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Monday, May 31, 2010
Last Day Of Autumn
There was plenty of footy over the weekend on TV to keep me indoors.
Things are going ahead here on the estate right now. These 15 or so villa units are almost all completed and as the sign says they are all sold too. Another sign has appeared on the estate seeking enrolments for an Early Childhood Centre to be built. The picture below is of the backfilling being completed around the underground carpark for the new Bellvista shopping Village. Now the building begins with walls due to go up shortly.
I have decided to buy a new monitor now instead of waiting. Though starting OK, the PC still has a few yips from time to time. I am wondering if these recent yips are caused by a fault in the monitor which then leads to some PC system hassles from time to time. I have ordered an Acer 24" monitor. It comes with a Manufacturer's 3 year warranty and a $29 'cashback' offer. That will make its price under $210. I believe if I buy the monitor now and my PC problems continue I will have answered the PC Repair shop's claim the current monitor is cause of all my recent problems.
I am buying the monitor online from a PC shop in Brisbane. They have a small shop here on the Sunshine Coast so it is shipped up from Brisbane and it is able to be collected here. I ordered it yesterday (Sunday) so it should be available for collection later this afternoon from Maroochydore. I am heading up that way tomorrow so I will pick it up then.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Overnight 'Light Rain' Seems Heavy To Me!
Firstly I gave the car a good wash, it is amazing how the road grime builds up on it. We don't wash it as often as we should so that makes the job even bigger even though I use the pressure hose. After that it was time to get rid of built up grime on the border stones which make up the front garden retaining wall. Then the letter box was cleaned, a side wall of the house and then the driveway. Finally I gave the windows at the front of the house a clean as well.
In this part of the world there is a build up of mildew type growth on things and it needs to be pressure hosed off. Unfortunately the driveway is now a shade or two lighter in color after the hose did its work.
I enjoyed a couple of hours at the usual Friday Afternoon meeting followed by the live footy on TV from Melbourne. Some 'light rain' was forecast for here but overnight I tipped 28mls (or a little over an inch) out of the rain gauge.
A young couple moved in to the house next door on Friday morning. I believe he is installs fences while she is an early childhood teacher. I also heard she was a regional manager for several early childhood centres. They have just moved to the Sunshine Coast from Perth in Western Australia. There was another older couple here with them yesterday helping to move some furniture in. The majority of their stuff is due to arrive on Monday. They have a 10 month old baby.
This morning is Computer Club and this afternoon I have heaps of footy to watch on TV.
I made myself Moroccan Curry Chicken for tea last night and it was pretty good! I have enough left over for another meal this evening.
My computer has been operating OK. Turning the monitor off when not in use is a good but temporary fix. I still get a couple of strange things happening every now and again so I think I may be forced to swap the monitor over sooner rather than later. There are some excellent deals online at the moment. I can get a 24" widescreen Acer monitor for $200 from one store. It would come with a 3 year manufacturer's warranty.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
PC Monitor Problem Solved?
The PC has a three year warranty but the monitor has a manufacturer's two year warranty. My system is about 2.5 years old. Therefore the monitor is out of warranty.
I got the PC back home, put it all back together again and started it up. The screen looked different to a normal startup, it looked the same as the screen I would see when I eventually would get it back and running again after a 'no monitor' start.
Usually I leave the monitor in 'stand-by' overnight. Now I will have to turn the monitor off when not in use to ensure it cools down. The tech believes that even in stand-by the monitor will heat up and possibly not load with the computer even at its first daily startup.
I have never had it 'shut down' and cause the system to crash, my problems usually occur at startup. So we will just have to wait and see.
I could buy a new monitor but I think I will hang off. In the meantime I will turn the monitor off when not in use and see how it goes. My 3 Year PC warranty runs out in October this year so I will probably do something then.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Twice To The Computer Club
Tuesday morning I was a little busy sorting out my brewing necessities. There was a bottle washing to do and as the weather was overcast and cool, it took quite some time for the bottles to dry. The photo shows everything ready in the garage for the washing to commence. I have been able to ride the last couple of days and I get about 12 to 15 k's in whenever I get out. I don't ride if it is at all wet.
