Another Day in the Rez Life...

 Well, yesterday I spent the day on the phone talking to the Tech people.  Something had happened to my computer's battery and it wouldn't shut down and it overheated.  Even after hitting the power button, the reset button, or one of the many thousands of buttons that sit upon the keyboard.  T'any rate, the fan wouldn't shut down either...Naturally, I hit the panic button since that was the only button left to hit.  Particularly since my keyboard was getting hotter and hotter. 

Heck, I even went outside where, thankfully, I was able to set the laptop down, well, leaned it against the wall and the porch railing.  It had cooled down and I brought it back inside and noticed this strange orange light on the front of my laptop.  I'd hit the power button once again, even holding it since this had always worked before when I needed the computer to turn on.  Nope, not a thing happened.  

I tilted my head and listened.  What I expected this to do, I'm not sure.  It's just something that I'd been trained to do by one or t'other of my parents or grandparents.  Heck one of my ancestors, coulda even been one of the many cousins who stroll through my life and yard at the most inopportune times which means mainly when one doesn't really need help.  

However, this time it produced the white light meaning, I think, that my computer was turning on like it should.  I went and filled my coffee cup as I was hoping to get the final 5000 words needed for completion of my NaNoWriMo word goal for the month. 

 I tilted my head and listened again cause my keyboard wasn't lit up, then noticed my screen wasn't filled with the picture that normally means I have to enter my pin.  Hmmph. My eyes then went to the orange light at the front of the laptop.  Nothing.  My laptop had shut off.  Did I not hold the button long enough?  

Repeat all the above actions, 'cept this time I left my computer sitting outside for 10 or so minutes.  Well, after the third, or was it the fiftieth time of hitting those buttons, I finally grabbed my phone.  Although I used this with the greatest trepidation as I didn't want whatever what infecting my laptop to jump to my phone.  Naturally this would be the greater disaster as I have fallen behind times in the matter of my phone which happens to still be an S7.  

Luckily I was still able to Google the Support people.  After following the ever helpful suggestion to take out my battery, I learned how to open the flap that covers the serial and other numbers that support people are always asking for when one is in the midst of the latest current crisis that gremlins dearly love to see when one is in the middle of shops being closed and one doesn't really want to call those Tech people.  Did Murphy leave specific instructions for the gremlins today?  

Well, I finally screwed up my courage, after imbibing another cup of Java, wishing for one of those Carmel Macchiatos, hot, whole milk that was in the nearest Mickey D's forty, yepper, FoRtY miles away, and called the support number listed.  

Yes!  They answered and was I ever so glad to hear that accented voice that means my problems would soon be solved.  Well as soon as I could make myself understood and further to understand what I was being asked for.  Yay.  ONly had to ask once for the repeat of the instructions.  Since I had the choice, I was in the middle of giving her the 10 or 11 digit number when she said she'd send me to Tech since I had Premium support good til 2021.  Repeat everything to this Tech person who listened patiently as I explained what led to my pushing of the panic button and having to call Tech Support right in the midst of the changing of the shifts.  (This was the only explanation I had for the girl's quick hand-off and I am not familiar with world time zones even though I have these posted on my computer.  Oh!  My laptop was not working so therefore I couldn't access the current Tech person's time zone since I haven't mastered the art of double screens on my phone precisely yet.  That only happens when I least expect it.  Oh, those gremlins must be laughing themselves silly now.  Best thing that happened for them since the Co-vid hit.) 

Yay. My computer shut off and I was telling the tech guy that I was half afraid to try turning it on like he was asking.  Well, I finally turned it on.  Yay. It turned on.  He took over my computer, I happily watched his every move, hoping to learn his secret by osmosis or whatever process is prevalent when one is watching an expert at work.  Cause this guy was an expert.  

After talking to his supervisor and needing to check my email for the case stuff since they would be watching this for a couple days seeing's how they couldn't really find a reason why my computer overheated, I am happily back to having several windows open during my current book's progress to final draft status.  

Another day in my life

Well, guys, it suddenly behooved me to post on here since I haven't posted in such a long time. Course if ya'll follow my writerly blog, you have some idea of the major change in my life over the past year.  And the latest happening surely can't be blamed on the g-r-e-m-l-i-n-s.  Or...can it?

