Okaasan59's Sandbox

Online photo storage

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 03:11:52 GMT

My 6-year-old laptop is feeling its age and reminding me that I should find an alternative place to store photos. Does anyone have any good experience or advise regarding online photo storage? I'm looking for easy upload, lots of storage and the ability to share access to photos.

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electronics and pumpkin

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 04:14:33 GMT

The electronics in my life are conspiring against me. My phone won't receive any more picture messages or take any more pictures because the memory is full but I can't find the cord I need to download the pics. (Yes, I have an old, non-smart phone.) And earlier today when I got on my laptop it appeared to have been wiped clean back to factory settings. I couldn't find any of my pictures or personal settings or any files. As I was on the verge of panicking, I suddenly remembered the bit of wisdom I retained from watching The IT Crowd. Yes, I turned my computer off and back on again and all was fine! :-)

Am I the only woman on earth who doesn't care for pumpkin flavor? I'd swear that all the women on facebook and the internet in general are going bonkers over pumpkin lattes and pumpkin flavored every other fucking thing in the universe. And they have to post about it every five seconds. Harrumph.

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Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:30:20 GMT

It's not even the hottest part of summer yet but I'm ready to head somewhere cooler. (And no, the hill country of Arkansas does NOT count as 'somewhere cooler' even when compared to south Louisiana. Last summer we spent some miserable 100+ degree days up there.) The humidity seems especially brutal this year and I can't even get an accurate reading of it. One news site says 97% while another says 45%. I think they're both wrong and it's about 80% but that's just my gut feeling. *fans self*

My vegetables seem to be giving up also, even though I'm doing my best to keep them watered. *sigh* So much for my occasional fantasy of living off-the-grid. I'm really, REALLY glad to have my A.C. right now.

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Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:47:19 GMT

Note to Parents of Youth Group Kids (that I'm too chicken to actually give them but I swear I will give them a different version):

I am not attending the upcoming national convention that your kids are registered for. My own kids are not attending the national convention that your kids are registered for. I am putting in many hours of time for fundraisers for YOUR KIDS. Please help out by participating.

Thank you very much.

(And I swear I really am quitting later this year.)

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Blind Date with a Book

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:46:38 GMT

I know there's several librarians on my f-list so I thought I'd post this. Maybe everyone else has heard of this already but I think it's a really cool idea.

Blind Date With a Book.

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"Strange Things...

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:10:58 GMT

...are afoot at the Circle K."

Ok, so it's not at the Circle K but at my house. Here's a list of the strangeness. If I didn't know better I'd think we had a ghost:

I found a bottle of men's shampoo in my guest shower. It's not the brand my son uses and I've never seen it before.

Some of the DVDs in my living room have been rearranged with older movies that I've always intended to watch but haven't actually gotten around to yet placed in the front.

When I got up to shower this morning there was a towel hanging next to the shower. I never put one out until I'm ready to get in the shower.

And most disturbing...the bed covers on my bed were turned down as if someone had gotten in the bed with me last night. When my husband isn't home the bed usually stays made and I just slide in and out of my side of the covers. But the covers on his side were turned down, and not just turned down but tucked UNDER as if they'd gotten caught while someone slid into the bed. The mid part of the quilts was not disturbed so I don't see how I could have pulled them into that arrangement from my side of the bed. I thought at first that the cat might have tunneled under the covers but my bedroom door was closed and she was on the couch this morning right where I'd last seen her last night before I went to bed.

O_O

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Hurricane Isaac update

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:00:58 GMT

This was not a powerful storm but a messy, drawn-out one. We faired pretty well. The worst damage was to two very large oak trees in our back yard. During the height of the storm the top half of both trees came crashing down onto our neighbor's second story garage apartment. Luckily, no one was in there and only the corner of the building was damaged so it should be able to be repaired without too much trouble.

