October 26th, 2009 by TsuKata
I’ve upgraded to Windows 7 on my main computer (Happy). Sadly, DH’s computer (Allison) can’t upgrade to Win7. There are many drivers for his machine that aren’t available, plus his hard drive is overloaded already, so we’d have to clean that off first.
Happy was running Vista (which I did and still do love), so my upgrade process was the simpler upgrade. In fact, when Win7 was done, I initially wasn’t sure it had even happened, because my desktop looked the same. (I had been using RocketDock as a shortcut/menu replacement app, so the taskbar wasn’t apparent.) It took about 2.5 hours for the upgrade to happen. I only needed to be in front of the computer for the first 20 minutes and the last 5 minutes, but my computer was essentially AFK for the upgrade process.
Having upgraded, I do like some of the neat Aero features (Peek, Shake, and Snap are very handy). I like the improved taskbar, to the point that I’ve currently abandoned Rocketdock. I haven’t noticed any huge speed improvements yet. It’s worth noting, too, that Win7 copied my “don’t bug me about stupid security warnings” preference from Vista, so my experience and your out-of-the-box experience may differ based on your settings (or lack of settings if you come from XP).
I do really like the themes, although I find some of the wallpaper aesthetics to be a little too creepy for my taste…I had the same issue with Zune themes, and I think the same design team did the Win7 themes. Inhuman Tim Burton-esque babies laughing is freaky, not something I want to see on my desktop. For those unfamiliar, the Zune aesthetic feels to me like a modern interpretation of those cartoons that the Beatles had for their music. They’re colorful and complex but also kind of trippy and freakish at the same time.
At any rate, many of the lauded Win7 features are features I had in Vista, so I’m not having the revolutionary awesome that some folks will feel. If you’re coming from XP to Win7, there’s great things (that were in Vista) like easy media sharing between PCs (and Zunes and XBoxes and AT&T UVerse home TV boxes), so you can “stream” any video, music, or images on any shared PC to any compatible PC or box in the house. I can listen to my podcasts on the TV in the bedroom. The podcasts are on Happy, and I listen via UVerse’s box. (UVerse just keeps getting better, by the way. The media share feature was added last month, and it very nearly eliminates my need for an XBox on the upstairs TV. The only thing UVerse hasn’t incorporated–and I think it’s obvious why–is video streaming.) So, that’s a feature that I’ve had via Vista for quite awhile now but will be new (or at least easier to use) for people using XP.
Overall, I was happy with my upgrade experience. I think if you’re already happily running Vista, there’s not that much that you gain. If you’re running XP, there’s alot to gain.
October 19th, 2009 by TsuKata
Gacked from a friend on Facebook, with slight privacy edits.
How long have you been together?
7 years as of this month…it’s funny because he was 31 when we started dating, and now I’m 31. 
So I finally caught up to him!
How long did you know each other before you started dating?
A few months, not counting that we may have seen each other at rallies or Mensa things and not known each other really
Who asked who out?
Well, funny story. I kind of tricked him into going on our first sort-of date. I sent out a mass e-mail to a bunch of people to go to the renfair with me, because I’d happened upon some free tickets. I knew the renfair was up by him, and I knew everyone else on that e-mail list was busy that day. But our first real official date, he called and asked me out.
Where was your 1st date?
Unofficial: Bristol Renaissance Faire
Official: My apartment to watch Harry Potter on DVD, on my birthday. I’d hurt my back at horseback riding, and I didn’t feel like going out anywhere. We ordered pizza and stayed in.
How long did it take after your 1st date to get serious?
Heh. Not long. I spent the night at his house the weekend following.
How long after you started dating did you become engaged?
3 years
How long were you engaged before you got married?
A little over a year
Whose family do you see more?
His; they live closer, though still pretty far away.
Do you have any children?
Nope, and it’s staying that way!
What about pets?
Pancake
Did you go to the same school?
Nope.
Who is the most sensitive?
I don’t know. We each have our touchy points. It just depends on what we’re talking about.
Where do you eat out the most as a couple?
These days, it’s probably Moe’s. Or, for sit-down, we end up at Friday’s pretty often.
Where is the furthest you’ve traveled as a couple?
Ireland
Who has the craziest ex’s?
Hmm…I don’t know. It might be a tie.
Who has the worst temper?
Oh me, totally. I’m a maelstrom waiting to happen.
Who is more social?
I’d say him. I’d be a total misanthrope if it weren’t for him. I’d just play XBox 360 all the time on my own. Then again, he’d probably say that I’m more social, and that he’d just be at the casino all the time if it weren’t for me. When I was single, I was more social, but now, I’m just happy to stay home.
