Pttt, pttt, is this thing on? In the St. Nick of time I bit the bullet and bought my MacBook. It's so...cute! And quiet. I was not aware that my poor HP was a major source of noise pollution. Heck, I could even take my MacBook into bed with me!! NO! (Maybe). Kidding. (Not.) Yes. (No.) And with my external hard drive humming away backing up every .37 seconds I am feeling oh so superior. That is if it weren't for the fact that I am still not out of the woods with my old(er) PC. In fact, it's sitting here glaring at me as I type this, so I'm sure smoke will start billowing out of its hard drive at any moment.
[Oh dagnabbit! Note to self...control c followed by control v on a Mac equals the letter v. Must. learn. about. command. keys.]
So I'm glad to be back - the next week or so has me catching up on your comments, my favorite blogs, a SusieJ meme and DC Metro Moms posts. As for Gift of Green, let's start where we left off, shall we? And that would be with Crunchy Chicken's Freeze Yer Buns challenge.
First, let me say that I am always cold, I hate to be cold, and I will curl up on the couch like a cat creating an oasis of warmth from which I will not move. My co-workers tales of her heated *mattress pad* makes me want to cry tears of joy (and envy). I sometimes hop in bed with all my clothes on because...heck, it's COLD! Do I live in Massachusetts? Maine? The Yukon? No. Virginia. Doesn't Virginia just conjure up images of frosty window panes and 6 foot snow drifts? Negatory. I admit that since my upbringing in Massachusetts I have become a weather wimp.
So let's just say I was shocked, nay, horrified, by the average day and night temps in which these fellow Freeze Your Buns off participants were managing to...exist.
But enough of my blathering. Let's do the numbers (Cue "Stormy Weather"):
[Hold please...checking automatic thermostat for night temp in the Gift of Green household]
OH MY JEEZ 72 degrees! I'm so ashamed!
But for some reason that's only on weekday nights. Saturday and Sunday nights I've set the thermostat for 62 degrees starting at 10:00 p.m. (with 70 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) - as well as during the weekdays. Looks like my thermostat might need some fine tuning...but maybe not tonight.
Showing posts with label computers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computers. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Greening Your Thermostat
I am not getting any [more] sympathy from Green Husband about my home computer (now dead as a doorknob (where did that expression come from anyway? Dead as a doorknob? Or is it doornail? But I digress) since I'd been belly-aching about it for eons and had done nothing about it and so this is just a means to gain *your* sympathy, dear reader, and to tell you that after this Tuesday posts should be back up and running.
So here I am typing at work, albeit on a break, but at work nonetheless, which I think is highly prohibited, so I'll make it short because shortly I will need to pay off a new computer and having a job makes that slightly easier.
So, to keep a long story short (too late) here is a great tidbit I want to share, and to give props where props are do, I must say that I was directed to Crunchy Chicken's site from Geggie's site (thank you, Geggie) and even though I'm a bit late in starting the Freeze Yer Buns challenge, there is still plenty o' time to jump on the bandwagon.
More deets on our strategy in one of those Post-Tuesday posts I alluded too...
So here I am typing at work, albeit on a break, but at work nonetheless, which I think is highly prohibited, so I'll make it short because shortly I will need to pay off a new computer and having a job makes that slightly easier.
So, to keep a long story short (too late) here is a great tidbit I want to share, and to give props where props are do, I must say that I was directed to Crunchy Chicken's site from Geggie's site (thank you, Geggie) and even though I'm a bit late in starting the Freeze Yer Buns challenge, there is still plenty o' time to jump on the bandwagon.
More deets on our strategy in one of those Post-Tuesday posts I alluded too...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Green Blues
As you may have guessed, my computer is seriously on the fritz. I am in the process of raising the $1200 necessary to purchase a new MacBook (please don't tell my current HP). Once my new white wonder is up and running, I hope to post with the vim and verve my readers have come to expect. In the meantime, access is both spotty and tempermental.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Farmer's Markets and Larger Markets
shhh. it's computer-free friday. you never saw me here. let's just say i wrote this post last night and am simply posting it now. yeah, that's the ticket...
