Ooooo, looks nice doesn't it, that widget thingy on the right of the blog...and, the band thingy at the end of the post which enables you to share this great stuff with anyone you'd like to bore today or any day, for that matter.
Well, how did she do it, you might ask.
I went to the drop-in, even though I'd finished my course, just in case I could wangle yet more info out of the Library Lady. And, I was the only one there this particular day which I really appreciated as there were others in need in previous sessions - attention hogs all of them, imagine!
But, I tried to get it to happen on my own (for about 5 seconds) when it dawned on me. Hey you goofball (I'm talking to myself here) you can pick her brains and draw from her expertise. Everyone else is at home pestering their kids for this information. That's why they aren't here. Go on let her help you. She wants to help you. That's why she's here.
So, I'm not proud to admit it, but here it goes...
Yes, yes, yes she helped me figure out how to get the Library thingy on to the right side and she even helped me figure out the little band thingy that appears at the end of each post. I was poking around to no avail. Would I have figured it out? Probably, after a few hours in a semi-catatonic state, a random jab of errant flying fingers would unlock the key, but this was much better as I know how we did it and I can feel my repertoire of computer skills increasing at a vastly accelerated rate (reality check - slightly faster than a snail's pace).
Well, you can bet I'll be back next year for Betty Blogger as new stuff will be added by then. Maybe I'll even find out what to do with Twitter as my first and only entry from months ago is in the ever exciting realm of, "I'm here."
Thanks again Library Lady for helping me do this all without having to resort to the aid of Coke and M&M's.
*No computers were harmed in the accomplishments of these tasks.
Showing posts with label Betty Blogger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Betty Blogger. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The best 15 bucks I ever spent!
I have completed the 10 lessons of Betty Blogger's Web 2.0 program.
Yea!
It's over.
Boo hoo, sob, sob...I really do feel this way.
How do I rate my knowledge of Web 2.0 and it's applications? Probably about a 7 - 8; the reason I don't feel I'm at a level 10 is not due to defects in the material or failings on part of the teacher - both were exceptional; it's me. I haven't developed the ability, yet, to get around in it and use the many tools that the social net offers with complete ease and understanding; practice makes perfect. I'm still left with many questions, but enquiring minds want to KNOW, right? No matter how much I know I always want to know more - I'm a glutton for information, and I want to understand how things work and connect, not just for this knowledge to take up space in this vacuous brain of mine that will never be satiated, but so, I can really "get" how the pieces fit together and use them easily to manifest my vision of a great blog and realize my inner tekkie.
The Blogger summer school exceeded my expectations. Honestly, I expected it was going to be pretty rudimentary and a piece of cake. I had no idea the number of the applications available out there.
Library Lady, and Melissa, I can't thank you two enough for: your incredible patience, kindness, sense of humour, encouragement, great teaching styles, knowledge and generousity...and comments on my blog which made me feel like a real blogger.
The most challenging part of the summer school was my resistance to some of the applications. Some lessons left me wondering, Am I ever going to use this stuff? Often I felt the potential to become overwhelmed; bombarded by the sheer volume of information out there.
Wiki was my least favourite app because of this, and the goodly number of messages related to the assignment that still keep coming in on my e-mail (there are over 30 people who are completing the work) which feels like being in the middle of a traffic jam. Theoretically, in my life, I should have need for co-ordinating at most 7 people at a time - so probably I'll find this app more helpful and manageable.
I'm still absorbing how to keep track of my accounts and understand how they affect each other. I was puzzled when setting up my Library Thing account that info got filled in automatically, but I don't have an account , I kept assuring myself. Why is it rejecting my password, I haven't set it up yet? Why is it telling me that this name and password has already been taken? Do I have an account? I tried various ways of entering the info to no avail. Library Lady informed me about auto fill, cookies and the way they work. I didn't realize that autofill was activated as I was trying to set up this account and I would have never in a million years figured it out without her help.
I feel I should be able to teach myself this computer stuff as I've taught myself a lot of things, am highly self-motivated to learn and am persistent to the point of being downright stubborn, so I feel like an idiot when things don't compute. It doesn't help when my friends, in an effort to encourage me, say, "play around with it, you'll figure it out." I've finally realized that they have all had live in computer consultants aka kids who got them started with the basics and so now I don't feel so bad. Library Lady and Melissa have been my kid substitutes through this process - not that I'm old enough to be their mother.
The "self-directed" learning model is perfect for me. I like to take something as far as I can before I ask for help. It worked best when I worked ahead and then came to the drop-in sessions with questions prompted by the assignments. I must admit when I didn't work ahead I was a bit lazy, felt deadline pressure, and was inclined to seek help before I'd given the task my all.
I also dropped in on all my classmates blogs and gleaned lots of great info in the process from the blog itself or the comments left on their posts. So, they became my teachers too - cool, eh?
I have been recommending this program to many of my friends, so I hope you run it again as I know a lot of people who expressed interest in Betty Blogger.
So, I want to express my great gratitude to all who made this such a fantastic experience. You have no idea how much you've helped me!!!
Yea!
It's over.
Boo hoo, sob, sob...I really do feel this way.
How do I rate my knowledge of Web 2.0 and it's applications? Probably about a 7 - 8; the reason I don't feel I'm at a level 10 is not due to defects in the material or failings on part of the teacher - both were exceptional; it's me. I haven't developed the ability, yet, to get around in it and use the many tools that the social net offers with complete ease and understanding; practice makes perfect. I'm still left with many questions, but enquiring minds want to KNOW, right? No matter how much I know I always want to know more - I'm a glutton for information, and I want to understand how things work and connect, not just for this knowledge to take up space in this vacuous brain of mine that will never be satiated, but so, I can really "get" how the pieces fit together and use them easily to manifest my vision of a great blog and realize my inner tekkie.
The Blogger summer school exceeded my expectations. Honestly, I expected it was going to be pretty rudimentary and a piece of cake. I had no idea the number of the applications available out there.
Library Lady, and Melissa, I can't thank you two enough for: your incredible patience, kindness, sense of humour, encouragement, great teaching styles, knowledge and generousity...and comments on my blog which made me feel like a real blogger.
The most challenging part of the summer school was my resistance to some of the applications. Some lessons left me wondering, Am I ever going to use this stuff? Often I felt the potential to become overwhelmed; bombarded by the sheer volume of information out there.
Wiki was my least favourite app because of this, and the goodly number of messages related to the assignment that still keep coming in on my e-mail (there are over 30 people who are completing the work) which feels like being in the middle of a traffic jam. Theoretically, in my life, I should have need for co-ordinating at most 7 people at a time - so probably I'll find this app more helpful and manageable.
I'm still absorbing how to keep track of my accounts and understand how they affect each other. I was puzzled when setting up my Library Thing account that info got filled in automatically, but I don't have an account , I kept assuring myself. Why is it rejecting my password, I haven't set it up yet? Why is it telling me that this name and password has already been taken? Do I have an account? I tried various ways of entering the info to no avail. Library Lady informed me about auto fill, cookies and the way they work. I didn't realize that autofill was activated as I was trying to set up this account and I would have never in a million years figured it out without her help.
I feel I should be able to teach myself this computer stuff as I've taught myself a lot of things, am highly self-motivated to learn and am persistent to the point of being downright stubborn, so I feel like an idiot when things don't compute. It doesn't help when my friends, in an effort to encourage me, say, "play around with it, you'll figure it out." I've finally realized that they have all had live in computer consultants aka kids who got them started with the basics and so now I don't feel so bad. Library Lady and Melissa have been my kid substitutes through this process - not that I'm old enough to be their mother.
