If everything went this well…

Posted on 01/28/2010 by RLW3

Yesterday, I tried to link to a post about my most recent problem with my MacBook Pro laptop computer. I didn’t succeed because I never told you the story!

I back up my entire computer semi-regularly onto my Time Capsule. However, that is still a hard drive and, therefore, is subject to failure. So, about twice a year, I make a DVD copy of all of the files that I have personally created.

About three weeks ago, I decided that January seemed like a good time to do that so I popped in a DVD and got the following error message…”media error”!?!?

Fine. I’ve got four more disks…

I got the same message with five different disks!

Now, I can believe that one disk might be defective, but five…??? I don’t think so…

I did a smart thing when I bought the computer nearly two years…

I bought Apple Care. That means that Apple will fix anything and everything (well almost) for the next three years.

So I made an appointment at the Genius Bar and headed down to the Apple store.

“It’s not your disks. It’s your DVD burner.”

“Is this a covered repair?”

“Absolutely. Let me get your computer checked in.”

“How long will you need it for?”

He looked up from his screen and saw me visibly wincing, smiled and said, “Hold on a minute…” and disappeared into the back of the store.

Five minutes later, he came back and said, “I talked to a guy in the back who said that he will do it while you wait.”

Folks, I walked in for my 5:45 appointment trying to find out why I couldn’t burn a DVD and walked out at 6:30 with a new DVD burner installed in my laptop!

Go Apple!

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I’m not moving

Posted on 01/27/2010 by RLW3

I confessed something to my wife a few days ago…

“It might seem corny, but I REALLY like using my computer.”

Three weeks ago, while I was waiting for my MacBook Pro DVD drive to be replaced, I bought Apple’s latest operating system, “Snow Leopard”. It is faster and more powerful than the “Leopard” operating system that I currently run.

Before I could load it, I learned that Apple was going to unveil the “iPad” in a few weeks.

“Hmmm…I wonder what else they might release?”

I decided to wait just in case they pulled a surprise and released another new operating system.

While I was waiting these last two weeks, I found two pieces of software that REALLY make using my computer an enjoyable thing. In fact, the last time that I was this excited about computing was 23 years ago when I bought my first MacPlus and learned how to program in Hypercard.

Then I realized that my happiness was creating a dilemna…

Two of my favorite pieces of software are not compatible with the new software.

“Do I really want to upgrade to ‘Snow Leopard’?”

It is a little like selling a house that you really love and moving out of a great neighborhood just because you can get a great deal on a “nicer, bigger” one in some other part of town.

I took Snow Leopard back.

If the software that I really like gets upgraded to be compatible, I will upgrade. Until then, I like where I live.

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But I get up off that side every day!

Posted on 01/26/2010 by RLW3

My little rough patch continued today..

Last night, I was so preoccupied with learning how to set my clock radio so I could fall asleep while listening to a jazz CD that I forgot to turn my alarm. I woke up in time to take a shower, get some food and head out the door.

Then, as I drove to work, I noticed that my eyes were blurry. It seems that my super-duper, bubbling contact lens cleaner has run out of juice.

When I got to work, I decided to clean them the old fashioned way: with some liquid and my fingers. That worked great for the right lens. I tore the left one in two.

At lunch, I went to the local Costco to see if they had a replacement lens in stock that I could purchase…

They didn’t. Evidently, the general population’s eyeballs are round. Mine looks like a football.

Back to work…

One half hour later, my vision started disappearing in my right eye! That generally means that a storm called a migraine headache is trying to develop inside my body. Two Extra Strength Excedrin were able to fight it off to a draw. It never got so bad that I had to go home but it never completely went away either.

Anyway, I am looking forward to sleeping tonight!

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Boo Hoo!

Posted on 01/25/2010 by RLW3

The Toyota’s engine is toast…

I can’t say that I am surprised. I thought there might be real trouble when I first heard the knock.

The thing that is really trying to eat away at me is the cause…

I didn’t check the oil! How basic can you get?

I have replayed it over and over again in my mind.

The car wasn’t leaking oil. With all of the snow on the ground, that would have been VERY obvious.

It wasn’t burning oil as far as I could see. In fact, the car was running great!

And I had the oil changed 3,300 miles ago. I was due to go back in this week.

This is starting to sound like a Hardy Boys mystery…”The Case of the Missing Oil”.

When I called my wife to tell her the news, she tried to put a good spin on it…

“Well, you’ve got a great teaching lesson for your children.”

“What’s that?”

“To make sure they check the oil in their cars. You’ve told them in the past but I don’t think they really take it seriously”

I didn’t quite know what to say so she continued…

“I mean I’ve never heard of this happening to anyone in my entire life!”

Gosh, Bunch…thanks…I feel so much better now!

Anyway, $15 worth of missing oil is now looking like it will cost me about $1500!

Once again, I am forced to face the fact that I am not the sharpest tool in the shed!

I’ve got to go now…

I have to try to nurse my wounded ego back to health!

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How quickly things change

Posted on 01/23/2010 by RLW3

Life never ceases to amaze me. Change happens so quickly, so unexpectedly.

This morning, I drove Cakes to her SAT test. She can drive herself but I just wanted to get a little time with her.

I chose to take the Toyota Paseo because it gets great mileage and she has only ridden in it once before. I told her that I wanted her to drive it home after the test so she could get some experience driving a stick shift.

On the way there, I was remarking on how great the car was running…

how fun it is to drive…

the great gas mileage…

and the great deal that I got when I bought it!

I dropper her off and headed back home for the rest of the morning.

I got back into the car pick her up this afternoon. Five minutes after leaving our apartment, I started hearing a knock or a rattle at about 4,000 RPM’s…

“That doesn’t sound good!”

Then I started hearing it at 3,000 RPM’s…

Then 2,000…

Then at idle!

When we got back to our apartment, I checked the oil…

EMPTY!

It never occurred to me to check on this car. The oil was just changed 3,000 miles ago. There are no signs of leaking oil where I park. There is no smoke coming out of the tailpipe.

I put some oil in it and nursed it over to my mechanic.

I guess we will find out how much I like this little car pretty quickly!

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No pain, no gain!

Posted on 01/22/2010 by RLW3

I thought I should talk about goals today…

Well, really about setbacks…

I started taking my first steps toward my physical goals this week. I have told you that I have worked out an exercise schedule that is short and varied.

Well, you already know that I missed my workout on Monday.

On Tuesday, I did a few V-ups, 5 back neck bridges, some dips and 40 squats with just my bodyweight. I was a little disappointed by how few of each exercise that I could do, but that’s fine…it will get better.

On Wednesday, I overslept.

Thursday…I did a few push-ups and four sprints.

Friday…I did a few sit-ups, 3 back neck bridges and jumped rope…three sets of 100 jumps.

Now, that is not all that much exercise…

My back was kicking my butt at work today! Yoweee!

It was all that I could do to stand up from my chair at work! I am not exaggerating! In fact, one time I couldn’t do it! The pain took my breath away. It was embarrassing!

Let’s just say that I ain’t going to be joggin’ no 4 miles tomorrow!

I’m just saying…

Oh yeah! Goals are great!

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What ever happened to full disclosure?

Posted on 01/21/2010 by RLW3

I should be more of a butt to my wife…

I mean, sometimes I am just too agreeable!

I told you that she was going to go on this radical diet to lose weight. I also told you that she if she succeeds in hitting her goal, I will have to get braces.

I have also told you that am less than thrilled with the prospect of wearing braces at 50 years old. But…

Being the “good” husband that I am, I encouraged her and told her that I hoped the diet worked for her.

It has only been four days but reality is beginning to dawn on me…

Evidently I inadvertently agreed to go on a diet too! That’s funny to me because I distinctly don’t remember being asked if I wanted to do that!

For the next 38 days, her caloric intake is really limited. So is her choice of foods. Guess what that means…

I can either eat what she cooks for her and my daughter or…I can make my own???

I want to say, “Hey, wait a minute, woman! I didn’t sign up for this!” But, what am I going to do…

Ask her to make me some “real” food? Right! I am going to be the one that puts the stumbling block in front of her…Homey don’t think so!

