June 24, 2016
Dear Everyone:
Sadly, we had to say good-bye to “Jeannie’s” little kitty, Mishka, this
week. Ever since we got back
from our New York trip, Mishka had been having a difficult time.
She wouldn’t eat or drink anything for days.
Personally, I don’t think it had anything to do with our absence.
I think it was just her time.
Last Sunday, in the wee, small hours of the morning, “Jeannie” took her
to the vet’s office, which is open 24/7 for just this sort of emergency.
They did some things to help, like
intravenous hydrating.
But by midday on Monday, it was clear that things were coming to
a close. However, “Jeannie”
was working in court that day.
So I drove up to the vet’s office.
They had a private room all ready and even broke out a fresh box
of Kleenex for me to say good-bye to the little kitty for “Jeannie”.
Then the vet took over and Mishka slipped quietly off to Little
Kitty Heaven. It was all
very gentle and peaceful.
In the meantime…
I am still reeling from the
Kamikaze Attack that the “free upgrade” to
Windows 10 did on my
laptop, Nicholas.
It could no longer “see” my
home network; or it could “see” it,
but not connect. A laptop
that can’t get to the Internet is like… a 441-gigabyte
paperweight.
I decided a new laptop was in order, but I wanted to try something a
little bit different. I have
noticed that I frequently go to the computer when I want to look
something up. Just what is a
“faraday cage”? What’s the
weather forecast for this afternoon?
What is the name of the actor I’m watching on TV right now?
Do I have any new emails?
So I decided to get a much smaller tablet for quick “lookups”.
It’s very convenient, and will be much easier to transport the
next time I go travelling.
And so much more right-at-hand when I feel like playing a game of
Solitaire, or
Mahjong, or a digital
jigsaw puzzle.
But it can’t really do everything.
So I got a “real” laptop.
Then, when I discovered that I couldn’t download my website software,
because the manufacturer has discontinued it, I needed a
CD-drive that I
could hook up to the new, “real” laptop, to install the software from
the original CD. (No laptops
or tablets come with a CD-drive anymore.)
And, while I was at it, a
USB hub that would let me connect more
than one USB attachment at a time.
And so on. In a way, it’s
like getting a new pet. I
keep buying toys for it.
In other news, I got an email from
Barnes & Noble, the bookstore chain,
informing me that I was part of a
Class Action Suit.
Probably has something to do with the
Nook
eReader that I bought
and discarded years ago.
Watch for another email informing me how much I would be getting in the
Settlement. A couple of days
later, I got the other email informing me that my credit was in place
and I could use it to make a purchase online.
Or print the certificate and use the credit at any Barnes & Noble
“brick-and-mortar” store.
The certificate is for $1.57.
I’ll try really hard not to spend it all in one place.
Love, as always,
Pete
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