The "self-directed" learning model is perfect for me. I like to take something as far as I can before I ask for help. It worked best when I worked ahead and then came to the drop-in sessions with questions prompted by the assignments. I must admit when I didn't work ahead I was a bit lazy, felt deadline pressure, and was inclined to seek help before I'd given the task my all.
I also dropped in on all my classmates blogs and gleaned lots of great info in the process from the blog itself or the comments left on their posts. So, they became my teachers too - cool, eh?
I have been recommending this program to many of my friends, so I hope you run it again as I know a lot of people who expressed interest in Betty Blogger.
So, I want to express my great gratitude to all who made this such a fantastic experience. You have no idea how much you've helped me!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Widget update
I know you don't see the Widget thingy on the right hand side. And, there was no: a, b, c, d, or e happening around here today as I took the day off from blogging (except for this - I couldn't leave you all hanging, could I), but the Library Lady did tell me how to get it on the right - see comments from yesterday's post if you want to find out how.
Also, to Melissa - nope, no math books since I threw out all my public school books decades ago :). All very cryptic, no? That is unless you check out the comments from the post from the day before that.
Aren't comments fun and interesting?
AFN,
N
Also, to Melissa - nope, no math books since I threw out all my public school books decades ago :). All very cryptic, no? That is unless you check out the comments from the post from the day before that.
Aren't comments fun and interesting?
AFN,
N
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Widget thingy
Here's another challenge posed by the Library Lady.
Add this Library Thing Widget to my blog. So...here it goes...
Oooo, I like how it shows the pretty pics of the covers - very professional, no?
Now, if I can only figure out how to move it over to the right hand side then I'd really be cooking. Enough for tonight, will try tomorrow.
It's kind of like a cliff-hanger in an old serial movie. Will she be able to do it? How will she hold up under the pressure? How much swearing, gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair will it take before she:
a) succeeds
b) has to take a break for M&M's and a can of Coke to shore her up for the next attempt
c) gives up
d) gives up and throws the computer out the window
e) takes the computer in for repair exclaiming "the dog ate it"
Tune in tomorrow and see. Can you stand the suspense?!
Add this Library Thing Widget to my blog. So...here it goes...
Oooo, I like how it shows the pretty pics of the covers - very professional, no?
Now, if I can only figure out how to move it over to the right hand side then I'd really be cooking. Enough for tonight, will try tomorrow.
It's kind of like a cliff-hanger in an old serial movie. Will she be able to do it? How will she hold up under the pressure? How much swearing, gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair will it take before she:
a) succeeds
b) has to take a break for M&M's and a can of Coke to shore her up for the next attempt
c) gives up
d) gives up and throws the computer out the window
e) takes the computer in for repair exclaiming "the dog ate it"
Tune in tomorrow and see. Can you stand the suspense?!
You library thing you
I could be accused of being a little obsessed with reading. I have 5 books on the go as we speak. I have 2 short essay, inspirational, compendium style books stored under the bed for night-time reading; 1 book, a collection of the author's humourous essays, I cart around with me for those coffee shop readings; another is on the shelf under the coffee table buried amongst torn pages of newspapers containing "must have" articles, a Spanish dictionary, Spanish phrase books and a Learn and Think in Spanish magazine amongst others, not to mention the books and stuff Rod has under there. The 5th is the book Soul Coaching, a workbook that I've been working on since June of 2009 which was supposed to take 3 mos (...well maybe in an ideal world) so you might say I've been on an extended Spring spiritual detox since then with no end in sight.
Due to a recent cull there reside small stacks of books destined for sale to interested parties, books on: Tarot and some decks I don't use, Traditional Chinese Medicine (amazingly unmarked), yoga related ones and the usual assortment of old coffee table style hardcovers. If you're interested let me know...
Loving books and being a hoarder of information I think this application could be useful or at least interesting. I like that you can get additional info from the amazon.com link and, though it is interesting to hear what others think I'm more interested in meeting face to face with friends to talk about books rather than reading what a stranger thinks, so I can't see myself joining a group.
I really got into entering books I'd read, recalling when I read them, where I was, how they helped me through some tough times and so on. Books have been friends, confidantes, entertainment, cheerleaders, inspirations, I could go on and on. I took an online survey called StrengthsFinder through the book of the same name and all of my results indicated I'd be happiest sitting alone in nature on a mountain top reading and learning which is great, but doesn't make me very employable and bodes ill for social interaction.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/nancethacker (library)
Due to a recent cull there reside small stacks of books destined for sale to interested parties, books on: Tarot and some decks I don't use, Traditional Chinese Medicine (amazingly unmarked), yoga related ones and the usual assortment of old coffee table style hardcovers. If you're interested let me know...
Loving books and being a hoarder of information I think this application could be useful or at least interesting. I like that you can get additional info from the amazon.com link and, though it is interesting to hear what others think I'm more interested in meeting face to face with friends to talk about books rather than reading what a stranger thinks, so I can't see myself joining a group.
I really got into entering books I'd read, recalling when I read them, where I was, how they helped me through some tough times and so on. Books have been friends, confidantes, entertainment, cheerleaders, inspirations, I could go on and on. I took an online survey called StrengthsFinder through the book of the same name and all of my results indicated I'd be happiest sitting alone in nature on a mountain top reading and learning which is great, but doesn't make me very employable and bodes ill for social interaction.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/nancethacker (library)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
RSSsurprise
This assignment was to subscribe to feeds using a Google Reader account. No probs especially since I have been a follower of some blogs - see MY BLOG LIST in the column on the right - pretty much from the start of my blog. So I already had an account in some form and when I actually got into Google Reader itself I found all the blogs have been filed under Blogs I'm following.
When I go into my dashboard I have a Reading List, Blogs I'm Following and anytime someone posts a new entry it automatically shows up. I have only recently discovered this (all on my very own, I'm proud to announce); before I would enter into each site from my blog site and a lot of time was wasted. But, now I know that I can get into the blogs directly from my Google Reader it's even more efficient.
In answer to Library Lady's questions:
When I go into my dashboard I have a Reading List, Blogs I'm Following and anytime someone posts a new entry it automatically shows up. I have only recently discovered this (all on my very own, I'm proud to announce); before I would enter into each site from my blog site and a lot of time was wasted. But, now I know that I can get into the blogs directly from my Google Reader it's even more efficient.
In answer to Library Lady's questions:
- What RSS feeds have you subscribed to? See MY BLOG LIST for blogs that I'm following. Crazy Aunt Purl was the first blog I'd ever read; recommended to me by my sister, so you could say she's responsible for getting me into blogging in the first place. Mind & Brain News, Articles, Information / Discover Magazine (which I put in a folder labelled - mind) as I've been picking up the publication every now and then - fantastic articles on the brain. I came across it in Chapters when I was reading THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF and saw that there was an article in the mag related to one of the scientists who appeared in the book and I wanted to know more. Globe Life - Facts & Arguments because I was reading it in the Globe today. One of these days I'd like to send something in so it helps to see what gets accepted, writing styles, subject matter etc. I figure it's a good writer's reference for the short essay. I filed it as newspaper writing.
- Did you find Google Reader easy to use? Yes, yes, yes, especially since I just kind of fell into it and have used it lots already.
