Heroes

Our lives are filled with gifts, not the least of which are pets. Heroes in their own way.

True Nature

When the lie is revealed the world around us will collapse and we will have to deal with our true nature.

Life's not a race

Life isn't a race.... if it is, the finish line is the same for all of us and no one wins. So, just enjoy the journey.

Customer Service

It's said all the time, but really is true.  If you're in business and you really want to distinguish your company from all the rest provide excellent service.  Yes, take the extra step, even if you might not have any immediate financial gain.

It's the right thing to do, and it will pay off.  You'll gain more customers and keep the ones you have. Case in point, after replacing a hard drive I needed to reauthorize a Photoshop plugin called Noise Ninja ( which has long since been renamed and improved) but couldn't  find the keycode I needed. Taking a chance I contacted the company and let the know my situation. Fully expecting to be ignored and/or told I was out of luck and needed to shell out a small fortune and upgrade all my software. 

That didn't happen. Instead, they looked me up in their records and sent me the keycode I needed. I was thrilled, and definitely will be using their products when I do upgrade, and am in fact in the process of making several upgrades and their 

Reduces are on my list.

So, just a reminder to you business folks, the extra efforts you make are noticed and appreciated.

Be yourself

We're all unique. There's no mould that we all come from or fit into. We need to remember this, and just be ourselves. There's no harm in that.

Out of balance

I'm feeling a bit out of balance... probably because I'm being sucked into so old habits of focusing too much on software, upgrades, computer issues, and the likes, and not focusing on more meaningful and creative endeavors. Time to take a step back, take a deep breath, and relax... all things in their own time.

Believe

We need to be fierce in our belief, especially in ourselves.... and that's how we change the world.

Listen for clues

It's so true that we don't know what's on the road ahead, but listening to our hearts may give us some clues.

Everything is broken

Let not the world break your spirit, for it surely will in the blink of an eye... be strong, and whole, and mindful. Nourish your dreams and watch them grow, or neglect them and let them die. The choice is yours.

Eye of the beholder

Creativity is an unstoppable force, it's in our nature, part of our DNA, but what we consider art changes with the wind.  Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

Through it all

Through it all you were at my side and that meant everything to me.

Cats

Spent the day sleeping and hanging out with the cats.

Both good for the spirit and good for recovery.

Beautiful Music

Our lives are sympathies of constant changes in pitch and time that make their own rhythms, and hit highs and lows of joy and sorrow woven from the fabric of our souls. We were born to make music and share our living song until we take our final breath.

Holding On

We try so hard to hold on to passing moments as they slip through our grasp.

Government Corruption

It amazes me when folks get upset with government. I guess they think it's okay until government thugs actually infringe on one of their rights, or extort some fee, fine, or tax.... but the rest of the time this behavior is okay.  It isn't!  And it just might be too late to do anything about a government that's corrupt to the core.

All is chaos

Our connected world doesn't mean a thing unless we bring some meaning to it. We're the ones who define the equations, set the parameters, and set it all in motion. Until we do, all is chaos.

Lost Moments

They are gone before we can blink and fade like life into the void of time.

Adapt or die

Windows XP served me well and in fact will be around for ages.  I work for an outfit that has no upgrade plans and has a cross your fingers and pray policy when it comes to technology and planning for the future, and I'm sure there are a lot of other outfits that take the same approach.

Personally I'm moving on and moving ahead. It will be interesting to see what happens with the old legacy world   Remember: adapt or die.

Losing Connection

It seems that the more we connect, the more we lose our connections to one another.

Broken Windows

So, back to tales of the upgrade, which for the most part is going extremely well.  That's the good news.  Considering I'm going to a new operating system, I expected things to go much worse, but then again I'm only going from Windows XP to Windows 7.  

If Best Buy ever carried any in store inventory where I live I'd have bitten the bullet and gone to Windows 8.1, but that's a whole different post.  Let me just say that it probably worked out better this way.

The only real major issues I've had during this process have been with Microsoft products.  I've been able to install and upgrade all my other software with only a couple of little hiccups that were resolved quickly.

Not so with Microsoft, I couldn't even get Office 365 installed.  Here's a product that they're touting as the future of their services and software and you can't even use it.  Paying for something you can't use rubs me and, judging from the message boards at Microsoft, tens of thousands of others the wrong way.

It's these experiences that we the paying user remember.  If it ain't broke don't break it and if it is, fix it!     It's that simple.  Too bad Microsoft will never understand this.

Extra Protection

Okay, my new system is up and running (more on that later), so I'm back online and gearing up for major changes in my projects and how they're managed.

During my initial program setup (downloading and installing) of things I like to use, such as iTunes, Firefox, Chrome, etc. I noticed how much more aggressive malware and spyware have become with their malicious targeting scams and decided rather than waste time with these threats that get around virus checker I'd add some extra protection.

I went with SpyHunter 4 (I know the screenshot shows version 3) and have been very pleased with them so far and amazed at what the software caught, removed, and blocks. I'm using the paid version, not some freeware that has little vested interest in my protect.  This review details the software in some detail.

Compute safely folks, and remember, have fun.... Life's short.

Fog

The world's in a fog of confusion and we're all lost in the haze of daily living, salvation just a heartbeat away.

Distractions

The world is full of distractions for me right now. Still trying to get my health back on track, if that's even possible, and getting a new computer system up and running. Didn't even realize that I'd missed a blog post yesterday.... Interesting times these are indeed.

Eating Well

After a health scare my cardiac nurse has me nearly convinced that everything we eat is a plate of death. *sigh*  I'm going for tasty and healthy, but the two seem to be in contradiction to one another.

Spring in California

It's so dry in California.... you'd be hard pressed to find any wildflowers. So much for photo ops. :-(

Relax

Take some time for fun, relax, unwind, and leave the crazy world behind for a bit. It's good for the soul.

So long ago

Those special moments fade away.... 

Not to be recaptured, nor lived again, but just let go of...

McKinley Morganfield

A big Happy Birthday going out to McKinley Morganfield aka Muddy Waters... You made the world a better place...

Right where I left off

It's funny, but after being gone for two months to recover from some serious health issues, you come back and you're right back to where you left off.... It's hard to keep it from sucking you back in, but change must start somewhere, and that means don't expect it from others... Work smarter, not harder.... I must.

Back in the cube

Yes, I'm back in the cube and it's as bad as I remembered it.... maybe even a little worse. The trick is to not let it consume me... and onward we march.

Back to work

It's back to work for me tomorrow after two months of trying to recover from quadruple bypass surgery. It's been tough, and though I'd like to think I can hit the ground running, that's not going to happen. I've got a long way to go, and doubt I'll ever be 100% again. My goal now is to keep on the mend, and try and work smarter, not harder.  I do have some news on the upgrade front, that will have to wait for another post.