Thanks to the time-intensive efforts and calling around by LookingUp, a kindly old gentleman who’s a member of a Mac user club delivered a very nice used 17″ monitor to Darcy at work, and we set it up tonight! It’s like a whole NEW WORLD for me! God, no wonder I couldn’t see text well before!
He had about five monitors on hand, and was tickled to find someone who needed one. And he drove a rather long way to deliver it, but timed it with a visit to see a friend who also lives on the Peninsula. And, as he said, it’s so much better for these monitors to get recycled than to end up in landfills (where they’re quite toxic). Thank you, LookingUp, for hooking me up with this kindly, helpful gentleman.
And thanks so very much to Ghostdancer and to Diane101/Shirl for also pitching in. They were willing to ship me monitors, but that’s quite expensive, and this is a far more practical and completely wonderful way to get one. My old monitor was a crappy old tiny monitor my mom bought from one of my brother’s sons, and its base was broken, and I had to stack it on three books (including two old John Dean books), and then hoist it at an angle with strategically placed pencils.
And, one of my new delights, I’ve just discovered, is being able to truly enjoy the graphic-rich newsletters I get from organizations, including Sierra Club. I usually threw them away because it was too hard to read them. In tonight’s new Sierra Club newsletter, there are many articles (including a topic we’ve discussed here recently, “America’s Forests: Not For Sale!“). And there’s a great quiz:
Survive This!
Win a wilderness adventure in Sierra’s 10th wild journeys contest.You know to avoid mountaintops during lightning storms, but do you also know to stay away from the mouths of caves and mines? If you’re swept down a river, what’s the best angle to keep your body as you swim toward shore?
If you want to test your backcountry-emergency aptitude, we’ve got a challenge for you. … Read all + see the list of great prizes
By the way, we’re an affiliate for Sierra Club. If you join, we get a bit of change: $25 Sierra Club Membership with FREE backpack, Sierra magazine subscription, and more!
Now if you get those glasses fixed it will be a whole new world before your eyes.
I had a similar situation after a furnace backed up in our house and soot infiltrated pretty much everything we owned, including our lungs, our books, our clothes, and our electronics. I had to replace the power supply in my computer once a week for about a month before we got the problem fixed. This also caused problems with my monitor; at one time I had the gamma turned up so far that on an ordinary monitor the radiation would probably have fried your eyeballs like quail’s eggs.
Fortunately we are now in a new house, and last year for my birthday I got a brand shiny new LCD monitor.
Had I known at the time that I would be getting a refund on my taxes instead of having to pay in (I was worried for a bit) I would have just ordered one for you and had it shipped. As it turns out, this is probably a better solution. I like putting electronics that still have life in them to use (another wonderful thing about Linux — it will run on computers that Windows gave up on two versions back).
now you can use that money to donate to the candidate of your choice. Or so I hope.
So often, by cooperating we can get more done than we ever dream.
Our computer has at least 4 members who’re obsessed with funneling old computer equip to people who need it. Chris has helped people leaving recovery programs. Another man helps senior citizens, sometimes in assisted living situations to have “a window on the world”. (Or a Mac on the world, as the case may be.)
There’s still the issue of funding for Susan’s glasses and eye appointment, also.
I’m still getting used to so much screen real estate; I can actually have iTunes going and see what’s playing on the mini-player! 🙂
And thanks for the Sierra Club heads-up; it’s one of the organizations the spouse and I have been considering joining, so will head over there and see what they’re offering in terms of couples/family memberships. With his retirement rapidly approaching (8 years? AAAAACK!), we’re discussing what we want to do when he tells his employer to take this job and shove it…a lot more hiking/outdoor activity is high on the list; now we’ve just got to get in shape so we’ll be healthy enough to do everything…
Susan, enjoy your monitor!
my action alerts blog:
http://actionalert.blogspot.com/
lots of recent updates, some state-specific
So this is the time of year when I renew memberships to orgs I belong to. I get phone calls all day. Really. I had calls from Environmental Defense and Sierra Club over the weekend. I haven’t belonged to Sierra Club for a couple of years, joined ED last year. Also NDRC, WWF, Nature Conservancy, and, um…Defenders (DEN).
I feel like this is just a tad silly. I’d rather belong to just a few and support them better. Otherwise I feel like any money I gave to them they are giving back to me with mailers and stuff.
Does anyone have recommends? I’ve looked at that compass website (they actually don’t like WWF at all) but I’d be interested in any feedback.
Also on Amnesty, HRW, Doctors without Borders and Oxfam…and the ACLU…and…PFAW…
Just if anyone has any strong positive or negative feelings on any of these orgs…
Susan, many congrats on the new monitor!
Darcy promotes Defenders of Wildlife on her bsns Web site. And she had to get gifts for a couple people at work, so she adopted wolves for them. She got me a killer whale, which I really don’t have room for.
I used to volunteer for Sierra Club a lot in Seattle, and went to their meetings. Their intimate knowledge of the entire forest system around here was astounding. And they knew all the laws … it was almost like a contest to see who knew the most! But they used that knowledge to file LAW suits, which is their forte, and to lobby in D.C. So they’re extremely good in those ways.
HSUS is my other personal favorite. They have a barebones staff, despite their enormous size, and they get a lot done. They were all over katrina, helping people and animals. (So was PETA! PETA helped countless people, particularly people on farms who were stranded.)
OH, I forgot about HSUS. I belong to them too…they were one of the katrina charities that my company matched donations – so it was doubly nice donating to them.
Aer you sure you couldn’t fit the killer whale in your bathtub?
it’s hooked up. I’ll let Chris know.
BTW, I think he didn’t hook up with his friend, but just drove over to help you out. I think the cover story was the friend. He also said he wanted to check out highway milage on his car… but I think that was also an excuse.
We humans — we’re really quite a nice bunch for the most part.
That sweetheart. Yup, he told me about checking out his mileage too.
And thank YOU so much for your persistence and many connections with my daughter to set things up, especially after I didn’t get to read or reply to some e-mails you sent me just before my old e-mail app died.
Not yet for the glasses. Will hope. Should go too because my eyes hurt a lot…. sting.
THANKS! What goes around … someday … HUGS!
You know to avoid mountaintops during lightning storms, but do you also know to stay away from the mouths of caves and mines? If you’re swept down a river, what’s the best angle to keep your body as you swim toward shore?
That alone was enough to deter me from applying to win the wilderness adventure.
Darcy checked it out, and said she couldn’t answer any of them. And she’s a hiker. So …
Well, I can answer at least one. Do I know to avoid the mouths of caves and mines? Most certainly. Not out of fear of lightning, but as a general policy.
On the other hand, if I were actually to find myself in a cave or mine, I would make straight for its mouth, lightning or no lightning.
I guess I’m just not Sierra Club material.
I’m not a resident of the US, and therefore ineligible – so feel free to poach these answers.
1. You’ve been trapped by an avalanche. How can drooling help you?
So you know which way is up.
2. What’s the best time of day to hike through rockfall areas, and why?
Early in the morning, so that thawing will not have losened the rocks.
3. A rescue helicopter has spotted you and is preparing to land. Why should you hang a brightly colored cloth on a nearby tree?
Because the rescuers will no longer be able to see down between the trees to spot you.
4. While traversing soft snow without any special gear, you slip. Should you slide facedown or faceup, and why?
Facedown. To put all your weight on hands, knees and feet – so that they dig in.
5. Why should you let sweaty socks freeze if you’ve taken them off while camping in very cold, dry weather?
When the water turns to ice it can be banged or scraped off.
6. What does a large X on the ground signal to airborne rescuers?
That you are unable to proceed.