New software updates are great!  When they work that is. 


I have a Blackberry Storm 9500 (the first Storm) and yesterday, Google Maps released their mobile maps 4.0.  They added a great feature -- it's voice activated.  I can hold down the Call button and say "Las Vegas" and a map of LV is on the screen in seconds.  That said, their were missing items.  


They removed the zoom icons from the screen, these were now in a menu (not good).  They removed the My Location icon from the screen and it too was in the menu. It was also stuck in portrait with a keyboard that would not go away, and I no amount of thumb swiping would pan the map...it was stuck.  I searched Google for answers last night and tried a bunch of ideas that were put out there and nothing worked on all the issues at once, so I slept on it.  This morning, I found the answer!  The answer and a new release, as I was not the only one with these issues.  


4.0.2 Release is available, but there are things to do still after the upgrade.  


Here's what I needed to do....
Go to the Blackberry menu key, click on Options----> Advance Options-----> Applications you should see a list of installed applications. Select Google Maps then click on your BB Menu Key to display Options for that page. You Should see amongst others, Enable Compatibility, click to disable, then click back to re-enable. Pull out your battery for your BB to restart.  


(the battery pull was not in the list of stuff I did last night...along with the disable then re-enable trick)

I went on a 3 mile run in my Vibram Five Finger shoes.  My calves are right now rested on a moist heating pad.

I finally got a round to fixing my step son's computer (my old PC).  He decided to F10 into the Setup and changed the Power On password, then promptly forgot what it was. That was months ago, so I guess that was punishment enough.  He's 13.  I researched it back when it happened, but I promptly forgot to reset it until this morning.

I had to research it again.  Google is my friend.  Here's what I had to do.  Unplug all power. Remove the big CMOS battery.  Remove the PSWD jumper. Push and hold the yellow reset button.  I did the last step only cause 'it was there' but it worked.  Windows came up to the user sign on screen, so we put it back into his room and I started it up again and clicked on his sign on.  Blue screen of warnings that the integrity was breached or some such verbiage and that windows is shutting down to protect the hard drive.  He must have received a virus or something before the password issue.

Now I'm restoring to the factory restore...AGAIN!!!...will have to reinstall the wireless connection (D-Link) AGAIN!!!...will need to update all the Windows updates from 2000....AGAIN!!!

I'm a computer programmer, but just techie enough to get myself into trouble, but hopefully techie enough to get myself (and step son) out of computer trouble.

A few months back I decided to run the Self Clean on my oven.  


I'd not done a self clean in an oven in years.  We don't bake that much, but it was ready for a cleaning. 


About half-way through I decided to read the directions.  


Remove racks???  Oh no!!!  I left them in.  I stopped the self clean, but by that time it was too late.  


Result -- Ash colored rack that don't slide in and out without sticking. 


Since we don't bake that often, we had not replaced them; but every time I open up the oven and see the result of my not reading the directions (or not intuitively knowing that I should remove the racks), I feel bad that I ruined our new oven. 


I ordered new racks today and should have them next week.  I can't wait!! Guilt be-gone!!

Second run my my Vibram Five Finger shoes.  My calves were sore still from Wednesday's run, but I ran a mile and a half today.  Now they are more sore.  I'm not worried.  They'll get used to it. I'm doing short runs until my calves get acclimated to the more barefoot type running.

I got my Five Finger running shoes!...well, not really shoes.

I did a short run...at about 1.7 miles my calves started to tighten a little too much so I walked after that.  I love them!  I'm looking forward to my next run!

There was a time that I would go out to the mall and buy myself something new when I was feeling a little stressed.  I wouldn't spend a lot, but getting myself something new picked up my mood.  It was instant gratification.  Now, though, it's different.  I don't get in the car as much when I get that need to buy myself something.  Take tonight...I felt the need to treat myself to something new. So, what did I do?  I browsed to one of my favorite online shopping sites...

I ordered myself a few things, which is cool, but it's not instant.  I'll have to wait a few days for that gratification to take place.  Oh well...

so far only my toe socks have arrived.  Shoes in a few days...

I've been thinking about Vibram five fingers shoes for a while.  Then my husband found Nike Free 5.0.  A shoe that is pretty close to running barefoot but not like the Vibram.  There are conflicting views on the running in shoes that are close to barefoot, but we are going to give it a try.

