Computer Issues

We all have them now and again, but that doesn’t lessen the world of frustration felt when programs aren’t behaving the way that they should. Last week I lost access to my photo program (Aperture) and my word processor (Pages). Both problems experienced “errors” while they were updating and would not open because in theory they were still updating. Insert scream and mild hair pulling. I wasn’t worried about losing my data. I assumed that the program and the data included were hopefully stored separately. I thought that perhaps I should just delete both programs and reload them, but that sounded a little too drastic for me to follow through on without confirmation. In order to obtain that confirmation, I booked an appointment at the genius bar at the Apple store. I know there are a lot of jokes about being a “genius” at the Apple store, but for my money – that’s exactly what they are. Fricking geniuses. In my 15 minute appointment I was able to get my problems resolved and learn a little more about my computer with time to spare. What’s that if not genius?

I should point out that without access to my photos I felt like I had lost an arm or something equally valuable. So, I am now a happy camper. I was anxious to work on my blog, but without photos I didn’t think it was worth posting. I never have anything that fascinating to say – I need the visual enhancement of photos. I was panicking because I couldn’t take part in the weekly photo challenge, but then decided that the theme this week – eerie – didn’t really appeal to me. Take a look – there are some great responses to the challenge. Just don’t waste your time looking for mine.

We’ve had some renovations going on in our basement, largely because of water damage during heavy rains in June. I decided that enough is enough – the problem needed to be dealt with. Apparently our house sits on a street with a high water table, even though we are on the top of a bluff above the river. We already had 3 small sump pumps installed, but obviously they were inadequate. On the recommendation of a friend, I called a company who dug up the concrete basement floor to expose the footings. Then a trough was installed, leading to a new giant sump pump. You can tell it’s a giant because it has 3 motors and a battery back up that is larger than a car battery. Unfortuately, this was installed in the adjoining guest room – practically in the middle of the room. In order to fit a bed into the room, we had to reconfigure, tear out the closet and build a cabinet unit to hide the pump. Oh, did I mention that the basement systems people chopped out the bottom 2′ of drywall everywhere that they worked? We’ve been in a real mess trying to get everything repaired and put back together. Yesterday we installed new carpet in the bedroom. I chose carpet tiles from a company called FLOR. This particular pattern is totally random. I love it. The yellow bit shows the wall color.I’m hopeful that the ceiling will get a last coat of paint today, and then I can start to gradually move things into the room. Unfortunately I’ll have to stuff it to the ceiling because we need to empty the adjoining family room to finish work there. The fun never ends!

Winter has arrived, or at least the first big dump of snow. This coincides perfectly with the new roof that is being installed on our house. I believe the work started 2 days before the snow arrived. But never fear, a little snow is not enough to stop outdoor work in Calgary. As the stomping and hammering and goodness knows what else continues over my head, our roof work continues.The work in the back yard does seem to be on hold just now, but I’m sure there will be some action there once more of the snow has disappeared. I’m sure of it. I’m sure of it. I’m sure of it. Here’s the view from my studio.

Hopefully the next time I post yard photos you’ll actually be able to see what’s going on!

P.S. There is work going on in the back yard right now. How’s that for the power of positive thinking? Also a huge blue plastic tarp just went up past my window – good to know I’ve got interim coverage from the weather!