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Question For Windows Smarties

Once upon a time, when I used to look through "My Documents," for a photo file, a jpegs or gif file, I would see a little thumbnail of the picture as I was looking through the files.  It made it much easier to scan for an image I remember, that I may not have remembered the filename for.  That would happen if I were moving or copying image files -- a tiny thumbnail of the image would appear within the file management program so I would know what it was I was moving or copying or deleting.

Somehow, a few months ago, the preview capability stopped working.  I now see photo files as these generic icons -- a sailboat going into the sunset on a white page, representing every photo.  I have to open each file to see what it's a picture of. 

What happened?  How do I get back the preview capability that I once had?  Could this be an unintended consequence of loading Picasa, and maybe accidentally making it my default photo viewing software?  Is there any way to figure out what I've done and get it back? 

If you can't already tell from my imprecise lingo, I'm not highly adept at this stuff.  Don't be afraid to talk to me like I'm a 5 year old. 

It Is Becoming Impossible To Ignore

That my toilet has some kind of slow leak.  It now periodically turns itself on and fills up with just a little water, many times during the day and night.  That water must be slipping out somewhere, although it's not obvious where or how the leak is.  I've been doing a great job pretending not to notice, but it's getting harder.  Ack.

Product Endorsement: iTrain

On the testimonial of fellow Portland blogger Miss Bumptious, I decided to try downloading a workout from iTrain.com on Monday.  I was really impressed.  It sounds dumb, I suppose, to have a trainer talking to you on your iPod while you do your treadmill workout, but it was fantastic.  Grace pushed me along for 40 minutes, told me what settings to have for speed and incline, and sent me up and down hills and through some intervals until she finally let me cool down.  She ran me pretty hard, and I felt like a million bucks.  I promptly downloaded a second 40 minute workout by her, which I did this morning.  It was just as good as the first.  Each workout has instructions for walkers, joggers, and runners, and she tells you what speed to be at for each group.  I'm at the high end of the jogger group, but can't yet imagine getting through a workout at the "runner" speed.  Something to aspire to.  There's music playing in the background, and the 40 minutes zoom by.  I'll probably download a 60 minute workout, too, just to increase my mileage a bit. 

I also tried the strength workout.  Although Nick's not as impressive a trainer as Grace, and wouldn't be appropriate for someone who is new to lifting weights (he doesn't describe form or give you much information about determining the right weight for you), it is surprisingly helpful to have someone counting, and moving you from rest periods back into the sets, and from one exercise to another.  The workout was hard, good, and thorough, and it was great to offload the task of managing what I am doing next to a trainer.

Practical Advice Wanted

1) I seek a thingy that will hold my iPod while I work out -- you know, something that straps to my arm or around my waist or clips to my shorts or hangs around my neck.  The current method of shoving it into my sports bra or down into my waistband leaves something to be desired.  My criteria for such a gadget: it should work, it should be sensibly priced, and it would be great if it were funky or interesting enough in its design that I find it delightful.  Potentially important information about my iPod: it's one of the new video ones, large, not a Nano. 

2) I have a skirt that I think is nifty, but I can't figure out what on earth kind of top to wear it with.  I have taken some poorly lit, badly focused, pictures of the skirt and want specific advice about tops that do and do not go.  If you can link to specific tops or include pictures of what you're talking about, that's even better.  For the purposes of this, you may assume that I am a fashion idiot, and that you ought to explain things that you think are obvious.  (But I don't like being assumed an idiot, so please consider permission to treat me as an idiot to be extended only for this post.)  Potentially important information about the skirt: the body of the skirt is a kind of slate color -- a little big greyer than navy blue, a little bit navier than grey.  The fabric is a soft, heavy brushed twill.  On top it's a a sort of tapestry fabric, creamy background, reds, pinks, tans.  No actual green although the suggestion of green, somehow. 

Product Endorsement: Bonjour Kitchen Timer

If you don't use a kitchen timer in your daily life, you're missing out.  It's the way I break unpleasant tasks into chunks so I can tackle them without feeling overwhelmed.  It's the way I keep myself from disappearing into a book or a magazine, by giving myself only a certain amount of time to read.  It's the way I get myself out the door to a party and limit the amount of time I spend getting ready and second-guessing my outfit.  It's a handy gadget.

This one is very good.  (I actually have a different version, that I can't find online, but from what I'm reading they share the important features.)  guess a timer is a timer, but there's something about the way this one is designed that makes me use it much more than I used the others I used to have. You twist the dial to the right to increase your allocated chunk of time, to the left to reduce it.  You can change the setting so it's a little desk clock if you want to.  You can prop it up on your desk or stick it on the stove or the fridge as a magnet.  If you can't get to it right away the alarm goes off by itself after a minute or so, but then it counts up so you know how long it's been since your time ran out.  I have three: one in my office, one in the kitchen, and one that moves around the house with me. 

Product Endorsement: Mirra Personal Server

Since April I've been running a Mirra personal server.  It's wirelessly connected to my network and just invisibly backs up everything on my two laptop computers.  I set it up and then ignored it.  Should have tested it to see if it was working, or whether I installed it right, but who can be bothered with these things? 

A couple of months ago my other laptop started behaving erratically.  I never use it for anything except a music server, so I sort of ignored it.  And then it locked me out, so it's on and running but I can't get into it.  And I continued to ignore it until last night, when I realized a document I needed is on that computer, not this one.  Just as I began to wail and gnash my teeth I thought, "I wonder if this Mirra thing can help." 

