I'm a Mac user... there... I said it!

I don't know whether I've ever mentioned this on my blog or not, but I'm a Mac user.

OK - I said it - it's no longer a secret!


Actually I've never kept it a secret that I prefer Macs over PCs any day of the week. Even my personal website has a little "made with Macintosh" button at the bottom of every page.

I started out on Macs when ex-hubby purchased a Performa 6200 on which he planned to learn Quark and other publishing-type software. In fact he never did anything with it at all and when we split up, I kept the Mac.

When I got involved in About.com I was able to purchase a G3 with a bonus I received and although the old 6200 had worked well for what I needed, with my expanding use of the computer, the G3 was much more able to keep pace with my needs.

I used and abused that G3 for at least 7 years and it was still working fine. In fact, "ol' blue and white" as it was called, is still sitting under my desk in my home office, but it's no longer in use.

In January of 2006 I was finally able to upgrade to a G5 iMac and it ROCKS!!! Mine is one of the older models, without the Intel chip and that's why I was able to actually afford it -- got a GREAT price on it on eBay :) It was brand new, still in the box, it was just the non-Intel version but it had everything I was looking for, and more.

One of our online friends, Kev, is always joking about my "paperweight" and I keep telling him "my paperweight can outshine your moo-cow anyday" (he has a Gateway and the moo-cow comment refers to the cow-patterned boxes that the Gateways come in)

Eric, on the other hand, is a PC user, he designs software for the PC and is a database administrator, so you'd think there would be some friction between us over the issue. After all, whenever the topic of Mac's and PC's comes up in online chat groups, there's usually quite a bit of animosity between the two sides. (And, I would add, some pretty stupid remarks from very immature people who are of the opinion that "macs suck, period" - but I won't even go in to that here)

So I think it's a sign of the stability and maturity of Eric and my relationship that we can watch and laugh together at the Get a Mac ads on TV and on the Apple Website.

I love these ads! They are genius!!

National Home Gardening Club

About this time last year I was amused to find myself being invited to join Handy Men of America, on the basis of my having purchased a stud finder, so I could hang a towel rack.

So it really should have been no surprise when I was invited to join the National Home Gardening Club. Although I have no idea what I bought to prompt them to invite me. Had they read my website, I wondered? I'm certainly a keen gardener and have shared the development of my little patch of heaven on my personal website.

But no, I'm sure it was prompted by the purchase of some Weed N Feed or Miracle Gro or something. I *have* been hitting the garden centers the past few weekends.

No matter, I think this is one membership I will enjoy. Members get a monthly magazine and the initial one was very interesting and informative. As with Handy Men of America, you get items sent for you to try out and review - I'm all for that :)

But in the meantime, I'll share with you a photo of my favorite view of my back garden -- as seen from my lounge chair on my covered patio, designed by me and built by my dad (he put in the lawn and the patio pavers) and my neighbor (the shade overhead)

Hello Again!

Well it looks like the blog is pretty much as I left it... can't believe it's been almost six months since I posted anything! My problem is, ideas come to me when I'm driving or on the bus to work and by the time I get home, all inspiration to blog has left me!

So what have I been doing for the past six months? More of the same, actually. Life is pretty much the same as ever. Work is crazier and more hectic, personal life is still up in the air. I say that because, although Eric and I are engaged, we're still really no closer to actually living in the same house in the same city and being married. Having said that, he's been looking in to the possibility of early retirement. Wow - how old does that make me sound? LOL!

Actually, the more he researches it, the possibility of him taking early retirement in July 2008 is not so "out of left field" as we thought and it's actually quite a viable possibility. Might be easier than convincing his bosses that allowing him to relocate to the Pacific Northwest, which they seem to be resisting at the moment.

As for me, well I don't think I ever mentioned it on my blog before, but I'm still waiting to hear some resolution on the class action lawsuit that the homeowners in my subdivision have against the builder. I wouldn't even try to sell before that gets resolved (probably couldn't even if I wanted to) so I'm staying put for now and in the meantime making the most of my house and getting a lot of enjoyment out of it and the garden I've worked so hard on.

So perhaps all the delays will work out for the best, in the end. Eric and I just have to be patient.

And in the meantime, we have our regular weekends together where either he comes here (most usual) or I go there (occasional), our nightly online chats, regular emails and phone calls.

We're in this for the long haul :)