Sandy Hook

My heart breaks at the scope of the tragedy experienced by the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School.  I cannot imagine the depth of grief of those whose lost loved ones, children and school staff, to senseless violence.  I can only pray for them in my helplessness.  "God be with them and give the solace and Peace."

I have done supply service at a church in the Sandy Hook area.  These are fine people and in no way deserving of this tragedy, though I cannot conceive how kindergarten children anywhere would deserve the violence of Friday morning.  I can only hope that the families can find God's healing grace in their lives. 

This was senseless violence and senseless loss and I cannot imagine what might lead a person to do what that young man did.  I only know that the technology for that violence was all too readily available and that is a failing of our society.  Guns don't kill, but a person with a gun can kill all too easily.  We as a society and a Nation need to do something.  The violence in our country is deadly and insane. 

I need to go back to writing my Sermon.  Hopefully i will make some sense.

Love,
Shel

Politics and the land of crazy

I don't usually write a lot about politics, but it seems to me that politics has taken a decidedly crazy turn.  Several things lead me to this conclusion.  In what world is there a war on Christmas?  Just look around you and tell me the season.  There is NO war on Christmas in the USA!  Can any politician be seriously considering taxing feminine hygiene products?  I guess one might consider this if one were planning political suicide.   The next crazy words from a politician are that vaccines are causing people to be Gay.  Since virtually everyone in the USA is routinely vaccinated then there should be an epidemic of Gayness.  As far as I know the percentage of gay people has remained stable.

Now that is off my chest I can go back to other things in my life.  It does make me wonder though, how on earth did these people get elected?  Oh well!  Some things in life are ment to be mysteries.

More Windows 8

I am still on the Windows 8 kick.  I have been using it now for a while so I have more experience.  One thing I want to make clear, is that it works!  It is not fatally broken.  I am still having some problems, but they may just be my issues.  First, my desktop is still broken.  it may be a coincidence but my desktop will not fully boot after installing Windows 8.  I still have not fully diagnosed the situation since I have had more pressing issues.  I will let you know wen I know more and fi the problem.

My laptop has been running fine with Windows 8 with some provisions.  I still have some issues with Windows Update, namely 5 updates that consistently fail.  I have tried all the recommended remedies and they all fail.  I am hoping that there will be some new fix for the issue.  I want to avoid the drastic move of cleaning everything off and starting fresh.

I have added a free program to the mix called "Classic Start Menu."  it has made Windows 8 run more like I want, just like Windows 7.  I need to say now that Windows 8 looks like it is a great fit for the new generation of touch screen laptops and tablet like devices.  Tablets under Android and IOS have become very important additions to personal and business computing.  We will just have to see if Windows 8 brings Microsoft into a major position in  this market.  I still do not see the advantages to the user interface if you are using a more traditional desktop, laptop or netbook.  The interface is so different that there will be a big learning curve.  This probably won't be a problem for the younger and more adventurous, but will for the more established users; those who are comfortable with Windows XP and Windows 7.

One overall thing I have noticed Windows 8 seems to be very disk intensive.  It reads and writes to disk a lot more than Windows 7.  This causes congestion and subsequent hanging.  Interestingly, task manager shows this much clearer in Windows 8.  Again I think that the problem is that Windows 8 has been optimized for devices that are using primarily solid state disk storage.  This is just a guess.

On a personal note,  I am finding it a bit difficult to deal with the Holidays this year.  This is the first year without my father around and I am noticing his absence. This is just a part of life and I am dealing with it but it has added a somberness to the season for me.  Speaking of the season, it is Advent.  I know our society insists on making this time an orgy of shopping and parties, but in the Church we celebrate a season of expectation and preparation in Advent.  Last Sunday we remembered the prophecies of the coming of God's Kingdom and the coming into this world of the hope for Peace and Salvation.  Blessings to one and all!

Love,
Shel

The Windows 8 adventure

I have been experiencing Windows 8 Professional.  Sigh!!!  Microsoft seems to get it right every other operating system. Windows 7 is great!  I only switched to practice working with it.  I will eventually have someone call me with a Windows 8 problem.  New computers will come with Windows 8 and people will be stuck with it.  Yes, I said stuck with it!  I installed Windows 8 Pro on my desktop first.  It now isn't working.  I haven't fully trouble shot it so I don't know what to blame yet.  I'll let you know though. I then put it on my Laptop.  That is what I am using now and it works.  It did not kill my Laptop.  I must say there are still some driver issues which may be Toshiba's problem. 

The major issue I see with Windows 8 is that Microsoft drastically changed the user interface, without asking it's user base.  Much of my time with the operating system has been spent trying to find easy ways to use it.  The interface was clearly made for a tablet and would be reasonable for a tablet device.  I have two tablets, one running Android and an Apple Ipad 3.  They are distinctly different from a Laptop or Desktop.  The needs are different and the access methods are different.  I could have seen it if Microsoft had made it easy to use the Start Screen (formerly Metro) or the Desktop, but they have gone to great lengths to MAKE you use the START menu.  There are few options (some third party solutions exist and there is a way to use the scheduler to run the desktop) to avoid the use of the START screen.

