REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Ten Year Anniversary of Blogging

I recently began a little clean up on my blog Sacred Ordinary and noted that I have been writing at this space for ten years. Ten years? It seems hard to believe. 

So many of us I still follow today (albeit sporadically) started right around that time, but most of us do know that tech times have changed. I'll be the first one to admit that so many new social media opps have presented themselves, that most of us also use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linked In and Instagram, just to name a few that I personally subscribe to. And though I long said that part of my daily writing practice was to post at Sacred Ordinary every day, now I post more often to Facebook. 

The IT people who advise me at work and in my volunteer posts tell me that the world largely communicates in very small bites now. I do cross post Sacred Ordinary to Facebook automatically, but I've noted that it is rare for anyone to comment on FB when I do. Too many words, too many photos, and no one has the patience or time. 

I hope blogs don't go the way of those handwritten letters we used to write to each other. But, I do say congratulations to myself for keeping on here as long as I have. What say you veteran bloggers? What has changed for you? 

This is what a blogger looks like on her tenth anniversary. 

 

Spare Time Spent Learning Digital Collage....and Lots of Other Stuff

My parents taught me what you probably learned as a kid, too.

• A rolling stone gathers no moss.
• Idle hands are the devil's workshop.
• A stitch in time saves nine, and yada-dee-yadedah. All these old sayings apply to me for sure.

I spent a lot of years being married and raising a family, and have been my own sole support for more than 25 years. I tend to choose activities these days that I enjoy, at least when I can. I only work three days a week for money (and because I LOVE it), but I'll admit I'm pretty involved in my community, and I have just been elected to the vestry of Christ Church. I'm just completing my fourth year of Education for Ministry studies at church and will look forward ultimately to that time slot opening up. Then there's my monthly journal writing group and the monthly SoulCollage group, the Friends Board of the Peninsula Library District, and the Redondo Beach Art group. Those of you who know me well also know that I'm a mixed media collage artist, and I play with art journals, too. And I read at least one or two books a month and stream a few movies. And yes, I do hang out with family and friends sometimes, too. Yikes! I thought I got over being a work-a-holic, but---. Though I'm a contemplative wanna-be, the more meaningfully I keep my time occupied, the more energetic and creative I seem to be, and depression and anxiety don't rear their ugly heads as often as in the past. (Knocking on wood.)

My new passion, as I've written before, is learning digital collage. I'm using the tools of a site called Polyvore, but amazingly enough, I am now finally beginning to understand the layering power of PhotoShop itself thanks to Polyvore. A new world has opened up to me and you know how time consuming that can be! But, Lordy, how challenging and gratifying. Even if no one else likes my "stuff," I like my stuff. I also know myself well enough to realize I LOVE learning new things, but I ultimately grow tired of many of them, too, and then want to learn MORE! My life is a blessed one.

Here are a few of my digital collage creations, and you can see more at Redondowriter's Polyvore site or at Redondowriter's Pinterest site, if you are interested. 

After reading what I've been doing, I'm exhausted. Now it's time to walk Mollie and go to bed with a good new book. 

 

How Lucky Am I To Have a Job I Love So Much?

Meri at Meri's Musings has a meme on her blog that she calls Share the Joy Thursdays. 

I haven't shared before, but I heard about the challenge on a favorite blog of mine, Rebecca's Recuerda mi Corazon. 

The question Meri asks is, "What brought you joy today?"

I had to say that it was my work as an archivist at Chadwick School where I currently work three days a week. I was the Director of Communications for 16 years before that, and though the archives were part of my job description, I never had time to do it justice. 

Now I do. This is Homecoming Week and there are all kinds of events happening everyday. On Saturday is the classic football parade, Homecoming Court, alumni gatherings at the game, and that evening, while the kids are at the Homecoming Dance, the alumni gather for the annual Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame and a dinner. Four former athletes are being inducted this year from the classes of 1951, 1960, 1965 and 1983. My job is always to make the tribute boards which are on display at the alumni event. 

Preparing begins weeks earlier when the names are announced. I begin researching for photos and writing about the athletes and then I scan everything and print it out. Most alums usually provide background information for me and more current photos to go along with the vintages ones I keep in the archives. 

I am a scrapbooker and the tribute boards really are like giant scrapbooks--and I absolutely love preparing them. So, that's why I'm joyful today. I so enjoy getting to know the alums and their families--then--and now. So, here's the end product of what made me joyful for several days, actually. 

It is such a privilege to work with archival materials and to help unfold the lives of people I usually don't even know. How lucky am I to have a part-time job I love so much? 

 

Remembering Steve Jobs at Apple Computer

For those of you who read regularly at Sacred Ordinary, you know that the late Steve Jobs was one of my heroes so I felt so sad hearing on NPR as I drove home from work that Steve had died today. I posted this SoulCollage® card I made for Steve in an entry on July 13, 2011 I called "Steve Jobs at Apple Computer." He actually has a place in my SoulCollage Community suit along with beloved family members and other people, living and dead I am grateful for. I wrote there what he meant to me. 

