Pink Flowers and Nifty Shadows …

I suspect I’ll continue to share photos & tidbits here (as well as on my two blogger sites) from time to time … but I publish more regularly at my NEW self hosted blog called Giraffe Journal and my Labyrinth Journal website so I hope you’ll visit me at either (or both) as time permits.

Scroll down for Shadow Shot Sunday and more …

Just these two roses
blooming on the parkway now …
and pink Azaleas

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday and Today’s Flowers

Potted plant shadows
playing on my patio …
amidst STRANGE weather!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Shadow Shot Sunday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. my Explorer is ready to hit the road again next week after having some maintenance work completed today.

2. for a productive morning at home followed by a pleasant afternoon with my sister ending with ‘fish tacos’ at Duke’s … delicious day & dinner!

3. the sun’s breaking through earlier again this morning after a couple of overcast days here at the beach.

4. a lovely lunch with a good friend, the kindness of strangers, learning to use Skype today and helping someone else get started with Skype too.

5. that I discovered and am participating in a Festival of Change at Online Clarity.

6. I watered the yard deeply in anticipation of the trip and that my neighbor will feed Ms. Kitty in my absence.

7. I’m packed & ready to drive to Phoenix, AZ tomorrow with my sister where we’ll spend the next 6 days.

8. that Molly loves to visit Camp Ilene when I travel & can’t take her with me … for 4 additional free Buttermilk Spice muffins from Mimi’s Cafe to bring with us … and that my sister wanted to stop at the Cabazon outlets yesterday because I found an excellent ‘deal’ on a lovely white bag at the Brighton store.

9. to be attending the Your Purpose Summit with Baeth Davis this weekend even though I’m thoroughly confused at the end of the first day’s sessions.

10. Barb encouraged me to attend the VIP party last night even though I felt overwhelmed because this morning clarity has come through my journaling and I’m ready for what comes next.

11. for yesterday’s ‘private analysis of my hand’ along with the many people I’ve met who have helped me figure out my ‘purpose’ and the book I’m going to publish with the help of the people at Vervante.

12. for some ‘down time’ Sunday afternoon to relax around & swim in the pool at the resort & spa after the event ended … finally!

13. for the delightful & surprising ways things fell together on the drive back from Phoenix. It’s good to be home again.

14. for emerging clarity about the books I’m going to publish & the business I’ll begin based on them.

15. all 8 of the domain names I wanted were available at GoDaddy so I bought them all … and I’ve connected with a website designer I met last weekend who I’m hoping will develop my site with me so I can devote my attention to other things.

16. Michelle at GoDaddy ‘tech support’ called this morning and helped me set up ‘LabyrinthJournal.com’ to be hosted at WordPress as a ‘site under construction’ with an email attached to it for ‘business’ purposes clear signs of progress.

17. for a good night’s sleep and breakfast out with a friend this morning since I’ve not yet gotten myself to a grocery store since returning home from Arizona on Monday.

18. I’ve created a new place to playfully share stories online called Giraffe Journals and hope you’ll want to check it out & play with me there … just because.

19. a friend told me about the Surf City Surf Dog contest at Dog Beach this morning … it was great fun and I took lots of photos to share, but for now … here’s a ‘kewl’ YouTube video is from the Los Angeles Times:

20. for visitors to my new self-hosted WordPress blog, Giraffe Journal, who left supportive, enthusiastic comments as I step out into this virtual world to be known … just as I am.

21. for all the wonderful resources coming my way to help with this huge transition in my life.

22. to know I’m changing in small but significant ways each day as I step into my future … pursuing my purpose passionately!

23. I’m one of the first six to sign up for the six-month Get Your Book Done Live training with Christine Klosur & Lynne Klippel. That means I receive a free one-hour ‘coaching’ call as a bonus in addition to big savings on the cost by paying in full up front!

24. for people like Marianne Williamson who inspire millions to step up & take meaningful actions … making a difference. I highly recommend watching this interview on ‘mashable tv’ that won’t seem to appear here (as it did at Small Reflections) no matter what I do, but (fortunately) DOES show up when I click the preceding ‘interview’ link.

25. for a pleasant lunch & visit at Z’ Tejas with a friend this afternoon … sharing a delicious enchilada entree & yummy skillet cobbler dessert!