Quite possibly, since I h-a-v-e been messing around with machines this very day.

As some of you know, I generally do my spring cleaning in the fall and leave yard stuff for the spring.  Mostly, in the hopes of some of the stuff mysteriously disappearing when the snow melts.  Hasn't quite worked out yet.  As Father likes to say, or rather quote: "Hope springs eternal."  There's always hope that one spring, I'll emerge from my winter's long nap and find my yard all ready for spring planting.  Yep,yep, yep.  There's hope in this heart of mine yet.

Hmm.  Mayhap, if I leave some goodies for the b-r-o-w-n-i-e-s?  At any rate, those rabbit holes are appearing everywhere today.  Started over to my favorite haunt yesterday with a post by Will Hahn, author of "Tales of the Lands of Hope" and this morning with a disappearing pin that was of intense enticement that I got lost in the land of Pinterest for 3 whole hours.

And since I plan on being somewhere else this week-end (which for me is Wed, Thurs, and Friday), I duly decided to forego my daily stint at writing and clear up some items on my to-do's.  Which is where I promptly found out that g-r-e-m-l-i-n-s may have found their way back.  Bout two, three weeks ago, one sock decided to go adventuring and left through the sewer system after causing a ruckus with the washing machine.  Fortunately, all the water that overflowed in the kitchen sink was caught in time to stave off requiring the services of a professional plumber and leaving a bigger mess.

Now, some of you may be wondering what the kitchen sink has to do with washing machines and why didn't the washing machine overflow.  Luck, I tell ya, puure-dee luck.  Or, perhaps, it was the fact that the builder of this house put the trap for the washing machine in the wrong place.  When the kitchen sink starts backing up, that's when we check the washer.  As for the dryer, well, let's just say, that it's a darn good thing that company is out of business.  Over the past 20 years, we've done some work arounds on the advice of our favorite fixer-upper over to the hardware store.  Good thing, folks around here know how to make-do.  I'm not as good as my mother was.  I found that out just a few minutes ago when I promptly decided it was best if I did a bit of writing.

After my brother and our cousin fixed the plumbing for me, I left the washer and dryer alone.  Til today.  Being as how my son and I are fast running out of clean clothes and have no desire to "find our cleanest dirty shirt," I decided to clean the dryer vent and clear out the machines a little bit since I'd pretty nearly finished with the rest of the to-do's in the laundry area.  'Cept for a new furnace. Must remember to add that to the list of things to get done before the snow flies.  I wanted to get all the dust producing chores out of the way as I want to paint.  And, voila, got my wish.

Plenty of dust of the lint variety and remembered why I hate cleaning the dryer vent.  Specially as the fragranced dryer sheets left their mark behind.  After sneezing and coughing for a bit, I got the vent completely unhooked.  Well, okay, I had wrestled with the outlet plug for a few minutes.  Oh-kay, more than a few minutes.  Decided it was time to get my brother to rescue me as son was engrossed in some doings on the net.  Sides, which, I D-i-d N-o-t want him to know as he gives me the look which I didn't quite want to face on this trying day.  Oh no, at least, not til he left for work.

Usually, brother goes on lunch break when son goes to work.  Brother took his lunch break early and he came over.  Course, he gave me a bit of grief but that's better than my son's sort of grief.  I went in to sister's to give  her a report on the community dealings.  I met brother on the way back and he said he unplugged the dryer and unhooked the vent from the machine.  Yes!  Not.

I cleaned the lint screen and the inside of the little tube.  Took the vent hose apart and cleared out the elbow and sleeve that hooks up to the machine.  Washed those in the bath tub as I just felt like it.  Took the vent and looked inside.  Reached in as far as I could on both sides.  Pondered a few minutes, shook the thing, nothing felt out so I decided to wash it to, being that it was aluminum, it would dry fast.  Yeah!

I ran water in one end of the tube, shook it while lifting it to let the water run through to the other end.  Was doing this cautiously, cause if anything came out, I could put the bucket under it to catch it.  Then, I lifted it straight up and...horror of horrors.  Not a spider, such as the two I'd found this morning.  All those little floating black things was the wet, black lint I'd shaken from the tube.

I stared in utter fascination at the amount of it.

Then....

Heard the gurgling of the water flowing down the drain.  Then...nothing.  I leaped, I tell ya, that was a sight to see in the tiny little bathroom we have.  How I managed not to fall and injure myself is a miracle and my guardian angel must be happy to have things to do once again.  Too late.

All those lint pieces were now clogging the drain.  Nooowww what.  I pulled as much of it out as I could and grabbed the little strainer thing we have for catching hair and wondered, why or why, did I not think to make sure it was in the proper place.  I watched in relief when the water started draining, then horror when it started plugging up.

Frantic again, I looked around for something, anything, with which to stave off having to call brother and cousin again.  Aha!  The plunger.  I quickly used it and felt such a sense of joy when the water and everything went down the drain.  Well, not everything.  I made sure the little spider looking lint pieces stayed in the tub.  Decided to take a break and write a post whist waiting for the little spider-looking lint pieces to dry out a bit before I get up the courage to clean the tub, before cleaning the rest of the vent and putting everything back together.

So...tell me, how is your day going?

One More Time

Why, oh why, do I never learn?  Made the mistake of logging out of an account.  Most of you know of some of the trials and tribulations I've been through over the years.  Now, I have to send documents to someplace, I don't know where, in order to access an account.  On top of that, need to wait 24 hours.  Why is that?

For a number of months, I've been the only one to use my computer.  Of course, the past three weeks I've been elsewhere so computer has been shut off.  I returned, did the obligatory updates, commenced to happily play my games, catch up on stuff I missed and blithely enjoyed the entertainment portion of the net.

Not that I neglected the professional portion of my life.  I've been slowly catching up with the various necessities of marketing, updating various profiles in a more professional manner.  Which reminds me, I need to get a professional portrait done.  Hmmm.

I have various projects that need a lot of time and attention in order to get the income portion of my life to a level with which I can support the most important areas of my life.  Howsomeever, I forgot about the gremlins annual tournament.  Guess two weeks of R&R will make it easy to forget some stuff.  I've been trying to ease back into my online life.  And now I've crash landed.  Why, oh why do I not learn to say no?

I need to hunt down some more possibilities.  Why is this one account so important?  It is the base from which I operate my marketing.  And EOQ is fast approaching.  Ratted, dratted and....

Trials and Tribulations of the Intrepid 'Puter Geek

Since my last post, I've been trying various scans, tests, and clicking of this button and that button, downloading the latest what-have-you for my computer to keep it in tiptop running shape. All this so I can happily play at my sixth favorite haunt. Which, by the way, is moving up a notch, maybe two, in the next few days, due to finally getting a calm spot in the vortex of the galaxy far, far away. I think the g***s have learned a thing or two about sneakiness at those tournaments they attended.

All this time, I thought they were still out visiting somewhere and that the bro****s were making progress here at the site of my current predicament. Nooooooooooo, no, no, no.

This morning while trying to straighten out the cafe of one of my crew members, the monthly diagnostic test started. Those tests are supposed to be on a set date. Of course, it starts whenever it **** well pleases. {Now, father, that's not what you think it is.} So, I have to log out of my various browser windows and tabs that were set up. The test had come to the portion where it uses 150% of the available memory. Drats, drats and double drats. That's the first inkling I had that something was happening, and I wasn't going to like it. Sound familiar to some of you?

So. I sit and play spider solitaire for the next hour and a half, taking the occasional "nasty habit" break while the diagnostics ponder the state of my computer. Of course, I'm chomping at the bit, thinking of all the dishes that need to be cooked with less than six days to go. Ahhh, the freedom from worry during the other 28, 29 or 30 days of the month. I had just won my game of spider solitaire when the test ended.

It was red flagged!

A problem with one of the devices. Lacking the resources to contact support as suggested, I saved the log so I could espy the problem myself, do whatever needed to be done and rescue myself, my computer I mean. {Don't you hate it when paid support runs out? I think they should last for a set number of support contact times instead of this year by year business.} So, there was a feedback button which I ferociously hit, tried to phrase politely the problem inherent in contacting tech support when that option ran out two/three years ago. Then, I do the trusty search for the problem mentioned.

