're sorting stuff out regarding the change over from copper based telephone wires to digital fibre right through the house.

This means looking where all the kit will need to go, sorting out how the dect phones will connect with the new system as originally the phone was in the hall but then migrated via an extension into the front room while the internet came into the dining room where originally the computing was done on a Tower system and that certainly wasn't wanted in the front room at all!

We think it'll all go in the hallway aptly on the top of the original telephone table but if there are any delays next week, you'll know its connected to that change over

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

New Year and review issue

So it is New Year already and it's bucketing down  already although you might say the backdrop to that was around from mid afternoon yesterday when I went out for a bit of a walk as I felt my joints starting to seize up.

What's happened here this year gone I hear you all cry.

Well although the year before had seen some reductions in the amount of time I went away as issues with capacity and some other issues we'll leave out of a public post I was able to worm my way back in for both weekends like the Christmas Party apart from the now traditional two longer get togethers for several days just playing, doing things, having fun.

After the events of the previous year, that was very much needed given some of the issues that tend to surface in my family and some of Dad's blacker moods at times.

Moods is apt thing cos in a number of ways this blog has been of late more around feeling, emotions and what they call today more stuff with emotional well-being as past events have left me with various traumas and sometimes patterns of behaviour that don;t really help me.

Just getting them off my chest, acknowledging they are around and trying to do something more positive about them is really rather more of what I need to be doing.



 

In the New Year I'll dress more in accordance with how I feel so I feel comfortable in my own skin. just being me, finding more time to do the things that help keep me more on the level, being more child-like. 

That I think also applies with me to keep me in check.

Some things just work with me and we might as well just acknowledge the fact a good spanking helps although time spent talking about and agreeing to finding ways of avoiding getting in the situations that call for it helps too.

Happy 2025 folks!

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Introducing Lauren

Yes it's finally here, for Christmas.

Although I don't endorse living your life as a stereotype - I sure haven't lived mine like one! - I have a classic girl fixation with dolls something that's been with me since childhood actually that in that typically confused way was 'permitted' by Mommy when many other things weren't.

I've written about a few of my dolls before but this one is special cos I found it in a store that was scheduled to close down within a few days.

She's a Vanity Fair doll coming with a certificate of authenticity that the designers called Laura but I beg to differ about that name so I went ahead and Christened her Lauren instead as I just love that name after removing all the packaging  with bubble wrap over the joints.

I like her face and hat.

Dollies is really more what girls like me need.

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Christmas edition 2024

Well, the great pause be upon us as nothing will happen until we are clear of Boxing Day as I've a lot to do outside of unexpectedly being away the weekend before with friends.

I am not sure what the blog before the New Year will be like, sometimes I've done a kind of review other times it's just been a short resume of what Christmas is like as things are emotionally a bit all over the place as you notice more what  was always always around organizing things - Mom.

Anyway wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

JoBook IV



With quite a bit of activity since Friday, you may of wondered what might  of been going on here but on Friday I noted there seemed to be a flash sale on at Amazon and something got me interested

I had been talking about about technology in a less point scoring way with my BFF who uses her smartphone a lot and well as most of you know I don't use one them having a regular long lasting cellphone and a portable music player for sound, preferring to be switched off when I'm out.

I had seen and have sometimes contemplated owning a tablet but aren't very co-ordinated so swiping might be an issue and I prefer a keyboard as much as just being able to turn it on and do something appeals.

There have been a few attempts to mix small form computers with a  keyboard from  Netbooks around 2008 to about 2011, optional keyboards for tablets to so called 2 in 1 'transformer' tablets with snap off detachable keyboards but these really have taken off in the last five years,


This was on offer for some 20 % which helped.

It is what is called a Chromebook which in a lot of ways are a cross between the functions of a Tablet but with a keyboard and thanks to working remotely by the internet can do things like basic editing of pictures, handle documents and emails as well as use internet sites such as Facebook.

It also is integrated more with A.I. compared with my last one plus the backlit keyboard is a boon when working in dull environments.

The thing they don't do is play massive games, use the iTunes store or copy music from cd but to be honest most of us use our computers through browsers 90% of the time.

You do things like writing documents using apps just like a tablet or smart phone but you get a bigger screen which is more suited to watching say a movie online.
 
This happens because it uses a form of Linux running through the Chrome browser to control its functions and that runs very quickly  on a less powerful processor, making the battery last around 14 hours maximum and not get too hot to touch.

This Asus is really intended for Junior high schoolers used often in education which kind of clinched it for because it is simple to use and robust matching my needs so you could say it's the perfect JoBook.

The screen is a super HD 1980x 768 but common on small laptops being an improvement on the 1440 x 768 of my older notebook which helps using most site layouts showing more without using the cursor which has a lovely bold black pointer.
 
There wasn't much to do upon opening it beyond confirming it had a UK layout keyboard and that I speak English, you just log onto your network (and the Wifi is really fast) and enter you Google Account which if you've use things like GMail, Blogger and GooglePlus you'll have anyway and you're away.

Ir picked up my previous Google bookmarks and passwords just fine.

It has 2 USB 3.1 sockets, plus a USB c, a HDMI connector  for a monitor, a headphone jack and SD C and then  there's cloud storage too.

Google Chrome looks after updating itself for you without the seven hundredth update keeping you up all night and shockingly can be used after 10 seconds and switches off after about 3 seconds which makes it ideal for checking your emails or social media accounts.

For what I want it for, it's ideal.


Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Advent begins

Advent begins with the change of Month on Sunday so we are getting through the Calendar one munch at a time while the local christmas tree is up and illuminated just opposite the park ready for community activities such as carolling.

As much as I love Christmas trees, the aroma of Pine is well burned into my memories, given the Grump situation I cannot see him putting one up.

Given we do CatMas here, the the 12 days of CatMas will be sung however!

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Adapting things

 

Finding time to let your little side can be difficult not that there aren't hours available but more things just come in part way through a period where you are playing with dollies, maybe reading a book or comic or perhaps talking online.

Something like an activity book you can work though at your own pace putting away and returning to later really is a help in such situations so I'm trying different strategies to deal with things.