26. for ‘Rick’ at GoDaddy tech support who exhibited great patience and resourcefulness in assisting me with ‘access’ issues at my new self-hosted Giraffe Journal site last night after I changed the URL earlier in the day.

27. for a lovely afternoon at the Lyceum Theater viewing ‘Alice’ followed by dinner at Mimi’s Cafe in Newport Beach with friends yesterday. Life is good indeed!

28. I spent the morning on my front patio writing & occasionally visiting with passers-by while Molly played with a new neighborhood puppy named Guapo.

29. to get my hair cut today 😉

30. for the Women on Purpose Online Telesummit … the first 3 calls have been filled with useful information!

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists –September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Lovely Pink Miracles …

I don’t have a clue
what this plant is called, but it
captures attention

reminding me of
things I’ve taken for granted …
Daily Miracles

when I slow my pace
enough to observe our world
clarity evolves

relearning to trust
intuition from within
guides us on our path

with intention I
move ahead with purpose and
grow my gifts to share

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
Finding Beauty and Just for the JOY of it!

Thought for Today

“Miracles happen every day and people need to know this … they can look for miracles in their lives. The Good New is — there’s still good news.” Mary Ellen

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Laila’s Pink ‘Bow Wow Beanie’ Toy

Molly and Laila
each love Bow Wow Beanie toys
… also ‘tug of war’

This pink toy is tough
withstanding significant
raucous play from both

Fortunately they
share their toys in friendly ways
each taking a turn

Always fun to watch
these two pooches make us laugh
every time they play

If you’d rather see
my PINK ROSES, click the link …
I shared LATE last week

Click to embiggen for better viewing & for others participating in
Pink Saturday, Camera Critters, Pet Pride and Mosaic Monday

Thought for Today

“There is a brilliant child locked inside every student.” Marva Collins

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Serena Williams – 4th Wimbledon Win and my June Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Mosaic Monday
Ruby Tuesday and more …

Roses photographed
in my yard and filtered with
Watercolor here

One more strawberry
from my yard … delicious treat
as I wait for more

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday and Today’s Flowers

Strawberries and Cream
is the name Serena gives
to this year’s outfit

Happily today
Serena Williams achieved
13th ‘major win’

playing Wimbledon
against Zvonareva this
morning in straight sets

passing Billie Jean’s
total of 12 major wins …
What a sight to see!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Mosaic Monday and Ruby Tuesday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. that I’m feeling healthier after a weekend of cold symptoms.2. my DVR hasn’t deleted tennis matches I’ve not had time to watch yet.

3. for caller ID … allowing me to ignore annoying calls from people I don’t know who ignore ‘Do Not Call’ listings hoping to sell me things or services I neither need nor want.

4. that (after uninspired & disappointingly short women’s semi-final matches yesterday) both men’s semi-final tennis matches at the French Open were competitively entertaining … although I hoped that Melzer would win the 3rd set against Rafa so the match would have continued to a 4th (and possibly 5th) set like the Berdych-Soderling match did … just because.

5. for a good night’s sleep 😉

6. both the men’s and women’s Championship Tennis Matches were competitively entertaining this year.

7. a fun catch-up visit with my sister last night on the cell phone.

8. for a free medium latte when I purchased a pound of decaf coffee beans at Peet’s today.

9. for a delicious breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe, leftovers for tomorrow, and a free 4-pack of muffins currently in my freezer 😉

10. for afternoon sunshine bringing blue skies following morning drizzles all week.

11. after weeks of tendonitis in my elbow limiting activity, I’ve been able to toss a toy for Molly to fetch this past week and we’re BOTH happy about that.

12. for a tasty home-cooked meal at a friend’s house after which we watched ‘The Blind Side’ … what a wonderfully uplifting film about real people!

13. my neighbor from across the street who loves Molly came over today to play fetch with her … saving MY arm for another day’s play.

14. to connect with friends at Retired Gal’s Lunch this afternoon and catch up on summer plans.

15. my friend ‘S’ wasn’t injured physically when she totaled her Forrester this afternoon while driving home.

16. I was available to drive ‘S’ to her last craft class this morning so she could collect her ‘creative stuph’ … it was fun to meet the people she’s talked about for the last couple of years.

17. to hear from my sister finally … (this time from Colorado) … they’ve not had cell service and I was beginning to worry just a bit because it had been quite a while since her last call, but they’ve been enjoying their adventures on the road and that’s a good thing.

