I enjoy reading your narratives and often learn something new in the process. Most of all I admire the skills you developed particularly in the rehab profession. My dad loved carpentry and I took a liking for it myself, which is one reason why I miss that forest we left behind near Chicago. Me and my chainsaw spent many hours among the natural woods. I often thought I would take up something like cabinet making for a hobby. Then I met a neighbor who actually did that and the tools he had were worth more than the house he kept them in. Learning to use those tools must have taken many years, but I've seen some of his finished work. Truly amazing stuff. Back in the days after graduating high school and before entering college I met a general contractor who came to do some work for our neighbor. We talked and got along fabulously. At the end of the conversation he said he would offer to take me on in his business and train me but it's better that I go ahead with the plan to attend college. Well, I didn't graduate from college and did poorly. Not sure I would be any better at making fine cabinetry, but I often think about that offer. Life certainly would be different than it is today. I'd fix this house up to my personal specifications to the point that nobody would want to buy it when I move on. LOL Actually that is what I was told about my last house which I did customize to my own needs and wonts. It sold in three days to nearly the first person who viewed it. They particularly like the good construction and emphasis on high efficiency appliances.
I thank the gods every day for my health because I have seen what a heart attack or two can do to the lives of good people. The illness is bad enough, but what I know to be more devastating is the inability to do what you used to do and enjoyed doing. I miss those kind of things about my old house, but like yourself I have adapted and am moving on as best as I can.
Major Announcement
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Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
Re: Major Announcement
Although I did have a fairly nice woodworking shop, I used it mostly for repairing furniture, not making it, hi hi.
But I also loved making small things from wood. But an artist I'm not, hi hi.
I think what I loved best about doing home renovations were the many challenges it posed, especially in older houses.
I truly enjoyed the few chances I got to work in historical home renovations, but this work was always for others who were buying all the expensive materials. I had a really nice scroll saw, so could make some of the missing gingerbread for them.
And I had all kinds of tricks up my sleeve for fixing old plaster picture frames and other mouldings. And yet another trick I used in many modern houses to repair rotted out expensive and fancy window and door casements. One thing for sure, when I fixed it, it would never rot out again, because I used a special tan colored product like Bondo for cars.
This might seem hard to realize, but I think you have a taste of it yourself. Whether it was from getting a new wife, or dealing with my occasional epilepsy, or having medical issues. I have actually become a different person after each major event. People though I was hyper because I always had to be on the go, and doing something. But has that actually changed, except now I'm stuck in a chair hooked to medical machines. Even so, I'm so busy with what I can do sitting down, I actually run out of time and don't get half of what I wanted to get done finished. But that is my life now, so it is simply grin and bear it!
But I also loved making small things from wood. But an artist I'm not, hi hi.
I think what I loved best about doing home renovations were the many challenges it posed, especially in older houses.
I truly enjoyed the few chances I got to work in historical home renovations, but this work was always for others who were buying all the expensive materials. I had a really nice scroll saw, so could make some of the missing gingerbread for them.
And I had all kinds of tricks up my sleeve for fixing old plaster picture frames and other mouldings. And yet another trick I used in many modern houses to repair rotted out expensive and fancy window and door casements. One thing for sure, when I fixed it, it would never rot out again, because I used a special tan colored product like Bondo for cars.
This might seem hard to realize, but I think you have a taste of it yourself. Whether it was from getting a new wife, or dealing with my occasional epilepsy, or having medical issues. I have actually become a different person after each major event. People though I was hyper because I always had to be on the go, and doing something. But has that actually changed, except now I'm stuck in a chair hooked to medical machines. Even so, I'm so busy with what I can do sitting down, I actually run out of time and don't get half of what I wanted to get done finished. But that is my life now, so it is simply grin and bear it!
Re: Major Announcement
Well ... you are very observant as well as inventive. lol People who are good at what they do find it difficult or impossible to stop. Many retired people keep working after they officially retire. Sports figures in particular have a difficult time ending their career at the end of their last season. All the fame and glory and satisfaction just can't be turned off like a light switch, but that is what is expected in our society these days.
I'm 78 years old and feel confident that I can go head to head with most high school nerds as far as computers are concerned. Not being involved with networking for a score of years means I have no exposure to the current way of doing things in an corporate enterprise, but I can wire up your home and get you on the public network just as well as any GeekSquad dude can do. Plus, I'm not nearly as expensive. You have been the victim of my rants about operating systems and know of all the fun I had mastering EFI, Linux, WIndows, and how to make them all work together in a compatible mode. I doubt that I can be hired back into IT at my age, but I haven't lost any of the mentality it takes to work in that field. The reason for all the above is that I never quiet working mentally. What I have going here is what I did for many years at the Big M, but on a somewhat smaller scale. I'd rot and decompose if I didn't keep my mind active. I do wonder why I have a map of my LAN with all the devices, MAC Addresses, IP Addresses, serial and model numbers of devices, and multiple backups of everything. It serves no useful purpose other than to keep me busy in between reading the messages you send daily.
I'm 78 years old and feel confident that I can go head to head with most high school nerds as far as computers are concerned. Not being involved with networking for a score of years means I have no exposure to the current way of doing things in an corporate enterprise, but I can wire up your home and get you on the public network just as well as any GeekSquad dude can do. Plus, I'm not nearly as expensive. You have been the victim of my rants about operating systems and know of all the fun I had mastering EFI, Linux, WIndows, and how to make them all work together in a compatible mode. I doubt that I can be hired back into IT at my age, but I haven't lost any of the mentality it takes to work in that field. The reason for all the above is that I never quiet working mentally. What I have going here is what I did for many years at the Big M, but on a somewhat smaller scale. I'd rot and decompose if I didn't keep my mind active. I do wonder why I have a map of my LAN with all the devices, MAC Addresses, IP Addresses, serial and model numbers of devices, and multiple backups of everything. It serves no useful purpose other than to keep me busy in between reading the messages you send daily.
Re: Major Announcement
I've been physically active doing all kinds of jobs for most of my life, so changing gears to be stuck behind a desk would be super frustrating if I didn't find a zillion things to keep me super busy all the time.