- Will you continue to use the aggregator, Google Reader? Yes, though already I can't keep up with all the updates that happen, even on my fave blogs.
I see RSS feeds as being great resources for research and keeping up to date with recent findings i.e. regarding brain research. I will be adding to the list, finding websites to put into folders titled hypnosis and dream work.
OOO, I just found out that you can add notes, uh oh, I'm in big trouble. There is a lot to explore on this application and I could very well get addicted to it. Must leave now. Must get up to date on what other bloggers are doing or maybe I'll check out the latest research on the mind, dreams or...
ALL FOR NOW,
THE THING THAT LIVES UNDER THE STAIRS
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wiki no wiki
On our next Betty Blogger assignment we were to create a PB Works account in order to use a Wiki (Hawaiian-language word for 'fast')...
All well and good but for the create an account part.
I have created so many accounts for this and that over the years. Do I have a Wiki account? Well let's see if I do.
So I punched in so many names, user names, passwords, nicknames, etc that I could have used, that I got totally discombobulated. The site was so confused that it even shut me out explaining something to the effect that the library site was sending me something but that it was bouncing back. Aarrgh! This is exactly the stuff that drives me nuts. Added to this was the fact that I had a migraine and my brain was like mush, nothing computes for me or for anyone/anything around me, anything within any proximity to me, actual or virtual goes kaphlooey as we get lost in the primordial ooze that is my consciousness.
So, I gave up.
I stomped upstairs (Rod has named me "the thing that lives under the stairs" as I spend so much time on the computer in my "office" at the base of the stairs in the basement) and in my migrainy, frustrated state cooked us some grub accompanied by a banging of pans and a sprinkling of #$%@% and @^#^# and @%#@$%. (migraine pain leads to foulness of being, extreme impatience and obliviousness towards others). Poor Rod put his plate out in a silent "please sir can I have some more" gesture in an attempt to stay out of my way while I chipped some unco-operative eggs off the skillet and on top of the slightly burnt toast that I'd tossed on his plate and then quickly exited the battle zone that was the kitchen (migraine pain leads to kitchen looking like the aftermath of WWII)
So...I'm in the drop-in class this very moment and the Library Lady has led me through the steps. First step being, after establishing order to my registration organization chart (CONFESSION TIME: which I was supposed to be doing as I've been going along - but haven't). "You don't have an account. You have to make one. If you did you'd have gotten an e-mail to confirm that you did", she explains with great patience.
"But I can't because...", I protest as I try to explain in something resembling computereze combined with English; my fingers dance upon the screen, flashing ever changing images in front of our eyes second by second. "And, it seems that in order to create an account I had to sign on for OpenID. What's an OpenID?"
"I don't know. But, I do know that you don't need one. So," her gaze finally grabs my attention and I'm finally in her capable hands as she leads me step by step through the "create an account" process. Which, migraine-free, was a piece of cake,
TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BB POSED:
All well and good but for the create an account part.
I have created so many accounts for this and that over the years. Do I have a Wiki account? Well let's see if I do.
So I punched in so many names, user names, passwords, nicknames, etc that I could have used, that I got totally discombobulated. The site was so confused that it even shut me out explaining something to the effect that the library site was sending me something but that it was bouncing back. Aarrgh! This is exactly the stuff that drives me nuts. Added to this was the fact that I had a migraine and my brain was like mush, nothing computes for me or for anyone/anything around me, anything within any proximity to me, actual or virtual goes kaphlooey as we get lost in the primordial ooze that is my consciousness.
So, I gave up.
I stomped upstairs (Rod has named me "the thing that lives under the stairs" as I spend so much time on the computer in my "office" at the base of the stairs in the basement) and in my migrainy, frustrated state cooked us some grub accompanied by a banging of pans and a sprinkling of #$%@% and @^#^# and @%#@$%. (migraine pain leads to foulness of being, extreme impatience and obliviousness towards others). Poor Rod put his plate out in a silent "please sir can I have some more" gesture in an attempt to stay out of my way while I chipped some unco-operative eggs off the skillet and on top of the slightly burnt toast that I'd tossed on his plate and then quickly exited the battle zone that was the kitchen (migraine pain leads to kitchen looking like the aftermath of WWII)
So...I'm in the drop-in class this very moment and the Library Lady has led me through the steps. First step being, after establishing order to my registration organization chart (CONFESSION TIME: which I was supposed to be doing as I've been going along - but haven't). "You don't have an account. You have to make one. If you did you'd have gotten an e-mail to confirm that you did", she explains with great patience.
"But I can't because...", I protest as I try to explain in something resembling computereze combined with English; my fingers dance upon the screen, flashing ever changing images in front of our eyes second by second. "And, it seems that in order to create an account I had to sign on for OpenID. What's an OpenID?"
"I don't know. But, I do know that you don't need one. So," her gaze finally grabs my attention and I'm finally in her capable hands as she leads me step by step through the "create an account" process. Which, migraine-free, was a piece of cake,
TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BB POSED:
- What dish am I bringing to the family meal? I'm "the bun girl" so I think that's pretty clear.
- How was my PBWorks experience? Was it easy to use? See above.
- Do I have any need for my own wiki? I have signed on for one and hope to use it to help organize stuff around my Mom's needs and also for council get-togethers.
AFN,
N
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Too many cooks...wait, no cooks in the kitchen
I think the title of this post just about sums up my situation. For my Betty Blogger course I'm supposed to write a cooking story. Me? I used to be the "bun girl" at pot luck suppers, it sort of went like this...
At the end of particularly gruelling week-long, yoga workshops, the workshopees, overflowing with sweat and gratitude for the visiting teacher's expertise, decides that a great way to show their appreciation is for us all to gather at one of their homes with arms overloaded with our finest gastronomic offerings and pig out. They were bursting with anticipatory excitement; I however, was not. When my absence and uncharacteristic silence became deafening they broke from their huddle, looked at me hiding in the corner and said dismissively, "You can bring the buns," before resuming their formation.
I attended many such workshops over the period of a few years and as soon as I heard the words "pot luck" I would offer proactively, "I'll bring the buns" and leave them in their huddle to plan their magic. This ritual evolved to the point that, no formal announcement was needed as I'd become "the bun girl".
It's not that I don't like food; I do. I'm a good cook but I cook because I need to eat and I happen to dislike fast food and convenience food. See, they call it CONVENIENCE FOOD not FANTASTIC YOU COULD SCRATCH YOUR EYES OUT FOOD but CONVENIENCE FOOD as in, we're not sure what exactly is in it, but you don't have to make it, yea.
I just don't like the daily grind of everything around food. For all the energy taken up by food: thinking about what to eat, when to eat, what Rod might like to eat; looking for it, buying it; trying to figure out what to do with it, preparing it; cleaning up after it - and then doing the whole damn thing over and over - please, I could live on toast. It would free up so much time for: sky diving, cattle rustling, spelunking. Not that I do any of these things, I'm spending too much time on food related matters.
My mother used to say, "I look forward to the day when they invent a pill that you could take instead of food. That would make me happy." Her food is pureed now and though you or I would gag at the idea of pureed meat...she's pretty happy with it and shovels it down with such relish that I can only imagine how deliriously happy a food-pill would make her.
Since eating is a necessity, I am a good cook, and this is a homework assignment, here is the recipe.
I could eat a shoe or just about anything else if it is curried!
But, I assure you, this is much better.
Oh yah, what's up with the weird box. That too is an assignment - use Google docs to publish this recipe.