And sure enough, without much fuss, without opening the manual or doing much more than opening a couple of menus and making a correct guess about what I wanted to do, I was able to climb in through Mirra and copy all the files from that computer onto this one.   And the Mirra sits quietly behind me, humming along, backing up everything I do.  It's great.  If you have data that you care about, but you're lazy or generally untechnological, you might want to consider getting one of these.

Why I Don't Like My New Cell Phone

I can't figure out how to work it, generally.

It has prominent menu buttons for things I NEVER want to do, like downloading ring tones and shopping online and downloading games and connecting to the internet.  And it starts doing them when I accidentally push the wrong button, and I suspect it does this on purpose, in order to charge me exorbitant connection rates.  I think this is stinky.  And those menu options are RIGHT THERE, ahead of the menu options I really want to use, for legitimate phone-related purposes.

The interface is too complicated.

The text messages you send and receive are not automatically saved.

There's no obvious way to make the phone stop ringing when you don't want to answer a call.  There must be, but I can't figure it out.

The reception is scrambly at moments, for no apparent reason.

I can't hear very well on it, unless I hold it in the precise exact right way, which is not the way I naturally want to hold it. 

Sometimes I accidently turn the volume way up or way down just from holding it the way I like to hold it. 

It is overblown and silly in the funny sounds it makes when people send me text messages or leave voicemails.

It's hard to edit someone's phone number, and easy to delete it.

The alphabet thing thinks it's smarter than me, and decides to capitalize words I don't want it to capitalize and vice versa. 

There's a lot more to gripe about, but I have to go.  It's a silly, silly phone.  It does things I don't want it to do and it doesn't do things I want it to do and it has this smug unnecessary fancy color screen with these stupid complicated menus like it thinks it's doing me a favor.  I don't want your stupid options, you little annoying phone.  You're trying too hard to be cool.  I don't want cool.  I want easy. 

Bad Luck and Trouble

My cell phone was stolen off my desk today at the college, while I was working out.  Generally I would assume I'd misplaced it, but no, it was right there on the desk.  I left the door to my office open, which I now know is a bad idea.  And when I went to leave it was gone.  I called it, I looked in the usual places, I went through the drill you go through when you aren't sure where you've put your cell phone.  But no, it had been right on the desk, and now it was gone. 

So I got a new cell phone.  My old one was on its last legs, and earlier this week had started having intermittent display failures that made it very problematic to navigate and operate; I was pretty close to replacing it anyway.   But I like that phone, and it had all of my numbers programmed into it, and the message was just how I wanted it.  The new one has a baffling colorful display and for the life of me I can't figure out how to make it do the tasks I used to know how to do in the dark, one handed, while driving.  And I don't have anyone's number!  Ack. 

As I was driving home, my new phone rang.  An unfamiliar number on the screen -- could be anyone, really.  So I answered it, and a man's voice I don't recognize says, "Who's this?"  I tell him who I am and he says, "Huh.  I gotta call from this number, showed up on my phone."  I asked what time the call had come in.  Maybe 3 or 4 this afternoon, he says.  That's the time my phone was swiped from my desk, I explained.  I didn't call you, but the people who took my phone did.  If you see them, will you tell them I'm bummed out about this.  The phone's a piece of junk and it's been deactivated, and I don't really care who did it, but all my phone numbers are in there.  If they dropped it by my office again I'd be really psyched.  The guy said, "I've never had a call from this number before.  I didn't recognize it."  Yeah, I said.  That's because you and I don't know each other.  Someone you know took my phone today and called you.  "Sometimes I don't answer my phone, you know?" he said.  I sighed.  "Yeah, I know.  I do that too."

Anyway.  If you and I have ever spoken by phone, you should give me a call and transmit your info to me, so I have it.  If you're wondering why I haven't called, it's because I don't have your number. 

We Interrupt These All Requests

There are a bunch more requests to get to; you guys responded to the call in droves this time, with some great suggestions for posts. 

But I thought I'd take a minute to recommend some Christmas products.  I'm the only person still doing Christmas shopping, I'm sure, but I've made a point to try to buy what I can from local shops, preferably where I know and like the proprietors. 

I bought this book for a young friend who shares my birthday at a local bookstore that my grandmother is fiercely loyal to.   

I bought a whole bag of things from Diane at Ferdinand.  I have a friend crush on Diane, and invited her to be on the Board of Directors.  I know she works almost nonstop during the holidays, so Housemate and I brought her a fancy snack of sundried tomato dip and crackers when we went shopping.  One thing I enjoyed buying were these journals, made from old books. 

I bought some items at Milo and Casco Bay Books, which is my favorite hangout for sitting and writing and people watching the hipsters. 

Now I'm off to Scales and the Clown for more presents. 

Requests will resume shortly. 

All Request Weekend: Christmas Gifts (for guys and others)

Okay, folks, this is the fun of requests.  I get to write about things I know very little about.  I don't think I'm a very good gift giver.  I have flashes of brilliance and long streaks of lousyness. 

Here's a post I already wrote about Christmas gifts, naming the things in my own life that were making me pretty happy.   My best friend, a great gift-giver, chimes in listing the things that she's loved receiving.  My philosophy about Christmas is that it's good for things that everyone wants/likes but few people actually get for themselves.