Unfortunately none of it is income producing stuff, other than my attempts at selling off some of the things I have here, but only to locals who can come pick it up themselves.
I'm glad you are keeping your mental capabilities up by working on things you love to do!
And for creating those challenges that seem to fuel your spirit.
Unfortunately none of it is income producing stuff, other than my attempts at selling off some of the things I have here, but only to locals who can come pick it up themselves.
I'm glad you are keeping your mental capabilities up by working on things you love to do!
And for creating those challenges that seem to fuel your spirit.
Re: Major Announcement
I can honestly say I'm a beta tester for Microsoft. No many people my age could say that. However, while that sounds impressive it means nothing. I'm not being paid for it and there are literally millions of other Windows users who are also in their Insider Preview program. In fact I'm certain it's all a publicity stunt to get people involved and thus dedicated to the product. Those dedicated people will brag and advertise Midrosoft's software better than any ad agency they can hire. While that is all true, I'm sure, I've said it before and will reiterate it again. If I could find any Linux distro that matches the quality and reliability of Windows, I'd switch in a New York Minute. Given the reputation Windows has, it's amazing I can't find something better. LOL
You got the secret down pat. Keeping active and doing the best you can with what you have is the road to success and self-satisfaction. While all that is well and good, I don't want to sound too facetious, but it is lonely at the top.
You got the secret down pat. Keeping active and doing the best you can with what you have is the road to success and self-satisfaction. While all that is well and good, I don't want to sound too facetious, but it is lonely at the top.
Re: Major Announcement
For what I use it for, Debian works better for me at all things, and much better than Windows ever did on a few things where I found Linux programs to be superior.
The exacerbation I've had twice today now, were more intense than what took me to the hospital by ambo the first time.
I paid attention to what they did, and used, so I could come close to duplicating it at home.
Only what I have to use is not as strong as what they used on me. Plus a couple meds I can't get at all.
It almost seems futile to have my eyes worked on, but the frau insists I go ahead and get them done.
The exacerbation I've had twice today now, were more intense than what took me to the hospital by ambo the first time.
I paid attention to what they did, and used, so I could come close to duplicating it at home.
Only what I have to use is not as strong as what they used on me. Plus a couple meds I can't get at all.
It almost seems futile to have my eyes worked on, but the frau insists I go ahead and get them done.
Re: Major Announcement
I suspect that if I started out as a dedicated Linux enthusiast, I'd still be trying to make it work side by side with Windows. In my case Windows came along first so that I learned about it before I looked elsewhere.
I have much empathy for you. Some people spend their entire lives looking for it's meaning, purpose, and direction. Some never get it and others claim they found it. In the final analysis we all end up in the same place. So, is it worth the struggle, the effort, and the pain? I've seen other people give up well before the point at which you are at today, a state of mind which is more disheartening than any disease the body can experience. I've come to the conclusion that you are determined to see this illness through and are not going to give up. I admire you for that and have told you how inspiring it all is to me. Doing the best you can may seem futile at times, but you should keep in mind that you are not alone in this struggle. I have no doubt your mate is as concerned about it all as you are, and I have reason to believe you care about that. I can't do or say much to make it all easier, but I can assure you that doing your best, even in the end game, is far better than giving up. After all, it's that sense of dignity and self-respect that provides the meaning, purpose, and direction. There is no better legacy.
I have much empathy for you. Some people spend their entire lives looking for it's meaning, purpose, and direction. Some never get it and others claim they found it. In the final analysis we all end up in the same place. So, is it worth the struggle, the effort, and the pain? I've seen other people give up well before the point at which you are at today, a state of mind which is more disheartening than any disease the body can experience. I've come to the conclusion that you are determined to see this illness through and are not going to give up. I admire you for that and have told you how inspiring it all is to me. Doing the best you can may seem futile at times, but you should keep in mind that you are not alone in this struggle. I have no doubt your mate is as concerned about it all as you are, and I have reason to believe you care about that. I can't do or say much to make it all easier, but I can assure you that doing your best, even in the end game, is far better than giving up. After all, it's that sense of dignity and self-respect that provides the meaning, purpose, and direction. There is no better legacy.
Re: Major Announcement
Windows is all I ever used myself, all the way from Win 95, 98, 3.0, 3.11, and XP Pro MCE.
I had toyed with RedHat in their early days, but it was for geeks, hi hi.
I did not become interested in Linux until, well two reasons, the first is, when I was in desktop publishing of tri-folds, msWord was not cutting it, way too many problems with it, so I started using Open Office Writer, it was good, but not great.
When they came out with Windows VISTA, the ultimate spyware OS, that was the icing on the cake for me.
I switched to GNU/Linux Ubuntu first for a few years, then figured Debian was my better choice, and I've used Debian ever since, both at home, in my office, and in my businesses I still had at the time. Never ever looked at Windows again, except to try and keep the frau's Windows machine up and running. And for me, being more experienced with Linux, it is really hard to figure out Windows idiocy. Nothing is logical on Windows, and not in most of the programs for Windows, like msWord.
I was very glad to have found LIbreOffice Writer when I did, plus a few other programs I have come to love to use.
When life gives you Lemons, you make Lemonade!
Being twice a widower, and a caregiver for more than my share of taking on the load others should have been doing.
I really know what to expect with my COPD.
Just like in building things, you make do with what tools you have available to use.
You grow and expand and buy better tools.
When some of those tools break or get stolen, you go back to using what tools you still have to use.
Many long years ago, back in the late '70s, I used to pick a blind girl who belonged to our small church up every Sunday, after the person who was doing it could no longer drive.
There were a few Sunday's, after about 3 months of doing this, when we had things at church that kept us later than usual, and she would then miss lunch at the Blind Girls Home where she lived. So I would stop at places like IHOP, or Shoney's. This went on for around 9 to 12 months. Several things all happened together around this time. The first was, we lost the building we were renting for services, and I gave the Pastor the back side entrance to my house to use as an office. Our new meeting place was much further away than our original location, which was OK, but we started a satellite church closer to home, where three of us took turns holding the services there.
Then one day, the pastor called me into his office for a talk. Seems the blind girl began having thoughts, after my first wife left, that she might have a chance with me. He talked her out of it real quick, but then assigned someone else to pick her up for Sunday services and removed me from the satellite church they would be attending so our paths would not cross again.
Many of the older long-time members of our church all came to be there because we first started out as home fellowship, but as we grew to require four homes, that is when he got the first building. When I had to move, because I knew our florist was selling the land, I was also dating yet another two gals, one right after the other. And this is when I started managing a Home Church movement. Something I did very good at, we grew from only 8 people to over 250 families meeting in 66 different host homes, all of which I had to keep coordinated. I kept this up until I moved south, then I started some groups down here that we handled in an entirely different way which has worked out much better, not so much work for any one person. I'm now retired from handing anything to do with them anymore though.
I had toyed with RedHat in their early days, but it was for geeks, hi hi.
I did not become interested in Linux until, well two reasons, the first is, when I was in desktop publishing of tri-folds, msWord was not cutting it, way too many problems with it, so I started using Open Office Writer, it was good, but not great.
When they came out with Windows VISTA, the ultimate spyware OS, that was the icing on the cake for me.
I switched to GNU/Linux Ubuntu first for a few years, then figured Debian was my better choice, and I've used Debian ever since, both at home, in my office, and in my businesses I still had at the time. Never ever looked at Windows again, except to try and keep the frau's Windows machine up and running. And for me, being more experienced with Linux, it is really hard to figure out Windows idiocy. Nothing is logical on Windows, and not in most of the programs for Windows, like msWord.
I was very glad to have found LIbreOffice Writer when I did, plus a few other programs I have come to love to use.
When life gives you Lemons, you make Lemonade!
Being twice a widower, and a caregiver for more than my share of taking on the load others should have been doing.
I really know what to expect with my COPD.
Just like in building things, you make do with what tools you have available to use.
You grow and expand and buy better tools.
When some of those tools break or get stolen, you go back to using what tools you still have to use.
Many long years ago, back in the late '70s, I used to pick a blind girl who belonged to our small church up every Sunday, after the person who was doing it could no longer drive.
There were a few Sunday's, after about 3 months of doing this, when we had things at church that kept us later than usual, and she would then miss lunch at the Blind Girls Home where she lived. So I would stop at places like IHOP, or Shoney's. This went on for around 9 to 12 months. Several things all happened together around this time. The first was, we lost the building we were renting for services, and I gave the Pastor the back side entrance to my house to use as an office. Our new meeting place was much further away than our original location, which was OK, but we started a satellite church closer to home, where three of us took turns holding the services there.
Then one day, the pastor called me into his office for a talk. Seems the blind girl began having thoughts, after my first wife left, that she might have a chance with me. He talked her out of it real quick, but then assigned someone else to pick her up for Sunday services and removed me from the satellite church they would be attending so our paths would not cross again.
Many of the older long-time members of our church all came to be there because we first started out as home fellowship, but as we grew to require four homes, that is when he got the first building. When I had to move, because I knew our florist was selling the land, I was also dating yet another two gals, one right after the other. And this is when I started managing a Home Church movement. Something I did very good at, we grew from only 8 people to over 250 families meeting in 66 different host homes, all of which I had to keep coordinated. I kept this up until I moved south, then I started some groups down here that we handled in an entirely different way which has worked out much better, not so much work for any one person. I'm now retired from handing anything to do with them anymore though.
Re: Major Announcement
Your story about the blind girl was very interesting on several levels. Typically I have no shortage of empathy for people with handicaps. It's just hard for me to imagine being totally blind. There is the fact that you can't describe a color to a person who has been blind all their life. Color just doesn't translate without a reference of some sort. I'm sure blind people see colors in their mind, but how would they know what it compares to in the seeing world? I haven't given much thought to what a blind person might feel, or if their feelings are any different than that of people who are not sight challenged. I do realize, however, that blind people fall in love as you described being a potential in your story. How that can happen without visual cues is a mystery to me. I was particularly struck by your comments about the pastor thinking it be best to separate you two. I'm certain you spoke for yourself, but it doesn't seem right for anybody, even a church pastor, to make decisions involving other people's emotions. It almost reads like cruelty where she was deliberately and purposely separated from you to prevent her feelings from developing any further. At least that is what I think I read. I think the choice should have been hers to make, but then, I admit not knowing all the circumstances.
We have nearly opposite opinions about the world's two most popular operating systems. I find Linux more illogical than Windows and am somewhat amused by your comments to the contrary. From some of your previous comments I suspect you were misapplying the software you ran on Windows and thus walked away from it with a negative impression. There is nothing wrong with that given that you had s specific need that Windows, more accurately MS Word, could not satisfy. The good news is that you found something you are comfortable with and productive using. Amen to that brother.
We have nearly opposite opinions about the world's two most popular operating systems. I find Linux more illogical than Windows and am somewhat amused by your comments to the contrary. From some of your previous comments I suspect you were misapplying the software you ran on Windows and thus walked away from it with a negative impression. There is nothing wrong with that given that you had s specific need that Windows, more accurately MS Word, could not satisfy. The good news is that you found something you are comfortable with and productive using. Amen to that brother.
Re: Major Announcement
At the time I started taking her to church, I was married, but were separated shortly thereafter, but not divorced yet. In fact, the divorce did not finally take place until after I was in PWP for 2 years. Which was 1 year longer than my taking her to church on Sunday's. So it was probably proper for the Pastor to step in and break it up before she got her hopes too high.
FWIW: She went legally blind at the age of 6, but it took a couple of years for her not to be able to even see any light at all.
Because of this, it was a little tougher on her than on folks who were born blind of which she lived with several.
Most of the older folks in her building became blind after they were 70 years old.
So in her case she vaguely remembered what the basic colors were.
Let me pose this to you: msWORD does a few things which are Illogical. Here is one example: Let's say you wanted to Format a Page. In Linux, Open Office Writer, or LibreOffice Writer, when you want to change a Format on a page you are writing, you simply go to Formatting Operations. That's the Logical place to look for it. But in msWORD you won't find it under Formatting Operations, and if you look long and hard enough in the most Illogical Places, you will finally find it under Files System Operations. Now formatting a page has absolutely NOTHING to do with the File System, So WHY did they put it there????