18. to all the ‘virtual friends’ who continue to visit my blogs whenever I find time to post something … hopefully one of these days I’ll be able to catch up with each of you 😉

19. for the 1st bloom ever on a relatively new Day Lily in my yard … a little lighter in color than my older one.

20. Wimbledon starts tomorrow and my DVR is cleared off & set to record ESPN’s coverage so I can record matches to watch as time permits.

21. that Roger Federer found a way to come back from 2 sets down in his first 2010 match at Wimbledon against the Columbian Alejandro Falla (who played the match of his life even though he couldn’t quite pull off the upset) to win his 200th match in a major tournament (saving match points along the way) … joining the likes of Jimmy Connors at 233, Andre Agassi at 224, Ivan Lendl at 222 and Pete Sampras at 203. That could have been the worst 1st-round upset ever at Wimbledon!

22. the veterinarian had a big bag of Molly’s Royal Canin Duck & Potato food in stock today.

23. for a tasty breakfast and a free 4-pack of muffins at Mimi’s Cafe this morning … with leftovers for tomorrow too 😉

24. John Isner won his 3-day 1st round Marathon Match against Nicolas Mahut … though I do feel bad that either had to lose this multi-record breaking 5-setter!

25. for all I’ve learned about Photoshop Elements, allowing me to ‘fix’ and share pictures I’ve snapped of ESPN’s tennis coverage with my Nikon D60 … quite fun 😉

26. Andy Roddick is through to the Round of 16 and seems to have a good draw against Yen Hsun Leu, a player I’ve not heard of or seen play before.

27. American Sam Querrey and Australian Leyton Hewitt made it through to the Round of 16 … with Sam to play Rafa Nadal and Leyton to play Novak Djokovic on Monday. I’d like to see those matches 😉

28. that both Serena & Venus are through to the Quarter finals in both singles & doubles, but saddened at the upset of Andy Roddick along with losses by Leyton Hewitt and Sam Querrey (both in untelevised matches) … and I confess that I’m upset with NBC’s coverage starting so late on the West Coast pretty much after all matches have been concluded in England.

29. Serena has made it through to the Semi-finals though what a surprise to see both Kim Clijsters & Venus Williams upset in their matches today.

30. to watch competitive men’s Quarter-final matches today at Wimbledon … but saddened to see Roger Federer out of the tournaments & learn of his injuries.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my  WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November,
October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Pinks, PuppyPlay, Shadows, WindowReflections

This LOVELY pink rose
didn’t last for long because
Aloha ‘gallumphed’ …

Click images to embiggen for better viewing …

It’s not easy to
catch crisp views of Aloha
… always on the move!

Her exuberance
often takes a toll on the
blossoms in my yard

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
Shadow Shots, Camera Critters, Pet Pride, and Macro Monday

Walking recently
these window views caught my eye
with palm reflections

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Window Views and Weekend Reflections

If YOU loved PacMac the way I did, you’ll enjoy Google’s home page  … celebrating the game’s 30th anniversary! You can actually PLAY the game there … Enjoy 😉

Thought for Today

“Inside all of us is a Wild Thing.” Maurice Sendak

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Beautiful Blossoms …

One gladiola
survived ‘doggie play’ and PINK
loveliness emerged

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
Macro Monday and Mosaic Monday

If time permits … you might enjoy this brief inspirational video clip from Simple Truths entitled ‘The Push‘ … I watch it occasionally, just because … and it ALWAYS touches my spirit with its simple but powerful reminder 😉

Thought for Today

“We can never discover new continents until we have the courage to lose sight of all coasts.” Andre Gide

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Ruby Blossoms in My Outdoor World

I happened upon
RUBY blossoms in these trees
on a recent walk

“Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.” Confucius

“The mind is everything; what you think, you become.”
Gautama Buddha

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Ruby Tuesday, My World,
Outdoor Wednesday, Midweek Blues, and Wordful Wednesday

Thought for Today

“So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us.”
Gaston Bachelard

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

PinkSaturday-Today’sFlowers-WeekendReflections and March Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Weekend Reflections

Springtime blossoms from
my garden … pink and yellow
just for Easter time!

Straight out of the camera above
Poster Edges below

Reflected blossoms
white and yellow irises
gracing my parkway

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers
and Weekend Reflections

“The story of Easter is the story of God’s
wonderful window of divine surprise.”
Carl Knudsen

Easter is the demonstration of God
that life is essentially spiritual and timeless.”
Charles M. Crowe

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. that the damage from the ‘twister’ that touched down nearby in my neighborhood over the weekend was minimal.

