In the last three days I have spent about as much time in the homes of other people as I have in my own. I had tried to help a fellow set up the access to the web using a cell phone last week. I failed to have success. He went back to the phone company and they took a couple hours to accomplish what I was never able to do. They had access to several computers and sites that are not available to me. The next step was for me to help the fellow get connected at home, which I did to some extent and I thought the problem was solved. We had looked at his e-mails and even deleted some that he knew were garbage. When he came to my door and said that he could not get his e-mails open I was perplexed. So, on my computer we made an adjustment and looked at a couple of the e-mails. He went home happy and I thought he was out of the woods. Don't get too optimistic! At dance class the next day he said, "I can't get my e-mails open." Oh! Now that is a good joke! Right? Wrong! He really couldn't get them open, but I thought he was joking.
Next evening he came by the Vectra and asked me if I could come help him. So I did! And everything worked like it was supposed to, for me. Ever take your car to a mechanic and the problem does not appear? G-mail does not cause problems on a regular basis. Still it took a while to be absolutely positive that the e-mails were acting the proper way. He and his wife were finally able to open, save, delete, send e-mails on their own. Some times computers can be so frustrating.
Another lady lost her hard drive at the end of January and lost all her pictures and information that she had spent hours gathering off the Internet. She had backed up her info on the computer itself, so when the hard drive went down the info AND the backup was lost. It is impossible for me to emphasize too much that backups need to be done on EXTERNAL drives of some sort. At any rate she bought a new computer, new software to make cards and some other stuff. I have spent a lot of time helping her to get back to the point that she was before the crash, and there is still a ways to go.
Another couple has asked me to help with their computer. I put on an Office suite from Open Office, and an anti virus program and made sure that it was working. Pretty simple stuff and much more geared to my skills. In exchange for that I have been given the priviledge to use their workshop in the back of their home. That is an exchange in which I have gained a lot more than I gave. Also they gave me some bird figures that are designed to be placed on the inside and outside of a window. The two parts are held together by magnets and it looks like the bird is flying through the window. They are really neat.
I have already taken advantage of the shop offer. The leader of the quilling class made some quilling templates to sell to the new students. They are simply a series of holes drilled through a thin piece of material, like formica or 1/16" thick plastic. He sells them way too cheap, but so what. He ran out of templates early on this year. I found one of the residents of Bentsen Grove who gave me a piece of plastic, from which I made four 6" squares. Then using a drill press in the shop I drilled a bunch of holes through the squares to make templates. The instructor did some deburring of the holes and sold all four during the first class. Now I have to make more for him. He is selling these too cheap too, but so what. At least the student have tools to use. It is worth while.
It seems that as soon as I burn a CD for the dance class someone wants to buy it. This year I think that I have burned something like thirty CDs. I am out of them again and have to make more of them. I was also asked by the instructor to show an instructor at another park to show her how I made the fancy CD inserts and picture that I print on the CD itself. The picture below is the latest cover I have made. It seems that there is plenty to do for people.
ONE OF THE CD CASE INSERTS
This picture is printed on the CD as well as on the case insert. On the backside is a list of all the songs and the dances that go with them. The oval picture is fifty of the ninety some people that have signed up for lessons. There are more men in this class than any other park has. Our instructor is really pleased.
Well duty calls to other things.
Till Later This is Uncle Duck
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