Well, I used to have the cute little search dog that would at least provide me with something to look at while the sniffer looks though the many files on my machine which also has an external hooked up because, as I mentioned, I was helping to fix a cafe. This involves a spreadsheet so I can track whatever messages are sent to the aforementioned galaxy's Customer Support. So, that caused my xxxxterrrrrrnal device to be caught up in the diagnostician's happy scramble to look at everything, shake violently to see if it's broken, and say "oops, you have a problem" when it looks at something it shouldn't have looked at in the first darned place. That cute little puppy would have kept me a little calm when I found the source of the R E D Flag.

2 files in a backup from an old hard drive that worked on an operating system that went on it's happy voyage near the black hole and was never seen again. Those files have since been restored and I haven't quite dared to delete the backup file which has all my writing and what-not's in there. HHHuuuuhhhnh! Should I or should I not recant my ferociously sent FeedBack? Now, there's something to ponder on.

Home At Last! Part II

Our departure for the airport was imminent. I had no more time to inspect the machinations of the knight. My aunt took a wrong turn. I caught up to them, explained we were on a different level now. During the course of this conversation, another lady from our company joined us. She had been wandering and by now was so turned around she happily followed us back to our original starting point.

Upon our arrival at the airport, we had a bit of time going through security. I forgot about leaving out the laptop so my belongings made one more pass. My mother had to toss a five bladed grooming item that she'd had ever since I could remember. Our Tour Assistant had waited for us and he took over the pushing of the chair. When we arrived at the tram, he received a phone call requesting his assistance. After debarking, I told him to just go, we'd find our way. He pointed out where the elevator was and left.

We arrived at the departure gate and I plugged in the machine. Again, I thought it was working because she was getting air. So we waited the two hours for the plane to leave. No one wanted to relax too much or we'd fall asleep. Had to keep moving. The time arrived for boarding the plane. Not too bad. My mom and I arrived at the assigned seat. The flight attendant settled her in her seat and made sure the tank was where it was supposed to be. About an hour into the flight, the battery needed changing.

This plane was not as roomy as the other one. I couldn't lift the tank to change the battery. I thought it was cause the lady in front of us had put her chair back. No, it was because they had more seats in the plane with very little legroom.

After wrestling the tank to where I could reach the battery, I changed to the fully charged battery. Now is when I discovered that imps had joined the gremlins. Fifteen minutes later, the low battery alarm went off. We had no more batteries and an hour and half of flight time left. I discovered the skies were not so friendly as on our flight out.

After discussion with the Tour Assistant who was across the aisle from us, she left to find out what could be done. By now, my mom was having problems. When the flight attendant arrived, there was a bit of an argument. There are a number of items in my report to her superiors which I won't get into here. Suffice it to say that my temper was on a very short leash. Also, the principle of "treat others as you'd like to be treated" was in operation. The ruder she got, the less I wanted to inform her of the situation. They got one of their tanks for my mother.

Now began the worst flight experience I've ever had. Communications broke down. I received conflicting orders from the flight attendants [FA]. The one who strapped the tank in the seat between my mother and I was not the lead attendant. The FA checked on my mother a few times and I relaxed as landing neared. The FA came and took down my mother's name and address for her "Cabin Discrepancy Report" for the use of the tank. She was explaining things to me and when I told her that I understood rules and regs, she seemed to think I was still a child. Not good.

1. I've worked in a tightly regulated industry. I've done background checks. I've worked in Internal Compliance which has more regulations than she'd ever deal with. I've worked with law enforcement. I've had customer service training which I promptly forgot being on the receiving end of one representative's personification of all the wrong things to do when dealing with unruly customers which I was trying very hard not to be.

2. I've had some medical training. I'm familiar with my mother's medical needs. I do have some knowledge of how Oxygen Concentrators work having been around them for seven years, from the "dinosaurs" to the sleeker models out now. The tank they handed my mother was a smaller version of the 14 we usually use whenever my mother travels in a car. Huuuhhh.