2. I managed to make the phone call to call Anthem Blue Cross Senior Services and still get to class this morning just before the class started so I didn’t miss anything.

3. for a hair cut & perm after a pleasant lunch with my sister at BJs … I do love ‘minimal effort’ hair!

4. Tracy filled in for Nami (who was ill) at this morning’s Digital Media class and we learned a couple of nifty new techniques that I’m looking forward to playing with as time permits.

5. that although I received a ‘denial’ letter from United Healthcare on 3-3-10 (regarding Plan D Prescription coverage for failure to supply required information), TODAY’s mail contains an ACCEPTANCE letter & payment coupon book … so I guess I’m covered finally! Third time’s the charm 😉
In addition, a refurbished keyboard for my Dell Inspiron 1720 arrived in today’s mail … THAT was QUICK! It’s installed and I have no more sticky keys … HOORAY!

6. for a day at home to catch up on tasks I’ve neglected for too long …

7. that I picked up the iris bud knocked off the stalk by Aloha & Molly playing on my front lawn and put it in a tiny vase on my kitchen window ledge because it opened today … beautifully.

8. my computer continues to work without crashing as I catch up on blog visits over the weekend and this afternoon.

9. for a fun afternoon with my sister … even though the winds were gusty & cold we bundled up and walked out on the pier, enjoyed a late ‘birthday’ lunch of ‘fish tacos’ and ‘Hula’ pie(with Margaritas) at Duke’s

then walked the Tuesday Street Faire on Main Street … stopping to enjoy the live music entertainment before heading home.

10. for coming up with a plan ‘b’ …
Since I didn’t have time to devote to the ‘inspiration video’ I wanted to create (see #7 in Sunday’s post at Sacred Ruminations), I’ve gathered photos of Molly (regular & resized versions) to bring for part two of the Friday Movie Maker class so perhaps I’ll be able create something to share on one of my blogs after all.

11. Although the ‘scheduled auto post’ for my Yard Art #2 didn’t work, I’ve manually published it this evening belatedly at Happily Retired Gal. I’ve got my ‘wireless router’ working again and had Time Warner Cable ‘tech support’ reconfigure my ‘cable modem’ … so when Vinnie from Dell Tech Support calls tomorrow at 1pm (after my Movie Maker class from 8:30-11:30am) perhaps he’ll be able to deal with the WLAN crash issues. Keep your fingers crossed for me. It’s been another BUSY week, so I’ll be catching up on blog visits over the weekend again.

12. Dell Tech Support is finally researching the problem I’m having with my ‘too dim to read’ monitor display when running on battery power.

13. Costco had one Sony Vaio left last night (on sale for $100 off) so I’ve got a new notebook to play with. It’s a 64 bit computer running Windows 7 … came with minimal software but should run the programs I own & use. If not, I have 90 days to return it.

14. all but two of the clocks in my home changed themselves for Daylight Savings Time overnight while I slept … so I didn’t have to change them myself and I knew the correct time without realizing it 😉

15. I spent the day productively … and am tired so I should sleep well on my freshly laundered sheets tonight.

16. the magnitude 4.4 earthquake centered about 30 miles north of me in Pico Rivera at 4:04am didn’t cause much damage … and served as a ‘readiness’ event to check our ‘earthquake preparedness’ here in Southern California.

17. the piece of metal I thought was a filling … isn’t. After visiting the dentist yesterday afternoon & getting the good news, I dropped by Duke’s (at the urging of a friend) … let a manager know what had happened and (after he consulted the head chef) learned that the mysterious piece of metal comes from a ‘fastener’ on their ice cream containers. As a thank you, they’re mailing me a ‘gift certificate’ … an unexpected but delightful turn of events. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

18. for friends who invited me to join them today at the Laguna Playhouse for a delicious lunch and entertaining play by the Second City: ‘Can You Be More Pacific?’ (lampooning Laguna Beach and Orange County, California) … making for a pleasant afternoon.

19. my sister and I enjoyed a delicious ‘sushi’ lunch at Matsu around 1:45 today … slipping in just before they close at 2pm because I waited for Dell Tech Support’s scheduled 11am call longer than I should have. Click for the latest update

20. I was able to move plants from my parkway to make room for the Veteran’s Honor Rose birthday gift from my neighbor and hopefully my gardener will remember to plant it for me on Wednesday since I’ll probably still be in my Windows 7 class when they do their twice monthly yard maintenance.