In the afternoon I did some more work on the fence between us and next door. A young couple (possibly without any family) are due to move in on Friday. I put some cut down palings on the other side of the fence and now the job looks 'finished' from both sides. Later on I drove about 30k's to Nambour where the car CD player was installed again. It works perfectly!
One of the guys from the Computer Club is a keen and very good cook and he invited me around to install a program on his computer and then to have an evening meal with him and his 'partner'. It was a lovely meal, great company and for me a fairly sober experience as I had to drive.
Monday afternoon saw me pop around to see Tony for a chat and a few frothy tops.
This afternoon I gave the front lawn a quick mow and then tonight I am around to Paul and Linda's for a meal. Then a few of us will sit down and watch the first game in the New South Wales Vs Queensland Rugby League State of Origin series. These games are really the only 'League' games I watch.
I speak with Trish every other day and she is pretty busy visiting and catching up with people in between helping Kate out with some baby sitting.
I am due to get my computer back tomorrow afternoon.
Monday, May 24, 2010
I Am Great But The PC is in For Repair.
I am doing this on the laptop as the big PC is in to try and find out what is causing the monitor not to always start. I will get it back Thursday afternoon.
The guy doing the repair on the Car's CD player rang this morning to say it is working OK. He didn't do anything to it, just 'reset' it and now everything is fine again. However while it was open on his workbench he checked it all out to see where he could get 'replacement' parts if required. It seems there aren't replacement parts available for it.
I am well and truly over my 'slow Saturday'. I am sick and tired of Curried sausages though. BBQ lamb chops with vegies tonight and out to a mate's place for tea tomorrow night! Then around to Paul and Linda's for a BBQ Wednesday night and watch the big Interstate Rugby League match live on TV
Saturday, May 22, 2010
That Was The Night That Was!
I received a phone call from my brother which was fantastic, he follows the team my footy team was playing live on Pay TV last night.
Then it was time to watch the game on TV. It was the top two teams playing in front of almost 90,000 screaming fans. Trish had been unable to finish a bottle of red wine before she flew south so I polished that off. The game was exciting so I had just one more refreshing ale. As the match progressed I had several whisky and cokes and finally a straight whisky!
My team won comfortably in the end kicking away to win by 36 points. I switched over but the Pay TV box had jammed. Usually you just unplug it and let it sit for 30 seconds then put the power back on. I couldn't get the darn thing to restart so I rang the Pay TV provider's automated service.
The box was reset automatically by them but still no luck. I rang them again and again the box was reset by them but still no picture. I needed to speak with someone rather than the automated service I was getting. They would be available the next morning after 7 am! I pulled the plug out and went to bed. I slept well as you can imagine but woke this morning with a dry throat and a headache!
I went to the lounge and plugged power to the Pay TV box back in and still there was only a red light on the front, not the usual green one. It wasn't working! So back to bed I went.
Later I went back to the Pay TV box and pressed the "on" button and everything worked! During my hazy efforts to reset the box the previous night I had inadvertently turned the box off!
But I did enjoy the footy.
I mixed another brew this morning but instead of using sugar I used a mixture of dextrose, malt and corn syrup. Should be interesting. I use filtered water to make the brew as the photo here shows
Friday, May 21, 2010
Trish To Melbourne, Les To The Caloundra Computer Shop!
The car has a huge hole in the dashboard where the CD player used to be. It is at a nearby car sound shop being repaired. I had it removed yesterday. From there I drove to a mate's place to get his Winrar up and running again and then on to another Computer Club member's home to help them set up their first wide screen LCD TV. They were just delighted.
I then grabbed her new laptop and brought it home to load it up with software.