If you take two people who had never used either Windows or Linux and give them a project like a simple newsletter to write with 4 images using msWORD or LibreOffice Writer, where they have to set galleys, set columns, and format the page for a commercial printing company. The person using LibreOffice Writer will be done HOURS before the person using msWord.
And not only that, once they think they are done and they send their output to the commercial printer, they will get it back as unprintable, or if the printer does print it, it will be a jumbled mess.
One reason for this is, msWord sets its margins based on what printer you have connected to your computer. Which is never equivalent to the printable area of a commercial printer, especially if you need bleed edges and a galley to match.
I started using Open Office Writer when I was in the trifold business, running Windows XP Pro, because msWord was too much of a hassle, with images moving around, margins changing, all kinds of headaches I never once had using Writer.
Heck, my old MAC computers could do more, faster, and better, than Windows, and many things you couldn't even do on Windows at the time. Which is why I chose MAC for my Wonder Plants business.
FWIW: She went legally blind at the age of 6, but it took a couple of years for her not to be able to even see any light at all.
Because of this, it was a little tougher on her than on folks who were born blind of which she lived with several.
Most of the older folks in her building became blind after they were 70 years old.
So in her case she vaguely remembered what the basic colors were.
Let me pose this to you: msWORD does a few things which are Illogical. Here is one example: Let's say you wanted to Format a Page. In Linux, Open Office Writer, or LibreOffice Writer, when you want to change a Format on a page you are writing, you simply go to Formatting Operations. That's the Logical place to look for it. But in msWORD you won't find it under Formatting Operations, and if you look long and hard enough in the most Illogical Places, you will finally find it under Files System Operations. Now formatting a page has absolutely NOTHING to do with the File System, So WHY did they put it there????
If you take two people who had never used either Windows or Linux and give them a project like a simple newsletter to write with 4 images using msWORD or LibreOffice Writer, where they have to set galleys, set columns, and format the page for a commercial printing company. The person using LibreOffice Writer will be done HOURS before the person using msWord.
And not only that, once they think they are done and they send their output to the commercial printer, they will get it back as unprintable, or if the printer does print it, it will be a jumbled mess.
One reason for this is, msWord sets its margins based on what printer you have connected to your computer. Which is never equivalent to the printable area of a commercial printer, especially if you need bleed edges and a galley to match.
I started using Open Office Writer when I was in the trifold business, running Windows XP Pro, because msWord was too much of a hassle, with images moving around, margins changing, all kinds of headaches I never once had using Writer.
Heck, my old MAC computers could do more, faster, and better, than Windows, and many things you couldn't even do on Windows at the time. Which is why I chose MAC for my Wonder Plants business.
Re: Major Announcement
In my mind It's a tough call regarding the blind girl you were driving to church. The fact that she took a liking to you was obvious to the pastor. Maybe even to you. Also very obvious was the fact you were still married legally. If she were allowed to fall in love with you that certainly would have been a major dilemma. A moral dilemma, which I suspect is why the pastor got involved. Both you and the girl were mature adults when all this happened and I presume very capable of using your own good judgment to make decisions. As I see it, the move to separate you two was an intervention based on moral issues. That certainly must have been the pastor's expertise. Be that as it may, the girl, and you, was deprived of deciding what path your emotions would follow. Was this action justified and proper? The answer depends on what side of the moral fence you happen to be standing on.
We have had this discussion about MS Word in the past and you explained it eloquently then as you did in your previous reply. Nothing substantial changed in your description so that I must draw the same conclusion now as I did way back when. You were using a product specifically designed for word processing tasks in an attempt to publish a trifold brochure. Regardless of the logic in the software menu, you were using the wrong application because it was not intended to do the kind of layout formatting that you required. There was and is software specifically designed to do exactly what you needed at the time, but for whatever reasons you chose MS Word.
Please don't misunderstand my criticism. I'm not trying to defend MS Word. The last time I used MS Word was back in the late 90's. And that was because Motorola used it in their offices and I wanted to learn more about it on my own at home. In the early 2000's I found Open Office which eventually was bought out by Sun Microsystems, Oracle. I don't know why they did that because they stopped supporting what StarDivision invented and developed so well. That lack of support caused a lot of problems when using the program so that I looked a little further for a replacement and found LibreOffice. LibreOffice is the perfect software for an operating system based on Linux, albeit I was using Windows at the time. Like the Linux OS, LibreOffice is a hacker's dream. It works quite well these days and I have no idea how it compares to the MS Word of 2023. But it has too much capability and it has been corrupted by that universal developer's instinct to make each new release better than the previous one in spite of the fact that the previous release was already perfect. I think in Linux Land that's called Free and Open Source software. Writer is my go-to word processor and until something better comes along will remain so. Normal usage employs about 10% of what they put into it. The rest is called bloatware. If I had to publish anything professional, however, I'd not be using a word processor to do it.
We have had this discussion about MS Word in the past and you explained it eloquently then as you did in your previous reply. Nothing substantial changed in your description so that I must draw the same conclusion now as I did way back when. You were using a product specifically designed for word processing tasks in an attempt to publish a trifold brochure. Regardless of the logic in the software menu, you were using the wrong application because it was not intended to do the kind of layout formatting that you required. There was and is software specifically designed to do exactly what you needed at the time, but for whatever reasons you chose MS Word.
Please don't misunderstand my criticism. I'm not trying to defend MS Word. The last time I used MS Word was back in the late 90's. And that was because Motorola used it in their offices and I wanted to learn more about it on my own at home. In the early 2000's I found Open Office which eventually was bought out by Sun Microsystems, Oracle. I don't know why they did that because they stopped supporting what StarDivision invented and developed so well. That lack of support caused a lot of problems when using the program so that I looked a little further for a replacement and found LibreOffice. LibreOffice is the perfect software for an operating system based on Linux, albeit I was using Windows at the time. Like the Linux OS, LibreOffice is a hacker's dream. It works quite well these days and I have no idea how it compares to the MS Word of 2023. But it has too much capability and it has been corrupted by that universal developer's instinct to make each new release better than the previous one in spite of the fact that the previous release was already perfect. I think in Linux Land that's called Free and Open Source software. Writer is my go-to word processor and until something better comes along will remain so. Normal usage employs about 10% of what they put into it. The rest is called bloatware. If I had to publish anything professional, however, I'd not be using a word processor to do it.
Re: Major Announcement
I think it boils down to this. I was asked to pick her up for Church since it was only like 4 blocks out of my way. We did talk, but it was mostly her telling me what all she does at the Home. I never did have any feelings toward her, not even after my separation. I did notice her hair was fixed nicer than usual after she was riding with me for a while. But none of our short conversations led in any relationship type of direction. So I was actually surprised when the Pastor mentioned she was starting to have feelings toward me. I think he did the right thing by assigning someone else as her transportation.
I was using Windows at the time, and didn't have the money to buy stand-alone publishing programs. LibreOffice had Presentation programs in it, but I like using Writer just the same. Heck, I don't even use helper programs to write my html pages either, I do it all on gedit, a simple text editor. I did use BlueFish I think it was for a short time, which did make things simpler, but in some respects it also made it harder to go back and make changes.
I guess I should say I've used Word Perfect, Word Star, and a few others before I bought msWord.
With any program you choose, there is always a learning curve in order to use it efficiently, and get it to do what you want it to do. In LibreOffice Writer, I could write in book format, or even double-folded card format, this is where you have one sheet of paper folded in half, then folded in half again, with text on the four visible areas, think greeting card, but on folded paper. You could also use the backside of the paper as a full sheet which was handy for some things.
FWIW: Book printers use paper that is larger than your standard stock paper, so they have a trim area.
Try setting msWord to used 9 x 11.5 paper, and set the printable area to 8-1/4 x 10-3/4 if your connected printer does not support that size. Now close that work and open something else, then go back and try opening your odd size and see what happens, especially if you have images hanging over the margin, called bleed.
I was using Windows at the time, and didn't have the money to buy stand-alone publishing programs. LibreOffice had Presentation programs in it, but I like using Writer just the same. Heck, I don't even use helper programs to write my html pages either, I do it all on gedit, a simple text editor. I did use BlueFish I think it was for a short time, which did make things simpler, but in some respects it also made it harder to go back and make changes.
I guess I should say I've used Word Perfect, Word Star, and a few others before I bought msWord.
With any program you choose, there is always a learning curve in order to use it efficiently, and get it to do what you want it to do. In LibreOffice Writer, I could write in book format, or even double-folded card format, this is where you have one sheet of paper folded in half, then folded in half again, with text on the four visible areas, think greeting card, but on folded paper. You could also use the backside of the paper as a full sheet which was handy for some things.
FWIW: Book printers use paper that is larger than your standard stock paper, so they have a trim area.
Try setting msWord to used 9 x 11.5 paper, and set the printable area to 8-1/4 x 10-3/4 if your connected printer does not support that size. Now close that work and open something else, then go back and try opening your odd size and see what happens, especially if you have images hanging over the margin, called bleed.
Re: Major Announcement
You are my all time hero as far as "thinking out of the box" is concerned. While we have never met in person the stories you share with me are inspiring for their innovation content. You are just the kind of guy I would love to have for a neighbor. I would learn quite a bit from you, for sure. Costs were certainly a factor all your professional life, and I can appreciate why you chose MS Word over professional publishing software. You did a great job with it too in spite of the fact it had shortcomings for the tasks you wanted it to perform. You're the kind of guy who can make a square peg fit into a round hole, but your criticism of the materials vendor is slightly misguided when you choose cypress over balsa for that peg. You can't realistically blame the saw mill for that choice of material.
I worked at an envelope company the first year I entered the workforce. The process of making envelopes was way more complicated that I ever imagined, and I learned a lot about paper stock, die cutting, and printing while I was employed there. The graphics designer and I became good buddies and he even designed some stationary for me when I was a ham radio operator. I still have a few sheets in a box somewhere in the basement in fact. In any case there is more to printing than the colorful logos that appear on envelops. Eventually we both left the company and he started his own business about the time that MS Word was becoming popular. You have told me a lot about the problems you experienced, but this guy was about ready to abandon the whole business due to the incompatibilities between his clients' software and that which was used to run the presses in his shop. It wasn't just an MS Word issue either. Nothing back then was compatible and getting everyone to use a standard software package was impossible. Back then .pdf file format wasn't yet invented, or if it was it wasn't very popular. I know of another author who works in Europe and apparently she does all her work and sends it to the publisher in .pdf format. That could be the standard now and days.
It is very true that a learning curve is needed to master any complex software. When it comes to writing there simply is too much to learn in programs like LibreOffice. As I noted above they try to make the darned thing do way more than what a word processor is supposed to do. I tried to figure out how to print envelops using OpenOffice and gave up. I bought myself some blank labels and use a program from Avery to label all my envelopes now.
LOL
OFF THE WALL QUESTION: You told me once that Barkeepers Friend changed their formula to remove the oxalic acid it once contained. You remedied that simply by adding it back in. Well, I have some oxalic acid and a 26 oz bottle of Barkeepers Friend. How much acid would be appropriate to add aback into the bottle?
I worked at an envelope company the first year I entered the workforce. The process of making envelopes was way more complicated that I ever imagined, and I learned a lot about paper stock, die cutting, and printing while I was employed there. The graphics designer and I became good buddies and he even designed some stationary for me when I was a ham radio operator. I still have a few sheets in a box somewhere in the basement in fact. In any case there is more to printing than the colorful logos that appear on envelops. Eventually we both left the company and he started his own business about the time that MS Word was becoming popular. You have told me a lot about the problems you experienced, but this guy was about ready to abandon the whole business due to the incompatibilities between his clients' software and that which was used to run the presses in his shop. It wasn't just an MS Word issue either. Nothing back then was compatible and getting everyone to use a standard software package was impossible. Back then .pdf file format wasn't yet invented, or if it was it wasn't very popular. I know of another author who works in Europe and apparently she does all her work and sends it to the publisher in .pdf format. That could be the standard now and days.