21. I was able to spend significant time todday catching up with blog posts that had collected in my reader. I’m especially thankful for everyone who makes the entire post available in their feeds because it makes catching up so much quicker and easier.

22. … and I’m dancing for joy!!! My Dell Inspiron 1720 has been unplugged for more than an hour… I have an hour and 54 minutes left on battery power and the screen is bright enough for me to read easily!!!!! What a wonderful surprise THIS is after all the hassles I’ve been through previously. I’ll explain the final modification Tihman from Dell Tech Support had me make this afternoon in a blog post soon so that others with this ‘dim monitor issue’ can try to fix THEIR laptops too.

23. the Health Reform Act finally passed and was signed into law! Methinks it’s long overdue. If you have doubts or concerns, I offer this link to a recent NY Times opinion piece by Paul Krugman on Health Reform Myths for your consideration.

24. for Dalton at the Bella Terra Staples store in HB who helped me set up my new Canon ‘all-in-one’ wireless MX870 printer. Perhaps I’ll finally get my very belated Christmas cards printed & sent out soon 😉

25. I spent a pleasant day with my sister (starting with a tasty breakfast shared at Mimi’s Cafe) and my 18-55mm lens is back (finally) … working just fine!

26. for beautiful Spring weather here in Southern California at the beach. I suspect we’ll have lots of ‘inlanders’ visiting today and tomorrow.

27. for time to do some catch up blog visits (after being away from home most of last week) as I took minibreaks from writing personal notes in my belated Christmas, NewYear’s & Easter cards.

28. to catch up with my ‘writing buddy’ from Taos in a phone call this morning before continuing to write notes in the cards & catch up on blog visits.

29. what I thought to be ‘one last purple iris’ isn’t … another has opened and there are two more purple buds as an added surprise.

30. the Canon printer did a great job printing envelopes (after I managed to create a new address database in the newer Dell) and most of my belated Christmas, NewYear’s & Easter greetings are in the mail. I’m still digging around for a few addresses since I can’t seem to find the backup from the old address database (from the Inspiron 9100 that died recently) on my external drives.

31. for a lovely sunrise this morning!

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – February, January
2009 Lists – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Outdoor RUBIES in My Watery World

Scroll down for Wordful Wednesday & Midweek Blues too

Warmer weather brings
people to the beach and pier
also the Street Fair

Do you see the seagull in the picture below?

How about in the next photo?
If you missed the one above, look up again 😉

If walking to the end of the pier and back is more exercise that one wants, there are folks who will give you a ride in one of these.

Kids can play in these colorful contraptions and people enjoy a variety of foods while enjoying the Street Fair on Tuesday evenings from 5-9pm.
Click to see more views and entertainment shared previously

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Ruby Tuesday, My World,
Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday,
Midweek Blues and Wordful Wednesday

Thought for Today

“Live out of your imagination, not your history.” Stephen R. Covey

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Pretty Pink Flowers in the Neighborhood

Friday’s Fave Five, Weekend Reflections,
Camera Critters & Looking at the Sky are in the next post

Raphiolepsis
I just learned the name of this
bush with pink blossoms

I’m still searching for
the name of the plant below
blooming in my yard

shared previously
both in ‘normal view‘ and in
‘macro view‘ as well

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Pink Saturday,
Today’s Flowers, and Shadow Shot Sunday

For those following the continuing saga of my Dell Inspiron issues … this past week ‘Sanjay’ scheduled two 11am calls, one on Tuesday and the other on Friday. I waited Tuesday for 90 minutes before having to leave for an appointment (took his cell phone call at about 1pm but since I wasn’t home couldn’t do anything with my laptop) and waited Friday for two and a half hours (missing the 4:40pm call from ‘Sean’ by seconds trying to fish the cell phone out of my purse when it rang).

