Charge of the Heavy Brigade

[feng_shui_house]

Wow, it was so much more complicated than a poem about bravery. There was a lot of arrogance and stupidity and confusion involved...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Balaclava

https://theconversation.com/could-the-charge-of-the-light-brigade-have-worked-82801


The preceding distraction came AFTER my brain rebelled from the tedium of the day and I went google wandering based on the word 'Charge' because it was four hours PLUS charging a computer keyboard and mouse.

I now return you to the start of my day.

Woke up to leg cramp, which I suspect is because I haven't been taking my vitamins for a while. Some days I forget, some days my throat doesn't want to swallow them. So maybe I need potassium. After the cramp eased I took 4 of the vitamins... and... my throat let them go down, only then my stomach rebelled.

*sigh* Wasted effort. Shall try with the remaining 4 later.



Decided to try to use my 'new' computer (I bought it years ago when I thought this one was failing- this one got better after I threw out some of the things on it that I wasn't using.)

Not only is it a lot different to use (and incompatible with some old programs I WANT to keep), it requires both the keyboard and the mouse to charge by being temporarily plugged into the computer, which I find really inconvenient. The old computer was in between the 'wireless, look how cool you can throw away all the AA batteries which enabled you to charge your mouse INSTANTLY' and has at least got the keyboard permanently physically connected so I can keep the computer awake by doing keyboard stuff, like scrolling down a fic, while the 'Magic Mouse' is charging with a wire connection and flipped on its back (so unusable) to charge.

On the new one both the keyboard and the mouse require charging by being plugged in, but I can't Do both at once with the one wire that came with it, I have to keep hitting the power button on the computer itself to wake it enough to get ONE or the OTHER charging. And it requires me to put in the password to do stuff- which thank heaven I was able to find the index card where I wrote down Big Mac's password (yes, I named it that because it has a larger monitor). I THINK I remember trying to turn off the 'give password every time you open the computer' because I COULD NOT give the password until it was charged, and I couldn't charge it without the password! I got around that by using my OTHER computer to charge the keyboard and mouse, which confused things and altogether something I hope to avoid. MAYBE, Maybe I don't have to do that today.

The reason I'm trying to get the newer computer up (and once it's charged I'm going to have to upgrade it at least once) is because the better income tax program on line (the one with actual help which I'm gonna need because I don't know how the heck to do 'paying quarterly self-employment tax- yeah getting payment from Spoonflower for art makes me self-employed and I'm supposed to pay the government into social security- which I can't collect ANYWAY- but there was no way to figure it out in the tax program I did last year so I gave up and paid the penalty' AND this year they lowered the limit for Paypal to report income, so my Spoonflower commissions which have ALWAYS been reported to the tax IRS, now are ALSO reported through the Paypal (the only way SF will pay out) so I have the income reported twice and I don't know if I should just omit the Paypal on my taxes, or put it in and subtract it as...an expense?)

The old computer stopped being able to access the APP store long ago, which is the only way to upgrade it, and without upgrading it, it won't work on the better tax program.

So, long story- to try to handle the taxes, I need to figure out the new computer- stage one, charging it. After more than an hour, switching cable back and forth every few minutes, and hitting the power button (or keyboard now that it has some charge) they're both up to around 50%. And the only way I know that is that I had through trial and error found a tiny symbol to click to bring up Bluetooth panel showing My Devices.

While I could do some things without it being fully charged, I don't dare try to upgrade until it's at 100%- I have no idea what would happen if it partway upgraded and stopped for lack of power. I do not want to risk it.

Minor annoyance, the big mouse pad I had covering part of the surface (I use an old roll top dresser for my computers and pull out the woven textured top which is not a good surface for computer mice) well, the mouse pad needed to be moved over BUT it had been there so long the backing had melted in places and glued to the woven.) So had to scrape that out, and once I did, it was overlapped by a couple inches with the small mouse pad I use for the older computer. So I cut away some of the big mouse pad.

So I've been at this for an hour and a half now- without even getting to upgrading (and I'm not at all sure it won't want to do another upgrade once it goes up to MacOS Sequoia.)

Got tired of waiting, made waffles and been reading fic and rinsed my latest rock tumbling.



What a PITA this is. I keep switching the power cable and am so tired of this. I got the keyboard up to 94% and the mouse at 90% BUT the mouse went down to 89% just as the keyboard went up to 95%. Even without doing anything more than clicking to look at the Bluetooth panel. It's ridiculously difficult to get BOTH of them at full power. Keyboard now 96%...I think it's wasting energy 'searching for nearby devices' I can't find a way to shut that off. I guess Apple thinks if you have their computer you MUST have their cell phone.



Set 7 more designs for sale. I should make more as I'm down to 3. Ok, I dug out my PSD 'stripes for plaids' and made a new PSD with one layer the plaid zig zag to fit that 12 inch square and am playing with color...


oh, the new mac changed the notice from update to Sequoia to Updates available. I guess that means more to choose from, including things I don't want. Do I want Apple TV? No. Do I want iTunes? No. Well, keyboard at 100% time to go back to feeding the mouse which has dropped to 87%. I wonder if it's even POSSIBLE to get both at 100% at the same time? Or even at least the high 90%?

Mouse up to 95%--- got them both at 99% and started the update for Sequoia 15.3.1. It doesn't say how long it'll take- 7 minutes to upload, and I dunno... more than 40 minutes to 'prepare'... but then it went back to saying I need to update to Sequoia etc. and that the computer would restart in a minute to do it. So I clicked to restart and it's gone black with white lettering telling me it's going to take time and restart again.

IF I get this all done today I'll be lucky. Definitely not going to try anything other than updating. Computer lit up apple and progress bar. Then went totally black again. Clicked to wake it up. Computer lit up apple and restarted progress bar.

Then went black again once the progress bar filled up. Then computer lit up apple and progress bar started again. I have no idea whether this is normal or a problem. Filled up progress bar- Computer lit up apple and progress bar. Then went totally black again. I'm not clicking anything now. Wait and see....

ok, it says about 9 minutes remaining (after all this time telling me NOTHING). And I don't even know if the Sequoia is the latest update it wants to do... Finally... I hate the way the few things I had open (internet/email & some basic stuff) is all clumped in a heap, but can't be bothered to try any more today. I had to password TWICE before it would accept it. And then it was agree to Apple's new terms- what's the point? Either I agree, or I can't use some basic things, so why ASK? So I did that, and then I checked and the only updates left are for crap I'd delete if I wasn't afraid they'd screw something up. What is 'Garage Band?' so glad that way back when I had turned off Automatic Update.

So that's 4 hours gone... at least I did get a waffle. :^)

Remembered that the stripes for plaid basic layered design I'd figured out so I could make COORDINATING stripes at the same time. So going back to pull the colors from the four plaids to make stripes instead of the sensible way, make the stripes and then the plaid. I wish I still had a brain... maybe I should eat more tuna fish. :^)

Ok, uploaded 15 designs and then went out with. Max. It works so the bogus charger at least didn't hurt it (It might have been still running on the charge it had from the new charger- I didn't run it down completely- that would take So MUCH pushing the pole around the pool I'd be without energy, too.)

Back to set up the new designs. Spoonflower being wonky site again. *flumph*

I made a waffle sandwich- a little butter, thin slices of Spam, thin slices of Cheddar, half a minute in the mike. NOM NOM NOM.

Ok. going for 5 pm. Did no sewing today. Am going to see if I can get myself into the swimming pool. It might be too chily, But worth a try.