Landing was the pits. The lead came back, very rudely unstrapped the tank and put it under the seat. No sooner had she accomplished this, when the FA for our section came and wanted me to hand it to her. At this time, I felt it best if I left the area. Unfortunately, the middle of a plane in the process of landing is not the best place to find a spot in which to calm down so situations can be dealt with in a calmer manner. When I realized this, I asked for T*** whom I kept calling T*** because it got stuck in my head from one of the other members of our company who thought that was her name. I really needed to get off that plane. We made it through the landing and out of the airport.

Upon our arrival at the motel, I really needed a cigarette, a cup of coffee and a few minutes to myself. I got my mother settled. As long as her machine is hooked into an AC outlet, the battery will charge. That worked. I checked out all the batteries we had and they were all low, out. There was a desktop charger which gave us the opportunity to charge two batteries at once. To fully charge the four batteries, we needed at the least, a 12 hour stopover, which we weren't going to get. So I made sure of at least two that should last for the trip to Fortune Bay whereupon I'd be able to use the DC. But of course, I hadn't planned on the gremlins activities. I thought only the imps had any energy for mischief. Turns out the gremlins had fully rested.

Upon our departure for the 5 hour trip to the home res, three of the Assistants asked if we had fully charged batteries. I assured them we had enough. Not. Our trip was delayed when we were about to depart. We had to wait for half an hour for our bag lunch to arrive. During this delay, I called home {yay, no roaming charges, didn't have to text} to let them know we'd be late. Now, I found out we didn't have a ride home. After setting plans for obtaining a ride were set in motion, I had another cigarette.

We finally left and were 10 minutes out when it was discovered one of our company had been left behind. We waited another half hour or so for the Tour Guides to bring the lost one to meet us. At this point, the low battery alarm went off. She had only been using it for 45 minutes. It's a 3 hour battery at the setting we had it on-pulse only. The driver set her up on the DC hookup and so we were set for the trip to Fortune Bay. Yay, the extra battery should get her home. In order to make up lost time, we missed one stopover.

Upon our arrival in Cloquet, I discovered that my mother's errant knight had some very harsh words for the lost one. Words which proved he was Not A Paladin due to the nature of the mostly FoUr Letter Words he used and the treatment he meted out to an elder. When we arrived, the lost one didn't talk to anyone at this stopover. The Duluthians left the bus at this point; we didn't make the planned stopover in Independence and were able to make up time arriving at Fortune Bay only one hour later than planned.

I met the lost one and asked if ** had said anything to him. "Yeah. Did you hear what he said?" "I didn't hear it but I heard about it. Don't worry about what he said. He's a bigger troublemaker than you ever were." I then proceeded to find my mother and brother who met us, thinking that that assurance to the lost one was enough. Not. This knight wasn't issued shining armor. A one hour delay for oversleeping vs. damage to a POC with it's attendant complications is the standard I'd use for whether or not something merited Harsh Words and/or Harsh Treatment.

We had to wait for my nephew to arrive. After a half hour stroll through the casino to stretch my muscles for the hour ride home, I discovered the full extent of the damage to the machine at our stop at the grocery store. I switched out the batteries and turned on the machine. Lo and behold, the charge on a fully charged battery had drained. Luckily, we could use the DC hookup. We arrived at home and my mother happily got on her very own trusty machine.

I surveyed the machine more fully. I think it's mostly the battery hookup that's damaged in some inexplicable manner. It most certainly needs a qualified Service Technician's attention. I don't know if trip insurance will cover human error. A simple push of one button, slide the battery out, slide the new one in til it clicks is all that is needed. Never did I have to take apart the machine to accomplish this.

All in all, I learned a valuable lesson to use for the trip to England's environs. The 31 hour ordeal happily was at the end of our trip. The Tour Guide and Bus Driver for the "Yellow Submarine" are much appreciated. Their assistance, knowledge and great customer service surely made our Trip Planner's/Assistant's job easier. I know my experience was greatly enhanced by their care and respect for my mother.

Here is a link for the "official" description of our trip. You'll need to read from the bottom up. Helen is the Bois Forte News editor/reporter.

Home at last!

After what felt like hours on the last leg of the journey home, I discovered that we might not have a ride home. Apparently, the gremlins are mad about having their vacation cut short. On our last day of the tour in Las Vegas, they struck.