It is very true that a learning curve is needed to master any complex software. When it comes to writing there simply is too much to learn in programs like LibreOffice. As I noted above they try to make the darned thing do way more than what a word processor is supposed to do. I tried to figure out how to print envelops using OpenOffice and gave up. I bought myself some blank labels and use a program from Avery to label all my envelopes now.
LOL
OFF THE WALL QUESTION: You told me once that Barkeepers Friend changed their formula to remove the oxalic acid it once contained. You remedied that simply by adding it back in. Well, I have some oxalic acid and a 26 oz bottle of Barkeepers Friend. How much acid would be appropriate to add aback into the bottle?
Re: Major Announcement
Let me put it this way. My wife used Windows 7 right now, Google Chrome will not have any updates for it. And although it was a high-end gaming computer, water cooled yet, when it was built. It is as slow as molasses in the dead of winter, no matter what we do to make it run faster.
I bought Debi a new Win10 computer, and she HATED Win10 so much, she gave that computer to me. It is our newest computer and the power supply already gave out on it, and I've not had time to attempt to fix it.
The only thing she needs a Windows computer for at all, is so she can play her hundreds of Big Fish Games she bought.
For everything else she does on a computer, a Linux Distro, Like Linus Mint would be perfect for her.
I've tried to get Big Fish games to work on Wine, but never could, and I did try several times.
You have to log into Big Fish to start most of the games anyhow, and they don't support Linux.
When ms first BUTCHERED the standard XML format to create their Docx format, it reaped havoc among every printing company I know. Plus things cut and pasted onto social media sites had similar problems. Docx claims XML compatibility, but they changed so many character codes that when you cut n pasted to a social media site, you would get black diamond with a white question mark inside.
Publishers have now written software to make Docx readable and usable for printing, but before they did, their only option was to refuse Docx and tell folks to submit as Doc, which everyone and all printing machines understood.
And as you pointed out, most printers now want everything as a PDF file. That is how my books are submitted for publishing.
And they always come out exactly as I suspected they would.
Interesting: I print all of my envelopes and checks from LibreOffice Writer. The only problem I had writing checks is when I got the new HP printers. They can't pick up business size checks, not even to run a cancellation mark on them, so I use an empty envelope cut out where I want the printing on the checks. Didn't have to do that with Konica-Minolta printers.
Left over from my businesses, I had a receipt printer, and it worked fine on both Windows and Linux computers for years. But none of the new computers have a Serial Port on them anymore. I did buy an adapter that had a serial port at one end, and PS2 connection at the other. So I could still use the receipt printer for writing and cancelling checks. Then out of the blue, nothing supports PS2 anymore. You buy a new keyboard or mouse, and even if you use an adapter, they are not recognized by the computers anymore. So my little receipt printer finally hit the circular file and is no more.
It's fairly easy to make your own form formats on LibreOffice writer. The form I made for 4-1/4 x 2-1/2 shipping labels can let me use a whole sheet of labels without waste, printing them only one label at a time. The pre-cut labels I have are two wide on a page and 5 labels in a column. So if I used labels 1 through 5 and have 6 through 10 left on the sheet, I can start printing on label #6 by itself or labels 6 through 10 if I have that many I need printed. Naturally, I do have to put the new name and address in the label #6 box to get it to print there, hi hi.
I also made another form for printing postage using pre-cut label paper, but rather than getting it all laid out properly, what I did was made it only 2 columns wide, and after I use up that column of labels, I put the paper in with the bottom as the top and print from there, again using the space I need for it to print in.
Since I never knew how much oxalic acid was in their original formula, I had to do some guesswork.
In a normal shaker can size, like the short squat Comet brand can, or their normal size can, I add to tablespoons of oxalic acid, and that makes it seem to work about like it did before. If it is the tall can, I put three tablespoons in.
I have been known to put three tablespoons in the small can, but didn't see that it worked any better than using only two tablespoons full.
For really bad burned on grease that just won't come up, I will add some vinegar and baking soda I make into a paste, then dump the bar keepers friend over that. Sometimes I will spritz some more vinegar over the top, then let it sit for around 10 to 15 minutes. It usually takes off the really hard burned in stuff fairly easily, without scraping.
I like bar keepers friend because it doesn't scratch. We don't allow Comet in our house because the housekeeper will use it in places she shouldn't. Like on ceramics or our countertop and scratch them all to heck.
I bought Debi a new Win10 computer, and she HATED Win10 so much, she gave that computer to me. It is our newest computer and the power supply already gave out on it, and I've not had time to attempt to fix it.
The only thing she needs a Windows computer for at all, is so she can play her hundreds of Big Fish Games she bought.
For everything else she does on a computer, a Linux Distro, Like Linus Mint would be perfect for her.
I've tried to get Big Fish games to work on Wine, but never could, and I did try several times.
You have to log into Big Fish to start most of the games anyhow, and they don't support Linux.
When ms first BUTCHERED the standard XML format to create their Docx format, it reaped havoc among every printing company I know. Plus things cut and pasted onto social media sites had similar problems. Docx claims XML compatibility, but they changed so many character codes that when you cut n pasted to a social media site, you would get black diamond with a white question mark inside.
Publishers have now written software to make Docx readable and usable for printing, but before they did, their only option was to refuse Docx and tell folks to submit as Doc, which everyone and all printing machines understood.
And as you pointed out, most printers now want everything as a PDF file. That is how my books are submitted for publishing.
And they always come out exactly as I suspected they would.
Interesting: I print all of my envelopes and checks from LibreOffice Writer. The only problem I had writing checks is when I got the new HP printers. They can't pick up business size checks, not even to run a cancellation mark on them, so I use an empty envelope cut out where I want the printing on the checks. Didn't have to do that with Konica-Minolta printers.
Left over from my businesses, I had a receipt printer, and it worked fine on both Windows and Linux computers for years. But none of the new computers have a Serial Port on them anymore. I did buy an adapter that had a serial port at one end, and PS2 connection at the other. So I could still use the receipt printer for writing and cancelling checks. Then out of the blue, nothing supports PS2 anymore. You buy a new keyboard or mouse, and even if you use an adapter, they are not recognized by the computers anymore. So my little receipt printer finally hit the circular file and is no more.
