My goodness, I am busy recently, not crazy busy, but well, busy... Leon's schedule does effect me, also, and he worked 72.75 hours this week. (Boeing weeks start on Friday for some reason that alludes me.) There is talk now of putting him on third shift - the midnight to 7 shift. I think we can do it. But its going to be a rough ride.
I am losing weight. I am down to 166 (our scales.) the Doctor's scales would probably weigh me in the 173 + or - range. I don't look slim but I am slimmer than I was. I am healthier, also - I am not going to be diabetic - my blood sugar went down and I would bet you it will be well into a normal range the more weight I lose. Even my cholesterol and blood pressure are showing signs of improvement - so its worth the attention to food; writing in a journal, extra exercise and self control I am practicing are all well worth the effort. January was a 'bear' in many ways including weight loss. It took me all month to lose just 6 lbs. - most of last year I lost weight at the rate of 10 pounds per month --- from September to December - I lost of majority of the weight I've lost so far. December was slow, also, but I did things that caused it to be so.. like, well, celebrating Christmas! I am hoping once it warms up I will be more willing to take long walks and even work in the yard and will return to my 10 lbs. a month average. I would like to stablize at 125 or there-abouts sometime in August.
I am learning how to use
the Ubuntu Operating system "Gusty Gnome" - but it's going to take a good year to know enough to make it make sense for me. I like it plenty and would encourage anyone with the time and desire to learn to try it - there are many fine books out there. My favorite being
"Ubuntu for Non-Geeks" second edition by Richard Grant. It's designed to get you started and even has Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) as a Free CD in the back of the book. That is the version/release of Ubuntu just prior to mine... soon - sometime in the spring, I think the next release/edition/update of Ubuntu will be available. I understand it will be called
"Hardy Heron" - every six months a new release of the operating system is offered for free on the net.
I am also learning the Python computer language.
Here is the main website that I am using.I would suggest that you just take the lessons a page at a time... and try to read some and talk to a friend that already programs Python, if you are lucky enough to have one.. I am - and he's my sweet husband so its even better but I don't feel like I have really mastered anything yet. I am just slowly running through the lessons. One a day.
There are a lot of open source programs on the net that run on Ubuntu (open source means that you could, if you know how to, get into the code of the program and change it.) - there are also some programs that are owned in the traditional sense but are also free - its worth the searching to find what is good and some of it is excellent. Here is a list :
Open Office. (speaks for itself. It is a package of four programs: writer,spreadsheet database,Presentation, including a small drawing program.)
Picasa - Well if you don't know what it is you must be Rip Van Wrinkle ! Gimp - a picture manipulation, retouching program. I had it on my XP OS and it works just fine, though I have never mastered it as well as I would like.
Frozen Bubble - a cute program that is rather like Dynomite or perhaps 'Break out' used to be The games on Ubuntu tend to be rather dinky (is that a word?) so its down right impressive.
Mozilla Firefox is my web browser.
Thunderbird is my email programThere is a professional grade publisher that I am very impressed with, though, honestly I have just played with it.
Scribus is the name of this gem, and NO I don't know hardly anything about it.except it looks impressive.I've found two programs that do mostly what I want them to do though I have not mastered either yet...
One is Gourmet Recipe Manager. And the
other is gtypist -yep, a typing program. This one is a bit hairy ... I haven't even opened it up successfully, yet. I need to read the instructions and carefully proceed.
There are a few absolutes in this little adventure : You really need to know more about computers to use Ubuntu than you do MS products. It isn't all done for you - Its the difference between being an infant and your Mommy puts the food in your mouth and you eat it (Microsoft products) and then, later, you learn to sit at a table and use a spoon and fork - a Linux Ubuntu system. It pays to know a few basic Linux commands because it a lot easier to work form 'terminal' to get programs to load, sometimes, especially stubborn ones than it is to work from the user interface - GNU. Games are not so hot on Ubuntu. They aren't so fancy and are more reminiscent of the first games I saw 25 - even 30 years ago - there are a few some very good games. One bit of good news is that Java games on the net seem to have no problem running on Ubuntu - I've done it for various games and it seems to work. Ubuntu is a work in progress... thousands of people are working world wide to make it a free, open operating system. There is Microsoft - which is getting more and more expensive in both hard disk space and money as the years fly by... and their products are impressive .. and there is Ubuntu and Linux - for free for those of us who don't want a mother or the expense of Microsoft's products.
There is (also) a program called "Wine" that is supposed to be interface between Microsoft programs and Ubuntu but so far it seems that it is rather limited, but I am not even sure HOW limited and, well, honestly - I am not even sure I have gotten to work properly. I have yet to really understand it. Lastly, It pays to want to learn - to be willing to read a book or two and to have a massive amount of patience while you are learning. I never thought I would see Leon admit ignorance but he is actually learning as much as I am.
It's actually FUN! 
Here is a big, big surprise : I've begun writing, again ! Like so many, the great American novel rests on my bottom book shelf - the problem is that its only half written. I've been writing it
(OH, MY!!!!!) since 1982. Go ahead, laugh, I've heard it all before. I do enjoy writing - its just it scares me to death to express myself - my upbringing in the dark halls of Roman Catholicism suppressed my natural proclivities to a large degree. Be silent, be little, don't stand out or get in our way - we are the important ones - you are just a little girl..
.. (growl .. ) I realize now, how utterly squashed and silenced I really am - It is as if they took a flower bud and ground it into the dust. I find any self expression - scary - but you know what ... like this blog - the more you do something that scares you to death - the more you grow, the more you learn, the more you gain confidence and the will to continue to expand, grow and mature - each step in the process depends on the steps before it; just as this post depends on each letter within each word. My novel is both science fiction with some mystical/fantasy undertones. It is not a light -hearted story.A great deal of it is serious drama. There is always my quirky humor, also. I absolutely love my characters and even if I never give them life in other people's minds - at least I finish their story, and, I know they will always live in my own heart. Mellisa, Giordano Bruno, Hilland, Claymore, Craxton, Moreland, William De Landenlas, James the Witch... well, they all really exist - within ME. Its time to write their story. I don't seem happy if I don't write constantly. I always feel that something is missing from my life.
And no, my back room - this study/craft room/sewing room/herbarium/needlework room/library is not much neater. I keep trying. Too much in too small a space, that is the real problem !!! but I am going to try to get organized, honest, I am.
And, no I am not yet beading as I said I would - I will. Soon.
