Testing technology (and my patient resolve)

*disclaimer* The following blog may sound a touch technical, it may also sound like I know what I’m talking about, however it isn’t and I don’t.

As some of you may know, I administrate a website about a musician and the work he has undertaken over the past years. I try and be diligent in my duties and keep things up-to-date for the fans and those who google interest. Over the past couple of years with a deterioration of my muscle strength and the complications surrounding using my desk for any extended periods of time, I have been lax in updating the photo section of the website. This has been weighing heavily on my mind and conscience, so I took the arrival of my new chair as impetus to get cracking and just do it. 

In order to put a photo gallery together I use an application on my Mac called iWeb, very much a user friendly drag and drop style of templates to create each album and contents, creating a cover, thumbnails, slideshows, and enlarged images. There are now some 18 to 21 albums each containing a couple of pages or more of images from various events, gigs, tours and with fans. Although I haven’t counted them individually there must be several hundred photos.  Now before any image can be dragged and dropped into the photo album it requires a little editing, usually it needs copying or resizing and all of them require the necessary copyright marking. Once added to a particular album I then add a caption detailing the event and that event date. Back up images and details are stored separately ‘just in case’ catastrophe occurs.  All very time consuming.  So for the last couple of months I have been slowly adding more photos to existing albums, amalgamating some albums, as well as adding new ones. Once I was satisfied everything was up to date I hit the ‘publish’ icon to save all the necessary files and folders to make this straightforward piece of the website work.

There was just one thing left to do, transfer all the files folders and contents onto the server for the website.

Historically I have used an FTP program called FileZila to act as intermediary between my computer and the host server so that the files and folders could be transferred over in the right order so everything was in its right place. When you are dealing with something that is so pedantic that a , instead of a . can send the web site into meltdown it is mentally exhausting on a good day. But FileZila is a very competent piece of kit, that when you have a folder containing files and folders, that contain files and folders, that contain files, it can’t be trusted to put the right thing in the right place in the right order.  There was just one slight, tincy, little, problem, the darn thing wouldn’t connect to the server and authenticate it self!  I could have cried.

Unfortunately the host server will only let me use FileZila as I use a Mac computer, however the host site has its own FTP client but it is notoriously slow, frequently crashes and cannot cope with transferring folders from the files and folders it needs it doing individually.  So for a number of hours I sat at my desk and diligently, slowly, transferred each file and folder double checking that they were in the correct order up to the host server.  Once all the files and folders were transferred, and I was satisfied everything was where it should be, I then opened my web browser and collect the link to view the photo gallery. Always a tense moment. Of course, it goes without saying, and is to be expected, but half of what I wanted to be there, wasn’t. Back to the individual files and folders checking the latest update date to make sure I hadn’t missed one (I had, just one) to then try again, and again, clear the cachet and web data, and try again again.

SUCCESS!!!

After the photo gallery was successfully updated, I then set about uploading the pages that have been updated to the main section of the website. These are created by handwritten HTML and not a template or wizard, and are far better behaved and easier to maintain, but photo albums are very technical to create from scratch.

The web to do list had been cut down to just a couple of items, and all the weighted updates were on screen for friends and search engine Google is defined which was a satisfactory failing.  But I’m not quite ready to tackle upgrading the video pages as if that is going to take some hours of diligent patience to make sure the videos comply on multi platforms.

In other news, I have finished two cat blankets and I am working on a third and have the pattern for the fourth one all mapped out. Spring has sprung, a new fresh dose of gumption has been grasped. 

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Rebellious technology

Life has a way of making you pay for time off.  I’m paying a price, in frustration!

Wednesday morning I sat and woke up my computer, it had had a holiday too. After dealing with a top priority necessity I clicked to install the update, during its restart process it got stuck, trying to locate my Bluetooth keyboard (I don’t have one). It couldn’t sense my plugged in one. Panic.  Grab the iPad and ask Google, the first two ‘try this’ options failed, one was to just turn off the Bluetooth which was incredibly unhelpful as I do have a wireless mouse. Panic rising, scan read a couple more articles and discovered that either plugging the keyboard into a USB extension or plugging a thumb drive into the USB ports on the keyboard can ‘wake things up’.  Thankfully the extension trick worked. Phew.