Who does the cooking?
We rarely cook. If there’s cooking to be done, I do it.
Who is the neat freak?
I get bothered by disorganization, and he gets bothered by things like the floor not being vacuumed.
Who is more stubborn?
We’re both stubborn, just about different things.
Do you get flowers?
Sometimes.
Who eats more?
It depends. Probably me in general, but it really depends on the day and situation.
Who sings better?
I do, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Who does the laundry?
I do most of the time, but since he’s home more, he helps out with it when I’m swamped.
Who is better with the computer?
I am, but he could be just as good…he just doesn’t have the patience to figure stuff out when he knows he can ask me.
Who picks where you go to dinner?
Depends on who has a preference. Most often, neither of us have a preference and we end up kind of swinging an axe.
Who wears the pants in the family?
Well, today I’m wearing a skirt, so I’ll say him.
Who has a better sense of humor?
He does, I think. I’m sarcastically funny, and he’s just witty and silly and willing to make an ass of himself to amuse others. He makes me laugh often.
Who eats more sweets?
Him, though they’re all sugarfree.
Who cries more?
Me. I bawl at movies.
What are your favorite TV shows that you watch together?
The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Dollhouse, Big Bang Theory, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Lost (when it’s on)…but our schedules keep us from watching them together as much as we’d like
Who hogs the bed?
We both do in different ways.
Who gets up earlier?
Usually me, but he does if there’s something going on that he needs to do early.
Who drives when you’re together?
I do, as often as possible. I’m not a great passenger, although I’m better now than I used to be.
October 17th, 2009 by TsuKata
It is beautiful here. There’s this long and winding mountain road that we drive to get to the inn. (Speaking of, I highly recommend the Mountain Springs Inn. It’s comfortable with what has to be the best view in Kentucky, and the innkeepers are friendly and personable. Also, it has wi-fi in the lobby/common area and a dog and 3 cats to keep you company just outside on the porch.) The road is dotted with horse farms and cow farms. Horses are often grazing just inches from the road (with a fence between you and them, but still!). The inn is situated on the ridge of a mountain overlooking a small valley between it and another mountain. It’s been chilly and wet, or else I would have gone hiking. I bet the trails are gorgeous.
Photos (will be updated with more if I manage to take them…I’d like to get a picture of the kitties and the puppy dog, as well as some of the scenery on the way here): BereaKY-2009-10
Tonight, we had dinner in Berea (the closest town) at the Main Street Cafe. (I am unwilling to dig up the code for an e with accent ague.) We got fried green tomatoes as an appetizer, and that was delicious. I appreciated that they had Coke Zero as a diet soda option (along with regular diet coke). Also, we were treated to great live music…a singer who reminded me a bit of Rufus Wainwright in tonality and song style. I ordered their mystery dinner, a two course meal that is a surprise. They won’t tell you what it is in advance, but they promise it will be good. It’s their most popular dinner!
The mystery dinner ended up being an Asian salad (mixed greens with spiced pecans and tangerine slices, and a cherry vinaigrette dressing that was perfect…I wish I could buy that dressing!) and linguine with steak and shrimp. It was yummy! Mommy got the Dutch meatballs with rice, and she said it was a bit salty for her taste but still very good. After that, we walked around the block to look at the little shops (just window shopping, as Berea rolls up the carpet at 7pm). Then, we drove a little bit down the road to the nearest ice cream parlor, Blondie’s. Mommy had a cherry ice cream, and I had a lemon cupcake with buttercream frosting. The cupcake cake was like angel food cake with lemon flavoring, and it came with a metric ton of frosting. There was literally more frosting than cake, enough to fill my mom’s ice cream cup AFTER I’d eaten my fair share. What a waste!
We’re cozied up in the lodge while my mom writes an e-mail about the trip and I write this blog post. It’s been a very relaxing weekend. This inn would be great for small gatherings. I wouldn’t mind coming back here in the summer sometime, when the weather is more forgiving.
October 17th, 2009 by TsuKata
Now, first, what can you deduce from this sign?
ANSWER (highlight to the right of this to see): The floor is frequently slippery.
If you got it right, congratulations on your skills of deduction. I guess if you can’t make that deduction, you deserve to fall on the floor.
Also, from the graphic, it seems like the sign is actually warning you that the floor frequently contains Portal
s. 
October 8th, 2009 by TsuKata
Basic, but still hilarious:
