I like to think that I am a somewhat up to date individual when it comes to technology, and that I can generally hold my own in a conversation at which technology in general is mentioned, but last night I was talking to a friend of mine about modern TVs and stereos and the like, and I found myself actually referring to them as "new-fangled".
All of a sudden, in a matter of seconds, no less, I went from being a girl of the modern era, to becoming my Grandma! "New-Fangled" indeed! :-)
But that said, I will be the first to admit that while I know more than enough about the inner workings of a computer, and have built a few in my time, not to mention repaired more than a few, when it comes to AV stuff - TVs, Stereos, video recorders, dvd players, and all this new....there I go again...almost called it "new-fangled"....all this new technology - HD recorders, Blue-Ray etc....well I have heard of them, but apart from that....
At a push I can program my video player to tape - pretty much - what I want. Mostly I just wait until a program is about to start and hit the Record button. But I've just about got the hang of setting up to tape for when I'm not there, and mostly I actually get what I set out to get, though sometimes I still get hours of blue screen, or the wrong channel.
But where am I going with this post? Not totally sure yet, actually :-)
Oh yes, as of this weekend, I get to look after some of this "new-fangled" stuff for a friend who is going overseas for two years. He trusts me, obviously, and seems to think I will have no troubles dealing with it all. Especially since he knows I know my way around a computer, so how hard can it be to program a video player? All I can say to that is - ask my mum. My dear old Mum is still having troubles figuring out how to set the clock on her video player, let alone set up to tape anything on it, and yet she has absolutely no problems whatsoever when it comes to her computer. I only have to show her once, and she's fine after that.
But on to other things......
The last time I posted, I was still looking for a house. Well needless to say, I found one, and have moved, and been living in the new place for three months now. It feels like a hell of a lot longer, but it's only been three months.
I also have a new dalmatian pup. I decided I couldn't live without a dog after my old girl died, but I couldn't face another girl, so this time I got a little boy. The most recent photo of him I seem to have is one from September. He's a bit bigger now, and I will try and get another photo of him soon, but for the moment, here he is:
All of a sudden, in a matter of seconds, no less, I went from being a girl of the modern era, to becoming my Grandma! "New-Fangled" indeed! :-)
But that said, I will be the first to admit that while I know more than enough about the inner workings of a computer, and have built a few in my time, not to mention repaired more than a few, when it comes to AV stuff - TVs, Stereos, video recorders, dvd players, and all this new....there I go again...almost called it "new-fangled"....all this new technology - HD recorders, Blue-Ray etc....well I have heard of them, but apart from that....
At a push I can program my video player to tape - pretty much - what I want. Mostly I just wait until a program is about to start and hit the Record button. But I've just about got the hang of setting up to tape for when I'm not there, and mostly I actually get what I set out to get, though sometimes I still get hours of blue screen, or the wrong channel.
But where am I going with this post? Not totally sure yet, actually :-)
Oh yes, as of this weekend, I get to look after some of this "new-fangled" stuff for a friend who is going overseas for two years. He trusts me, obviously, and seems to think I will have no troubles dealing with it all. Especially since he knows I know my way around a computer, so how hard can it be to program a video player? All I can say to that is - ask my mum. My dear old Mum is still having troubles figuring out how to set the clock on her video player, let alone set up to tape anything on it, and yet she has absolutely no problems whatsoever when it comes to her computer. I only have to show her once, and she's fine after that.
But on to other things......
The last time I posted, I was still looking for a house. Well needless to say, I found one, and have moved, and been living in the new place for three months now. It feels like a hell of a lot longer, but it's only been three months.
I also have a new dalmatian pup. I decided I couldn't live without a dog after my old girl died, but I couldn't face another girl, so this time I got a little boy. The most recent photo of him I seem to have is one from September. He's a bit bigger now, and I will try and get another photo of him soon, but for the moment, here he is:
And yes, they are my feet. He's a good boy though, mostly. When he isn't destroying everything in sight, anyway.
He's scared of fireworks, and none too plussed about the air conditioner I have, because he doesn't like the hot or cold air that comes out of the box outside. Also, he and Mr Vampire Teeth, my black cat, still don't see eye to eye. Both think they are boss. Both are wrong. :-)
Mr Vampire Teeth, plus my old girl, and the twins, are now confined to a wonderful cat enclosure. Not all that big, granted, but at least they are safe. And sometime soon, I'll get the run set up so they will have access to the house again. Or at least, to one room in the house anyway. I know they will love that.
Everyone seems to have settled down pretty well though, considering the ages of all my pets. I did lose my dear little guinea pig though. Sweet little thing he was, but I guess he was just unable to deal with the move as well as I had hoped. In the end, I had to have him put down. Not something I would ever recommend to anyone. It was a horrible experience for all concerned, and if at all possible, I would prefer the rest of my animals just to go to sleep one night and not wake up the next day. At least it is peaceful that way.
So what else have I been up to? Well finding my way around a new town for one. I finally made the move out of the big city, which is good in a way, but still odd.
I went up to visit my Grandma last week, and to my horror, discovered that moving a good hour or so out of the big city only shaved half an hour off my travel time to Grandma's, even though I actually moved closer to her. From where I used to live, to where Grandma lives, I moved to about half way in between, so really it should have shaved about an hour off the travel time, but because I moved to a town where the express train doesn't stop, it only shaved half an hour off my travel time, as the rest of the time is lost having to catch a train to the next town (where the express train stops), and then sitting and waiting around for the express to turn up, and then getting off four stations along the line and sitting and waiting for a bus to take me the rest of the way. And then doing all that on the return trip :-)
Oh yes, I'm a 34 year old female, who is seriously into silent movies, Gerry Anderson & Jim Henson productions (think Thunderbirds and Muppets), plus old 1930s and 1940s movies, and yet will attest to also being mad about M*A*S*H* and pretty much anything put out by the BBC in the British Isles.
I don't think that makes me ordinary, somehow. I think most people (including my family) would shudder if they knew the reality of my dvd collection (did I mention I have about half of the movies John Wayne made on dvd now? And am aiming for a full set - all 200 or so?), but I like it, and I guess that's all that matters.
Talking of the BBC though, my current favourite is "Life On Mars". This weekend just gone, I finally managed to track down Season 1 on DVD. It's got a gag-reel, sure, but it also has some nice documentaries on the four discs, plus the standard audio commentaries. I think you miss all that when you just watch it on tv, and don't bother to get a hold of the actual dvd - even if all you do is rent it from the video shop and watch it.
I got into Life On Mars, from having seen John Simm as the Master on Doctor Who. No offense to the man, but I had never even heard of him until he popped up as a cute, young, sexy Master. But oh my god, what a performance. After having watched about half of LOM on Foxtel, I had to go back and watch the "Master" eps of Doctor Who, just to see his performance again, and truthfully, second time around he was even better! Probably because he is so incredibly different as Sam Tyler on LOM.
I did a little research on the man, (not as easy as it sounds - he's a very private person, and there isn't much out there about him), but it seems he's younger than I first thought (he's born in 1970), and I have to admit I was surprised to find out he's a yorkshire lad. Actually, where he comes from isn't all that far away from where my father's family comes from in yorkshire.
So now, I am looking forward to seeing Series 2 of LOM, and I will have to keep an eye out to see what else he turns up in.
Anyway, I think I've waffled on for long enough. Stuff to do, and I will try and post a bit more often.
He's scared of fireworks, and none too plussed about the air conditioner I have, because he doesn't like the hot or cold air that comes out of the box outside. Also, he and Mr Vampire Teeth, my black cat, still don't see eye to eye. Both think they are boss. Both are wrong. :-)
Mr Vampire Teeth, plus my old girl, and the twins, are now confined to a wonderful cat enclosure. Not all that big, granted, but at least they are safe. And sometime soon, I'll get the run set up so they will have access to the house again. Or at least, to one room in the house anyway. I know they will love that.
Everyone seems to have settled down pretty well though, considering the ages of all my pets. I did lose my dear little guinea pig though. Sweet little thing he was, but I guess he was just unable to deal with the move as well as I had hoped. In the end, I had to have him put down. Not something I would ever recommend to anyone. It was a horrible experience for all concerned, and if at all possible, I would prefer the rest of my animals just to go to sleep one night and not wake up the next day. At least it is peaceful that way.
So what else have I been up to? Well finding my way around a new town for one. I finally made the move out of the big city, which is good in a way, but still odd.
I went up to visit my Grandma last week, and to my horror, discovered that moving a good hour or so out of the big city only shaved half an hour off my travel time to Grandma's, even though I actually moved closer to her. From where I used to live, to where Grandma lives, I moved to about half way in between, so really it should have shaved about an hour off the travel time, but because I moved to a town where the express train doesn't stop, it only shaved half an hour off my travel time, as the rest of the time is lost having to catch a train to the next town (where the express train stops), and then sitting and waiting around for the express to turn up, and then getting off four stations along the line and sitting and waiting for a bus to take me the rest of the way. And then doing all that on the return trip :-)
One thing I have noticed since I moved house is just how much it rains here. In the city, it didn't rain all that much, but where I live now, not a day goes by when it doesn't seem to rain. Yes, we get sunshine too, but every single day it rains at least a bit.
I have a lovely big garden here, but my beloved little half-grown dalmatian has taken it into his head to redecorate for me, and is busy digging up every single garden bed he can get his paws on, plus shredding all his bedding and dumping it all over the back yard. I know he's pedigree, or I would be questioning as to whether he has some terrier in his background! He's certainly acting like a typical terrier!
But sometime soon, probably when he's a big bigger and has settled down a bit more, I will get the gardens weeded and planted again, and just maybe he will leave them be long enough to actually grow something.
One of the things about moving house is discovering all kinds of things you thought you had lost. Oh and finally finding time to enjoy all those things.
I've been going through my dvd collection of late. I thought I was an oddity until I spoke to my friend last night and found out he's just about as odd as I am, but younger!
Last week I started on a mission to find silent films. A lot of them are public domain now so they are free to download online, which is where I have been getting a fair few of them. Some I manage to pick up second hand on dvd at my local Cash Converters and general thrift shops, and others I am discovering on my multi-pack dvd collections. Over the last couple of years, I have been picking up those 20-pack boxes. You know the type?
"20 Great Sci-Fi Movies - INVADERS FROM SPACE"
"20 Great Adventure Movies - SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE"
And the like. Only problem is, most of the movies are so bad, no one has ever heard of them. :-)
Some aren't too bad though, and occasionally, you get a real gem in the collection. Like the other day, in my "20 Great Comedy Movies - GOLDEN COMEDY" I discovered a very old Charlie Chaplin film called "The Kid". It's from 1921, and is, of course, silent, just as most of Chaplin's films were.
I can't say I remember ever having seen "The Kid" before, though it is entirely likely that I did see it as a child, with my parents. But either way, it's a damn good film. It got me into looking through my collection for more, and to seeing what I could find online. I found a few Buster Keaton movies in my dvd collection, including a classic one of his called "The General", which was made in 1927, and is also a silent film.
What got me about that film was a scene where Buster is riding the cow scoop thingy at the front of the steam train, and using a lump of timber to dislodge another lump of timber that is in the way on the rails in front of him (okay, so maybe you had to be there...), but all the while in the background is "Teddy Bear's Picnic" playing.
I didn't know that piece of music had even been written by then, so I was very surprised to recognise it! Of course, I had to go look it up and find out when it came out. Around 1923, I think. From there, I got on to the death of a famous director of the very early 1920s, and how his murder is still unsolved even today. So that took up most of a day researching on the net :-)
But where am I going with all this?
I have a lovely big garden here, but my beloved little half-grown dalmatian has taken it into his head to redecorate for me, and is busy digging up every single garden bed he can get his paws on, plus shredding all his bedding and dumping it all over the back yard. I know he's pedigree, or I would be questioning as to whether he has some terrier in his background! He's certainly acting like a typical terrier!
