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I dreamed that David Thorne visited my blog
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Dreams
- Hits: 1816
That's it. As I prepared my thoughts of the day (do I have any? Not sure, anyways, that won't stop me writing) I remembered a dream in which I saw in the back end of the blog a visit by David Thorne. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.
Terabyte Hard Drive
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Technology
- Hits: 2120
It's time, I need to clean up my PC, tamper with the registry, the CD/DVD burner doesn't work, as of yet, and so I pry open my wallet and splurge for a Terabyte Hard drive (external).
This should allow me to do a backup of files.
And it does, in a way, only a 45 GB backup takes 48 hours. 48 freaking hours!!!
The USB 3, whatever that is, doesn't appear to be supported by my PC. Funny, while I looked over all the features of the new drive (CNET pick of the year, small, needs no external power...), I failed to note that it was SLOW AS MOLASSES IN JANUARY. SLOW AS CANADA POST!!!
Mind you, that wasn't a feature bragged about on the box.
But now, finally, it's reasonably current and as soon as I have even just a little bit of spare time I can begin cleaning and fixing it up.
Garage Sales - Week 1 - 2011
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2057
Now there have been a few, very few, you'd see them driving around the city, signs posted 4 or 5 miles apart, but really, garage sale season began this weekend.
Friday there was a teaser - a senior's sale at the 50+ center in Killarney. Nothing really, a few passes around the work before I settled on a couple of blood pressure test kits for one of the customers at work who seems a little preoccupied with his health lately. When I get to work they prove to be the highlight, as all the staff line up to check their blood pressure.
Saturday, though, Saturday is where it's at.
It's the Good Samaritan Rummage Sale at the Hillhurst community center.
And I'm there, faithful as an old dog, about 7:30. There are the usual suspects, perhaps 30 people in line ahead of me, dealers, the usual suspects, I know them all. I've picked myself up a coffee and a spare, just in case, and I offer up a random act of kindness and give it to the book fairy. I could use the connection and stand beside him, pretend I was joining him in line, but that's just tacky.
I feel I should have dressed up for this, and the line slowly builds up behind me. I've brought a book and a plastic chair to sit in and while away the time, chat to my neighbors, the atmosphere is convivial, jovial, but I don't kid myself, it will be competitive as hell once I get through the doors.
I do my stretches.
The lady in front of me, she comments on how the line fills, when we arrived there were perhaps 30 people ahead of us, now there are almost a hundred, and she's spoken too soon. She's joined by her grand daughter, her husband, her friends, ..... I'd be annoyed, but I'm focused on the sale.
At 9:00 we finally enter. And it's a mad dash to the collectables cabinet, nothing of interest today, then the jewelry in the main gym, again nothing of interest. I expand my search, in the end pick up some neckties, baubles for people at work, nothing, really, of merit. Nothing to justify the wait.
From here I'm off to the Knights of Columbus, which started at 8:00 but I couldn't, still can't be in 2 places at the same time. And this looks OK, a Crucifix that opens to reveal candles & holy water, for giving the last rites (perfect, again, for one of the older Italian ladies at work), a vintage alarm clock that some moron over wound and then decided he didn't want (and so they marked it down for me...), other trifles that I have to talk myself out of buying.
I look for the St. Lukes garage sale on Northmount drive, miss my turn, turn back but can't seem to find it, a couple of passes and that's it, time is passing and I'll have to search further.
I go to St. Michael's - a school in the South West, meet a dealer I know carting out an antique pine chest, otherwise there's nothing.
We chat. I've played it wrong, this Saturday, there were 22 church sales on this morning but I put all my eggs in the Samaritan basket, and while it's been good in the past, was good this year, there was nothing exceptional. I should have traded my first on the scene there for first on the scene at any number of other sales, the finds would have, could only have been better.
***
When I get home there's a call from someone replying to a Kijiji ad I had posted, originally contacted me in October, now in town to pick up his piece, while here he picks up a few other bits and bobs and overall, by the end I've covered the morning's excesses.
Out with the old, in with the new.
***
Sunday, coffee with a friend, on the way home a garage sale sign, pop in, some used electronics, a better mini stereo for a song, some questionable electronics and computer stuff that needs to be tested, all in all not a bad weekend, not exceptional, but it's only week one...
March Hares
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 1929
Sunday morning, the only day off this week, in the morning sipping coffee outside, a large, well fed coyote with bush tail and a glossy pelt walks across the ridge behind the condo. Working his way east, towards the golf course, indifferent to any spectators. The cats will stay in today.
And all throughout the day there are rabbits in fields, on the sides of the road, lawns, it looks to be their year. Hawks sit on fenceposts looking for the smaller game or just hanging in the air.
The sky's an unblemished blue, perfect, gem like, it's as if it's never snowed, certainly not just a few days before, now, almost indisputably, it's spring.
Almost.
Later there are the crowds walking along the river, a cool evening, and in the night there are shimmering curtains of phosphorescence in northern sky, iridescent and changing colors, they play for an hour or two before fading to a dull glow.
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