If you haven't heard or figured it out the start screen is NOT the start Menu! They are quite different ways to achieve similar results.  If you have been a Windows user for a long time you will scream in horror with the new system.  My figuring is that Microsoft was looking for a way to solve a problem that doesn't exist.  They saw the increasing tablet use and panicked.  Apple has been much more sane about the whole business and maintained the integrity of their OS X versions on Laptops and Desktops and used IOS versions for the mobile devices (iPhones, iPods, and iPads.)  In fact, Microsoft has a special Windows 8 for their Tablet devices and for their Phones.  I wish they had taken more of a lead for Apple here.

I am working at Learning and adjusting.  I have tried to work with "out of the box" Windows 8 Pro but admit I have gone to some third party solutions.  My favorite so far is Classic Shell.  It is free and it works.  I'll let you know more later.

Until then,
Love Shel

oops!

Apparently Mitt Romney has found a new Country.

Frustration!

Politics!  The state of today's politics leaves me just frustrated.  I want to think everything will work out no matter who wins, but I really don't believe it.  I grew up in a Republican family,  but I truly am far far from the current republicans.   Against a long-standing policy of mine I will be making political commentary from time to time.  This election is so important! 

Love,
Shel

Oh, So,So, Much!

So much has happened!  First and last in importance, our internet connection sucked for months.  Starting in December our internet suffered the slows.  AT&T was called numerous times to check as it turns out everything.  There must have been six visits.  They replaced portions of the inside wiring.  The changed the wireless router/modem.  They changed TV boxes.  Some things were fixed, but the wireless continued to SUCK!
I just added a Wireless N access point and Magic things work.  Apparently their wireless router is less than....
Oh face it it is a piece of Cr*P.

There have been physical problems.  I am hope tonight and not at the Gay and Lesbian Film festival because I don't feel very well.  The biggest problem came several weeks ago.  I had an "Happening."  I thought the happening might have been a heart problem.  I even called 911 and the paramedics came.  By the time they came I was feeling much better (it didn't take long for them to arrive, either.) I have had every cardiac test short of surgical procedures.  I am apparently just fine.  I apparently had a form of heat exhaustion and dehydration. I may also be having a virus.  So I drink a lot in the heat now and I just live through the virus symptoms.  I'll take that over heart problems any day. 

Mentioning the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, I would have been working at it if I hadn't been taking tests for the "happening."  I have missed so much this year with my father's health problems and death and now this!  I wouldn't have done things differently, but it has been quite a year.

Have a great night,
Love,  Shel

Cleaning up

It seems that I am destined to spend a great deal of time pulling the threads of my father's life and death together.  This week I moved as much of his things out of his apartment as I could find storage for.  Now our closed-in porch is storage.  I still have a great deal of work to do.  Some items need to be sold just to recover the cost of the move.  It costs an amazing amount to move his things 90 miles.  Imagine a far greater move.  How do people afford such moves? 

In any event I am still dealing with his life and not my own.  My life keeps pulling at my sleeves.  People I have worked with keep asking and I have to say "I don't know."  This is all much harder than I could have ever imagined.  The physical problems are hard, but the emotional ones are hard also.  Just before the move I stayed one last night in his apartment.  All I can say is that the ghosts of my family haunted my sleep.  My Grandfather, my Mother and now my Father all died in that house.  I grew up in that house.  A whole chapter of my family's life has come to an end. 

Thursday I make one last journey there to finish cleaning and picking up remnants.  I will leave the keys and it will be finished.  I will feel relieved but sad.

Love,
Shel

Resuming Life

I have been so involved with my father's health and welfare and eventually death that my own life has been shelved.  I now need to re enter my life.  I am not really sure where to begin, but until my father's estate is settled I have a lot still to do.  I have been sorting through his stuff and it is a difficult job.  There have been some surprises, some nice memories and some sad memories and above all some hard decisions.  What do I keep and what do I get rid of?  It is a night mare and I am the only one who can do this.  I am an only child.

The weather is crappy after a nice spell and I have gone home for a bit before going back to packing and sorting my father's things.  I think I'll be back to the task on Tuesday.

Be well.
Love,
Shel

One Month

Today it has been one month since my father died.  Monday my eldest son and I laid him to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.  He was in the Air Force for 26 years and a veteran of WWII and Korea. I am now bogged down in all his possessions and how to deal with them.  It is an amazingly painful and difficult task.  I am finding as many of my mother's things as anything and so many memories are coming back.  I guess this is what people go through, but usually there are brothers and sisters to share the tasks.  I am an only child so I have the task alone. 

People's lives don't equate to their possessions, but certainly my father's things have brought back much of his life to me.  We all come to the end of our lives at some time.  My father lived to be 100 and he was healthy most of that time and had his wits until the very end.  He was truly blessed as I have been to have him as a father.

God's Peace to you all,
Shel

A sad goodbye

So much has happened since the last Blog post!  The picture is of my father who just lost his battle to stay alive.  It was a long hard battle and he was such a great man!  I miss him.

In November he got a serious urinary tract infection which required intravenous antibiotic treatment in the Hospital.  He came home for one day and had to return with another infection called C. Difficile.  It is a very serious infection that robbed him of all his strength.  He was in a nursing home to recover until last week when I brought him home.  It was clear that he was loosing his battle and he wanted to be home.  Once home he declined rapidly and died peacefully yesterday. 

He was a man of great faith and strength.  He loved me and I loved him.  Sadness fills my heart now and the pain is indescribable.  I love you Pappy!