It's fairly easy to make your own form formats on LibreOffice writer. The form I made for 4-1/4 x 2-1/2 shipping labels can let me use a whole sheet of labels without waste, printing them only one label at a time. The pre-cut labels I have are two wide on a page and 5 labels in a column. So if I used labels 1 through 5 and have 6 through 10 left on the sheet, I can start printing on label #6 by itself or labels 6 through 10 if I have that many I need printed. Naturally, I do have to put the new name and address in the label #6 box to get it to print there, hi hi.
I also made another form for printing postage using pre-cut label paper, but rather than getting it all laid out properly, what I did was made it only 2 columns wide, and after I use up that column of labels, I put the paper in with the bottom as the top and print from there, again using the space I need for it to print in.
Since I never knew how much oxalic acid was in their original formula, I had to do some guesswork.
In a normal shaker can size, like the short squat Comet brand can, or their normal size can, I add to tablespoons of oxalic acid, and that makes it seem to work about like it did before. If it is the tall can, I put three tablespoons in.
I have been known to put three tablespoons in the small can, but didn't see that it worked any better than using only two tablespoons full.
For really bad burned on grease that just won't come up, I will add some vinegar and baking soda I make into a paste, then dump the bar keepers friend over that. Sometimes I will spritz some more vinegar over the top, then let it sit for around 10 to 15 minutes. It usually takes off the really hard burned in stuff fairly easily, without scraping.
I like bar keepers friend because it doesn't scratch. We don't allow Comet in our house because the housekeeper will use it in places she shouldn't. Like on ceramics or our countertop and scratch them all to heck.
Re: Major Announcement
You tell the same old story I've heard literally thousands of times regarding MS Windows. The success of any computer operating system depends largely upon the people who try to use it. The damned things are not simple in spite of the ease of which most people experience using them. When I was doing desktop support well more than half the problems were cockpit errors. It was rare that something in the operating system itself caused the problem. That's not to say Windows or Linux is perfect, because neither one is. They are very complex systems and it's incredibly easy to configure them incorrectly. Slow computers are generally due to hardware issues deliberately created by the OEM. They don't build computers for efficiency. If they did that, nobody would be able to afford one. Even people who build their own systems do not always select the correct hardware for the particular OS they choose. You have read here about many of the problems I encountered with Windows and with Linux. Linux wins with the most troublesome problems count, and in your case it appears to be the opposite. Then there are those folks who have problems with poorly written software and subsequently blame the operating system. So, is the problem with the OS's or with the people trying to use them inappropriately?
Thank you for the hints about Barkeepers Friend and oxalic acid. I guess I will need to do some experimenting on my own because I don't use the powdered form of Barkeepers Friend. Schnucks simply doesn't stock it and Dierbergs only has it when I don't need to buy it. The stuff I use has the consistency of something between a liquid and a paste. Not being a powder it's also less likely to suffer from the high humidity around the kitchen sink. I have tried all the techniques you described, plus I put the oxalic acid on the burnt grease full strength. That will actually melt the grease given enough time, but I have some reservations about pouring that down the drain in the kitchen sink. If it melts grease, what will it do to the plastic plumbing? LOL I will attempt to mix the powder with the semi liquid and see what happens. I'm pretty sure my 28 oz bottle is only half powder, if that. Thus I will adjust your suggestion accordingly and let you know the results.
Thank you for the hints about Barkeepers Friend and oxalic acid. I guess I will need to do some experimenting on my own because I don't use the powdered form of Barkeepers Friend. Schnucks simply doesn't stock it and Dierbergs only has it when I don't need to buy it. The stuff I use has the consistency of something between a liquid and a paste. Not being a powder it's also less likely to suffer from the high humidity around the kitchen sink. I have tried all the techniques you described, plus I put the oxalic acid on the burnt grease full strength. That will actually melt the grease given enough time, but I have some reservations about pouring that down the drain in the kitchen sink. If it melts grease, what will it do to the plastic plumbing? LOL I will attempt to mix the powder with the semi liquid and see what happens. I'm pretty sure my 28 oz bottle is only half powder, if that. Thus I will adjust your suggestion accordingly and let you know the results.
Re: Major Announcement
I have to agree with you on that! 99% of problems with computers are ID Ten T errors, hi hi.
I don't think oxalic acid will hurt PVC plastics, aka your plumbing pipes.
Its primary use for over a century or two was as a wood bleach, which is how and when I started using it myself.
We would mix it up in old plastic buckets and use it with a string mop.
Industrial strength cleaning vinegar is what we have around the house here, used for lots of things.
As a temporary weed killer, with a tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle.
It also works great if you build little water, vinegar, and backing soda rockets, hi hi.
Debi said she mixes a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid with the bar keepers friend in a small bowl then spreads it around on her ceramic cooktop. The BKF already has extra oxalic acid in it. She don't like using vinegar because it foams out of her little bowl, hi hi. But she will spray some on the cooktop after the paste she made has been on a bit. Helps to clean it off easier.
I don't think oxalic acid will hurt PVC plastics, aka your plumbing pipes.
Its primary use for over a century or two was as a wood bleach, which is how and when I started using it myself.
We would mix it up in old plastic buckets and use it with a string mop.
Industrial strength cleaning vinegar is what we have around the house here, used for lots of things.
As a temporary weed killer, with a tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle.
It also works great if you build little water, vinegar, and backing soda rockets, hi hi.
Debi said she mixes a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid with the bar keepers friend in a small bowl then spreads it around on her ceramic cooktop. The BKF already has extra oxalic acid in it. She don't like using vinegar because it foams out of her little bowl, hi hi. But she will spray some on the cooktop after the paste she made has been on a bit. Helps to clean it off easier.
Re: Major Announcement
I grew up with gas stoves for cooking, and fortunately never had to clean them like I must do now with the electric stove. The grease gets baked on solid to those gas grills and just about nothing works to clean those babies. The only sure fire way to clean them was to place them on a cookie sheet flooded with amonia. Cook them in the oven for a while and let them sit over night. The next day that baked on grease almost falls off by itself. A ceramic cooking surface cannot be treated that way.
It took me a few years to figure it out, and I must say that I'm still experimenting with the best method of cleaning electric cook tops. I have come up with a fairly effective routine. I spray regular 5% vinegar on the entire surface. Then a sponge filled with dish soap is used to spread it around evenly. I then apply some elbow grease with a ScotchBrite heavy duty green scour pad (must be heavy duty) to rub out the rough spots. Those rough spots are the baked on grease. After the entire top feels smooth and is foamy from the soap I'll let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Then I squeegie the liquid off to one corner and sop it up with paper towels. Another very light spritz of vinegar and wipe with the paper towel finishes it off. In some rare instances the grease will need to be removed with a razor first, and then the above routine applied. After doing that a few times I will apply a special polish made by Weiman and applied with a scrubbing pad. Buffing it after the polish sets makes the stove top shine as if it were new.
It's that simple.
Sad to say, nothing less than that does a good job of cleaning ceramic electric stove cook tops.
Thank you for the encouragement about oxalyc acid not damaging the drain pipes or their joints. I was concerned because I noticed the powder will burn my fingers if not washed off soon enough after using it.
It took me a few years to figure it out, and I must say that I'm still experimenting with the best method of cleaning electric cook tops. I have come up with a fairly effective routine. I spray regular 5% vinegar on the entire surface. Then a sponge filled with dish soap is used to spread it around evenly. I then apply some elbow grease with a ScotchBrite heavy duty green scour pad (must be heavy duty) to rub out the rough spots. Those rough spots are the baked on grease. After the entire top feels smooth and is foamy from the soap I'll let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Then I squeegie the liquid off to one corner and sop it up with paper towels. Another very light spritz of vinegar and wipe with the paper towel finishes it off. In some rare instances the grease will need to be removed with a razor first, and then the above routine applied. After doing that a few times I will apply a special polish made by Weiman and applied with a scrubbing pad. Buffing it after the polish sets makes the stove top shine as if it were new.
It's that simple.
Sad to say, nothing less than that does a good job of cleaning ceramic electric stove cook tops.
Thank you for the encouragement about oxalyc acid not damaging the drain pipes or their joints. I was concerned because I noticed the powder will burn my fingers if not washed off soon enough after using it.
Re: Major Announcement
That burn on your fingers is an acid burn, not a heat burn, and since it comes in plastic containers, it won't hurt plastic pipes.
Glad what you are doing, but be careful with those scouring pads, they can dull a ceramic finish.
The only place we had gas for cooking was in the restaurant business, and my grandma G's house.
But it didn't matter if the grill was gas or electric, it still had the flat steel top.
Our gas stove didn't, but all the cooking parts were removable for cleaning, even the drip pans and burner heads.
Glad what you are doing, but be careful with those scouring pads, they can dull a ceramic finish.
The only place we had gas for cooking was in the restaurant business, and my grandma G's house.
But it didn't matter if the grill was gas or electric, it still had the flat steel top.
Our gas stove didn't, but all the cooking parts were removable for cleaning, even the drip pans and burner heads.
Re: Major Announcement
Compared to what I must do now with the electric cooker, the old gas stoves were easy to keep clean. For one I didn't clean the grillwork very often and the drip pans covered with grease didn't affect the heat transfer from the gas flame. The hard baked grease acts as an insulator on a ceramic top and can't be ignored for too long. I saw something amazing regarding that gas stove when we hired a housekeeper to do some cleaning for us. I didn't see what she did but those iron grills with the baked on grease were sparkling clean when she was finished. I was amazed and had to ask her how she did it. She showed me a bottle of green liquid that she "picks up at the office'"along with her other cleaning supplies. She had no clue what was in it, but it was amazing stuff when it came to cleaning stove tops.
I knew the burning on my fingers was due to the acid of the oxalic variety which is why I was concerned about the plumbing. It didn't seem to harm the stainless steel sink but I wasn't sure about drain pipe joints. I flush it down pretty well, but that drain goes the entire length of the house. Who knows what sits in there and for how long?
I knew the burning on my fingers was due to the acid of the oxalic variety which is why I was concerned about the plumbing. It didn't seem to harm the stainless steel sink but I wasn't sure about drain pipe joints. I flush it down pretty well, but that drain goes the entire length of the house. Who knows what sits in there and for how long?
Re: Major Announcement
You mentioned that once before, and I think it was just Simple Green.
I got down one step, which isn't easy, small 3 foot high door to get into the crawl space I dug out, trying to see what phone wire they may have cut, I was seated on that first step for over an hour, came close to having an exacerbation event. As usual, the frau wanted to call an ambulance, and I told her to just let me sit, but bring me another air tank before this one runs out. Plus, while she was doing that, I took a couple hits more of my Albuterol inhaler. Doc said in an emergency I could do another in 20 minutes, which is one reason I just kept sitting still and watching my O2 climb back up ever so slowly. After SI got the O2 back up to 96 flickering on 97, I scooted my butt back out into the yard and managed to roll forward to stand up. Then just leaned against the house for 10 minutes, moved as far as the AC unit and leaned on it for another 10 minutes, I finally felt good enough to make it back inside to a chair, where I stayed for over 2 hours. Not good Yogi, not good, still no phone in my office.
I got down one step, which isn't easy, small 3 foot high door to get into the crawl space I dug out, trying to see what phone wire they may have cut, I was seated on that first step for over an hour, came close to having an exacerbation event. As usual, the frau wanted to call an ambulance, and I told her to just let me sit, but bring me another air tank before this one runs out. Plus, while she was doing that, I took a couple hits more of my Albuterol inhaler. Doc said in an emergency I could do another in 20 minutes, which is one reason I just kept sitting still and watching my O2 climb back up ever so slowly. After SI got the O2 back up to 96 flickering on 97, I scooted my butt back out into the yard and managed to roll forward to stand up. Then just leaned against the house for 10 minutes, moved as far as the AC unit and leaned on it for another 10 minutes, I finally felt good enough to make it back inside to a chair, where I stayed for over 2 hours. Not good Yogi, not good, still no phone in my office.