Christmas is Monday, and therefore a workday here, so the populace is going about its business as usual. The winter holiday here is from the 28th or so until a few days past new year's day, so it is really great to have time off earlier. I've been looking forward to the holidays, but...
as soon as I could relax after the long work year, I felt the flu-like queasies set in... the 23rd and 24th are a blur to me now, and the disrupted sleep schedule has me wide awake at 2:30 in the morning! On the plus side, I was able to talk / chat with family in the States in 'real time', and I haven't had to cook or wash dishes yet.
Being unaccustomed to slowing down, and having not ridden for a few days, I went out for a Christmas Day ride despite the crummy feeling. The warm and windless day drew me out, so I went slow and took several breaks, including this stop for a nap on a sunny slope:
(This shot was made possible using the 'GorillaPod', a small light tripod with grippy and flexible legs, as blogged previously.) That ride exhausted me, but as it is now raining, I'm glad I went!
My exclusive bike for almost two years has been a Gary Fisher Rig, in large size. While I love it, I have always known that a custom made bike would fit me so much better than the S,M,L offerings of big brands. I found a frame builder in the states, and last September arranged to have him make a steel single-speed 29'er for me. Tracy patiently took my measurements according to his instructions, and the build is now underway. Here is a teaser sent to me yesterday:
The completion date is still a while away, and in the meantime I'm considering color choices for the final paint. Right now I'm thinking claret red (RAL 4004) but it isn't decided yet.
I've heard from several co-workers that 'computer gaming' is a great way to spend rainy weekends and sleepless nights, so I wasn't too eager to try it. When I did get around to installing a game, last spring, it reported that I had to play in super slow, 'safe' mode, as my graphics card was 'too weak or nonexistent', in my notebook pc.
To keep up with anticipated photo editing, I have been setting up a new desktop pc at home, and the transition between it and my previous (notebook) pc has been gradual. I have Skype up and running now, and e-mail seems to be working too. I thought that I might try to 'game' again...
I waited until the holidays to install a real video / graphics card, as I wanted a project to keep me busy, and I didn't want to rush. I was surprised and then dismayed that the one I had bought (the cheapest) came with a disc of drivers in English. Sorting out things in Japanese is par for the course, and usually half the battle. Actually installing the card took mere moments, as it just plugged into the top empty slot:
That one, I now know, is called a PCI Express 16 x 1 slot. What that means, I still don't know. The card went in, and the case back together, so fast that I forgot to get an 'after' pic. (This one was taken with a flash diffuser consisting of a folded bunch of paper towel, about four layers thick, in my left hand.) So much for the 'project'... it took less than 15 minutes, start to finish.
I'll install a game and give it a try soon. Because I haven't played a computer game since Duke Nukem 3D (1997?), I'm sure I'll be easily impressed.
More to come!
3 comments:
Glad to hear from you, Brian! Loved talking with you. Karin said she got a "lost call" message on her cell phone. She is hoping you will try again soon.
The photo of you with Fuji-san is wonderful!
Mom
Merry Christmas! It was good to almost hear from you.
Looks like you had a nice day to ride. The bike picture was confusing so I will take your word that it is actually a bike :)
Graphics cards are a snap - esp if you have XP as your OS. When you are installing the drivers if you receive a notification that the drivers are not Microsoft approved just ignore it. Most of the best graphics adapters don't bother with MS certification anymore it is costly and doesn't add anything to the product. I have cards from ATI and nVidia and both sets of drivers give me the same message when doing a clean install.
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