Posted by Instagrate to WordPress
October 2012
Waiting.
So today I’m sitting in the Jeep and enjoying the sun for my lunch hour. Yesterday I treated myself to an unsweetened iced tea from the Dunkin’ Donuts near home but today I have opted to not do such a thing. Bottled water is the beverage of necessity this lunch hour.
You can see in the picture above that I’m smiling. Observant people will also notice that I am wearing my Ubuntu shirt at work today. I love the feel of this shirt and it fits me well. I opted to wear my Ubuntu shirt today because at any moment, the latest version of Ubuntu, 12.10 or “Quantal Quetzal” will be released to the masses. For those unfamiliar with Ubuntu, it is a Linux distro, or a version of Linux. It’s actually one of the easiest distros to install and it gives the user all sorts of functionality at no cost. Web browsing, email, office applications, chat… all of it is free of cost. Heck, even the operating system can be downloaded at no-charge.
I have been wanting to switch back to Linux full-time for a while now. Some will roll their eyes and say “I thought you loved Apple!”, but over the past year or so, the things that are suppose to “just work” have required a lot more tinkering and futzing than something that “just works” should and I can’t really justify the extra cost of getting something that “just works” when it doesn’t. I’m tired of spending money on new version of software and the latest and greatest app. The thing that bothered me the most was that a monitor that was purchased in early 2012 was not compatible with a MacBook Pro that was purchased in 2010, even though the connectors look the same. The monitor plugs in, but there’s something in the magic tube there that doesn’t let the monitor work with that incarnation of MacBook Pro. That’s when I said, “enough is enough”.
I’m using quote marks a lot in this blog entry.
So I have opted to go back to Linux full-time and become a Linux crusader again. This makes me happy. And that is one of the reasons as to why I’m smiling today.
Awesome Color.
Posted by Instagrate to WordPress
Once in a while, it’s good to have a little reminder that it’s quite easy to find the beauty in your surroundings.
This display of autumn foliage is along our back lawn.
Planet Fitness.
So last night Earl and I joined the gym again. We are now card carrying members at Planet Fitness. A 24 hour, seven day a week gym is the only way to go. Can’t sleep? Go run on the treadmill. Need to relieve stress? Go run on the treadmill. Reality television blaring on the tube in the living room? Go run on the treadmill.
I was a little hesitant to join Planet Fitness again because we had a little bit of a falling out when their accounting system couldn’t handle two men sharing a checking account (only one membership would debit the account properly, the other one just accumulated late charges) and there was some yelling involved to get it all settled. I thought we might be banned for life. So I took the safe approach and signed up online where the website looked particularly flashy but not very technically savvy, figuring I could get my membership in without setting off the alarms. I was right! There was no one from the Planet Fitness security force ready to escort us out when we picked up our membership cards last night.
While I prefer to workout at the very least at home or better yet, riding my bike along over creation, the weather is getting to where it’s not going to be practical for much longer. So we need the gym to fill in for the snow-laden months, plus I can work on building up some muscle once I reach milestone 4. (I reached milestone #3 today and I’m quite happy).
Last night Earl and I walked side-by-side on treadmills and it was quite enjoyable. I am looking forward to heading back there again tonight.
Sensible Eating.
I found this article on Lifehacker to be quite interesting. I thought I would share with the class.
Monday Soul.
When we were growing up in the mobile home, Mom often watched “Soul Train” on the black and white television in the “dining room” (the original living room before the addition to the trailer) after we were done with the Saturday morning cartoons (and Shazam/Isis and ElectraWoman and DynaGirl). From an early episode of “Soul Train”, from 1972 here’s “I’ll Be Around” by The Spinners. It is still a very awesome track. You can hear samples of “I’ll Be Around” on Michael Moog’s “That Sound”, which was released in 2001.
Cozy.
So yesterday after Earl and I returned from our getaway weekend, the weather turned very warm. We woke up to nearly freezing temperatures, by 3:00 p.m. it was almost 70. It turned out to be a perfect day to get a bike ride in. I ended up riding just shy of 25 miles in about two hours.
I opted to take the “really hilly route”, as I like to think of it. It’d been a while since I’d ridden up a few of the hills I found along my route but it was a good workout for the arms and legs and I felt a good sense of accomplishment after the climbs.
When I go for a bike ride I tend to ride north and/or west, especially at this time of year. Riding up into the small villages of Holland Patent, Barneveld and Remsen seems like a natural for autumn; the leaves are gorgeous as they change to brilliant colors. The scent of fireplaces and wood stoves fill the air and there’s just a feeling of coziness as I ride by the historic, rural houses. It’s the same feeling I had when we lived in our first house together. That house was built in 1854 and had the fireplaces and the type of kitchen that just begged to be filled with the smells of baking cookies. It’s probably odd that one would feel cozy on a long-distance bike ride, but that’s exactly how I felt yesterday.
Yet another reason that this really is my favorite time of year.
