Reading as a child

Epersonae’s emergency weblog entry reminds me of my own bemusement when I used to see those library programs enticing children to read ten books in the summer. I was lucky if I could make ten books last me a week. The high point of my week during the summers was when my mother would go to Safeway, and drop me off at the Gaithersburg library on the way. I can still visualize the layout of the old library, which was replaced by a much larger version after it burned down.

It was easier during the school year, when I volunteered in the library before school started so that I could make sure I had my two or three books to last me through the day. (Yes, I read them in classes. At the time, I didn’t realize that my teachers had to know I was doing it, but I don’t recall ever being reprimanded for it.)

Linux Redux

After two months of using Linux in a dual boot system with Windows 98, I decided I was ready for a 100% Linux box. Friday night, Jack and I went to a local store front that assembles generic machines, picked a machine, and waited while they installed the upgrades that I wanted. The guy slapped components in so quickly I wondered if the system would work when I got it home. However, the next morning, I quickly installed Redhat 9 Linux, which is what I had been using on my dual-boot machine. Getting it customized the way I like is taking much longer, of course.
Continue reading Linux Redux

Lily and Major

I hadn’t schooled Lily with my trainer recently, so we made tentative arrangements to do so yesterday. Although Lily seemed a little more alert than usual when I tacked her up, I was surprised when I mounted her and she felt as though she was going to explode. She rarely acts like what she is: a young half-Thoroughbred. I quickly dismounted and put her on a longe line and waited for her to turn back into a horse I wanted to ride. She would apparently settle down for a bit, and then explode into a fit of galloping or bucking.
Continue reading Lily and Major

Three Deer

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These three deer were part of a small herd that Jack and I saw while we were walking the dogs this afternoon.

ReUSEIT

ReUSEIT shows many submissions of the redesign project for “Useit.com”:http://www.useit.com, a website devoted to computer usability.

Icewm

Using this article on Icewm, I installed Icewm on my Linux box as the windows manager. I had previously been using the Gnome desktop article. As it says in the article, installing Icewm instead of Gnome was llike doing a hardware upgrade. Gnome had a lot more bells and whistles, but I didn’t use most of them, so I am quite content with the speed of Icewm instead.