At the end of particularly gruelling week-long, yoga workshops, the workshopees, overflowing with sweat and gratitude for the visiting teacher's expertise, decides that a great way to show their appreciation is for us all to gather at one of their homes with arms overloaded with our finest gastronomic offerings and pig out. They were bursting with anticipatory excitement; I however, was not. When my absence and uncharacteristic silence became deafening they broke from their huddle, looked at me hiding in the corner and said dismissively, "You can bring the buns," before resuming their formation.
I attended many such workshops over the period of a few years and as soon as I heard the words "pot luck" I would offer proactively, "I'll bring the buns" and leave them in their huddle to plan their magic. This ritual evolved to the point that, no formal announcement was needed as I'd become "the bun girl".
It's not that I don't like food; I do. I'm a good cook but I cook because I need to eat and I happen to dislike fast food and convenience food. See, they call it CONVENIENCE FOOD not FANTASTIC YOU COULD SCRATCH YOUR EYES OUT FOOD but CONVENIENCE FOOD as in, we're not sure what exactly is in it, but you don't have to make it, yea.
I just don't like the daily grind of everything around food. For all the energy taken up by food: thinking about what to eat, when to eat, what Rod might like to eat; looking for it, buying it; trying to figure out what to do with it, preparing it; cleaning up after it - and then doing the whole damn thing over and over - please, I could live on toast. It would free up so much time for: sky diving, cattle rustling, spelunking. Not that I do any of these things, I'm spending too much time on food related matters.
My mother used to say, "I look forward to the day when they invent a pill that you could take instead of food. That would make me happy." Her food is pureed now and though you or I would gag at the idea of pureed meat...she's pretty happy with it and shovels it down with such relish that I can only imagine how deliriously happy a food-pill would make her.
Since eating is a necessity, I am a good cook, and this is a homework assignment, here is the recipe.
I could eat a shoe or just about anything else if it is curried!
But, I assure you, this is much better.
Oh yah, what's up with the weird box. That too is an assignment - use Google docs to publish this recipe.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Picasso? No, Picasa.
Message from nance:
You've got to see these pics - there are about 58 of them. Worth taking the time to check them out. Amazing.
There are no tags on them, but if it was me I'd tag: sharks, bazillionschoolsoffish, bloodchilling, issheinsane? as some of them.
I believe you have to run the words together to get a tag otherwise each individual word becomes a tag - right?
That was the message I sent to the Library Lady for part 5 of the Web 2.0 course I'm taking.
Library Lady responded that when composing tags this was right.
Here is the link for the pictures I choose from picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amdmitriev/Fiji_sharks?feat=email#
I think you'll agree with the tags that I chose, except that Andre is a he so it should read isheinsane or maybe aretheyinsane because as you can see there are a lot of divers down there with him.
I think that Picasa is a good idea. But, I'm not sure about all of this photo sharing. To share with family and friends OK, but the general public...? This is both an issue of privacy for me as well as an artistic one, for as an artist of sorts I'm confused about the issue of copyright because on Andre's Gallery is says copyright All rights reserved but then it looks like you can post on blogger, twitter and others. See what I mean?
I-photo seems to be a pretty complete photo app, but I can't seem to e-mail my photos to friends/family with it. Picasa might prove to be a better way to go as long as family/friends have downloaded Picasa too - right?
But, if family members all had the app then we could all contribute to a family album complete with tags, comments, info etc and avoid the e-mail stuff altogether. At least that's what it sounds like to me. If so then definitely it would be worth having.
I will play around with it some more to see just what it can do as I already have downloaded it and right now pictures are in the categories of: yoga, cartoons, clutter, kitties, Montreal...
So when I go into "my photos" I have albums - who knew? And, there are multiple images of many of the photos which I thought were "duplicates" but if I click delete I'm told that that image will disappear from my blog. In searching help I find that they aren't duplicates but indicate that the same image is stored in other areas of my computer (please forgive my lack of techno jargon). But they when I see image after image of the same thing I think...duplicate.
Maybe the de-clutter bug's gone viral in me; it drives me crazy to see 6 pictures (duplicate) of the same thing! (In fact, just today, Rod and I discarded duplicates of actual photographs to clear our space in those actual albums that I've decided I want to keep. So in the physical realm I'm on a roll.) I'm told that these multiple images of the same thing (duplicates) doesn't indicate that memory is being used up. I get it, but it feels like a mental stutter everytime I see the same image (duplicate) over and over. It just bugs me. Do I really need to see them (duplicates)? Further exploration seems to indicate that I could hide them and that I could unhide them later if I needed to, that just might be a good thing.
Yah: organizing, tagging, albums, files, captions, multiple images of the same thing (duplicates), hiding, unhiding...this is going to take a while. Is it all worth it? I'm not sure.
You've got to see these pics - there are about 58 of them. Worth taking the time to check them out. Amazing.
There are no tags on them, but if it was me I'd tag: sharks, bazillionschoolsoffish, bloodchilling, issheinsane? as some of them.
I believe you have to run the words together to get a tag otherwise each individual word becomes a tag - right?
That was the message I sent to the Library Lady for part 5 of the Web 2.0 course I'm taking.
Library Lady responded that when composing tags this was right.
Here is the link for the pictures I choose from picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amdmitriev/Fiji_sharks?feat=email#
I think you'll agree with the tags that I chose, except that Andre is a he so it should read isheinsane or maybe aretheyinsane because as you can see there are a lot of divers down there with him.
I think that Picasa is a good idea. But, I'm not sure about all of this photo sharing. To share with family and friends OK, but the general public...? This is both an issue of privacy for me as well as an artistic one, for as an artist of sorts I'm confused about the issue of copyright because on Andre's Gallery is says copyright All rights reserved but then it looks like you can post on blogger, twitter and others. See what I mean?
I-photo seems to be a pretty complete photo app, but I can't seem to e-mail my photos to friends/family with it. Picasa might prove to be a better way to go as long as family/friends have downloaded Picasa too - right?
But, if family members all had the app then we could all contribute to a family album complete with tags, comments, info etc and avoid the e-mail stuff altogether. At least that's what it sounds like to me. If so then definitely it would be worth having.
I will play around with it some more to see just what it can do as I already have downloaded it and right now pictures are in the categories of: yoga, cartoons, clutter, kitties, Montreal...
So when I go into "my photos" I have albums - who knew? And, there are multiple images of many of the photos which I thought were "duplicates" but if I click delete I'm told that that image will disappear from my blog. In searching help I find that they aren't duplicates but indicate that the same image is stored in other areas of my computer (please forgive my lack of techno jargon). But they when I see image after image of the same thing I think...duplicate.
Maybe the de-clutter bug's gone viral in me; it drives me crazy to see 6 pictures (duplicate) of the same thing! (In fact, just today, Rod and I discarded duplicates of actual photographs to clear our space in those actual albums that I've decided I want to keep. So in the physical realm I'm on a roll.) I'm told that these multiple images of the same thing (duplicates) doesn't indicate that memory is being used up. I get it, but it feels like a mental stutter everytime I see the same image (duplicate) over and over. It just bugs me. Do I really need to see them (duplicates)? Further exploration seems to indicate that I could hide them and that I could unhide them later if I needed to, that just might be a good thing.
Yah: organizing, tagging, albums, files, captions, multiple images of the same thing (duplicates), hiding, unhiding...this is going to take a while. Is it all worth it? I'm not sure.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Photo mayhem
OK so our next task at Betty Blogger is to explore Picassa.
I opened an account on Picassa over a year ago. I mucked about with it a little and then went to put a picture in my blog and...entered a parallel, Bizarro universe. Fans of Superman know what I mean (Why do I sound like such a nerd and what the hell is Goofy? Is he a dog or a person or what and why, if he is a dog does he own a dog called Pluto?), it kind of looks the same, but doesn't act the same as when I was putting pictures in through other means. Don't ask me what those other means were back then cus I don't know. I'm on a MAC now and use i-photo to post pics but sometimes I seem to have problems adding pictures this way so I put them in some other way. I don't know how. Somehow I just make it happen. Cross my heart, I'm not making this s**t up.
All of a sudden I had 2 blogs titled Awakening Choice but with slightly different URLs. I even discovered a fan I didn't even know I had stranded out there in the dark side of Awakening Choice land II. I had to bring him over to Awakening Choice, aka the light side. I had to post an entry basically saying, "Oops, you've got the wrong blog. Click here and come on over the real blog," in order to round up anyone else who could be wandering around over there thinking How lame is she; doesn't she ever finish an entry?
So when I go to my dashboard it looks like I have 2 posts and they're both called Awakening Choice - it's a lie - the deleted one lays dormant just waiting there, haunting me. It's creepy.
* * *
I thought I'd enter in a nice picture from my Picassa album. But I can't get it to work. I click on the insert image icon in the tool bar but I can't "choose" one pic only the app icon itself which makes the MAC spinny thing show up. Maybe Picassa can't be used this way? I tried entering it through Blogger which seems to launch me into the parallel universe. Not going there!
OK then I'll choose one from i-Photo, but nope I am blocked at the app and can't choose an individual picture.
What the hell I'll just go into i-Photo again, export the photos I want into "my pics" and...ureka, here they are. I'll be back in a day or 2 and try again. NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR A COMMENT ANYONE - HELP!
Til then enjoy pics from Montreal Jazz Festival festivities.
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| NOTICE GUY WORKING THE HOOP AMONGST THE CROWD |
Monday, July 26, 2010
my inner geek
I've been playing around a lot more with computer stuff since taking the Betty Blogger course.
I have found the Diggo bookmarking feature really helpful and am storing all of my "must see/must save" info on it. Since the info goes with me wherever I am or whatever computer I'm on, I'm sold. Now when I have to get a new computer I won't need a computer geek to transfer the info onto.
I've been on Facebook since my nephew's wedding in 2008. My sister-in-law posted her photos on it for all of the family to see. It was incredible - pics and text to boot. But, my site remained faceless and profile-less for about a year before I dared enter any info - I've got 4 pics; only 1 of myself. If I choose to "share" I do it through my blog where I am the master of my own universe.
Facebook. I love it and I hate it.
I love that I can pop on and get a quick update on friends' comings and goings and states of mind revealed in short sound bites. I love that I can see photos of my friends and their growing families enjoying themselves. Some friends have quite a photographic eye and talent for snapping pictures and I get to see the great shots they've taken. Lately, a friend of a friend shared breathtaking photos of stars in a clear night sky; and my friend is THE Green Thumb Queen Extraordinaire with the pictures of her garden and flowers to prove it.
I love that when I ask "friends" a question through Facebook my chances of getting relevant info has expanded exponentially.
What I don't like is that, although you can adjust your privacy settings so that only your "friends" can see your profile info, anyone can see you dancing on tables buck naked at the company Christmas party if that's what somebody chooses to share with their "friends". When it comes to picture sharing what happens on facebook stays on facebook and travels around the world for all to see without your knowledge or control (I could be wrong).
In this day and age, it seems to me, Superman and all his masked and caped friends would need to develop new super powers in order to keep their identity secret cus sure enough one of their friends, most likely the cub reporter Jimmy (having had to many shots of booze) in a drunken stupour would find the urge to "share" his shots on Facebook. Before you know it you'd be surfing some friend of a friend of a friend's photo album, come across pictures 2 through 8 and recognize Clark Kent caught in a moment of wild abandon: tossing off his hornrims; unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the tell-tale blue, skin tight leotard and hint of the tip of a red and yellow emblem before flashing to his senses and clumsily fumbling to re-button his shirt and you'd say to yourself...Hey that guy looks a lot like... .
I also don't get Farmville and all that kind of stuff but then I've never been into the "games" aspect of computers, not even solitaire, so I don't really want to know that you've just adopted a baby pig...IT DOESN'T EXIST AND NEITHER DOES YOUR FARM. GET A LIFE! Nothing makes me exit Facebook in disgust quicker. Besides, my hamster has been waiting for me while I've been following your exploits in virtual reality land. I visit my i-google homepage regularly to feed, water and exercise it...
HEY WAIT A MINUTE WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH ME? I worked in animation for Pete's sake, I should know better. Thanks to some fellow Betty Blogger (who will remain nameless) who put the cool fish swimming gadget on her blog I explored aBowman and found my hammy - see how cute he is!
There's another love/hate thing about Facebook and social networking, one can get hooked on an infinite variety of time wasting activity - which I consider most of the apps to be. Playing around with apps during a Betty Blogger drop-in I found that friends are on Marketplace and I noticed it on my list of apps in the more section below the ones I've chosen. I didn't choose it. What was it doing there? A few weeks ago I was just browsing, I thought. So I had to go into settings and block it. I find the amount of access to my information most apps want is unacceptable. Melissa (library lady's assistant) said that many of the apps are created by third parties - I don't know where else my info might go or if I'll end up getting a lot of crap showing up on my computer. If in doubt, don't go there.
I joined the Betty Blogger Summer School "group" as part of the exercise but I can't say that I'll continue to visit the group once the course is complete - it's all I can do to write blog entries and follow blogs I like.
I joined the Betty Blogger Summer School "group" as part of the exercise but I can't say that I'll continue to visit the group once the course is complete - it's all I can do to write blog entries and follow blogs I like.
I'll have to limit my vices and blogging's it...except for my hammy... and I'll have to figure out what TWITTER'S all about...but, I swear to God that's it!
Monday, July 19, 2010
A Place for Everything
When I first read the assignment about tagging I felt totally bogged down. Uugh, not yet another way to be exposed to useless info and yet another way to store it.
I don't even know how to use Bookmarks in Safari. I thought it was supposed to store only info that I selected personally but every finger burp and stutter that I make is on the list and, I don't want any of it. It's especially demoralizing to see every re-entry I make into my blog on a day to day basis recorded because: while doing the dishes I suddenly remember that I spelt Skiddamarinky incorrectly or I forgot to enter the date so it looks like all my entries have taken place on Tuesday June 29th at 1:00a.m.
But just the other day, I couldn't find a website that I thought I'd entered into my Safari Bookmark, because I couldn't remember how to spell Aangen (not a common word), I thought, If I could only enter a word like: workshops, community centre or Toronto, I could at least get somewhere. And since I couldn't remember the last time I was on the site going into History was pointless.
After many trials and errors I finally found what I was looking for. Maybe entering it in Diigo would be most helpful. So I did.
Aangen Community Centre
more from www.aangen.com
- No snapshot - Edit - Delete
Share▼
- Preview
affordable educational workshops website
Now I don't have to remember the name of the centre; the tags alone will bring it up. Since I'm always upgrading my skills the tag "workshops" will get well used when I use them to label such bookmarks as: the Ontario Hypnosis Centre School, Robert Moss's website and Harry Kahuna Jim's website. I can even narrow Aangen down further by adding "Dora" (a teacher, who offers worshops on Lomi, Hot Stone and Reiki through the centre) as a tag.
