Let It Snow, Let It Snow

To hoard information is pointless. It is a manifestation of deep-rooted insecurity, and a need to feel superior by withholding, but knowledge is empowering only when shared. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 332) [Perhaps this is something that folks doing genealogy should contemplate. REH]

Passing through denial is the first step toward acceptance. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 2 November)

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Last night it started to snow. This time the storm is coming from the south. This is somewhat unusual. Predictions are for a record breaking amount of snow. If they come true Washington, DC will most certainly be shutdown for a few days. Once again we are reminded, "We are not in Charge." Maybe Christmas will have to be postponed.

Mr. Dickie

Knowledge

I realize that the knowledge I have obtained in the process of living, or the access I have had to education, is my opportunity to be of service. I will share my gift with anyone who requests it and be grateful for the advantages I have had the privilege of receiving. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 332)

The most important knowledge is that which guides the way you lead your life. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom, Leo Tolstoy, 14 November)

Some behaviors really are inappropriate, annoying, hurtful, or abusive. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 3 December)

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I did some note posting with WhizNote yesterday. I'm trying to learn more about how this program works. I typed the notes from many PostIt notes that were laying around near the computer keyboard. The problem with note taking on paper is that you can never find the note you want. I wonder why it is so difficult to learn to use our computers for this purpose.

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. today. I didn't try to go back to sleep. I did my daily reading followed by reading from two other books I'm currently reading. I'm having lots of trouble with my eyesight. This week I'm planning to fill the prescription for new glasses. I wonder if the eye problems are due to aging eyes or the drugs the doctors have me taking.

Mr. Dickie

I Don't Get It

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Hydrangea in our yard, grown from cutting)

Today, I'll be grateful for all my relationships. I will open myself to the lesson and the gift from each person in my life. I will trust that I, too, am a gift in other people's lives. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 7 November)

I will accept all that I am, and resolve to change those parts that are not working for me. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 341)

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So what's the deal with that Oprah Winfrey? Yesterday she was weeping on her show, saying goodbye. For all of the talk on television, radio and the articles in the newspaper you'd think she wouldn't be back on Monday. Give us a break. Her last program is scheduled for September 2011. She still publishes (monthly ?) a magazine with her picture on every cover. And, she is in the process of starting a cable TV channel with Discovery to be called, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). When she gets her "own" television network won't she be on television twenty-four hours a day. Maybe that's something we should all cry about.

Mr. Dickie

Driving Myself Crazy

I remember those happy days and often wish I could speak into the ears of the dead the gratitude which was due to them in life and so ill-returned. (Gwyn Thomas in One More Day by Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, 5 November)

Our parents ... provide the buffer between life and death. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 333)

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I downloaded and installed another copy of Ancestral Author. I was able to get it running. There are many program settings. Of course I've forgotten what most of them do and how I had them set on the other computer.

I spent time on the phone talking to a lady in Utah about Conger genealogy. Afterwards I tried to extract some information for her from a Conger file I have on a Zip disk. There must be something wrong with the file. I'm not sure I will be able to do what I wanted to do.

As part of my program to "drive myself crazy" I straightened up the 3x5 cards and other notes laying on the table beside the computer. Then, later in the day, I realized that the notes I need to finish my CongerWeek project disappeared. I looked through all of the papers several times and didn't find the note. Just before I turned out the lights in the computer room I looked at the 3x5 cards one more time. This time I looked at both sides of each card. I wonder why I didn't think about doing this before. I found the note I needed to do my posting today.

Mr. Dickie

Conger Week

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. (Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in 365 Ways to Change Your Life by Suzanne Somers, Day 342-43)

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Today is day seven of CongerWeek on my genealogy "news" blog. I posted two or more articles each day of the week. Because I still have several more that I can post I'll probably extend CongerWeek until I've posted everything I found in my GenRepts folder.

It's been raining or misting off and on for about three days. This is coming from tropical storm, Ida. It hasn't been too bad at our location.

Mr. Dickie

Flashing Light

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Tiger-Lily in our front yard)

Parenting is the most valuable assignment of your life. You are responsible for guiding the life of a human being. Everything they become, good and bad, is a result of your example. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 291)

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I was able to copy 123 photos of 130 from my thumb drive to a Zip disc. Once the photos were on the Zip disc the computer was able to more quickly create the on-screen thumbnails and to upload the photos. I uploaded the mola photos to my mola album on Facebook. I had to use the "old" method which can only upload five files at a time.

Last night, before going to sleep, I laid down to watch some television. They showed one of those commercials with flashing lights. I didn't see it coming. By the time I looked away it was too late. Within a matter of seconds I experienced vision problems. I turned off the TV and the light and went to sleep. I wasn't surprised this morning when I noticed that the residual affects of a migraine headache are still there on the left side of my brain when I move my head too quickly. It's too bad I didn't notice what product they were selling, so I could write them a letter and refuse to buy anything they are selling.

Mr. Dickie

Text File Viewers

Perhaps it is time to overturn some of your decisions. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 27 October)

Clean up any emotional messes that have not been dealt with, and make amends to any persons you might have hurt along the way. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 327)

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I'm searching for a program that will allow me to quickly view "text" files without opening the file with the application that created it. This would be useful when I want to review genealogy information for possible sharing on the Internet. The program should display the directory structure in one box, the file names in another and the actual text of the file in a third area. I found two programs that I'm testing. Fast Text File Viewer has a nice simple design. I discovered three problems with this program. First, the website of the programmer is no longer working. Second, there is an annoying "nag" box that displays after about every five files viewed (I can live with this and would have to because I probably can't buy a version without the "nag".) And finally, there is a DLL missing message that comes up sometimes. I have a hunch that this happens because I changed the folder and file names when I installed the program. I don't like blanks in folder and file names. The second program I found is called, ClikView. This program is much more powerful. You can view many different file formats and you can view image files. This one is shareware, with a fifteen day trail, it costs $35.00. There's a rather extensive help file.

Mr. Dickie

Amphibian Death Traps

There are good days and bad days and mediocre days. (Food For Thought, 19 October)

Do not be concerned too much with what will happen. Everything which happens will be good and useful for you. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 21 October)

Changed circumstances can play havoc with our lives. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 16 October)

You must clear your mind in order to think clearly. (REH after Suzanne Somers in 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 316)

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I read an interesting report I found on the Internet, written by the NTSB in 2000, about the seaworthiness of amphibians of World War II (Ducks) and Vietnam Era (LARCs). There are still something less than 300 of them in use. Many are used to give rides to tourists at the various tourist traps such as Branson, MO. Neither vessel was designed to transport people. The old Ducks have eight to twelve inches of freeboard at the stern when loaded. This means that the vessel can be swamped and sink in six or seven minutes if the hull is breached. The report listed the names and locations of the companies that use these vessels to carry tourists. There were recommendations that water-tight bulkheads and additional flotation devices be installed in all vessels. I suppose NTSB didn't have authority to mandate that these safety improvements be made. Please think about this before you let any of your family members take a ride in any of these death traps.

I found the Zip disc with my genealogy GIF image files. I also found some additional free genealogy GIF files on the Internet. I'll use some of them on my genealogy blogs in the days ahead. This morning when I started the computer it ran a check on the Zip disc. I wonder what that was about.

Mr. Dickie