A New Toy

When I received the good news a few weeks ago I wanted to celebrate by buying myself something special. As I searched on the Internet the troubles that I was having with my 11 year old MacBook Pro became a bit of a frustration. Insufficient RAM, programmes that couldn’t be updated because the operating system was an old one, keys with loose caps etc etc. So I decided that the answer was a new laptop. I couldn’t really afford another Pro but the Air was relatively reasonable particularly if you went for the M1 chip rather than the M2. The difference? I’m not really sure but it kept within what I could afford so … M1 it is.

The draw back with the M1 was that there appears that none were on hand in North America so it had to be brought in from China. On the 21st of February I received a cheery message advising me that my new toy was on it’s way. Hurrah!

I decided to track the package’s progress with UPS. It left Shanghai and made its way to Tokyo; then onward to Anchorage; hence to Louisville, Kentucky. For some reason it spend four days languishing in that fair city – which I have been given to understand is two days more than most tourists. It continued on the journey to Hamilton thence to Mirabel. A final spurt brought it here to Charlottetown and its home on Water Street. In nine days the damned thing travelled more than I have in the past four years!

“So you were all set to go!” guesses my faithful reader. Incorrect. I had to transfer the files and apps from old to new. Fortunately Apple makes it easy to do it with their Migration Assistant. You pair the two over the wireless network, hit the continue button and everything is migrated. And all it takes is 37 hours. No faithful reader, you read correctly 37 hours and eight minutes to be exact. Note to self: should you ever have to do this again clean up the old computer!

Being Apple none of my accessories fit the available ports (2 thunderthighed or something) as the connections are no longer lightening. So I had to buy a new mouse (I confess I am a failure at the trackpad) and say goodbye to the disc player. Strangely there is a port for headsets and it’s the plug in sort. The sooner we follow the EU and stop companies from doing this sort of thing the better for all of us.

As for the “Magic” Mouse it is as sensitive as my Aunt Maude, of late memory, was about her moustache. An accidental swipe with the wrong finger can get you into a great deal of trouble. Hmm that doesn’t sound …. never mind. Sadly I am one of those people who doesn’t read the manual because: I’ll figure it out!” I usually do though it may take months.

Yes I knew I am wailing and whingeing about a brand sparkling new computer but if I can’t wail and whinge to you dear faithful reader, Who?

Damn I just did something with that bloody mouse and everything went big!

The word for March 14^th is:
Whinge wĭnj, hwĭnj: [^1.noun ^2.verb]
^1.1 A complaint.
^1.2 A whine.
2.1 To whine.
2.2 To complain in an annoying or persistent manner.
Dialectal alteration of Middle English whinsen, from Old English hwinsian to whine.

Memes for a Monday

Well at least this week I have them up before sunset.

Let’s start the week with every middle manager’s favourite PowerPoint slide – a Pie Chart.

When you care enough to send …

But is that how the composer really meant it to sound?

A Dragon’s Den yes or no?

Let’s hope that Herman is a good sport about it all.

This reminds me of many a church potlucks.

If you get this you are officially an old fart; a really old fart.

You’ll hear more about the curse of the MacBook tomorrow.

This is dedicated to my former travelling travel companions Sidd and Juan.

Offered without comment.

And I leave you with this question to ponder:

The word for March 13^th is:
Gnome nōm: [noun]
^1.1 One of a fabled race of dwarflike creatures who live underground and guard treasure hoards.
^1.2 In the occult philosophy of Paracelsus, a being that has earth as its element.
1712, from French gnome (16c.), from Medieval Latin gnomus, used 16c. in a treatise by Paracelsus, who gave the name pigmaei or gnomi to elemental earth beings, possibly from Greek genomos “earth-dweller”.
^1.3 A pithy saying that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle; an aphorism.
1570s, from Greek gnōmē “judgment, opinion; maxim, the opinion of wise men,” from PIE root *gno- “to know.”

A Tune for Thursday

In 1969 a brash young singer/actress from Hawaii left the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof to launch a cabaret career. The unlikely venue was the Continental Baths in the Astoria Hotel. It was the start to five decades of records, revue/concert tours, films, TV and finally back to Broadway as the star of Hello Dolly in 2017.

In many of her albums, shows, and TV appearances she showed a fondest, no an outright passion, for music of the 30s, 40s, and 50s. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this largely forgotten number* from Gold Diggers of 1933.

The song was written by Al Dublin and Harry Warren for one of Warner Brothers’ big musical extravaganzas staged by Busby Berkeley. Strangely it ended the film on a serious note reminding the audience of the Depression just outside. And of the men who had returned from the Great War and were truly “forgotten” by their government and, I dare say, much of the population.

Unfortunately there isn’t a version that gives the number complete so I’ve taken what was available and posted it as two clips. Joan Blondell introduces the lyrics spoken over the music followed by Etta Moten in an emotional vocal with a blues background. Moten also dubbed Blondell in the finale. She was a remarkable singer worth a post on her own.

For Berkeley the first section was simple but he follows it up with a charged montage of soldiers, breadlines, out of work men, and finally, if a bit incongruously, a bit production number. Strangely it doesn’t blunt the message that the heroes of a war are soon forgotten.

*Though some aspects of Dublin’s lyrics leave room for some discussion today the message that abandoned veterans are one of the casualties of any war takes precedent in my view.

The word for March 9th is:
Forget fər-gĕt′, fôr-: [verb]
^1.1 To be unable to remember (something or someone).
^1.2 To treat with thoughtless inattention; neglect.
^1.3 To leave behind unintentionally.
From Middle English forgeten, forgiten, from Old English forġietan (“to forget”).

Bending Not Breaking

As I have on March 8^th in past years, today I am presenting a virtual sprig of Mimosa to the women in my life. I am presenting it not just in appreciation but with the firm belief that equality is the right of all.

This deceptively fragile flower bends in the strongest winds but does not break – for me the perfect symbol of the strength of the women that I know and cherish. Thank you for letting me into your life and for becoming an important part of mine.

The word for March 8th is:
Bend bĕnd: [verb]
1.1 to force an object from a straight form into a curved or angular one, or from a curved or angular form into some different form.
1.2 to direct or turn in a particular direction.
1.3 to modify or relax temporarily.
Old English bendan “to bring into a curved state; confine with a string, fetter,” causative of bindan “to bind,” from Proto-Germanic base band– “string, band” (source also of Old Norse benda “to join, strain, strive, bend”).

Memes for a Monday

As twilight descends Monday’s Memes come out of hiding.

Well it’s only sixteen days away. Yeah right!

Will no one think of the poor defenceless snowmen?

Why I don’t go to Starbucks – aside from the fact the coffee is bad.

I am remind of a school in our district originally called Scarlet Heights Institute of Technology. They changed the name

Great Bibical truths.

But was it free range and did you play Mozart to it?

Oh that’s what it is!

A thought to take you through the week.

The word for March 6^th is:
Tickle tĭk′əl: [^1. noun ^2. verb]
^1.1 A touch or delicate stroke in a manner which causes the recipient to feel a usually pleasant sensation of tingling or titillation.
^1.2 A cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking.
^1.3 Newfoundland A narrow strait.
^2.1 To touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements.
^2.2 To tease or excite pleasurably; titillate.
^2.3 To fill with mirth or pleasure; delight.
c. 1300 (implied in tickling) “to touch lightly so as to cause a peculiar and uneasy or thrilling sensation in the nerves,” of uncertain origin, possibly a frequentative form of tick (v.) in its older sense of “to touch.” The Old English form was tinclian.