I hate wasting my time. It looks like this Diigo thing is going to, after a little investment of my time, save me time in the long run and help me find fantastic sites on dreamworking.
I typed "dreams" into the search box of the community library section of Diigo to see what others have added and found sites as diverse as:
I don't even know how to use Bookmarks in Safari. I thought it was supposed to store only info that I selected personally but every finger burp and stutter that I make is on the list and, I don't want any of it. It's especially demoralizing to see every re-entry I make into my blog on a day to day basis recorded because: while doing the dishes I suddenly remember that I spelt Skiddamarinky incorrectly or I forgot to enter the date so it looks like all my entries have taken place on Tuesday June 29th at 1:00a.m.
But just the other day, I couldn't find a website that I thought I'd entered into my Safari Bookmark, because I couldn't remember how to spell Aangen (not a common word), I thought, If I could only enter a word like: workshops, community centre or Toronto, I could at least get somewhere. And since I couldn't remember the last time I was on the site going into History was pointless.
After many trials and errors I finally found what I was looking for. Maybe entering it in Diigo would be most helpful. So I did.
Aangen Community Centre
more from www.aangen.com
- No snapshot - Edit - Delete
Share▼
- Preview
affordable educational workshops website
Now I don't have to remember the name of the centre; the tags alone will bring it up. Since I'm always upgrading my skills the tag "workshops" will get well used when I use them to label such bookmarks as: the Ontario Hypnosis Centre School, Robert Moss's website and Harry Kahuna Jim's website. I can even narrow Aangen down further by adding "Dora" (a teacher, who offers worshops on Lomi, Hot Stone and Reiki through the centre) as a tag.
I hate wasting my time. It looks like this Diigo thing is going to, after a little investment of my time, save me time in the long run and help me find fantastic sites on dreamworking.
Moss Dreams
I use Robert Moss's lightning dreamwork techniques in my dream circles and it's always great to keep up to date with his workshops, books etc. I'll have to go back in and add BOOKS to the tags as he's a very prolific author on dreamworking and the history of dream study and I like to keep up to date on his offerings - so yes, I will use Diigo aside from this course assigned exercise.I typed "dreams" into the search box of the community library section of Diigo to see what others have added and found sites as diverse as:
An Online Guide To Dream Interpretation
It is representative of most dream symbol sites, offering a very simplistic, analytical but common view of how to understand one's dreams. Though I don't analyze dreams in this way many of my clients do so it's important for me to be able to speak their language and understand their points of reference.
And
The Case for a Cognitive Theory of Dreams
Quite an extensive article on dreams and dreaming that I entered into my library and bookmarked so that I can read it at a later date.
As a dreamworker I don't interpret dreams per se nor do I analyze them, rather I aim to take the fear out of dreams by teaching my clients how to understand their own dream language rather than rely on the dream dictionary approach. My exploration in Diigo has shown me that, with the proliferation of dream dictionaries and dream symbol sites I've got a lot of work to do.
I found exploring the tags of others led me on a wild goose chase into an infinite number of possibilities. I don't think I'll use this particular aspect too much.
The ability to make notes will be incredibly helpful. I can't seem to read a book without a pen in hand for underlining and note taking. My books are my friends, advisors, educators and confidants and as such they can expect to be well used and have some evidence of my presence within their pages. I can't seem to get the highlighter function working, but when I do, OH BABY!
And
The Case for a Cognitive Theory of Dreams
article by G. William Domhoff
Quite an extensive article on dreams and dreaming that I entered into my library and bookmarked so that I can read it at a later date.
As a dreamworker I don't interpret dreams per se nor do I analyze them, rather I aim to take the fear out of dreams by teaching my clients how to understand their own dream language rather than rely on the dream dictionary approach. My exploration in Diigo has shown me that, with the proliferation of dream dictionaries and dream symbol sites I've got a lot of work to do.
I found exploring the tags of others led me on a wild goose chase into an infinite number of possibilities. I don't think I'll use this particular aspect too much.The ability to make notes will be incredibly helpful. I can't seem to read a book without a pen in hand for underlining and note taking. My books are my friends, advisors, educators and confidants and as such they can expect to be well used and have some evidence of my presence within their pages. I can't seem to get the highlighter function working, but when I do, OH BABY!
***
OK. Here's where I need technical help.
As you can see, I get these weird spaces occurring in the published blog. When I'm checking everything out in compose I've got all the text just the way I want it, but when I post it that's another story, it comes out all WEIRD.
HELP ANYBODY?!
HELP ANYBODY?!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
What do you think?
I have to be honest about something. I'm not proud of it but here it goes.
You complete me.
Yes, I joined Betty Blogger to become social media savvy but now that people are commenting on my blog (my instructors mainly) well it all feels so right. Fellow Betty Bloggers you know what I'm talking about! Sure, friends occasionally comment on my blog entries in person, through e-mail or facebook, even over the phone but rarely do they do so in the blog itself.
I don't know why this is as it couldn't be more convenient.
Picture this. The moon is full, you've had a hard day and you're seeking some "me time"; time to be entertained; time for "brain candy". You don your flannel PJ's and fuzzy slippers, schlep off to your den, plonk down in front of the computer, set your cup of steaming, black brew on the table and start surfing the web. After a half hour of mindless fun you enter into blog territory; the arena of real people leading real lives.
Ah, what's this? You've stumbled onto a site containing such whit, wisdom, and beauty that OMG you are awe struck. Unbeknownst to you somewhere out there in the real world a lonely, forgotten, wanna be writer, taps away decoding the stream of consciousness flowing out of their brain for the public to behold. From the cold, dark, damp, depths of her basement (I know, I know. Lucky her it's frikin' sweltering out there today. At least she has a basement, I don't even have central air and I'm in this tiny apartment... I already said that you're in flannel PJ's imagine that it's winter OK) she huddles over the white glow eminating off her screen.
Aw, come on, send her some encouragement. A little, "Hello out there.", "I think your stuff is fun.", even send her your own perspective or experience regarding the topic of the day to let her know that she's touched a cord. It might even spur others on to comment as well and a nice little forum could take place - sort of like facebook only you could be totally anonymous. And, hey you're already on the blog what could be simpler.
Here's a slightly edited version of how to comment courtesy of the Library Lady:
See the "tell me what you think" at the end of my post well that's your opportunity to make a comment. Just click on it and follow the directions. Yes, you do need a google account but it'll only take a second. Come on, what do you say...I'm bloody freezn' down here, and it's dark, and I'm all alone, and...
Could I make it sound any more pathetic?
You could comment on that.
You complete me.
Yes, I joined Betty Blogger to become social media savvy but now that people are commenting on my blog (my instructors mainly) well it all feels so right. Fellow Betty Bloggers you know what I'm talking about! Sure, friends occasionally comment on my blog entries in person, through e-mail or facebook, even over the phone but rarely do they do so in the blog itself.
I don't know why this is as it couldn't be more convenient.
Picture this. The moon is full, you've had a hard day and you're seeking some "me time"; time to be entertained; time for "brain candy". You don your flannel PJ's and fuzzy slippers, schlep off to your den, plonk down in front of the computer, set your cup of steaming, black brew on the table and start surfing the web. After a half hour of mindless fun you enter into blog territory; the arena of real people leading real lives.
