Oh the dumb things we do for boys...

When I was 12 I got a typewriter, and old Underwood portable that had been my grandfathers.
This was in the days before the internet.
In these days there were mere rumours of an invention called a video disc and VHS Cassettes were still being dreamed of.
So when a teen girl needs to vent, and there is no blog to turn to, she typed her brains out.
At first stories, but later poems. Filled with angst and teen-girl gusto.
I typed everyday. Sometimes for hours, depending upon the drama level in my life.

And then one day, at the edge of my teen-dom I did the unthinkably stupid:
I gave them, all of them, to a BOY.

Now I have none of them.

Girls.
Dont be stupid.

Foiled once in Brownsmead.

Oh I was so close! If only I had done a little more research I wouldn't feel the need to go back and capture what I was SO close to. A mere 100 yards or so? Ugh! I KNEW(!) there was an abandoned railway around there some where. The fact that there was a derelict, uprooted and moved depot down at the crossroads by the grange was proof enough. Aldrich Point Road. At the washout. PArk the car and keep going...only first (!) get permission because this place is ooky and extremely well guarded by all of the residents. They will come after you with a shotgun if you even stop on the paved road and get out of your car. Anyway, if I go back in Feb I had better have some calendar samples to hand out to The Big Man, so he will let me back into the town to shoot. :o)

Windows 7 Screensaver not working-FIXED!!!

For some people, it is the use of their Windows 7 gadgets that keep the screensaver from engaging. For some people, their wireless mouse seems to interfere with the screensaver starting.
For many others, it is very simply the power management options. I carried out the following fix and it worked!!!

For my part, I WANT my screensaver to ALWAYS kick in after 3 minutes for security reasons. When I set my screensaver, I alwasy click the box that says "Require password"and/or "Show Welcome Screen on Resume" (or whatever the exact verbage is, it's something like that. ANYWAY...
my screensaver woudl never activate, leaving my compie open to whoever walked by to get in and mess with at their will. This is why I rely on my screensaver. Besides, I have vacation and my kids pix on there, and I like to see them. :o)

The solution did not come as part of my own cleverness, but from the following person and so far he was the only person that had the right answer for me:

http://www.troublefixers.com/screen-saver-not-activating-working-in-windows/

So frustrated was I with not being able to get my screensaver to work all this time, that I carried his instructions to the Nth degree although, his were a little different than mine I was able to get the basic idea. I went into the following options:

-Right click the center of your desktop and select PERSONALISE
-Select SCREENSAVER
-Select CHANGE POWER SETTINGS

At this point odds are great that you have either monekeyed with your power settings at some point, or like me, never messed with them at all yet. This is an excellent time to do so. :o)

On this POWER PLANS screen you have a multitude of options.

I took about 10 min. and selected CHANGE SETTINGS for every power plan offered.
I left the battery settings much the same, but for all the options where is it tells the computer what to do when its plugged in, I clicked all the arrows on the drop down menus and selected NEVER for all the options, on all the power plans listed.

I didn't even have to reboot, and in 3 minutes I was looking at craggy pacific coast rocks and my kids climbing them!

YAY!

If I can do this, so can you!
:o)

Kooky Ghoulash thing my dad used to make. (I bet James Lileks could ID this thing!)

I haven't thought of this in years. It used to make me crazy!
To coin a phrase from our favorite gourmand of the all things disgusting James Lileks,"Glop In a pot!".
This thing my dad and mom made is the TRUEST form of Glop In a Pot. and yet, it's kinda good and hearty if you don't think about the 1950's - 1970's style of ingredients.

I don't know what they called it. I am sure it had no right name.
They just called it "Macaroni."
Ok Yankee Doodle, here it comes:

1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped.

Begin to fry up this lot.
When burger is cooked through add:
1 can of pork and beans (yes. thats what I said.)
1 can of diced tomatoes
Optional - it seems like my mom used to throw the tiny can of Tomato paste in this mess as well.
And then add enough pasta to soak up what ever liquid is abounding in the pan.
Let it all simmer until liquid is soaked up and pasta is soft.
If liquid still abounds, remove lid and let cook off for a while.

Eat.

So I made this for my family tonight.
Why?
I had all the ingredients and was wondering what I could make and suddenly, like an epiphany/deja vu moment, I remembered "This thing" my mom and dad made. (Besides me and my brother, that is.)

Verdict?
They loved it (face palm).