Week 5: Cinna-minnie

Up on Abert Rim, Lake County, OR

Her full name is really Cinnamon Taffy Twist, although we never actually got around to getting her official papers. She is a pure bred Golden Retriever who has been with our family for 6 years now. My oldest son took her to the vet on Friday, and we found out she has mammary gland tumors. They took an X-ray and nothing has moved into her lungs, so she is going in tomorrow morning for surgery to remove the two lumps we've found on her. She will stay overnight for recovery and then come home. We will be getting a biopsy to see if either of them are cancerous.

We would appreciate prayers and good wishes that her recovery will be swift, and this is all taken care of and there won't be any other occurances in her lifetime. Thank you!

Week 5: Skype

Around town people are always asking me how my son is doing in Sweden. We had several fund raisers and a couple articles in the newspaper, so even if people casually know our family, they will ask about him. A lot of the time they also ask if I miss him. Of course I miss him terribly, but I'm so thrilled that he is getting to experience a different culture, new families and meeting friends from all over the world that I don't wish him home one single day before he needs to be back here :)

One reason it doesn't feel like he is so far away, is because of Skype. For anyone who doesn't know about it, you can go to www.skype.com and download a simple software for free... then talk to anyone in the world, face-to-face in real time on your computer for no cost at all! It's terrific!  No waiting around for the mailman, hoping for a letter.

This is one of our "conference calls" on Skype. My son in Sweden on the left, my son on our laptop in his bedroom at home on the right, and me at the bottom on our desk top computer in the dining room taking the picture. We all chatted with each other and it was great we could all see each other. Their laptops had built-in cameras, but we had to purchase an external camera for a little over $30 at Wal-Mart that uses a USB plug-in for the desk top. Great for grandparents and far-away friends and family. Check it out!  :)

Week 4: Microsoft Word 2007

I really learned a lot about Word 2007 this week with the exercises and assignments. There sure are a lot of wonderful short-cuts, and at least I am a little more familiar with the program and all the tabs now. It would be nice if I got to use these things on a daily basis as I am sure I would get the hang of it more quickly. I will try to use more graphics and tables for school papers in the future if I am allowed.

The Library assignment was interesting, but I was more than frustrated with the eBooks sections. I don't feel they have that part of their program totally up to par. I did enjoy learning that TVCC is part of the Sage system, and I can get a book or other resource delivered to my local library from there. That's really wonderful.

I probably spent about 10 or 11 hours working through the exercises and assignments, another 1 or 2 on the quizzes, and about an hour and half on the eSources worksheet. My son and I enjoyed the Brain Challenge sites also. I have used a lot of these types of sites for homeschooling previously :)

It was a good week! As you can tell, I am enjoying the blogging also. It's a fun way to share with friends and family. I'm trying different inserts, and may apply some of my own HTML in the future. Now on to studying for my other class!

Week 4: Helicopter Overhead

Our town has been abuzz with the doings of the Ruby Natural Gas Pipeline for about two years or more. First there was a lot of talk, and meetings and speculation. Then there was the rush of enterprise as new businesses were rumored to open and existing businesses talked about extending their inventory, services and hours. Big piles of pipe began stacking up at the south end of town. On the north end of town, rows and rows of big trucks and heavy equipment began to be assembled. New people were seen around town and traffic became more congested. Some locals rented out houses or rooms to workers. There was a community BBQ hosted by the Ruby people. Our whole area has experienced a flurry of activity from summer through the winter to now.

This morning, we heard helicopters. We don't hear many airplanes or helicopters here, so I always run out to look. Usually if we hear one, it means someone has needed to be airlifted out from the hospital, and that is never good. But today, I could see it was a big double blade type helicopter and it appeared to be over at the Industrial Park, about three-quarters of a mile away. My son and I speculated that they might be flying pipe out... and sure enough, we saw the copter rise and below it, a 60 foot section of green pipe! The helicopter went over the mountains to the east, and returned in about 12 minutes.

In the afternoon, we took a drive over to check if we could get a closer view...

PLEASE NOTE: I cannot attest to the suitable view-ability of any videos that appear after mine is done. So please proceed with extreme caution if you decided to click on any other videos. Thank you! :)

Week 4: Ducks in Orebro

Another except from my son's most recent blog from Sweden...

...We did end up in a grocery store though and there we found really cheap bread, we bought it with some coins we had in our pockets and then we went to feed the ducks again!! It was really fun feeding the ducks the first time and so we decided to do it again.

This time the ducks were hungry and they must have known we were coming because when we showed up to same place as last time they all started coming toward us as if they already knew we would feed them. We did feed them and this time it was really, really intense. If you are scared of birds don't imagine this but, I am talking ducks everywhere, everywhere. There were ducks in front of us, behind us, on both sides of us, it was crazy. I tried to feed one of the ducks by hand and I must have done it wrong because I got a little beak to the finger. Do ducks have teeth? It didn't feel like they do have teeth but it was definately an exciting experience.

I certainly do think he has way too much fun with the little things of life... I wonder where he got that from?

:)

Week 4: Jury Duty

Not only am I working two part-time jobs, taking two college classes, and managing two teen boys... I'm also on Jury Duty for this quarter! This is an experience I welcome, so unlike many people I know who prefer to complain about it. My thinking is this; if I were involved in a trial, I would certainly like to know that the people sitting in the jury box actually want to be there and are paying attention.

The last time I was on Jury Duty was 4 years ago, and I was chosen to sit on a jury for a civil case. It was a very interesting experience, and I learned that court isn't exactly how they portray it on TV. I felt the lawyers made the case pretty much with their opening statements, and there were so many holes in the testimony timeline and several unanswered questions. If I remember correctly our decision did not have to be unanimous, but the majority of jurors were for the defendent.

This past Wednesday, I was called to arrive at the courthouse at 8:00am. While waiting in line to sign in, someone I know arrived and I asked, "Is this you today?" They said yes, and I knew I would probably not be chosen because I know the family and I knew details of the situation. But, I had to stay. We watched a video made by the state explaining how we were doing a very important job as jurors, and then we waited and waited. Then they let us go for an hour because the parties were in negotiations. We arrived back, and waited, and then were moved to another part of the facility while the parties sat before the judge. Later, when we were ushered back into the courtroom, the judge explained that there had been an agreement made, a type of plea bargain I think, and that we were dismissed as our services were no longer needed. The judge also took the time to explain the entire case to us, the agreement that had been reached, and he thanked us for our time. This all took most of the morning and we left right before noon.

I have to call the jury phone line tonight after 5:00pm to find out if I am needed for tomorrow. We shall see.

Week 3: Clearly Referenced

Ack! I really got hung up on that term "clearly referenced" for our assigned papers this week. When I get overwhelmed, I seem to implode, and then end up stagnated, immobilized, doing absolutely nothing. I couldn't even study for my other class until I got this done! But I finally wrote my three papers and did the vocab worksheet. Actually, once I got into it, I really enjoyed researching various aspects and I learned a lot. I probably spent at least 20 hours on the class this week.... after the over 80 hours worrying about it all! Sheesh! Now I'm going back to the Virtual Shopping Mall and check it out! Might get my friends to join me for a chat and a virtual Cinnabon! Yum! and calorie free!

http://www.virtualeshopping.com/

Week 3: Sun makes him happier...

Here is a blog post from my 16 year old son in Sweden this past week. Now, past the winter solstic the days are getting longer by 3 or 4 minutes each day. Today, the sun rose for him at 8:22am and set at 3:37pm... 7 hours and 15 minutes of possible daylight.


It's Official...
It is official that the sun makes me, personally, happier. People here talk about how it is hard in the winter because it is so dark outside and I knew that it was affecting me a little bit, but when the sun shines you understand better. Today the sun was shining when I got out of basketball practice in the morning and I was just so happy. I mean it felt good, the sun was shining it wasn't very cold and I was/am very happy today. I have never experienced this feeling before. Today was profound and I experienced something totally new, made me feel energetic and inspired.

Week 2: YouTube

While checking out the YouTube videos my fellow classmates posted on the Discussion Board for the YouTube Exercise, I got sidetracked and searched for "Combo 5". This is the very first video of any kind I had discovered on the Internet, probably back in 1998 or 1999. I was amazed that I could see "a cartoon movie" on my computer. I remember playing it over and over again.

I'm going to try to Embed the video on my Blog...

So, here now for your viewing pleasure... Combo Number 5



Oh look... haha... it worked! Yay!

And Please Note: I can't attest to the "viewability" of any of the subsequent videos available when Combo Number 5 is done playing.

Week 2: Tablets with Phone Functionality

A-ha! While working on Lab 2 and researching the type of computer I'd like to purchase with my fictional $1500... I have discovered that there are indeed 7 inch Tablets out there that have phone capabilities! Many are names I haven't heard of before, but several are connected with Android, so would conceivably have the same accessibility to the apps my son is finding for his Droid 2 Global. Unfortunately, Verizon, my phone company, is only offering a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. But from a YouTube video uploaded by user electricpigtv I found out that the Galaxy has 3G and Voice, so a person can make calls on it, but since it doesn't have an internal microphone you are basically making speaker phone calls and they say the quality isn't "quite up to scratch." They don't address the possibility of using the Bluetooth headset only, so I am unclear how that may work. But, since Verizon announced it would be offering the iPhone just the day after we ordered the Droids, who knows what a few months down the turnpike will bring when my upgrade comes up :) Hey, hey!... maybe a 7" Droid !! Woo-hoo, and make mine purple!

Week 2: Droid 2 Globals

Oh My Gracious! With a user discount, a web discount and I don't know what else, I was able to get TWO Droid 2 Globals for my sons for only $99.99 !! They arrived yesterday and my oldest spent the entire day playing with his new phone and downloading free apps. It's amazing! He connected it to FaceBook and it downloaded all of his FB friends profile pics and their information. It has mapping and GPS... you can use your location as your wallpaper and it will follow you wherever you go. It has voice recognition where you can talk to it and it will type out your text messages. There is a funny little lighter app that you can shake the phone and the cover flips over, then flick it by sliding down on the screen and the flame lights up, and then you can blow on the screen and the flame goes out! There is still bunches of stuff he hasn't discovered yet, but we are both blown away by the technology. I can't wait to get one, but I need a bigger screen because I'm becoming blind as a bat! I'm hoping the Samsung Tablets will add in a phone to use Bluetooth with and then I'll be thrilled :)

Week 2: Lab Exercise 1

Wow, I had to stand on my head and get out the magnifying glass to check out all the port accesses and model numbers on the peripheral devices attached to the six USB ports on my computer for this exercise!  I didn't realize "exercise" actually meant physical exercise!

I'm glad Jesse asked on the Discussion Board about the Optical Device and Greg had the right answer because that wasn't really addressed in the YouTube video.  I was confused also.  Thanks guys!

Week 1: Something Else

The other morning I woke up to the most amazing winter wonderland!  Ice Fog had come to our valley overnight and everything was covered with the most delicate teeny shining diamonds!  

In order for the tiny ice crystals to form, humidity must be near 100% and the air temperature must drop below 32*F.  The phenomenon is actually fairly rare.  

Being raised in Southern California for most of my life, I was totally awed by my first sight of Ice Fog while living in Alaska years ago. I have only seen it a few times since then, and each time have felt blessed and amazed by it beauty.

Week 1: My Comfort Level

I’ve grown up along the outside edge of computer technology.  When I graduated from college with my A.A. degree, computer science students were carrying around stacks of yellow key punch cards that could spell their name… woo-hoo!  My own first hands-on experience with computers involved using a 5 ½” floppy disc to boot up an Apple II.  Once it was booted up, I’d pull that disc out and put in a different one to start doing what I wanted to do, and then I’d take that one out and put in another if I wanted to do something different.  I was often quite agitated by the system since it wasn’t anything like the IBM Selectric typewriter I had previously been using.  Several years later I was learning Lotus 123 and Word Perfect at work, and we purchased our first home computer with 125MB of memory and Microsoft Works.  Wow, how things have changed over the years.

In 1997 I discovered the World Wide Web and became the “go-to girl” for all of my friend’s questions about hoax emails and .tif images.  I learned AC-PAC and Quicken accounting software for my work as a bookkeeper and I utilized my knowledge of Lotus 123.  I took online classes and learned HTML, creating web pages for a while.  I took one class of CGI but couldn’t find a web provider who could host it.  At home we upgraded computers to bigger and faster, and I discovered Ebay and agonized over “first person shooter” games for my sons.  I took an opportunity to learn Power Point at a school district seminar, and I dabbled in Excel.

My home computer is a big part of my life: I look things up on Google all the time and keep up with friends and play games on Facebook.  I keep track of my checking account and pay all my bills online. I have withdrawals if I can't access the internet for any reason.  I haven’t worked with computers for a few years but have recently started a new job using Office 2007 which isn’t anything like Word 2003 which I prefer for it's simplicity.  As I look back, I was always just there, but never submerged in computer science and if I had the chance to do it all again, I’d jump in with both feet at the very beginning.  Now is the time though; I’m comfortable with computers and I’m ready to take the plunge.

Week 1: Cybersafety

For an internet experience that is safe and enjoyable, practice cyberethics:  common sense, good judgment, and law abidance.  Use the internet to communicate, do research, enjoy music and entertainment, financial interaction and expand your social and business networks.  Don’t be a cyberbully, or encourage that behavior.  Don’t use copyrighted information as personally yours or download and share copyrighted entertainment.  Be honest and don’t pretend to be someone you are not but be careful about the personal information you share on the internet; check that the page you are on is  secure if you are filling out personal information.  Always treat others as if you were face-to-face, being respectful and considerate, and don’t YELL in capital letters.

Protect your online character by keeping your personal information private.   Don't mix your public and private lives; use separate email accounts.  Use the privacy settings on social networks, be careful with your words and the types of photographs you post.  Take charge of your online reputation by being diligent and surfing the top web browsers for information that is available for anyone to view.  Search for your name and/or your name in quotation marks along with keywords like where you live, a hobby or your employer.  Also check nick names, common misspellings of your name, telephone numbers, current and past addresses, email addresses, and associations.  You may also try searching for your social security number and credit card numbers. If you do find anything you don't want shared, take action, and ask that friend, company, the web site owner or administrator to remove it. 

Parents can minimize the risk of online predators by understanding how they work,  helping kids understand the precautionary measures they can take themselves, reducing the potential of a child becoming a victim and knowing what to do if your child is targeted.  Know which areas of the internet predators go to find victims and be aware of how they seduce their targets with attention, understanding, and gradually introducing sexual content into their conversations.  Talk to your children about potential online danger and teach them not to answer instant messages from strangers, share personal information, open up images from unknown sources, and how to choose neutral images for their avatars and neutral user names, and to stay in public areas of a chat room.  Give them the confidence to get away from any conversation that becomes too personal or sexual in nature, and to tell an adult immediately if they feel frightened or uncomfortable.  Monitor your children's online use by having the computer in an open area of the home, use parental control software, check the history of visited sites and downloaded images, visit the chat rooms they are using and set up an email account within the family email address.  Know what safeguards are used on computers your children may use outside your home.  Do not blame the child if you feel they have become targeted, save all documentation of websites, chat logs and email addresses and contact your local police.  Be aware and alert to your children’s internet activities at all times.

Now here, I am hiding a few pics I want to include on my Week 7 webpage project... so don't peek!