Thursday, November 17, 2005
Spice Never Fails
First a shout out to Mama. Today’s her biggity-biggity-birthday!! (If Dawn ever got around to reading my blog, she just might giggle.)
This morning the God of Technology smiled on me. I had been pushing my Titanium too far. I already knew that. Yesterday I was down to 537 free megabytes and the poor hard drive couldn’t think straight. Even text files wouldn’t save and opening a simple folder took about five seconds. I was forced to make a decision between not using Titanium and breaking down to re-initialize my Lacie external hard drive.
I connected the drive to my computer this morning and prepared myself to re-initialize—forever erasing the thousands of pictures and hundreds of files I had saved last year which hadn’t been recognized since the plane ride out to Japan last Christmas. But when I started up my computer and connected the Lacie, a bright orange disk image smiled at me and sang out “Sierra Spice, brought to you by Firewire.” I had forgotten I named her that last year—but the memories came flooding back as I longingly browsed her contents.
So this morning I got to uploaded 5.5 GB of information from Titanium onto Sierra Spice (just the beginning of my weird names for technology). How good it feels to have a bit of breathing room again, and I’m dreaming about getting home tonight to review all those files and do what I love best—re-organize them!!
My photographs are a mess. I love iPhoto, but seven years worth of digital photos in one application equals a disaster area. Opening that sucker takes the better half of a minute. I have to consolidate the three different photo filing systems I’ve used, then prioritize in iPhoto. As soon as possible I'm going to make use of a great little program called “Backup” and do exactly that. So, that’s my hot date for the week—and I’m not ashamed to admit it gets me excited. There’s nothing better than knowing your important files are copied on various media and kept in different locations.
I also bought a new toy this weekend. I was in Nagasaki for the Mid-Conference (more about that later) and I made the mistake of admitting I was contemplating the purchase of an iPod to my friend Scott. After the meeting he went to Best Denki and researched them for me—the price was good and several were in stock needing a home. Let’s just say I went to the bank first to make sure I had enough money. I came home with a little one in my pocket.
I got the 30 GB that can do photos and video, in traditional white. She’s so thin! Even the box was smaller than I imagined. I named her Skinny. I’m a little disappointed she came with a USB cord instead of Firewire, but I guess Apple sells enough of these to PCs users who are still using Ancient USB to validate putting that in the box. But my first iPod came with Firewire and that was like a technodecade ago. (A “technodecade” is a technology decade, but because they are exponential it’s hard to calculate exactly how many human years have passed. In this case, four years. If you like math, you can figure out exactly.)
While in Nagasaki I checked off many items on my “Big City To Do List,” including eating Indian, seeing a movie, and shopping at UNIQLO. I didn’t get around to purikura, but I’ve got the next two upcoming weekends in Fukuoka with Dawn so I imagine we’ve got plenty of time to get around to it.
Thank you everyone who wrote to me regarding my holiday woes. Your opinions are greatly appreciated, but I really am trying to save money this year. Sometimes it's just as much money to go to all the way to America as it is to go to Thailand or other hot spots during the holidays, so I'm not going to do a big trip anywhere. I'm thinking of taking the ferry over to Korea for a week (and I may have found a friend to do it with!) and spending some time on my island. I’m going to stay with Mizorogi-san for New Years. Her three sons are coming from all over Japan to spend the holiday with their parents on the island of KA-MI-GOTO! Her husband also has a cruising boat and she said I can steer when no one is looking!! Nothing like a New Year’s Boat Cruise in frigid winter waters!
Also, I sort of apologized to my eikaiwa students last night for being so depressive (and a little grumpy) last week. Two of the five of them weren’t there, but were curious what was going on. I told them I might need some family-loving this December and they all took down my phone number and offered to hang out. They are really sweet. I talked a bit more after class with Sanae, our newest student. She spent some time in New Zealand and has very good English. She said she doesn’t have friends on Goto and although is very busy during the week, her weekends are very boring. We want to hang out (have a slumber party!) this Christmas, too. I guess there are resources all around me, I just need to be sure I know what they are before I get all sad.
When I was in Aokata yesterday I ran into Masami and Sawa (the newborn). I got to hold her again and it was wonderful. She’s two months old and has doubled her weight! Masami calls her “fat” and I call her still the tiniest human I’ve ever had in my arms. She asked me to come baby sit sometime so that she could go shopping.
This morning the God of Technology smiled on me. I had been pushing my Titanium too far. I already knew that. Yesterday I was down to 537 free megabytes and the poor hard drive couldn’t think straight. Even text files wouldn’t save and opening a simple folder took about five seconds. I was forced to make a decision between not using Titanium and breaking down to re-initialize my Lacie external hard drive.
