Updates

One of the joys of living with computers is that every now and then one must update the software. Now, don't get me wrong, I like using computers, but they are a tool to get stuff done. I want them to work without me fussing with them. I'm willing to putter a bit to tune, customize, tweak, and jump through a hoop or two in order to have it work the way I want it to, but I don't want to be going under the hood to get all filthy and stressed out.

Which is one of the major reasons I started buying Apple stuff a long time ago. Generally, it works. It does what I want, when I want. There have been some frustrations along the way, but I'm very pleased. So far I haven't had any difficulty in using the Windows world at work, and the Mac world at home. At least until Vista came along. Vista. Sigh. And the network at work is so slow, I'm always thinking I missed my click or something, but no, the stupid little circle is spinning.

Over the last little while I picked up an iPhone 4 and and iPad 2. Generally I like to stay an upgrade back, so as to let other people find the unhappy surprises. Which means that when upgrade time comes, there's a few more steps involved. When Snow Leopard came out I was meh. Then, when Lion came out, it turned out you needed Snow Leopard to get there. Oh well.

I suppose I should have done Lion first, then the new software for the phone and iPad, but I did it the other way round. Each took a couple of hours. I started Lion last night and finished it off this morning. Totally painless, except for the Steermouse software that makes the Mac mouse actually functional. I had to upgrade that.

Now I'm learning the various new things. I've discovered that if I want, I can use the iPad as a trackpad for the computer. That might be fun. I use the phone or iPad as a remote control for the music. There are new ways of getting at my stuff, and new icons to play with. So far so good.

I also got one of those fancy-pants Tanita scales that give body fat and a bunch of other numbers. My weight has been creeping up lately, and my pants are getting a bit snugger. So I think a daily reminder will be a good thing. I'm not fussed about the actual numbers, more the general trend. I played with it a bit last night, and got a bit of variation in the numbers, but I suspect that it is probably pretty sensitive about exactly how your feet are placed in relation to the sensors. I may put some yellow stickies on it to make sure I'm in the same spot each time, and see how that works out.

The first scale I looked at was $99.99. That was better than expected, then I got a rude shock that shipping was going to be $106.99. WHAT! Then I saw the little button that said free shipping on orders over $100. OK, so I went looking for the next most expensive scale. They all do pretty much the same thing. I found one for $109.99, and sure enough the free (ground) shipping button showed up. I've lived this long without a scale, so I didn't mind a few days travel time. That's exactly what it turned out to be, along with $46 in various customs fees. It was double boxed and arrived intact. Set up was a breeze. Must remember to have a note pad handy to note the numbers.

That seems to be the only option. The Fitness Depot website said there were some in store specials (sale price more than what I paid), but the in store people said it was a web offer only. I hate runarounds like that.

It's been quite a week. Tuesday was the energy audit, then a new massage therapist came over. That worked out pretty well. The first couple times with a new therapist are a bit of a learning experience for both people.

Wednesday was a bit of a blah right after work, and yoga, but I've talked about that.

Thursday was my ART appointment. All is well there. One of my long time blog readers contacted me about my old spin trainer. His dad was looking for one. A few emails and a visit, I now have only one spin trainer again. I hope it serves him as well as it did me. Thanks JK!

Workouts, I hear you saying. Where are the workouts in all this? Well, true, it's been a bit of a gong show week, and I can hear the new spin trainer calling me. And the pool. So after the trainer and the new owner left I got my swim bag all packed. Even better, on Friday I got up in time to get to the pool.

I had a lane to myself till the last couple of laps of my 1000M. This was a relax and warm up swim, working on form, not trying to set any new records. The first half was good, and the second half I could feel I'd lost the edge and was slowing down. That's ok. As I was finishing someone else joined me, and when I stood up another person hopped in the lane. I decided I didn't want to cope with that and went off to the dive tank for some deep water core. I haven't done that for some time, and worked through all the various moves. Nice.

In the evening, once I'd got the Lion download started, I put Sanctuary on the old computer, and settled in for an easy spin while watching Amanda Tapping in a submarine. Not the best episode. Spin was good, more experimenting with resistance settings, and seeing what that does for watts and my gearing. So far so good!