We were without electricity for just over 24 hours. A lot of people around here have gasoline generators and the noise from them was louder than the sound of the wind. We don't have a generator and don't plan to get one. If Jeff was not home I probably would not be able to hook it up and run it. Second, gas lines are long before storms and having to buy gas for a generator would be a pain. Thirdly, the cost of the gas used is often more than the cost of the food you are trying to save in the freezer. We slept fine for one night without the a/c because our house is insulated fairly well and stayed cool. Conversely, our electric hot water heater will keep water warm for a long time so we can have at least one brief shower (by candlelight!) after the power goes out. We lost power for only two days after Hurricane Gustav and just a few hours during Andrew and Katrina. Hopefully we'll be as lucky in the future.

I'm still waiting to hear from a couple of friends in south La to see how their homes fared. One lives in an area that was particularly hard hit by flooding and has probably lost everything. They evacuated before the storm so they are safe but the really sad thing is that her oldest son has been in the hospital since January because of 3rd degree burns over most of his body. That family has endured more than their share of grief this year.

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Another year, another hurricane

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:04:19 GMT

This one looks to be fairly mild, probably a category one when it makes landfall. (That's assuming it doesn't stall off the coast and gain strength.) Of course, one always has to prepare for the worst. So folks are waiting in line to buy gas and cleaning the stores out of batteries, water and canned goods. We're okay since we have all that, plus margarita and daiquiri mix. Some of my New Orleans relatives may come up to my house so we may have a hurricane party. Both the kids are living in apartments in Baton Rouge so they're good. I'm washing all the clothes now and soon I'll go out and moved all my potted plants to secure locations. Then I'll go to my mom's house and do the same.

The media hoopla is insane. First it was all about the hurricane interfering with the GOP convention and now it's all "OMG!! HURRICANE HEADED TO NEW ORLEANS!" The folks in NOLA are really on edge since it's the first hurricane for them since Katrina, which is understandable, but I don't think the media is making that any better. Let's hope everyone keeps their shit together.

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Mon, 13 Aug 2012 01:08:47 GMT

This was one of my favorite Olympic moments. When I saw it happen I kept watching the young man in the background as the announcers talked about Usain Bolt. The kid didn't stop grinning for five minutes!

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Sun, 12 Aug 2012 23:11:11 GMT

I've spent a good portion of the past two weeks watching the Olympics and I'm struck by the determination and dedication of all the athletes. To work so incredibly hard for a brief chance at success is really mind boggling. I've also been admiring the beauty of the athletes' bodies, especially of the women runners.* Dang, those gals have some awesome abs. Even if I exercised 20 hours a day I could never have abs like that, especially at my age. But I still want them. ^_^

*Okay, yes, and I've been drooling over the male divers and gymnasts. ^_^

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Olympic fever

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:47:42 GMT

There's really only one reason I watch the Summer Olympics. (Links not work safe but hilarious.)

Olympics or Gay Porn?

and also More of Tom Daley.

How do they keep those itty bitty suits on when they dive into the water?

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Mon, 09 Jul 2012 03:15:52 GMT

I just cleaned my pantry (and the top of my refrigerator, but only because when I stood on a step stool in order to reach the back of the top pantry shelf, I was able to see just how badly the top of the fridge needed cleaning. I also have ADD when it comes to cleaning. I hardly ever finish one job without getting distracted by another.) So I took a break and ate some of my leftovers from lunch. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to stick to my diet when we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. But they had a nice grilled fish on the menu that was topped with grilled veggies with rice and black beans on the side. It was enough for three meals so I've got lunch for tomorrow, too.

My efforts to lose weight seem to be heading in the right direction. I've lost 5 pounds in the past two weeks, mostly from eating less and moving more. I've also been eating smaller meals and adding a couple of snacks to my daily diet. So far, so good.

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Long Time No Update

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:46:22 GMT

Happy Father's Day to everyone who is or has a father and Happy Birthday to my Munchkin (who is now 24 years old!?!?!)

As usual, I've been bouncing between periods of time when I am insanely busy and others when I resort to being a complete vegetable. (A vegetable with constant internet connection.)

Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church and I was in charge of most of the decorating and one of the stations. I also had my three nieces staying the week and my son's girlfriend and her sister stayed for the week as well. There was a lot of coming and going, though thankfully, not much cooking since the church served supper every night. Oh, and two days before they all got here I had a friend from Texas and a dozen kids from her youth group camped out on my living room floor while they traveled to a mission trip. Insanity...it lives here!

Every year I say that I won't work Vacation Bible School any more and every year I let myself get talked into it. I enjoy the creative part of it but this year the decorating about did me in. We spent two weeks decorating six rooms plus a series of hallways, not to mention having to be there to teach every evening during VBS. I actually wish I could quit attending church altogether but that would probably literally kill my parents so I'll keep attending as long as they are around. I refuse to go to Sunday School or Bible studies though because I know I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut when they start talking about asinine stuff like the Earth being 6,000 years old and dinosaurs existing alongside humans. I'm hoping to find someone else to take over the youth group as well. I've loved being around these teens as they've grown up but there's a new crop of kids coming along that I'm not as close to and it would make sense for one of their parents to take over. I'm also hoping the new pastor will find someone else to do the church newsletter.

Sheesh, for a closet agnostic I sure have gotten myself tied up with a lot of church stuff!

In other news, the hubby and I have been spending a lot of time at our "retirement" property in Arkansas. My daughter moved in with her boyfriend in February and she's very happy which makes ME very happy. My son finished his first year of college and is looking for summer work. He's got his first girlfriend. Although they knew each other in high school, they didn't start "dating" until she moved to Texas with her family. They spend hours each day on skype or phone and actually see each other in person about once a month. But he's happy so I'M happy. ^__^

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public rudeness

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:01:58 GMT

Today I accompanied my mother as she went to a clinic for a routine colonoscopy. It was at this place that does nothing but colonoscopies and endoscopies and they herd people in and out like cattle. (Hate the place.)

Anyway, we were in the waiting room and every five minutes or so a nurse would come and call a patient's name. A young, black female (perhaps pertinent info) nurse came out and said hesitantly, "Mr...B----?" An older white man stood up and said, "Are you dyslexic? I prefer B----." My mother and I looked at each other and said, "That was kind of rude."

After my mom was finished I was going out to the get the car and bring it up to the door to meet her. I passed this same man sitting in a wheelchair waiting for his ride. Again, there was a different young black female nurse standing next to him. As I passed them I heard him say to her "Of course, things were better before they started letting you vote." 0_o

I was so flabbergasted I almost turned around and asked him what he meant. Two things stopped me. First of all it was a private conversation. To interrupt would have been rude. (Though I don't know that he would know rude if it bit him in his recently-scoped butt.) And secondly, the nurse giggled when he said that. Maybe, just maybe, I thought, the man had a really weird sense of humor and since I missed the first part of the conversation I also missed out on whatever made it funny/somewhat acceptable? Or else the nurse was a saint.

But either way I figure he meant that "things were better before they started letting [black people/women] vote" and either statement is offensive, even if it is uttered as a "joke", especially to someone you are not acquainted with.

I hope they stuffed poison up his butt.

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Ouch

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 02:10:21 GMT

I got the lawn tractor stuck in mud in a low spot in our yard.* I tried putting pieces of wood under the tires but couldn't get it out. After Sean got home he helped me. We put the tractor in gear and then got behind and pushed as hard as we could. When it popped out of the rut, Sean jumped on it and steered it - I probably could not have caught it. Now my arms are really, really sore. I guess that shows that I haven't been doing any push-ups lately.

And I've got a nice new set of ruts in the yard. ^_^ At least I'll remember to avoid that area in the future.

*It's an ancient, battered and ugly but fairly reliable John Deere. That also means that it's mostly made of heavy steel and can bog down more easily than other mowers.

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Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:35:49 GMT

I've been having a lot of problems lately with eye strain and headaches. At least I think it's caused by eye strain. I've taken to limiting my time on the computer and reading to 30-minute intervals but it hasn't helped much. I'm wondering if I need new glasses or if I need to start using my desktop instead of my laptop.

Anyone else had similar problems?

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Grrrr

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:45:25 GMT

All of the men who want to deny women access to birth control seem to be forgetting something. Who are they going to have sex with if they don't want to have children? I say all the women in the country should say, "Fine. No birth control? No sex." Then let's see how the powers that be rush to fund the birth control. Either that or they can all just have a big gay fest. Which is okay, too.

(Can you tell I've been reading too many comment sections under news articles?)

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Trowa in my bedroom

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:25:41 GMT

(Trowa was in my bedroom this morning. No, not like that! Unfortunately.)

We have as stereo system in our bedroom. The two main small speakers are on our dresser and the sub-woofer is on the floor near it with the receiver on top of it. Either the sub-woofer or the receiver has been making an intermittent humming noise lately when turned off so I turned the receiver on to hear how the system sounded (since it's been a while since I used it.) I sat on the floor by the sub-woofer and listened to the radio station play "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," "Stairway to Heaven" and "Dark Side of the Moon." (Love me some classic rock!) Anyway, it sounded fine and I was enjoying being able to listen to the bass clearly.

I've always thought the electric bass was the sexiest part of a rock band. Everyone always seems to concentrate on the main singer and the guitarist. But I've always been drawn to the bass player. And now, when I hear a bass being played I immediately picture Trowa Barton playing it, thanks to a few GW fics I read that cast the boys as band members. Mm, sexy deep notes that you can actually feel being played by a sexy boy. Not a bad thing at all.

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have a hanky handy

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:34:27 GMT

This is why I love my city. New Orleans gets a lot of bad press, some of it deserved. But then the people will turn around and do something that will floor you.

Autistic girl who was bullied gets her very own Mardi Gras.

The original blog entry.

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This excites me.

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:06:23 GMT

So the L2 colony might actually exist in the not so distant future...
http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-eyes-plan-deep-space-outpost-near-moon-023402627.html

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Fun with vacuums!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:01:33 GMT

I was doing some cleaning in Shannon's room, vacuuming just inside her closet. I had the hose pulled out of the upright so I could suction near the baseboard. While bending over, I did not take care about where the suctioning end of the hose was and it got too near a hanger with scarfs hanging from it. I heard the familiar "thwuck" of something trying to be sucked up and immediately stood up and extricated a bit of an ivory colored scarf that had blocked the opening. But the vacuum still didn't sound right. I couldn't see anything in the hose so I plugged it back in to the base and tried vacuuming the floor. It worked, but not very well and still didn't sound right. So I opened the casing and took out the bag and saw some feathers in the part that led to the bag. I pulled...and kept pulling until I had taken out a six-foot long bright purple feather boa. ^_^

Still don't know how that thing got sucked up so fast that I didn't see it going in.

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Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:17:25 GMT

I enjoyed Puppy bowl VIII with Kitty halftime. ^__^ Now it's time to settle in to enjoy ~~the Superbowl~~ some good commercials!

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Sherlock

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:40:31 GMT

Last night I dreamed that (a much younger me) was kissed by Benedict Cumberbatch, or rather, by Sherlock. There was definite tongue involved. And then he smiled. *swooning*

Shannon's boyfriend looks VERY MUCH like Martin Freeman, the guy who plays John Watson. This amuses me to no end but annoys the boyfriend. Maybe he's freaked out by the obvious bromance in the series or it could be by us gals swooning over it, lol.

All this, of course, because last night I watched the 3rd episode of the second season. I know I've said this before, but Brit TV, why are you soooo good? And why must we wait so long between seasons? I know that the answer for the wait is because they take their time and do it right and also because each ep of Sherlock is movie-length but that doesn't make it any easier.

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Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:05:03 GMT

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Please watch this.

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:11:04 GMT

An unbelievably moving and effective video of Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old college student, raised by lesbian parents, testifying before the Iowa congress as they prepare to debate same-sex unions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yMLZO-sObzQ

edit: after this video went viral, the Iowa congress decided NOT to pursue legislation that would repeal the right of same-sex couples to wed in Iowa. Damn, that makes me feel good. Sometimes the power of the people actually works!

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