Yesterday, for the first time in, oh, ever, I had lunch with my sister-in-law. No kids, no husbands...just me and my SIL. As she would say, "How fun is that!?" We met near her place of work, and because our lunching establishment was steps from a major mall, after we air-kissed goodbye, I, shall we say, hit it.
Since I've been married, I've probably only been to a shopping mall a handful of times (as opposed to the other mall which we hit quite frequently). This compared to my young, care-free, budget-busting bachelorette days when I would probably Metro there twice a week after work.
As I walked off my lunch and stopped in the many, many, many shops, I could not help noticing that my new status as a Wanna Greenie has changed my mall-going experience.
The noise - From the music in the stores to the people talking on their cellphones, I never realized just how noisy a shopping mall can be. It was quite overwhelming at first and then, of course, it becomes second nature to read a magazine at the bookstore while listening to Burning Ring of Fire (which happens to be one of my favorite songs, but that's not the point!).
The lights and lack there of - In addition to the aural bombardment was the visual bombardment of lights and spinning things and window displays. Don't get me wrong. There are times when I absolutely LOVE visual and aural bombardment - walking in Manhattan is one of my all time favorite activities. Fifth Avenue feels energizing to me - the mall does not. Maybe it's because I don't have New Yorker about to run up my heels if I don't pick up the pace, but perhaps it's because of the lack of natural light and a purely artificial environment.
and
The cr@p, my gosh, the cr@p - I could not help but critique the quality of the goods sold at the mall. Of course, there are some very high quality, and even eco-friendly goods, but the majority of "stuff" was pure junk, especially the clothing. I can't tell you how many times I put back a shirt or piece of "jewelery" thinking...I could get something better for a third of the price at the thrift store or something even more beautiful than this handmade on Etsy. I would never have considered these options before becoming a Wanna Greenie.
How has becoming a Wanna Greenie changed your shopping mall perspective...if you still go them?
Oh, and while I was there I just happened to stumble upon the Apple store, and yes, I will be getting a MacBook - thanks for all your recommendations. I am a little nervous about making the leap from PC to Apple, but I think I can deal. Can anyone tell me how much memory their MacBook has and if that is sufficient for their blogging/surfing needs? Also, can you tell me what type of external hard drive you have for backing up all those adorable baby pictures you've stashed away on your C: drive?
Have a great Friday, everyone. And remember. You never saw me here.
Yesterday, for the first time in, oh, ever, I had lunch with my sister-in-law. No kids, no husbands...just me and my SIL. As she would say, "How fun is that!?" We met near her place of work, and because our lunching establishment was steps from a major mall, after we air-kissed goodbye, I, shall we say, hit it.
Since I've been married, I've probably only been to a shopping mall a handful of times (as opposed to the other mall which we hit quite frequently). This compared to my young, care-free, budget-busting bachelorette days when I would probably Metro there twice a week after work.
As I walked off my lunch and stopped in the many, many, many shops, I could not help noticing that my new status as a Wanna Greenie has changed my mall-going experience.
The noise - From the music in the stores to the people talking on their cellphones, I never realized just how noisy a shopping mall can be. It was quite overwhelming at first and then, of course, it becomes second nature to read a magazine at the bookstore while listening to Burning Ring of Fire (which happens to be one of my favorite songs, but that's not the point!).
The lights and lack there of - In addition to the aural bombardment was the visual bombardment of lights and spinning things and window displays. Don't get me wrong. There are times when I absolutely LOVE visual and aural bombardment - walking in Manhattan is one of my all time favorite activities. Fifth Avenue feels energizing to me - the mall does not. Maybe it's because I don't have New Yorker about to run up my heels if I don't pick up the pace, but perhaps it's because of the lack of natural light and a purely artificial environment.
and
The cr@p, my gosh, the cr@p - I could not help but critique the quality of the goods sold at the mall. Of course, there are some very high quality, and even eco-friendly goods, but the majority of "stuff" was pure junk, especially the clothing. I can't tell you how many times I put back a shirt or piece of "jewelery" thinking...I could get something better for a third of the price at the thrift store or something even more beautiful than this handmade on Etsy. I would never have considered these options before becoming a Wanna Greenie.