I called Dell Tech Support when I arrived home … around 6pm and spoke to Roy who listened attentively and made notes in my file. Specifically I needed to let Sean and Sanjay know that I would be unavailable at 11am for a while and that it would be better to call me early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Roy scheduled a callback for Monday between 4 and 6pm. He also encouraged me to talk directly with Customer Service which I did. However, three different people assertively told me (multiple times) there was no way to replace my battery (even though it had clearly been faulty from the get go) unless I was willing to pay $159 for a new one. The 3rd representative (Angel) actually hung up (yup … you read that right) on me as I expressed my frustration and asked for yet another ‘supervisor’ to talk to after telling me that even during the first year they wouldn’t have replaced the battery, but would had me return the entire computer. That conflicts with what the Tech Support guys have told me. Apparently Customer Support personnel don’t have access to Tech Support case files and Tech Support can’t handle the ‘battery’ issue since it’s a Customer Service issue. Talk about a Catch 22!

So … my extended warranty will pay to have someone come to my house to ‘trouble shoot’ … even replace the monitor, but not the battery. There’s no way I’d spend that amount of money without assurances that a new bigger battery would actually FIX the dim monitor problem. Upgrading to Windows 7 and replacing the battery would cost about the same thing as new Dell notebook (not that I’d be likely to buy another Dell any time soon).

I’ve decided to let some time pass (to calm myself) before trying again … but I suspect this Inspiron 1720 notebook will remain a desktop indefinitely. Looking at the bright side, at least the machine is finally ‘stable’ and not crashing repeatedly any longer … and THAT’s a good thing. I do love my new Sony Vaio notebook. It’s bright enough to use on battery power without changing from the ‘balanced power’ settings and gives me about 3 hours of battery life before suggesting I plug it in … so I’m technologically ‘mobile’ again at last.

Thought for Today

“A great teacher never strives to explain her vision: she simply invites you to stand beside her and see for yourself.” Rev. R. Inman

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Outdoor Watery Wednesday & Window Views

ALMOST

Beach town … Surf City
shares it’s history in this
Surfing Museum

today’s temp’ratures
will reach the low 80s and
draw more people here

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Almost Wordless Wednesday,
Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Window Views,
Midweek Blues and Wordful Wednesday

Thought for Today

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Shades of Hitchcock …

ALMOST

Last week I shared a goose
from Cerritos Regional Park …

… and today I share some interesting bird activity.

occasionally
these pigeons took flight ‘en masse’
in sweeping circles

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in (Almost) Wordless Wednesday,
Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday,
Midweek Blues, and Camera Critters too

Thought for Today

“People learn something every day, and a lot of times it’s that what they learned the day before was wrong.” Bill Vaughan

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Weekend Multi-tasking …

Scroll down for
Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, & Color Carnival
and a brief personal update

one photograph for
Window Views, Reflections and
Sunday Shadow Shots

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and others participating in
Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday and Window Views

Brief Update about my Computer Issues

I’m pleased to report (to those following my ‘computer challenges’ lately) that after spending several hours on the phone with Dell Tech Support yesterday afternoon, things seem to be working better already. There have been NO BLUE SCREEN CRASHES today and the promised replacement keyboard arrived in today’s mail. THAT was FAST!!!

I’ve removed the old ‘sticky’ one and installed the ‘refurbished’ keyboard. All the keys seem to work normally, though the ‘feel’ is a bit different. I suspect I’ll get used to it quickly and I’m quite relieved to not have to go back and FIX words any longer.

I don’t know the name
of these bushes with dainty
pink blossoms … if YOU

have an idea what
they might be please let me know
below in comments

colorful blooms from
South Coast Plaza Mall near the
door to Z’Tejas

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Pink Saturday,
Today’s Flowers, and Color Carnival

Thought for Today

“You have the opportunity to be a powerful influence on the lives of other people, no matter your position in life.” V.J. Smith

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

A bit of RUBY in my Watery Outdoor World

stormy skies above
as we walked out on the pier …
surveying the scene

very different
from the ones I shared last week
at this local beach

just a few people
brave enough to swim, walk, and
lay upon the sand

For Ruby Tuesday
here’s the bright Barefoot Bar sign
and menu outside

My sister likes her fish tacos ‘battered’ …

I prefer mine Cajun style

and THIS is Hula Pie … delicious!

Click for others participating in
My World, Ruby Tuesday,
Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, and Midweek Blues

Thought for Today

“Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.”
Menachem Mendel Schneerson

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Sunrise this morning in Southern California

Sunrise this morning
beautiful to say the least …
colorfully PINK!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and
for others participating in Haiku Friday, Sky Watch,
Finding Beauty, Color Carnival and Pink Saturday

Thought for Today

“An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.” Bill Bernback

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