We tried on a few different sizes of the Nike Free 5.0.  They run small and the women sizes are more narrow. I like a running shoe that allows my foot to spread out some. I liked the men's shoe better, but didn't purchase as I was not quite convinced that I shouldn't just go for the Vibram five fingers shoe.  My first thought was to first get  the Nike Free 5.0, then move to the Vibram.  When we got home to cruise the internet for Nike Free 5.0 in my husband's size and color, I decided to read more on the Vibram.

So, here's what we ordered for me...funny looking huh?  I can't wait to try them out!  KSO stands literally, Keep Stuff Out!  I don't like little rock and stuff in my shoes, so I opted for these.  

Here's what we ordered for my husband.  These do feel like slipper on and your foot really can feel the ground.  I could only find good reviews on these too.

So...we shall see how they both feel soon...

More on this later....

I got on a stove cleaning frenzy this morning.  Usually, every night after dinner it works this way...I do the dishwasher loading and wash the pans and my husband cleans the stove.  Last night out routine somehow changed and he loaded the dishwasher and I was not aware of the switch, so the stove was left with the splatter of gumbo until this morning.

This morning as I went to cook eggs for us, I noticed....the gumbo splats, so after breakfast I got out the Bonami and went to work. My husband came in with screwdriver in hand and removed the burners...yuk!  It was really bad under those.  Why don't these burners just lift off like on other stoves?  Anyway...stove is clean...and I feel so relieved.  I've become a little...and I mean a little OCD in my 50s...but if it means a cleaner stove, so be it....

We celebrated our 3rd year anniversary last Wednesday, April 7.  We had a wonderful evening and I decided to grow up on my profile picture and post one of the pictures of me from our wedding.

Here's to many many more happy years together!!

The Garden....and tree...


I'm growing Tomatoes and Basil in a way so that the bunnies will not devour them like last year...I'm hoping.  We also bought a fig tree last fall.  We had it in our 3 season porch though the winter and thought maybe it had died.  It didn't, it was only hibernating.  I had a fig tree up till we moved at age 12.  It was so big that my brother Gary and I used to be able to climb in it and the figs were so so sweet!  We'll plant this soon I hope.  


Look at it now!!!

I am growing the tomatoes in bag, up and away from the bunnies reach (I hope...I hope)

One of the tomato plants has a bloom

...and the basil is sprouting!

can't wait for fresh basil and tomato salad!!!  Yum!

thoughts and reality....

I'm in a Toastmasters' group at my work.  I'm the VP of PR and I'm on my 10th speech.  This speech is on Positive Thinking....turning negative self talk to positive.  So, I'm working on my speech and writing about how negative self talk can keep you from doing what you really want to do and it motivated me to go for a run.  I've been less motivated lately and reminding myself of what I do to make the run more fun got me going. So, what do I do to make my run more fun?  I use affirmations like...."I am one with the run" and "this is Fun"..."I am a runner"...and I force a smile while I'm running. Smiling is not the easiest when running... especially if nothing is making me laugh.  I also use the standard, "I can do this"...along with just knowing that I am running at 52 years old!  Ok...Ok...knowing that I have a flat tummy now that I am a runner is really quite the motivator especially when I was told that it's hard to lose weight as you age.  I say, start running.  I wasn't trying to lose weight, but I did.

So, anyway...thoughts and reality?  My thoughts that I had made my run easier today...and easier run was my reality.

Update on Amberen....

It's ok, I guess.  I am still getting hot flashes.  I still get down.  I'm 15 days away from finishing up 90 days.  I am going to finish them up, but, I don't think I'll buy another 90 days.  I really don't think that it's done much.

Update on my shoulder....

It's getting better daily.  It still hurts some, but my range of motion is much better before the pain.  I'm going to keep the exercises up on a daily basis and see if I can heal my shoulder myself without surgery. I'm going to say that since I've been exercising it, on a 1 to 10 scale...1 being no pain and 10 being really bad pain....it's about a 3.5.  :-)

Update on my running...

I started another 10 week interval running training course.  Podrunner Freeway to 10K.  I did the first run/walk this week.  It's a lot faster than I normally run, so it kicked my butt.  I'm having a hard time with motivating myself lately and I'm not sure what's up.  I know that once I get back on a schedule, I'll be fine.

Not much up to blogging...but wanted to post some updates....

till next time...

It's Easter Sunday.  HAPPY EASTER to all who celebrate.....


It's so different from years back.


Family celebrations.  Hiding colored Easter Eggs. Easter baskets for my sons.  One year I bought them each a baseball duffle bag and that was their Easter basket and I filled it with the usual goodies.  They loved the bag and the yummies that I filled it with. My sons have grown and through the years, Easter became different. In California, I would attend my Church in Simi Valley, but I haven't found what I'm looking for here in my new home. My son and his wife have invited us up to PA. His wife's family still does Easter dinner, but both Mike and I work tomorrow, so we'll stay here.  We went up to there for Easter once since I have lived here and we had to leave around 2pm on Easter Sunday. I decided that I would rather drive up and visit on different weekend. My other son is way too far away to travel for an Easter Sunday visit.


It's a beautiful day here today.  I wish I had internet outside close to the water.  I'd be out there now typing this.


I'm listening to the start of Michael Bechwith's live broadcast online now. This will be my Easter service. To reiterate....It's so different from years back.

Last night I cried. 
I cried because I live so far from my sons. I was emotionally low all day. I just did my biorhythm calculation.  Emotionally I'm at negative 97%!  Ok, well, that may be the reason.  I usually don't look at biorhythms or astrology predictions until after the bad day is over.  Not that yesterday was a bad day as bad days can go. My work flowed well, but as soon as I was on my way home, my thoughts were no longer focused on my work.  I'm a computer programmer and programming usually doesn't leave room for day to day thoughts other then "if I click this button, this will happen....now to code it."  


On my drive home the thoughts began and I knew that I needed to talk to my girlfriends. Each girlfriend I called, though, did not answer.  I only called two, though. I don't have many girlfriends and most are living in California...one in Pennsylvania...one in New York.  Yesterday, though, I called my 2 friends in California that are around my age. I needed to speak menopause...and there was no one to talk to....


MENOPAUSE! 


Menopause is playing havoc on my psyche.  My emotions are all over the place. When I came home last night, I was feeling strange. I felt loopy. I felt sad. I had a hopeless feeling, even though my life is good. I can only attribute these feelings with menopause. Menopause does not cause me to be bitchy as I had learned it would by other people that have experienced menopause in their life.  Usually the experiencer is the counterpart of the menopausal woman. They were the user of the word bitchy, rather than the menopausal woman herself.  


I am on my 3rd 7 month stretch that are absent of a menstrual cycle. I don't miss it at all. If I make it cycle free for 5 more months, then I am officially in Menopause.  Actually, if I do remain cycle free, then I am in Menopause now, but it really isn't official until it's been a year. 


The first 7 months stretch was in 2007, just around the time my new Navy husband, Mike, deployed for 6 months.  I didn't have a period all the time he was gone, then about a month after he came home, I had one. I went on birth control for a few months, then decided to go off it so that I would know if I was in menopause.  I had another couple of periods, then nothing for 7 months again.  Then, the day before my son's wedding day, I got a period. I had a another couple of cycles after that, then nothing.  So, now this, being my 3rd 7 months period-free, hopefully will remain cycle free after this 7 months.


I'm hoping that once my body knows what it's doing, my emotions will calm and I'll be back to myself.


I'm sure it's confusing for my husband. When he met me, I was carefree and light with a really high libido.  Now...I'm menopausal....need I say more?

I miss my sons a lot. At times the missing is at a higher point. Today is one of those days. 

I look at pictures that my youngest recently has posted on Facebook of he and his young son. I look at my son's face and see a maturity that is happening. Everyday that goes by, my sons are growing older and I can only witness this growth on sporadic visits or webcam. Gone are the days of casually taking each day as they come. I know I'm not the only long distant mother or father. Does everyone miss their kids like I do?  Will I ever spend a birthday or holiday with my sons again?

Does it really matter what the day is though? 

I see my sons about three times a year in person.  Webcam really does help and my younger son is good about spending the time to do it with me.  I get to see him and my grandson too.  My older son and his new wife are not as comfortable with the webcam, but they are putting in the effort and we recently had a nice webcam visit recently.
 
I love Skype...
It keeps me from being melancholy from missing my sons....