How has becoming a Wanna Greenie changed your shopping mall perspective...if you still go them?
Oh, and while I was there I just happened to stumble upon the Apple store, and yes, I will be getting a MacBook - thanks for all your recommendations. I am a little nervous about making the leap from PC to Apple, but I think I can deal. Can anyone tell me how much memory their MacBook has and if that is sufficient for their blogging/surfing needs? Also, can you tell me what type of external hard drive you have for backing up all those adorable baby pictures you've stashed away on your C: drive?
Have a great Friday, everyone. And remember. You never saw me here.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Housekeeping
Before I go any further, I have several housekeeping issues that I must address. No, not my housekeeping! Housekeeping in general (what is the origin of that phrase and why is it always used at conferences when they want to start by telling you where the bathrooms are or when the breaks will be?).
Maybe it's because some of my readers are from places where there isn't a lot of hunting, but I have received several emails telling me that freezer paper is probably as rare as gilding in their particular neck of the woods. So...as a public service, the first three people who let me know via comments that they cannot find freezer paper will receive a box of Reynolds Freezer Paper courtesy of moi. (Hey Reynolds...here's your opportunity to shine. Email me.) If I've already offered to send you some, no need to comment. Now SusieJ and Because I'm Me already know I'm a bit...er...post office-ally challenged, so plan for those Christmas freezer paper projects! Just kidding. I'll send them out this weekend, so please comment by midnight EST, Friday, September 28th.
Moving on. My computer is dying. I have a Compaq nx9010 and I can barely hear you guys because the fan is so. loud. The fan is on all. the. time. That can't be good. My laptop has served me well for over five years now and considering I won it in a raffle (read: free but for the price of a ticket), I have been uber-happy with it, especially the huge (by today's standards) keyboard. It served me well during two bouts of bedrest and has helped me kick off my very lucrative blogging career (oh, gosh, I'm so funny).
But, I now get more mysterious error messages than ever whenever I boot up and speaking of booting, it really can take between 7 to 10 minutes from the time I hit the "on" button to the time I can actually start typing. I don't want to jinx you Baby, but Compaq nx9010, I just want to give you the rest that you deserve. (But not before I download all the baby pictures I've been foolishly saving to my hard drive). So, (do you see where this is leading?)...what laptop do you use? Would you recommend it? Should I make the leap to Mac? And...I don't suppose there's anything Green about a computer, is there? Bamboo space bar? Perhaps to go truly green I should just take my laptop in for some TLC?
Maybe it's because some of my readers are from places where there isn't a lot of hunting, but I have received several emails telling me that freezer paper is probably as rare as gilding in their particular neck of the woods. So...as a public service, the first three people who let me know via comments that they cannot find freezer paper will receive a box of Reynolds Freezer Paper courtesy of moi. (Hey Reynolds...here's your opportunity to shine. Email me.) If I've already offered to send you some, no need to comment. Now SusieJ and Because I'm Me already know I'm a bit...er...post office-ally challenged, so plan for those Christmas freezer paper projects! Just kidding. I'll send them out this weekend, so please comment by midnight EST, Friday, September 28th.
Moving on. My computer is dying. I have a Compaq nx9010 and I can barely hear you guys because the fan is so. loud. The fan is on all. the. time. That can't be good. My laptop has served me well for over five years now and considering I won it in a raffle (read: free but for the price of a ticket), I have been uber-happy with it, especially the huge (by today's standards) keyboard. It served me well during two bouts of bedrest and has helped me kick off my very lucrative blogging career (oh, gosh, I'm so funny).
But, I now get more mysterious error messages than ever whenever I boot up and speaking of booting, it really can take between 7 to 10 minutes from the time I hit the "on" button to the time I can actually start typing. I don't want to jinx you Baby, but Compaq nx9010, I just want to give you the rest that you deserve. (But not before I download all the baby pictures I've been foolishly saving to my hard drive). So, (do you see where this is leading?)...what laptop do you use? Would you recommend it? Should I make the leap to Mac? And...I don't suppose there's anything Green about a computer, is there? Bamboo space bar? Perhaps to go truly green I should just take my laptop in for some TLC?
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