Most work days my BFF calls to chat during her walk home, I sat waiting for the phone to jingle into life and when it did I eagerly pressed the green button – to silence. At first I thought our phones had missed connecting, but I could hear the bedroom phone ringing, I looked at the screen and it was blank. Panic. I heard my answerphone click in and the phone screen came to life and I pressed the green button with authority to hear the dulcet tones of my BFF wondering what was going on. Phew.

My wizzy super new desk chair requires recharging from time to time. On Wednesday I dug out the charger and plugged it into the socket and plugging the chair into the charger, the indicator light looked dead (yes, I had switched it on). Hmm, maybe it goes green once its charged. After a couple of hours still no light, I’ll plug it in again Thursday to charge some more, but still the light remained dead. Panic.  Now where exactly is that ‘safe place’ you put the instructions?   Apparently the light ‘should’ be yellow while charging and green once charged.  So, is the charger not charging or has the light gone do-wacky….either way as its only been three months, I need to contact the peeps and get another charger, hope there’s enough charge in the battery. Slight panic.

At least the microwave hasn’t melted, no light bulbs have plunged me into darkness or kettle fizzled ….. although the WordPress app has crashed a few times while typing this.

 

Holibobs & Burpdays

Like all things, it came to an end all too quickly. My bestest best friend in the whole wide world came up for a two week stay that coincided with my 50th birthday. Two whole weeks of glorious food, entertaining conversations, laziness and laughter, being spoilt and pampered, as well as my birthday celebrations.  We watched a number of interesting films such as To Kill A Mockingbird, Suffragette, Hitch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to name a few, we binge watched Blue Planet as well as a lot of Bargain Hunt.

Annoyingly the weather was not bright enough to venture out, but we did take a walk to The Esplanade despite the chill wind for a fish and chip lunch, also a mooch along the High Street – The local yarn shop was successfully avoided, only because we both had crochet projects that needed to be worked on and have enough to keep us going for ever.

I had a wonderful birthday, with cards, flowers and gifts. I had asked for cash to buy a special piece of jewellery and my budget was exceeded. The gold and black pendant watch far exceeded my expectations and arrived on my birthday even though it was not due for another week. When I went out for a meal with the family and friends, my wheelchair was festooned with balloons, and I had a large badge pinned to my dress (yes folks, I was in a dress) so there was no hiding that I had reached my half century birthday. That’s it now, I have decided I am having no more birthdays!!

The #NotMyCat affectionately known as Mickey, he also enjoyed my BFF’s visit as he gets super spoiled with treats and food and cuddles each and every day. The introduction of cat nip was definitely entertaining verging sometimes on hysterical!

They say a change is as good as a rest, I do feel rested, and I am trying to rejuvenate my get-up-and-get-on-with-it attitude that had slipped somewhat. Mind you, I’m not keen on this having to make my own coffee lark!!

 

Running out of t………

For once ‘Babs’ is almost right! The sun in my life is arriving on Tuesday, my BFF will be here for our two-week PJ party, it most definitely will be an excellent time.  Now before you think it, I do not believe in such bunkum as horoscopes etc but an idle curiosity to check out the absurdity often has me glancing if only to go ^yeah, right^ (Oww, look at me going all posh and using the sarcastrophy). 

So how is the to-do list, has it become a to-done one? Not really

• • Tidy/sort/chuck bathroom junk – woohoo, done 
•  • Today/sort/chuck bedroom junk – another one done
•  • Wash towels – tick that one off
•  • Start big shop list of don’t forgets – and another crossed off, it’s going well!
•  • Shift/bag loose balls of yarn – well, erm, oops
•  • Tidy away untidied bedroom bits – almost kind of, sorta, nearly
•  • Finish web album work – it was going so well
•  • Type up pod cast article – type up done, web page not created
•  • Create contact page – about half way there.