I happened to be away from my mother when the battery in her tank needed changing. The knight on the charger who came to their rescue was not the white knight of fairy tale fame. From the minute his hands touched the POC, things went wrong. One: This knight on the charger should have ridden to their rescue by admitting he didn't know how to change the battery and instead ride three steps up into the food court and inform me that I was needed. Two: When he spotted me sitting in the food court, he could have informed me then that the aforementioned machine needed changing.

When the lady who requested my attendance at a short meal had finished eating, we went back to where we had left my mother and my aunt. Alas, no one was there. We searched high and low [not really, we ourselves didn't want to get lost] and then decided to sit in one spot. Upon discovering that we had been joined by sufficient of our company that I felt comfortable leaving the lady, I made a circle looking for my mom and my aunt.

I came upon them at last where they were happily playing a machine. I checked my mom's machine and noticed the handle was not quite right. Aiiiiyeee. A first inkling began worming its' way through my almost overloaded brain. I tried to fix it or at least see what was wrong. Then, we visited the powder room whereupon I discovered the dastardly deed that was to cause me much heartache, sorrow, gloom, doom and a bit of the fiery temper I inherited from a certain parent who shall remain nameless was ignited on the fateful journey through the not so friendly skies.

"Millie" a highly excited voice came to me from the room. I searched in two rooms for the voice. "Millie, come here. Your mom's tank. You have to fix your mom's tank." I let out an exasperated sigh which quickly became a grimace and a short flash of the famous temper I inherited.

My mom's tank was in pieces. The look on my face said it all. I quickly rushed to her to get the tank off my mother who was trying to lift it while my aunt was trying to grab the handle which wasn't working. I reached down and grabbed both the tank and cart off my mother. "**** tried to change the battery. He did something." After I had gotten the tank mostly upright and air flowing through the tubing, I was biting my lip. That name was all I needed to know. Unfortunately, the gremlins had been joined by imps. I wasn't to find this out til much later. It turned out I only thought I had everything straightened out. {To be continued on the morrow. I am in dire need of a little rest and refreshment at this moment.}

Of Goals, Objectives and Gremlins

During my perusal of the blogs I follow, mention was made of the annual event, NaNoWriMo, which I've taken part in every year since 2005. Got me to thinking that I have no plan for this year. Rarely had much more than a picture to begin with. I have a few ideas for this year, most of which introduce new characters in my world.

I've spent quite a bit of time developing that world. I have vague plans for a whole bunch of books, most of them stand alone. I thought about trilogies, series, etc. No can do. Unless following one or two people throughout their life is a series. There is so much more I have yet to learn about writing, genres etc.

Since I am a family historian of note within my family, I have a handy, dandy program called Family Treemaker. I've put most of the characters in there, added placeholders for a family which spans 20 generations. Fact I made sure to add: book/s I included them in. There is a section for notes which I have filled out with different items. I have included such things as news articles, photos of places and flora, fauna and sky shots for different characters.

When I think of the years I spent looking for a program to help me keep track of this family's books, I can only shake my head. The program has been sitting on my computer for the same amount of time that I have been doing NaNoWriMo. "Can't see the forest for the trees" or could it be "making a mountain out of a molehill." The only problem I have to deal with so far is whether or not to get another storage device to keep just this info and all my plots and schemes on. Now, I wonder about the makers of that program. Are they shaking their heads at some of the occupations-dreamcatcher or education-Protector?

Man, it's Thursday already. Four days left before I start the trip. My sister has kindly let me borrow her camera seeing's how the gremlins haven't returned my USB cord. I thought I had a button where I could "share it on FB." That button is nowhere to be found. Besides, the camera needs to be recharged. No charger either. I looked online for an extra one. Wouldn't you know it? Everyone in the United States who has bought this particular model also needs an extra charger/USB cord. Nary a one to be found anywhere until I happened to remember I have an ebay account. Yep, there is a couple there.

Makes me think someone had the foresight to buy up all the extra cords and chargers for this model expressly to sell them on ebay. Did those gremlins give that someone a hot tip after their various experiments with that black hole? Suspiciously close to the end of their tournament held a couple months ago.