Storage Space

/ Paul / Leave a comment

One of the things I planned to do this summer was to clean out my storage space in the basement of my building. I've lived here 6 years now and I have several unused items taking up space. Today was the day to accomplish this task.

I borrowed the hand cart from the front desk, rolled it down to my storage space and loaded it up with several boxes of old computers. I've been a huge Apple fan for many years. When I was younger I started collecting older model computers. At one point I had 11 old Apple Computers. Most of them have been sitting in my storage space for years waiting for the right time to make some money.

I brought the computers up to my condo and began going through them one at a time. I connected all the old cords and put a disk in each disk drive (can you believe it, discs!) I started them up and only 3 of them actually worked. I decided to keep those 3 and get rid of the rest. I boxed up all the old ones and took them down to the trash room in my building. There is an area in our trash room to put things that you don't want so that others can snatch them up if they care to. I put all the old computer in this area. I'm sure they'll find a home of someone who likes tinkering with old computers.

The 3 computers that worked were all packed up nice and tight and returned to my storage space. Now the storage space is nice and neat and has plenty of space for me to store other things or get to those things I need to get to from time to time. I feel so good about getting that cleaned out and organized.

One of the computers that I decided to keep is an original Macintosh 512k from 1984. The 512k is actually the second Mac they made. It's the same as the original Macintosh that only had 128k but with more memory. The keep board attaches to the computer with a phone cord like plug. It requires discs to run it. I have some original discs but they are for the Macintosh SE/30 (another computer I had at one point but sold it). The discs are in their original package with the insert that tells you how to set up your computer. I'm sure these things will be worth something someday.

Another of the computers I'm keeping is a Macintosh Color Classic. This machine is basically an LC II crammed in a new design case. I've always been a fan of the all-in-one designs that Apple produced so I just had to have one of these. Several years ago I used to look through the Macs for sale messages in the newsgroups (does anyone use the news groups anymore?). I found a message stating they were selling their color classic and the price wasn't too high so I decided to get it. It came with everything I needed except the original discs. Luckily the Color Classic has a SCSI port so I was able to connect my old external hard drive to it and load system 7.6 on it. It runs beautifully. Of course it's slow but it works and I just think it is so cool. I'll hold on to this one for awhile.

The last computer I'm keeping is an LC III. This is the only computer I've ever owned that needs a monitor separate from the computer. The LC III is the pizza box design that Apple first introduced with the LC. I can't actually remember where I got this one, but it had the Apple monitor, cables, and the original discs in the packaging. I connected the monitor to the computer and the plug to the wall and cranked it up. It started up just fine. It's very slow as expected but it's a good example of design changes Apple made at one time. This one works beautifully as well. I'll hang on to this one too.

I will not be collecting any more Apple computers. I might hang on to my 17″ iMac once I get the new G5 iMac in September but we'll see what kind of space I have. I might just donate it to my school. Which is where many of my past computers have ended up. In all the computer stuff I found today I also found an Apple Newton Message Pad (not the first version) and an Apple Quicktake 200 digital camera. This camera was the second generation of digital cameras that Apple made. I think they discontinued making digital cameras after that. I decided to get rid of both of those items as well. I just don't need that stuff sitting around taking up space.

Cleaning the storage space has taken up most of my day. Now I need to take a shower and get ready for class. Only two more classes!

Sorrowful

/ Paul / Leave a comment

A very close friend's cat passed away last night. I feel very sad for him. My friend recently moved and the cat wasn't his normal self. When my friend got home from work Monday, his cat had vomited all over and then was not eating. He was breathing really heavy. My friend rushed him to the vet. The vet did some exploratory surgery and thought the spline had developed cancer. When the doctor was closing up after removing the cat's spline, the cat passed away. The only positive point was that the cat was under anaesthesia and didn't suffer. My friend was afraid he was going to have to tell the doctor to put him to sleep but he just couldn't do that. I don't think I'd be able to do that either. Thankfully, my friend didn't have to make that decision. This cat was very special to my friend. He's had the cat for I think 12 years. This cat was like a son to him. I always enjoyed petting the cat and playing with him when I visited my friend. Even though I don't have a pet, I do understand and realize how special pets are to people with no children. My friend was noticeably upset about his cat's death. I don't think I'm very comforting during times like this. I never know what to say. I felt very bad for him. I wish I was there to hold him and just listen to him. The phone lacks that physical element. I did my best to comfort him on the phone and listen to him. I hope he'll be okay. I feel for him and wish I was there to comfort him.

