A LITTLE BIT OF PROGRESS

I have my computer (a desk top PC, not an Apple laptop) back and it's working.

Sort of.

I turned off the monitor earlier and then it wouldn't come back on.

I finally solved it by pulling the power plug on the tower for awhile and then plugging it back in.

I don't know why that worked but it did.

So, now I have a temporary solution.

The damnable machine was at the "doctor" today while I was at a doctor appointment.

He said it was now fine.

Just a loose connection, he said.

I'll leave that to you to determine where it was.

So I'm back.  

For awhile. 

Or I may be.

In the meantime, here's my old machine, vomiting its guts out.

AGAIN????

Yup. After I finally got my computer working late yesterday afternoon and trying for a couple of hours to find some of my old programs, I took a break to watch the news on t.v., have my dinner and drinks, watch a bit of television with SWMBO.


When I went back to the computer the monitor was black.


This didn't surprised me as this new (to me) Windows 7 program tends to put the machine on a little break if the keyboard hasn't been activated for awhile.


But then I couldn't get it to light up again. Nor would the machine turn off when I pushed the power button.  Not until I pulled the power cord.


Well!


That disturbed my (non-)sleep but when I got up this morning I approached it with new confidence.


My mistake.


The problem, whatever it is, had lingered and is lingering still.


So I'm back to working on SWMBO's laptop.


She said a moment ago, "you still beat on that thing like you're still using a typewriter."


Maybe that's what I should do to my computer.


With an iron bar!

I'M BACK!

Finally!

With a new computer because it wasn't my power supply, it was my motherboard that ceased to function.

And after a long and trying day I finally got the damn thing working fairly reasonably but now I have to learn Windows 7.

It's always something.

Or, as I told my wife, it's just one damned thing after another.

More later, after a few nips from the vodka bottle and a cheeseburger, maybe even some sleep.

Regardless of the learning curve, it's good to be back.

THE MISSING CATALYST

No, I have not ceased to exist.


No, I am not ill.


Nor injured.


My computer is sick.


Its 4-month-old power supply ceased to function and it's in the shop seeking repairs.


I'm typing this (slowly) on SWMBO's damnable laptop.


(I hate laptops.)


Have patience.


I shall return.

WEDNESDAY WEATHER

Autumn and the indications of winter are definitely present here in Arizona.

The land of scorching heat has taken a turn for the cooler weather we will have for a few months now.

Yesterday was a day of constant rain showers and intermittent, though brief, sunshine.

The big tree in our front yard has become its name - a red maple.

It contrasts nicely with the green and gold leaves of other neighborhood flora.

The view toward the mountains is framed with those colors.

I couldn't help but think of my California plein air painter, Lana, when I gazed at that view.

Further north in Flagstaff there has been a light dusting of snow.

Old Man Winter is not far away, I fear.

TUESDAY TRAVELS

Do I have a couple of friends named Timmer and The Beaner?

Yes, I do.

Here we all four are in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, waiting for a train.

Timmer's real name is Tim, The Beaner's is Jeanne.

And no, we weren't waiting for that train to rob it.

Tim and Jeanne were living in Denver and we had come up from Phoenix to take a train over the mountains to Glenwood Springs for a little spring break.

Time? Some time in the early 1980's.

DAY OF THE DEAD

Today, November 2nd, is a public holiday throughout Mexico and in many other countries around the world.

It is a day chosen for people to honor the memories of their deceased relatives and friends.

It is traditional to build private altars, called ofrendas and to decorate graves with sugar skulls, marigolds and favorite foods and beverages of the departed.

Relatives bring their own food and drinks and music, often spending the night at the cemetery in a sort of melancholy picnic atmosphere.

These pictures were taken at the cemetery in Ajijic, a small village on the north shore of Lake Chapala where we first lived when we made our excursion to Mexico.

It was an interesting and somewhat macabre introduction to the native culture for us.

I have since read that the origins of the holiday date back thousands of years to indigenous peoples and an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess.