Open Source of Agony

I lost Sunday. You need to remember that I'm on Social Insecurity, so open source software has great appeal. My piggy bank suffers from anorexia.

It all started out with GIMP, a Photoshop (and Jasc's Paint Shop Pro) knock-off, a word that I had to Google because it was in a YouTube video on Sketch-Up, also free and a great 3D graphics program. Long a PSP fan, the GIMP terms are familiar, but of course one needs to find the correct tools and do it their way. So far, so good. The program opens with three small windows, so I could follow along with the underlying tuts easily. Dozens of free videos on YouTube and elsewhere.

In the midst of this, I came across KompoZer, for which there are also tuts galore for Web site design. Great because I've always hated FrontPage. The next step will be to see if I can copy and paste HTML code into it. All this, and I have yet to download FLEX 4, apparently the poor man's Flash or whatever it's called these days. (See the Links page for download info.)

And you know how it is. All of a sudden free animated wallpapers and screen savers came my way. Since it's the beginning of autumn here, the beach scene is refreshing -- but I simply had to have the stormy lighthouse because Hallowe'en is nigh.

In between videos, and sometimes simultaneously, I listened to music from last.fm. Is this called multi-listening? It's indeed a good catalyst for paranoia.

My son had come to visit. He and the dog saw the back of my headphones all day. Luckily, he brought along his laptop, so he could play with his new Sketch-Up and chat with his friends around the world, his earphones also clanging with last.fm. He's all for building a shipping container house one day, and Sketch-Up's 3D Warehouse site has tons of models. After he left, I piddled around with this and that until the Google Desktop clock showed 2AM. In dog time, that was probably only 7PM, right? Oh, yes, there might have been a few Desktop gadgets I played with along the way and a new FaceBook gizmo.

So that's how I lost Sunday. I dreamed I was making jewelry with GIMP. The ring designs were pretty spectacular. Is this what a manic phase is like?

An insurance company finally thought of its insured?

Or not. One insurance company sent a private firefighting unit to save "their" houses in the recent Boulder, Colorado, fire. They saved 10 out of 13 houses in an area where the premiums would have been sizable. Since they didn't interfere with the firefighters who were there for everyone, I think I approve. Wish I could believe that they were doing it for the homeowners instead of for their bottom line.

Uh oh, time marches on.

First day of autumn. You can chortle when you live on the third floor and don't have to contend with leaves.

However, it's only 95 days until Christmas, so all the crafters are starting to panic. So much to do, so little time. First thing to do is run out to buy printer cartridges and get the cards going. Yesterday I went on a bracelet-making spree, so today I need to do the earrings that go with them. Oh, the gift bags. Well, that goes with the printer cartridges.

Bought a brand new tomato cage the other day. No, I don't have deviant love apples that need to be restrained. I just turn it upside down, throw pine boas and lights over it, and make it into a Christmas tree with a very small footprint. Once the season is over, all that's required is a large garbage bag all over it for storage, leaving no pine needles to find for weeks afterward.

Bilinguality

Is there such a word? Anyway, there is a fabulous oriental market in Denver. Several, as a matter of fact, but one huge market close to a great oriental buffet. One day recently the buffet inspired me to buy lychee nuts at the market. I didn't know where they were, so I asked a stocker. The problem was that all the stockers are Mexican, so I had to describe lychees in Spanish. That was an interesting task.

Moral of the story: If you shop anywhere in Denver, you'd better be able to speak Spanish.

Outsourced Again

The phone rang the other day, and the gentleman asked for Veronica. I explained that I've had this phone for over five years and others have asked for her, presumably because she owes everyone in town money. After I explained that I have no idea who she is or where to find her, the gentleman apologized nicely. When I asked him if he were calling from India, he said, "Yes".

If I call a cab, will the dispatcher be in India, too?

No, I didn't spell exorcise wrong. Think about it. You tell your diary the important stuff -- to get it off your chest.

Anyhow, it's a hot September Sunday at the foot of the Rockies. Chris and I had homemade chorizo and pork sausage stuff and solved some of the problems of the world. The rest may have to wait until after cocktail time.