When I eventually arrived back home yesterday the PC had starting up problems again. Eventually I managed to get it up and running but I was extremely frustrated with it. I discussed it with the guys at the local PC Repair shop this morning and I am taking it back in them on Monday morning. This photo shows a fully up and running PC but with no picture on the monitor.
Today I took the laptop back to the elderly lady only to learn she has become interested in being able to watch downloaded movies on the new TV. They live in town so it was just a quick hop and and jump to buy and setup a basic model minimal media player! It is now up and running and they are delighted with it all. It was fairly close from her unit to the PC Repair shop so I was able to kill two birds with one stone.
We were supposed to have rain overnight but there is only a few mls in the rain gauge. We are due for some more showers next week.
I have curried sausages simmering on the stove right now prior to heading out for the 'usual' 3pm Friday Afternoon Meeting! I am looking forward to it. Also there is heaps of footy on TV with a huge sold out game with my team playing live here on TV tonight.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
PC Has The Yips .... AGAIN!
I can connect the monitor either of 2 ways, one by DVI (a high quality picture connection) or by VGA (the common everyday PC way). It starts a heck of a lot better when using the VGA connection and I have it running on that at the moment.
Not a lot of other news. Trish flies to Melbourne tomorrow for a two week "Nanna Visit" to which she is looking forward to very much. I am staying here at home.
We are out to tea tonight with some friends, we are heading to "The Curry Bowl" and looking forward to great company and a great meal.
I got the newspaper piece below from Lou Ann in West Texas. This one is worth reading but you will have to click on the picture to get a bigger view then you will have to hit "Back" to return to this page.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
On The Road Again!
My computer is back playing its tricks again with the old problem of the monitor not starting up when the computer fires up. I have always reckoned it was the graphics card whereas the Computer Shop said it was a hardware conflict with something I had attached by USB. When I took the computer to the Computer Shop for repair I had to take it all apart then take the monitor, the PC tower and the cables with me. I would take it apart the night before then take it down to the shop the next morning where it always worked perfectly.
Last night I took the computer all apart at about 8:30 pm. This morning at 6:30 am I put the bare bones back together, just the PC tower, the monitor and the keyboard/mouse. I have since restarted it three times and each time it has fired up perfectly. I reckon it is removing the power to both the monitor and the PC tower causes everything to 'reset' and I guess this has something to do with the graphics card 'resetting' as well.
Yesterday we went to Maroochydore for Trish to have another test on her eye. It was a half hour trip each way for a 10 minute test!
I got my bike back after its service yesterday. It is great being able to change gears again properly and the rear brake has been replaced. I even gave it a wash this morning and it is in the backyard drying in the sun. It is glorious outside today, about 24 degrees and bright and sunny.
The promised rain yesterday failed to eventuate. We did get a light sprinkle just on dark but it wasn't even enough to register in the rain gauge.
Trish is at the Tourist Information Centre doing volunteer work while I am at home messing around on the PC. I will be restarting the PC throughout the day to see how my 'problem' with the monitor gets on.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A Cloudy Day On The Sunshine Coast
Trish has a problem with a cataract on one eye. She is to have it removed so we went into Caloundra on Thursday to visit the surgeon. Trish would not be able to drive after the consultation so we went in together. She requires a further consultation on Monday but we will need to drive to Maroochydore for that. While we were in Caloundra I caught up with the GP and then we both had our annual flu vaccinations.
It is quite cold in the mornings lately and this screen shot shows we do get cool weather in this part of the world, especially in the mornings. I now head off for my bike rides a little later in the morning, usually closer to 8 am. You too can have this on your PC by visiting the Weatherzone website and looking for the tracker download links.
Thursday night saw Trish head off to Trivia while I stayed at home and watched Footy Panel shows on TV. I am also watching "How The Americans Won The War Singlehandedly!" You may know this show as "The Pacific". I download the episodes off the web and then watch them when it suits me.