But sometime soon, probably when he's a big bigger and has settled down a bit more, I will get the gardens weeded and planted again, and just maybe he will leave them be long enough to actually grow something.
One of the things about moving house is discovering all kinds of things you thought you had lost. Oh and finally finding time to enjoy all those things.
I've been going through my dvd collection of late. I thought I was an oddity until I spoke to my friend last night and found out he's just about as odd as I am, but younger!
Last week I started on a mission to find silent films. A lot of them are public domain now so they are free to download online, which is where I have been getting a fair few of them. Some I manage to pick up second hand on dvd at my local Cash Converters and general thrift shops, and others I am discovering on my multi-pack dvd collections. Over the last couple of years, I have been picking up those 20-pack boxes. You know the type?
"20 Great Sci-Fi Movies - INVADERS FROM SPACE"
"20 Great Adventure Movies - SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE"
And the like. Only problem is, most of the movies are so bad, no one has ever heard of them. :-)
Some aren't too bad though, and occasionally, you get a real gem in the collection. Like the other day, in my "20 Great Comedy Movies - GOLDEN COMEDY" I discovered a very old Charlie Chaplin film called "The Kid". It's from 1921, and is, of course, silent, just as most of Chaplin's films were.
I can't say I remember ever having seen "The Kid" before, though it is entirely likely that I did see it as a child, with my parents. But either way, it's a damn good film. It got me into looking through my collection for more, and to seeing what I could find online. I found a few Buster Keaton movies in my dvd collection, including a classic one of his called "The General", which was made in 1927, and is also a silent film.
What got me about that film was a scene where Buster is riding the cow scoop thingy at the front of the steam train, and using a lump of timber to dislodge another lump of timber that is in the way on the rails in front of him (okay, so maybe you had to be there...), but all the while in the background is "Teddy Bear's Picnic" playing.
I didn't know that piece of music had even been written by then, so I was very surprised to recognise it! Of course, I had to go look it up and find out when it came out. Around 1923, I think. From there, I got on to the death of a famous director of the very early 1920s, and how his murder is still unsolved even today. So that took up most of a day researching on the net :-)
But where am I going with all this?
Oh yes, I'm a 34 year old female, who is seriously into silent movies, Gerry Anderson & Jim Henson productions (think Thunderbirds and Muppets), plus old 1930s and 1940s movies, and yet will attest to also being mad about M*A*S*H* and pretty much anything put out by the BBC in the British Isles.
I don't think that makes me ordinary, somehow. I think most people (including my family) would shudder if they knew the reality of my dvd collection (did I mention I have about half of the movies John Wayne made on dvd now? And am aiming for a full set - all 200 or so?), but I like it, and I guess that's all that matters.
Talking of the BBC though, my current favourite is "Life On Mars". This weekend just gone, I finally managed to track down Season 1 on DVD. It's got a gag-reel, sure, but it also has some nice documentaries on the four discs, plus the standard audio commentaries. I think you miss all that when you just watch it on tv, and don't bother to get a hold of the actual dvd - even if all you do is rent it from the video shop and watch it.
I got into Life On Mars, from having seen John Simm as the Master on Doctor Who. No offense to the man, but I had never even heard of him until he popped up as a cute, young, sexy Master. But oh my god, what a performance. After having watched about half of LOM on Foxtel, I had to go back and watch the "Master" eps of Doctor Who, just to see his performance again, and truthfully, second time around he was even better! Probably because he is so incredibly different as Sam Tyler on LOM.
I did a little research on the man, (not as easy as it sounds - he's a very private person, and there isn't much out there about him), but it seems he's younger than I first thought (he's born in 1970), and I have to admit I was surprised to find out he's a yorkshire lad. Actually, where he comes from isn't all that far away from where my father's family comes from in yorkshire.
So now, I am looking forward to seeing Series 2 of LOM, and I will have to keep an eye out to see what else he turns up in.
Anyway, I think I've waffled on for long enough. Stuff to do, and I will try and post a bit more often.
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