I connected the drive to my computer this morning and prepared myself to re-initialize—forever erasing the thousands of pictures and hundreds of files I had saved last year which hadn’t been recognized since the plane ride out to Japan last Christmas. But when I started up my computer and connected the Lacie, a bright orange disk image smiled at me and sang out “Sierra Spice, brought to you by Firewire.” I had forgotten I named her that last year—but the memories came flooding back as I longingly browsed her contents.
So this morning I got to uploaded 5.5 GB of information from Titanium onto Sierra Spice (just the beginning of my weird names for technology). How good it feels to have a bit of breathing room again, and I’m dreaming about getting home tonight to review all those files and do what I love best—re-organize them!!
My photographs are a mess. I love iPhoto, but seven years worth of digital photos in one application equals a disaster area. Opening that sucker takes the better half of a minute. I have to consolidate the three different photo filing systems I’ve used, then prioritize in iPhoto. As soon as possible I'm going to make use of a great little program called “Backup” and do exactly that. So, that’s my hot date for the week—and I’m not ashamed to admit it gets me excited. There’s nothing better than knowing your important files are copied on various media and kept in different locations.
I also bought a new toy this weekend. I was in Nagasaki for the Mid-Conference (more about that later) and I made the mistake of admitting I was contemplating the purchase of an iPod to my friend Scott. After the meeting he went to Best Denki and researched them for me—the price was good and several were in stock needing a home. Let’s just say I went to the bank first to make sure I had enough money. I came home with a little one in my pocket.
I got the 30 GB that can do photos and video, in traditional white. She’s so thin! Even the box was smaller than I imagined. I named her Skinny. I’m a little disappointed she came with a USB cord instead of Firewire, but I guess Apple sells enough of these to PCs users who are still using Ancient USB to validate putting that in the box. But my first iPod came with Firewire and that was like a technodecade ago. (A “technodecade” is a technology decade, but because they are exponential it’s hard to calculate exactly how many human years have passed. In this case, four years. If you like math, you can figure out exactly.)
While in Nagasaki I checked off many items on my “Big City To Do List,” including eating Indian, seeing a movie, and shopping at UNIQLO. I didn’t get around to purikura, but I’ve got the next two upcoming weekends in Fukuoka with Dawn so I imagine we’ve got plenty of time to get around to it.
Thank you everyone who wrote to me regarding my holiday woes. Your opinions are greatly appreciated, but I really am trying to save money this year. Sometimes it's just as much money to go to all the way to America as it is to go to Thailand or other hot spots during the holidays, so I'm not going to do a big trip anywhere. I'm thinking of taking the ferry over to Korea for a week (and I may have found a friend to do it with!) and spending some time on my island. I’m going to stay with Mizorogi-san for New Years. Her three sons are coming from all over Japan to spend the holiday with their parents on the island of KA-MI-GOTO! Her husband also has a cruising boat and she said I can steer when no one is looking!! Nothing like a New Year’s Boat Cruise in frigid winter waters!
Also, I sort of apologized to my eikaiwa students last night for being so depressive (and a little grumpy) last week. Two of the five of them weren’t there, but were curious what was going on. I told them I might need some family-loving this December and they all took down my phone number and offered to hang out. They are really sweet. I talked a bit more after class with Sanae, our newest student. She spent some time in New Zealand and has very good English. She said she doesn’t have friends on Goto and although is very busy during the week, her weekends are very boring. We want to hang out (have a slumber party!) this Christmas, too. I guess there are resources all around me, I just need to be sure I know what they are before I get all sad.
When I was in Aokata yesterday I ran into Masami and Sawa (the newborn). I got to hold her again and it was wonderful. She’s two months old and has doubled her weight! Masami calls her “fat” and I call her still the tiniest human I’ve ever had in my arms. She asked me to come baby sit sometime so that she could go shopping.
Masami and Sawa—sleeping again—but look at that cool baby holder she’s got!
I had 5.5 GB free on my computer this morning and less than 12 hours later I only have 4.5 GB free. How can I fill a gig in one day?
It’s really cold at night again. I’m too lazy to get off to the couch and move to the kotatsu though. I’m just kind of suffering here a few feet away from it.
Last weekend was Nakako’s Culture Festival and I had two junior high school boys visiting. I ended up hanging out with them most of the time. Here is Katsunori, me, and Shohei. I told them to “look happy” and this is what I got after three attempts. They were really sweet and bought me cookies and yakisoba for lunch. I paid for their tea ceremony entrance in return, but they probably didn’t think it was a fair exchange—having to sit through a tea ceremony. Shohei ate my Japanese anko cake so I’m very thankful he was there!
Seeing my hair like this makes me want another haircut. A good one. Is that too much to ask in this country?
One more day of school and then it’s off to Fukuoka’s Sumo Competition!
Faithful in technology again,
Sierra