Earlier in the year, Jan. 11, 2011, I made an art journal page for him in another entry called "Get Well Soon, Steve Jobs." In my journals, my art, and my art journals, writing about or creating imaging for loved ones is a kind of prayer, I guess. 

In reading the in-depth articles tonight about him, it makes me realize how little I really knew about him. I just loved his persona, his intellect, his futuristic vision, and how down-to-earth he was. RIP, Steve Jobs. And condolences to his family, colleagues and friends. 

I have seen this commencement speech he gave at Stanford University all over the Internet tonight, but in case you haven't seen it, here it is. He gives me hope that when my own time comes, I'll die as graciously as he did. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon Apple's Musings on Computers and Technology

I am a member of our local Mac Users Group, SBAMUG, and one of the really valuable benefits is our e-list where people can ask questions and get them answered, or others post things they have learned. One of our older members was recently lamenting having to buy a new computer--again--to get all the bells and whistles, most he probably didn't even want. Member Gordon Apple responded with this incredible e-mail which he gave me permission to reprint:  

I usually figure the half-life of computer value at about a calendar year (15 months, absolute max).  This includes warrantee, wear, and obsoleteness.  Unlike automobiles and other commodities, computer technology is still advancing at a substantial rate.  Changes are coming at an astounding rate.

Music has moved from records and CDs to totally electronic distribution.  Video tape is gone and DVDs are not far behind.  Network television is dying and being replaced by VOD.  Books are totally moving to Kindle/iPad.  Newspapers are going totally electronic.  USPS is dying.  No one sends mail anymore (except junk mail).  Checks are now obsolete (England is totally discontinuing them).  Home phones are almost gone.  Money is almost obsolete.  (The next iPhone will support near-field standards for “cash” transactions, receipts, coupon redemption, vending machines, gas pumps, etc.) PicturePhone (which I worked on at Bell Labs in the early ‘70s) is finally here in high-resolution color and portable (FaceTime).  Education is moving out of the classroom onto the web.  Cameras are mostly gone, now part of phones.  Maps have been replaced by GPS and maps on your phone.  On and On.

Prediction: TVs, phones, and computers will eventually be replaced by corneal and other implants.  These will also monitor your health, call 911 if needed, remind you to take your pills (my age is showing).  They will also recognize the person you are speaking with and remind you of their name (gawd, I need this one   :-)

Get Well Soon, Steve Jobs

To say I love Apple co-founder Steve Jobs would be an understatement. I love his co-founder Steve Wozniak, too. These men and the whole company who have developed all these incredible Apple products over the years have brought not only productivity to millions, but a way of computing and enjoying high tech for not just geeks--but average folks like me. Plus, he has always struck me as a really nice man. 

I was very sad to hear last night that Steve has announced his third medical leave. This article in the UK Guardian told me more than I probably wanted to know. 

He has asked for privacy for he and his family and I just hope that whatever is up for him medically is something he can tolerate and that it buys him many more years on this planet. 

Our first Apple was when the kids were still in high school, back in the 70s. Twenty years ago my new workplace required that I use a Mac and ever since then I've been sold. I use both PCs and Macs but I have a true love affair for my iMac at home and work, and my MacBook I use for travel. I have an iPad, and will get an iPhone when my current Verizon contract is up in nine months. I've been waiting for the phone to become available on Verizon. And God willing and the creek don't rise, an iPad is on my wish list. 

I don't really know that much about Steve personally, I will admit, except that every time I see him speaking, ever since he was young, I saw a brilliant and compassionate man and I'm pretty good at reading people. I belong to a Mac user group and I eagerly await Steve's speech each year at Mac World. 

This past summer in August, when I was traveling, I made an art journal page in honor of Steve with whatever limited supplies I had on hand at the time. Here it is:

Before the announcement of his medical leave I had begun to gather some more elements for another page. I'm not wanting to go there right now. I've got to sit with this news for a while.

I'm off to light a seven-day candle for Steve on my bedroom altar. 

I'm a proud member of the Tribe of Mac. 

For Real: AOL Users, Change Your Password

I belong to the South Bay Macintosh Users Group and one of our many benefits is an e-mail list for the members with all kinds of information from tips, links, fixes--and rarely a warning. Today, one of our officers and our former president, who is a well-known local computer consultant, posted a warning that I think AOL users will want to make note of. (Since then, another post has come in from someone on Yahoo who had the same experience today as people are experiencing on AOL.)

"I have received some disturbing emails from people I know with AOL email addresses. The email says that my friend is writing this with tears in their eyes. Was on a short vacation overseas, and was robbed of everything except passport. Injured during the robbery, but only slightly. Now stuck overseas, and could I please loan then enough for a plane ticket home & to quickly settle some bills?