Ah, what's this? You've stumbled onto a site containing such whit, wisdom, and beauty that OMG you are awe struck. Unbeknownst to you somewhere out there in the real world a lonely, forgotten, wanna be writer, taps away decoding the stream of consciousness flowing out of their brain for the public to behold. From the cold, dark, damp, depths of her basement (I know, I know. Lucky her it's frikin' sweltering out there today. At least she has a basement, I don't even have central air and I'm in this tiny apartment... I already said that you're in flannel PJ's imagine that it's winter OK) she huddles over the white glow eminating off her screen.
Aw, come on, send her some encouragement. A little, "Hello out there.", "I think your stuff is fun.", even send her your own perspective or experience regarding the topic of the day to let her know that she's touched a cord. It might even spur others on to comment as well and a nice little forum could take place - sort of like facebook only you could be totally anonymous. And, hey you're already on the blog what could be simpler.
Here's a slightly edited version of how to comment courtesy of the Library Lady:
"At the end of each post you’ll find space to comment. Commenting is a huge component of blogging. Please feel free to comment on my blog. To do so, fill in the box provided, select your profile (always select Google Account) and click POST COMMENT. If you’re not signed into blogger, you can post anonymously or you’ll have to sign in. Once you’ve completed the steps, you’re comment will appear. It’s a nice way to make contact between fellow students and myself."Please note that some bloggers, like myself, choose to review the comments before allowing them to show up on their post. As ruling monarchs of our little blog territory we get to make up the rules.
See the "tell me what you think" at the end of my post well that's your opportunity to make a comment. Just click on it and follow the directions. Yes, you do need a google account but it'll only take a second. Come on, what do you say...I'm bloody freezn' down here, and it's dark, and I'm all alone, and...
Could I make it sound any more pathetic?
You could comment on that.
Monday, July 12, 2010
me tube, YouTube, we all tube
In answer to the Library Lady's question, yes I enjoy the You Tube experience - especially since I now have the ability to put it in a blog (scroll down to see the last 2 entries).
Streaming has become so popular, in part, because it is so accessible. Younger generations who have been raised with media and computer technology in-their-face from the cradle have an intimate relationship with it. They are the driving force behind its popularity using it as a means of creative expression, communication and providing forums for exploration of ideas.
My generation has a distinct ambivalence towards it. With our reference to WWII and Orwell's classic 1984 , baby boomers, for the most part demonstrate a wariness about such public vehicles. We question: Will it control us or will we control it? How will it impact on our life and issues of privacy? Do we all need our 15 minutes of fame? Why would anyone want to be so out there?
The reality is, what you do with it is up to you. Whether you browse from afar or become more engaged with the technology there's no doubt that it is:
Streaming has become so popular, in part, because it is so accessible. Younger generations who have been raised with media and computer technology in-their-face from the cradle have an intimate relationship with it. They are the driving force behind its popularity using it as a means of creative expression, communication and providing forums for exploration of ideas.
My generation has a distinct ambivalence towards it. With our reference to WWII and Orwell's classic 1984 , baby boomers, for the most part demonstrate a wariness about such public vehicles. We question: Will it control us or will we control it? How will it impact on our life and issues of privacy? Do we all need our 15 minutes of fame? Why would anyone want to be so out there?
The reality is, what you do with it is up to you. Whether you browse from afar or become more engaged with the technology there's no doubt that it is:
- entertaining - as you have noticed from the videos that I have chosen to add in the previous 2 posts
- informative - since I'm a visual type of person I prefer demos to the written word when attempting to learn new skills. I learned how to make my own juggling balls through a video like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdLB1WwKsfw
- a pleasant time waster - and soon I will be able to do this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8f8drk5Urw (note - request to embed was denied)
- a way to find factual information that you want quickly as many TV programs (or snippets of) are available on You Tube - without being held captive by: TV schedules, channel surfing beloved members of a household or commercial interludes
- potentially a forum for diverse perspectives on the human condition, politics and world events
- a way to interact with others world-wide - we really are a global community
- a form of advertising and promotion
And, these are just some of the reasons that I feel it has become so popular. My classmates will have their views on the subject and I'll be interested in reading their posts.
Yes, I will continue to view YouTube and include it in posts when it is relevant, and I'm so inclined. Being a creative type I also hope to be able to explore making my own videos. I see it as another fun way for me to keep up with technology.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
MONTREAL Je t'aime - part III of III
On the same night of my previous entries - Montreal Je t'aime parts I and II, after Kathy and I changed into more suitable atire in Jim's van with its tinted windows we headed over to the Metropolis to catch Eric Burdon and the Animals. Yes, THE Eric Burdon; but no, not THE Animals at least not in their original form, none of the members playing that night were from the original band.
How very '60's you might say.
I felt like a stranger in a strange land as they played such tunes as: It's My Life and Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood while all around me ageing hippies, or shrubbies as they're called on Vancouver Island, rocked out. The surreality got amped up when the band went into We Gotta Get Out of This Place and the whole place was brought to a riotous frenzy as geezers pounded their canes on the floor in time with the beat. And, I was awestruck as I witnessed the audience — a sea of swaying and bobbing grey heads — tripping back to the teenagers they once were, rebelling against (even though they are now) the establishment.
These songs were their anthems of protest, not mine. The '60's was the best time of their lives; the worst of mine. I am not nostalgic for that time and I found it difficult in this context to realize that I am one of them.
Instead of having flashbacks like the rest of them I was having flashforwards. I've been doing some Shiatsu for nursing home residents and frequently visit my Mom's who lives in Burloak Longterm Care Centre. Her generation is soothed by the gentle, bittersweet songs of the big band era, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Satchmo, jazz and the like and it filters out into the hallway from resident's rooms as I pass by.
As the lyrics "We gotta get out of this place if it's the last thing we ever do" written by a rebellious youth but sung now by a grey haired 69 year old (albeit with an amazing set of pipes and agile moves) I couldn't help thinking that when we populate the nursing homes the desire to get out will rise up on occasion (as does in Mom's case) but when we do get out it really will be the last thing we ever do.
And, 20-30 years down the road when members of my generation, fuelled by songs of teenage angst and rebellion, become residents, if there's going to be any peace at all for the caregivers, we're all going to have to be heavily medicated. Soon ads like: TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE? HELL NO, JUST TRIP DOWN or YOU WON'T WANT TO GET OUTTA THIS PLACE or MARIJUANA MOMMA MANOR will have children of the '60's pounding on the doors to get in.
LOVE AND PEACE OUT
And Burdon did a song called I Believe to My Soul which I'd never heard before and which showcased his amazing voice and his ability to interpret a song. Take a moment and listen to the power.
P.S. Thanks to Betty Blogger for making this so easy. It would have taken me days to search just how to do this!!!
How very '60's you might say.
I felt like a stranger in a strange land as they played such tunes as: It's My Life and Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood while all around me ageing hippies, or shrubbies as they're called on Vancouver Island, rocked out. The surreality got amped up when the band went into We Gotta Get Out of This Place and the whole place was brought to a riotous frenzy as geezers pounded their canes on the floor in time with the beat. And, I was awestruck as I witnessed the audience — a sea of swaying and bobbing grey heads — tripping back to the teenagers they once were, rebelling against (even though they are now) the establishment.