I’ve under estimated how much time the web work would take, I’ve also procrastinated at working at the desk, because the getting up situ is not progressing. *sigh* Okay so new plan while BFF is here is to get web stuff done and uploaded to the server and also to try again at getting stood up from desk. 

With my 0-s*** birthday just days away, I’ve been looking for that special something, a statement piece that will be worn often. I think I have found it. I am looking forward to the sitting around the table together, eating hearty food and enjoying each other’s company.

You know, there is even the possibility that I might do some croches! I know, shocking, I’ve done one row since finishing the Christmas commissions.

Toddles for now *waves*

 

Battle Plan Bidness

There are only eleven days until my BFF comes to play I mean stay, yes stay.  Always much look forwardededed to with electric anticipation. We plan tasty foods and we plan loads of films and things, we plan plans to stitch n bitch and sometimes actually manage to stitch too!  But I have a rival, someone with whom I absolutely cannot compete with, he is such a courteous gentleman, he can melt you with just a blink of his mesmerising eyes, of course I am referring to ‘Mikey’ the not-my-cat who sits on my recycling bin ‘supervising’ kitchen activities and persuading to be let in.

Her imminent arrival also gives me the impetus to get on with the to-do list.  So here we go, my list

• Tidy/sort/chuck bathroom junk
• Today/sort/chuck bedroom junk
• Wash towels
• Start big shop list of don’t forgets
• Shift/bag loose balls of yarn
• Tidy away untidied bedroom bits
• Finish web album work
• Type up pod cast article
• Create contact page

I’ve slowly been catching up with the web work at my desk, I’m still trying to master getting up from my desk but I am no nearer success.  There’s a lazy aspect in my brain, I psych myself up, get hands and chair in place, sit ready, take a deep breath and flop as the impetus flood away and despondency makes me change my mind and I end up doing the hip aching chair shuffle to the sofa.

When BFF is here I plan to ftp the album files to the server, a task that takes numerous hours and double checking of files to make sure it’s done it all proper like. So hence the deadline to get all the updates and info ready to be published.

Really looking forward to our two weeks PJ party, even if it does include my 0-heck golden gauged half century type birthday.

 

The March Lion Did Roar

It’s not very often I feel vulnerable when at home, but when I am in bed in the dead of night, seeking sleep, and outside the wind is whipping and cracking, rocking and moving the wheelie bins, whistling at high pitch across the overflow pipes and window vent, I have visions of airborne debris catapulting into my bedroom window.  I don’t have a mental plan of action, who do you call when a roof tile shatters the glass or half a tree branch shifts the sturdy bricks at stupid ‘O’ clock.  Maybe it is something that creeps up on you as you age, experience erodes invincibility perhaps. 

Storm Emma raged and roared unabashed, shifting the inches of powdered snow and freezing it to where it landed, pushing through the merest cranny to turn a whisper into a palpable icy draft.  A  couple of streets from me, a tree which has proudly stood at the corner of a bank car park for decades (if not a century) succumbed to the battering assault. Thankfully no person was hurt but a couple of cars were damaged (pictured above).

Today the world beyond my windows looks a picture of frosted innocence, just waiting for a moment of complacency to turn on you and test your resolve.

It’s March, in three weeks I reach a golden mile stone, where is Spring or the milder days of sunshine.

 

You Could Have Told Me …..

It was going to be one of ‘those’ days!

—Not only did I put my undies on back to front but also inside out

—Error was not discovered until after I had put my trousers on and I had stood up (a struggle)

—While making scrambled eggs the egg shell fell to the floor, as I moved to kick it out the way (I cannot bend down to pick anything up) crushed it into my big toe resulting in shell pushed under toe nail and squishy gunk on the skin.

—Fancied toast but when I opened the cupboard I discovered an onion shooting towards the stars, plus ‘someone’ tidied the contents and I cannot feel where it is (or bend down to see where it is)

—Tried making toast under the grill.  Oh well, a bit of charcoal is good for the digestive system, right?

Did someone move the thirteenth to today?