The main problem is that my none of my friends sent those messages. They are not stuck overseas. they are mortified that some crook is trying to scam their friends & business contacts into sending money via Western Union. However the email was (usually) sent via their AOL account, probably via webmail. It is my opinion that AOL may have suffered a security breach and account logins have fallen into enemy hands. The bad guys are using these logins to try & extort money. Some are found word for word as reported by the London UK Embassy
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/acs/scs/internet_scams_examples.html

AOL users - CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD. The bad guys may already have your old password!

Recently the bad guys have kicked it up a notch and in addition to spamming everyone in your address book, they are also erasing your AOL address book, so you are at a double disadvantage. The most recent case I saw today (7-20-2010) was additionally confused by the spammers creating an account at Yahoo.com with the same screen name as the victim has on AOL. The extortion emails were sent from the new Yahoo account, to everybody in the victim's AOL address book. So the victim will not even know who replied to try & send money to the scammers. What a mess!

So AOL users - CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD. The bad guys may already have your old password!

Unfortunately AOL does not make this a painless process. If you don't know the answer to your security question (required to change your AOL password) you can bypass that question by using the old 2005 version of AOL, which does not ask security question. So at least you can get that done.

Please tell other AOL users to change their passwords immediately."

Cupidtino: Apple's Beta Dating Site for Mac Enthusiasts

Because I’ve been the newsletter editor of my Macintosh User Group, SBAMUG, the past few years, I read a lot of websites about all things Mac. I especially got a kick out of Cult-of-Mac's Mike Schramm's June 8, 2010 post about a new Mac dating site called Cupidtino.

Schramm said, “Cupidtino, the Mac dating site that we posted about a little while ago, has finally moved into open beta. Now anyone can go on over there, make a profile and start meeting Mac-minded single men or women looking for a partner. Anyone with a Mac, that is -- the site is only accessible via one of Apple's devices, of course. Once you set up a profile, you can add pictures, post about when you "became a Mac," add your list of gadgets, or go looking for the Mac nerd of your dreams. The pickings are pretty slim right now -- I found about 71 lovely ladies in my age range. Search is currently limited by country, as there probably aren't enough people on the service to get any more granular than that.

But the good news is that in my objective single male opinion, there were some good-looking Mac fans to find. If you happen to spot someone you think might be the "one more thing" of your life, you can "Mac her" (tamer than it sounds, basically a "poke"), send a message (free for now, the page says), or find the nearest Apple Store between the two of you, so you can meet up and make eyes at each other over the iPad table.

I don't know if we really need another dating site (unless you think being a Mac fan is a major dealmaker), but it is cute, and given what we know about Mac users, maybe we do really deserve each other. I set up my profile on the site -- if I happen to Command-F the girl of my dreams, I'll let you know."

When I checked out the site, I noted there were no senior folks signed up at Cupidtino. I must admit that I know a couple of older geeks in my club who would be good company for a Mac woman of a certain age. 

Privacy? Visit WebMii and Be Surprised

This morning's South Bay Daily Breeze's Daily Link column gave the address to a site I had never heard of before: WebMii. I was very, very surprised at what I found when I typed in my name. Who among us hasn't used Google to type in our name and see if we are out there, somewhere?  

WebMii looks for our names more extensively: Facebook, Google, Bing, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter and Friendster. 

You just type in your name and country you want to search through (I did international) and the site looks through blogs, tags, documents and even photos. 

Following is a photo from Mikey G. Ottawa's Flickr account which seemed to illustrate this entry's content.

 

 

Let's Hear it for Steve Jobs and Apple

I've been without a computer since Friday morning and it was a very weird feeling, I must admit. My Mac Mini died some weeks ago and on Friday I went to the Apple store and selected an iMac 21.5 to replace it. I bought what Apple calls One To One plan so they did the migration from my laptop to the desktop and I somehow got it upstairs, out of the box and got it set up late this afternoon. 

Friday was also the big day when the iPad G3 came out. The Apple store is always very busy, but it was exceptionally so both Friday and today. For some reason, our economic downturn has not seemed to affect Apple.  

This is my friend Margaret and I holding up two of the new iPads after our Saturday morning Mac User Group meeting. They aren't ours, but we wished they were. They belong to two other people in our club who declined to have their photo taken. My iPod Touch is a mini-version of this, but how I wish I had the GPS feature. 

So, after a weekend without computers and the Internet, now I have my desktop and laptop up and running. I am very fortunate indeed. And when I go to work, I have a fully loaded iMac. How can one girl be so lucky? 

I have friends who revel in acquiring jewelry and fine clothes, who invest in exotic travel. My two largest expenditures are for computers and peripherals -- and I NEVER buy those at thrifts or garage sales, though most of you know I largely buy used. I'm as excited by the Apple store as some people are going into Nordstrom's or to the shops on Rodeo Drive. The energy of the staff and the pizzazz of the products make me feel energetic myself. In fact, I'm going back tomorrow afternoon to take an iPod Touch class.