These songs were their anthems of protest, not mine. The '60's was the best time of their lives; the worst of mine. I am not nostalgic for that time and I found it difficult in this context to realize that I am one of them.
Instead of having flashbacks like the rest of them I was having flashforwards. I've been doing some Shiatsu for nursing home residents and frequently visit my Mom's who lives in Burloak Longterm Care Centre. Her generation is soothed by the gentle, bittersweet songs of the big band era, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Satchmo, jazz and the like and it filters out into the hallway from resident's rooms as I pass by.
As the lyrics "We gotta get out of this place if it's the last thing we ever do" written by a rebellious youth but sung now by a grey haired 69 year old (albeit with an amazing set of pipes and agile moves) I couldn't help thinking that when we populate the nursing homes the desire to get out will rise up on occasion (as does in Mom's case) but when we do get out it really will be the last thing we ever do.
And, 20-30 years down the road when members of my generation, fuelled by songs of teenage angst and rebellion, become residents, if there's going to be any peace at all for the caregivers, we're all going to have to be heavily medicated. Soon ads like: TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE? HELL NO, JUST TRIP DOWN or YOU WON'T WANT TO GET OUTTA THIS PLACE or MARIJUANA MOMMA MANOR will have children of the '60's pounding on the doors to get in.
LOVE AND PEACE OUT
***
Now comes confession time. A most pleasant surprise of this evening was the band's virtuosity as individual musicians were highlighted with solos and tight jamming during prolonged, blues-inspired segments. Stripped of '60's references, I can truly say that they blew me away! And they did a most excellent rendition of The House of the Rising Sun - a song I've always loved. And Burdon did a song called I Believe to My Soul which I'd never heard before and which showcased his amazing voice and his ability to interpret a song. Take a moment and listen to the power.
P.S. Thanks to Betty Blogger for making this so easy. It would have taken me days to search just how to do this!!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
FANCY SCHMANCY NANCY
HI ALL!Aside from the fact that Flippy is busy at work depositing an ever so shiek, fine, layered blend of soft Flippy-fluff thereby transforming my once drab computer bag into an inspired creation, do you notice any new changes around here?
Uh huh, uh huh, I thought you would. It's all thanks to the BETTY BLOGGER course I'm taking and the assistance of the Library Lady.
My friend was right. This program is fantastic. I came in to the drop-in session this morning with a list of challenges I haven't been able to solve for months. And the Library Lady helped me solve all my problems within 90 minutes... I heard that. No, smarty pants, the Library Lady's not a counsellor or psychiatrist. She's a computer Web 2.0 whiz — which for me is a bazillion times better as blogging IS my therapy.
It's such a relief to work through and explore this stuff and all that can be done at my own pace AND have a guide who will also work at my own pace, no: jumping in, taking over, clicking at the speed of light to "voila" make the changes for me and expect me to get what she's done. She just calmly stands by my side, observing, directing and working alongside me on her own computer which allows me to follow along. BRILLIANT!!! And, anytime I press a key by mistake or launch anything into cyberspace due to my excitedly dancing fingers the Library Lady is there to act as my safety net.
And not a swearword has been uttered!
I have to take that back, only one, by me of course. But it was a tiny, little inoffensive one that just slipped out under my breath.
Now I've probably blown it. The next drop-in session will probably be filled with the 70 or so other students (no, less as some people are taking part from Victoria and India). I should have said that her assistance sucked and she's a real b***h. But the cat is out of the bag (damn enthusiasm). Not only is she efficient and helpful, she's nice and P-A-T-I-E-N-T.
I assume the title of the course was designed to draw the attention of my generation and to help us enter into the Web world (especially those of us without children aka computer consultants). Though I've been blogging for a while now it's taken me months and months to get where I am though a lot of blood, sweat and tears. But today as I worked alongside the Library Lady I could feel myself "getting it", becoming more courageous, enthusiastic and confident with exploring innumerable options, applications or whatever you call 'em (still have to work on the lingo) on my own.
Men take note, this is an entirely male friendly venue — we're really working hard on our tasks here, not talking recipes (we may be blogging about them, but we're not talking about them). Anyway, my point is that it's extremely user friendly.
Maybe I'll get up to snuff and be able to mix it up with the geeks. It could happen.
Please Note: (Vanna White sweep of the hands) I added on a new gadget which appears at the bottom of each post and shows what you might also like to read. Because I typed computer angst in my labels area at the end of this entry, it'll bring up posts related to my struggles with blogging and computer issues (happily many of these have been corrected over time so some of them may not make too much sense but you'll be able to get my drift). So to those students in the class who are new to this stuff, read and be assured that if I can do it so can you. The advantage is you won't have to go through all the angst along the way.
...
I just checked my post and those computer related entries don't come up. Never mind. Don't listen to me, I don't know what I'm talking about. You'll get some more RANDOM postings totally unrelated to computer stuff, but it looks nice.
To see more about my journey with computer angst hit the labels: computer angst, Betty Blogger or computer/blogger angst in the side bar.
...
OK, I'm back again. Every time I come in to edit my blog and publish it I get different selections in the "you might like" section. I'm just telling ya.
If anyone knows if I can select the 3 that I'd like to show up that would be really helpful otherwise I'll leave it up to the randomness of the universe.
I've had a bazillion hits on my site since I started it. They're all me cus I keep doing this. The geeks can rest easy, I won't be schmoozing with them any time soon.
That's it, I'm really done now...I mean it. I'm not coming back into this post again. All for now. Bye bye.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
come out, come out wherever you are
"Computer Nance" is getting some schooling in social media including: blogging, flickr, youtube, facebook etc, as I am now a student of Burlington Public Library's Betty Blogger - an 8 week program exploring Web 2.0.
After the gasillionth time listening to me whine about my inability to understand aspects of the web, witnessing me in the throws of blogger/computer angst (not a pretty picture, I assure you) and being thwarted in her attempts to explain how stuff works, (on a scale of 1 - 10 my understanding of all things Web 2.0 and its applications is about a 4; I know the names of things, even have a Twitter account, but I don't know what the hell to do with it), my friend said calmly, "You should take the Betty Blogger course. Really!"
"Betty Blogger? Ah, I don't know." I said. Revealing my child of the 60's perspective and feminist leanings I continued, "sounds like Betty Crocker and makes me think of the whole post WWII effort to entice Rosie the Riveter types (women had been encouraged to do their part in the war effort by working outside the home filling jobs vacated when men went to war) back into the kitchen when their men returned."
"No, it's fantastic... Think of it this way, Betty Blogger, Betty Crocker. It's as easy to use Web 2.0 as it is to bake a cake," she said, pleased with the analogy.
"Umm, you do know who you're talking to, don't you?" We met when we were in public school and she knows that I'm a bit of a feminist type and definitely no domestic goddess.
Cutting to the bare bones facts she emphatically stated the obvious, "You'll get help with your blog."
"Oh, there are classes?" This is starting to get me excited.
"Well, not exactly. You get your assignments through e-mail correspondence and it's done online."
"I need to talk to real people, to get hands on help sometimes when I need it." (I'm such a "baby la-la" [aka whiner], as my friend Kathy would say).
"You can drop in at set times and get help from the Library Lady and from fellow classmates as one of the goals of the program is to encourage networking and collaboration. Even the staff at the library can assist you as we've all taken the course." I forgot to mention that she works at the library.
"OK then; sounds good. I'm in. So, you could help me then?"
...
"Uh...No, I'll be working where you can't find me."
Can't say I blame her.
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