But I am not just affected at home…

Take this afternoon for example. I pulled out my iPhone this afternoon and checked her schedule…

She works tomorrow night but doesn’t work tonight! An great idea bubbled up in my cranium…

I can surprise her by taking her out on a date on a Thursday night!

I started picturing of where we might go…what we might order…and then it dawned on me…

She can’t eat anything! We can’t go anywhere!…for the next 60 days!!!

It has only been four days but I already don’t like this diet!

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The next baby step

Posted on 01/19/2010 by RLW3

I took my next baby step in committing to our new church…

I went to a mid-week meeting.  I haven’t done that in more than two years!

It felt so strange as I put on my shoes and coat and grabbed the keys. Generally speaking,  except for my children’s special events or dates with my wife, when I drive home after work, I don’t leave until the next morning when I head back to work. I am a homebody!

I didn’t stay for the whole service…An hour into the service, my face was overtaken by a nearly continuous yawn!

Oh well, baby steps…baby steps.

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The pain of accountability

Posted on 01/18/2010 by RLW3

Everything was going so well when I went to bed last night…

My goals were loaded into my new jazzy software. I was going to bed on time. In just a few short hours, I would wake up, do some exercise and check off my first completed task of 2010!

However, there was a problem that I didn’t foresee…

I could not wake up!

I felt like I had been drugged. When the alarm went off, I just reached up, turned it off and slept for 45 more minutes!

By the time I woke up, it was time to read my Bible. I’m not dropping that to go work out. Sorry, but no exercise today.

You might say, “That’s OK. Just work out when you get home.”

I know from experience that is not going to happen. My wife will be home when I get home from work. She will probably making dinner. When I was younger, maybe…but now, not a chance.

I’ll take another crack at it tomorrow.

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I found gold!

Posted on 01/16/2010 by RLW3

It didn’t snow today…but it is still foggy and cold.

So, I decided to stay inside and work on my goals today! Doesn’t THAT sound EXCITING, boys and girls?

I have been writing about goals on this blog off and on for the past two weeks. However, I needed to spend some time figuring out what I want to accomplish this year.

One of my problems over the years has been that I have not had a practical, easy-to-use system for reviewing my progress toward my goals during the year.

When I was a young minister, my life was full of appointments and meetings at various locations around the UCLA campus. So, I carried a Day-Timer with me at all times. I  designed my own check lists and would regularly review my progress toward achieving my goals.

However, my life is no longer that complicated. I go to work…and I come home. My only meeting is with my wife. Therefore, I no longer need a Day-Timer to manage my life.

Thus, my paper based system of reviewing my progress went the way of the dinosaur. It gradually died off.

For the past several years, I have tried to figure out a way to do it on my computer. I read reviews of “productivity” software, downloaded free trial versions and tested them. No matter how I tried, it seemed that the software was just creating another thing for me to do!

Until today…

About a month ago, I skimmed a favorable article on some software called “Things” by Cultured Code. Then, I saw it on the shelf at the Apple store. Well, I went back and actually read that article. I was so impressed that I downloaded the the trial version.

THIS SOFTWARE KICKS BUTT!!!

It is a piece of cake to use. And it does what I want!

The software is really designed for task management. But, isn’t a goal merely the result of a bunch of directed and purposeful tasks?

I copied all of my goals from my Excel file into “Things”…daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, quarterly goals, yearly goals, someday goals…all of them.

I then “tagged” them according to the area of life: spiritual, marriage, children, family, social, mental, physical, financial and career. I can look at all of them or by each individual area.

Then I realized that quite a few of my “someday” are actually more like projects. No problem…

I moved them into the project category and began creating a to do list to make each one happen.

The software automatically creates a list of things to be done today.

If I need to remember to stop and get some milk on my way home, I can quickly and easily create a “To Do” item with today’s date. The software not only will remind me to get the milk but it will also have a list of all of those things that I need to do today in order to hit my goals in the future in the various areas of my life.

And, since they also have an app for the iPhone, I will have them in front of me wherever I go!

Great software! I am definitely going to buy it.

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