Odoriferous Memories

/ Paul / Leave a comment

This morning I was reading a post on Looking For Sam about memory. He mentioned whether his memory was real or was it triggered by the images he saw in a photograph. It made me think of things that trigger memories I have. Many of my memories are triggered by smells. If you haven't read his post, you might find it interesting.

I was born outside of Paris and lived there for almost my entire first year of life. My mother would wheel my twin brother and I down to the local market almost everyday to buy the daily groceries. I don't actually remember these events but what I do remember is smelling the freshly baked bread. I was only around 10 months old at the time I left France but today the smell of freshly baked bread always makes me think of being wheeled to the store. To this day I love the smell of freshly baked bread.

Today I was taking my recycling to the basement of my building when I walked by one of the custodian's closets. Wafting out of the cracked open door was the distinct smell of a specific cleaning fluid. I have no idea what the fluid was or what it's called but I instantly got a picture of my dentist's office in my mind. Right after the smell registered in my mind and the picture was formed, I generated a frown on my face. I hate going to the dentist so this would be an appropriate reaction to the memory the smell produced.

Another aroma that triggers some pretty strong memories is cologne. I have found myself on more then one occasion buying cologne that ex boyfriend's once used (just last week). The cologne doesn't smell the same on me that it smelled on them of course but the distinct bouquet that is produced by the cologne brings back the memories, the good times, the love, the intimacy. Fortunately, these same aromas don't remind of the bad times or the endings. One of my more recent ex's used to put lotion on after a shower. When I smell that lotion now I only think of him.

Of course smells aren't the only thing that triggers memories. Songs I hear, places I go, TV shows I watch, books I see on my shelf…all of these things bring back fond memories. At the same time though, they can bring back other memories. And that's okay. Our minds are full of memories, both bad and good. Every event we engage in produces some kind of memory. We'll have them forever and they will be triggered at one time or another by some force.

A Day In DC

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Today I went into DC to spend the day being a tourist. I met him at his house and we drove closer to the mall. We walked to the WWII Memorial. I was amazed at how large the memorial actually is. This was my first trip to the WWII Memorial. I had only seen it in photos and on TV. I didn't realize how large it is. And I was amazed at how many people were there. The place was packed. I must say they did a wonderful job honoring all the men and women who fought and died in World War II. You can see from the photos above (click to make them larger) that it was a cloudy day. I was glad that it wasn't sunny, hot, and sticky but I was sad that it was cloudy for the photos.

After the WWII Memorial, he and I walked down the mall towards the Lincoln Memorial. It was so crowded though we didn't venture up the steps. We then walked to the other side of the mall towards the Vietnam Veterans Memorial but only half of it is open because of lighting renovations. Then we walked on up the mall back towards the WWII Memorial. I took a few pictures of the Washington Monument on the way. There is so much construction going on. The mall is all torn up. I would not recommend going to see the monuments or memorials anytime soon. In a few years I'll have to go back and see them all when everything is finished and back to normal.

After our 4 mile walk, he and I went back to the car and over to 17th street for lunch/dinner. We went to Annie's. Then we went over to DIK (Dupont Italian Kitchen) Bar (or sometimes known as widows) and sat outside on the small balcony to enjoy some cocktails. While sitting there we watched all the boys and queens prance down 17th street. We were picking out all the fashion victims we could see. The more cocktails we had, the more victims we pointed out. That was a lot of fun.

It was a long, fun day. My legs were tired but it was worth it. I didn't go on my bike ride this morning so walking a total of 5.05 miles made up for my lack of cardio.