Friday was a usually quiet day. My bike didn't seem to want to hold gear so I took it up to a nearby cycle shop for a 'service' and I should get it back Monday afternoon. The brakes require some attention too.
Saturday was Computer Club Day. I was caught up helping people sort out their email programs. Many people only get their emails when online (eg GMail). They then learn you can download your emails onto your computer and read them anytime. I tend to use Thunderbird as it is quite like the old "Outlook Express". The newer Microsoft's Windows Mail isn't as user friendly as the old Outlook Express.
This morning was cold and bleak outside as the photo shows. Cloud is moving over us and rain is expected tomorrow. Without a bike I had a 40 minute walk this morning and took this photo while outside.
When I started my computer up yesterday I noticed a 'spike' on my network monitor, a little program I have running which shows any activity my internet connection may be having. I checked my 'speed' and found it had been upgraded and is now 5 times faster than it was before. A movie which once took nearly 80 minutes to download when I was on 1500 speed now takes just under 15 minutes. I am extremely pleased with this as we cannot get ADSL2+ here where we live. We can only get up to 8000 ADSL. My current speed is just about 6700, up from the 1280 it used to be.
Because we are such a long way from the telephone exchange we would not get a much quicker speed even if we were connected to ADSL2+.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday!
My footy team had a great win on Sunday so I was very happy about that.
On Monday we had Paul and Linda around for some movies and a chat. Paul has just recently bought himself a WD TV Mini media player. He just loves it and he needed some more movies. He now has over 100 to watch! Later Trish went to trivia while I watched a Monday night footy match on TV.
Tuesday I had to go to collect 1300 Community Association newsletters about 15k's away which had been photocopied for us. Another mate lived just around the corner so I was back there again getting his new PC up to date. He had messed it up but with a little help had used System Restore to get it all well again. However a few programs needed updating and we eventually got his TV on the PC to work as well. Trish did another morning at the Tourist Information Centre.
I spent some time trying to integrate this blog page into my Facebook account. I think I have succeeded.
This morning was a bottle washing day so that got me off to a good start. They are drying in the 28 degree sun right now as it is another glorious day here. The photo shows the bottles filled with a weak solution of bleach and water which I use to sanitize the bottles. I should be bottling on Friday it seems.
We are getting a lot of TV coverage on Pay TV of the T20 International Cricket from the west Indies. Most days the matches commence about 3:30 am our time which is much too early for me to be up! However this morning's game involving Australia was played at night over there which was a 7 am start for us here. I didn't ride today, I watched the cricket instead! The guy batting in the photo actually got out playing this shot!
Trish and I are out for tea tonight to celebrate our wedding anniversary due tomorrow. We will go to the Mooloolaba Surf Club. Those of you who have visited us up here will know the place we mean!
Our daughter Kim has passed her final exam, she is now fully qualified. Trish and I are very proud of her. It is a huge commitment to do study in your own time but she has stuck at it and come out on top. Well done Kim, mum and Dad are very proud ( and not at all surprised) of what you have achieved.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Alcohol, Is It Good For You?
The Value of a Drink
'Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame.
Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams ..
If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered.
Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.'
~ Jack Handy
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'I feel sorry for people who don't drink.
When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.'
~Frank Sinatra
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
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'When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.'~ Henny Youngman
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.
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'24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?
I think not.'
~ Stephen Wright
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.
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'When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!'
~ Brian O'Rourke
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'Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.'
~ Benjamin Franklin
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.
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'Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer.
Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.'
~ Dave Barry
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
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To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can!
~ Dave Howell
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.
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And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers.
One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm.
Here's how it went:
'Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And whenthe herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers.'
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
It's Mothers' Day
We haven't got on all that well with one of the neighbours, I find him hard to get on with. They are moving out and going to an even smaller house elsewhere in our street. The main moving was done late in the week but they returned yesterday to do some final cleaning up and remove any of their fixtures. I had quite a surprise when I found he had removed the height extension piece he had put on the courtyard (beer garden) fence. I believe he was asked to build it by his real estate agent to satisfy one of my concerns. The brown fence supports which I put up can be seen on either side of our house's walls in the top picture.
Click on either picture to give you a bigger view. Then click on "Back" to return to this page.
This morning it looked like the picture above left. It solved a problem for us when I rebuilt the fence today. This time I put the palings on our side and it looks heaps better. We were planning to do this to our side of the fence anyway. His action forced me into doing it sooner rather than later.
Trish's footy team is disappointing right now, they were defeated again yesterday by one of the lower ranked sides. My team plays today and they are in for a tough battle against the current top placed side. It is being played at my team's home ground which gives them a huge advantage.
Happy Mothers' Day to all the mums out there. I am sure you will have a great day.
Do you like the joke below?
My Living Will!
MY LIVING WILL
Last night, my kids and I were sitting in the living room and I said to them, |
Friday, May 07, 2010
Another Brew On
After a 12.5k bike ride I put another home-brew on this morning. That again means more bottle washing next week but that will be OK. The photo shows some of the ingredients used in making a brew. The 400grams of sugar means my final brew will be a 3.5% or "mid" strength. It is sanitizer in the 'trigger' bottle.
We have our usual get together this afternoon around at Tony's. I am looking forward to it very much.
Last night we had a phone call from our youngest daughter Kim. She had just bought tickets for a huge outdoor music festival to be held at Woodford 35k's away from where we live here in Queensland. Kim and 3 others had bought their entry tickets and had booked their flights to Brisbane. All they needed now was some accommodation! We may have them here with us for a night (or even more if nothing works out for them).
Thursday, May 06, 2010
I Am Computered Out!
It was suggested you make "Recovery Discs" after the initial setup. We sat there for 90 mins watching the thing appear to be busy working when it fact it was doing nothing. I promptly removed the 60 Day version of Office 2007 and the 'trial' version of McAfee. Then I tried to create the backup disks. What I later discovered was it only makes Recovery Disks with ALL the original software on it.
I was left waiting for help on the phone line for 20 minutes until I was told to restart the the laptop and tap Alt and F10 keys at the same time continuously until the "Back To Default" option came back. After almost an hour the laptop rebooted in the same configuration it had been in when it first arrived at the the shop.
I quickly burned the Recovery Disks (took 3 x DVD's) and set it all up with all the software she needed. I got the laptop back to her this morning.
I was up early today watching Australia Vs Bangladesh in the T/20 match in the West Indies then I was in to the garage to bottle my brew. Tomorrow I will be putting another lot on. I seem to have got a little behind in my brewing chores. The photo shows me pouring a measure of 1 teaspoon of sugar into each bottle which is required for the final 'fermentation'.
Then it was around to another mate's place to load up his new Windows PC with software too. Again we had quite a few hiccups but got the essential stuff done.
It looks like I will need to pop over and see him again though to finish it all off.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
It Is After Lunch And The Sun Is Out
My presentation on swapping Internet Service Providers at the Computer Club went well on Saturday and a couple of people followed up with me as they were thinking of swapping ISP's. People get a bit of a laugh when I do a presentation which is a bit more entertaining than the usual run of the mill stuff.
Plenty of footy on TV over the weekend for me to enjoy, my footy team went very well this week while Trish's team had a shocker!
Monday was a public holiday here so we had a bit of kid noise around the place. Our noisy neighbours should be moving very soon, possibly this weekend as the house they are planning to move in to down the street was vacated over the weekend. He seems to hide whenever we see each other right now!
I had the car into the dealer to have the CD looked at this morning. It seems the CD in it needs repair and I now have to have it done myself. Even thought the car has a 5 year warranty, the CD is only covered for three years. The radio is working fine so I will have the repair done when Trish flies down to Melbourne in a couple of weeks. They guy said the repair (and this fault happens frequently) will be in the $250 area to be fixed.