Ramblings on the Road to Transition

Sometime back I wrote about netbooks and how they were morphing into what to all intents and purposes were UMPC class laptop computers. That trend has continued and the small Intel Atom processor equiped laptops have pretty well taken over the market for small ultra portable computers. They are still lacking in some respects - mostly in keyboard size and layout and they have for the most part gone over to Windows XP or Windows 7 for operating systems instead of the modified Linux OS's that the breed started out with. Early last year after my sister grew tired of trying to get a Dell Mini 9 that came with an operating system that was based on Ubuntu to work for her she gave it to me. After much fiddling with it and not a little money spent on upgrading it has finally come into its own as a reliable small laptop suitable for casual use. What follows is a rundown on what it took to do it.
The Mini 9 as it came from Dell was/is a nice looking little package barely larger than the ASUS EEEPC 701 that originated the breed. But it was a miserable performer, compromised by an operating system that was a poorly done takeoff on Ubuntu 8.04 that lacked usable wireless drivers, had only 4GB of storage and 512 MB of RAM.
Having confirmed that the operating system as supplied by Dell was more or less unusable as supplied, the first move was to try a new operating system - Dell had sent a replacement "restore" disk with what to all intents was a pure version of Ubuntu 8.04 with the needed wireless drivers. When the computer manufacturer all but abandons the version of the OS that is supplied on a machine this says a lot about the problems with it. The "new" version on the restore disk was a major improvement and fairly usable - but I was determined to find something better.
Given the small size of the "hard drive" - for all intents and purposes a 4 GB flash drive, either a small linux OS like Puppy Linux or a severely trimmed down version of Windows XP ( using N-lite) were the only practical choices. Instead, I opted to try changing out the 4 GB solid state drive for something with a larger capacity. Thus the first major expense - a Run Core 32GB SSD made for the Mini 9. At the same time the RAM was increased to 2GB. Doing this eliminated the need to do a custom version of Windows XP - anything - even Vista or Windows 7 now fits and runs reasonably well. Also, since the Mini 9 has the ability to boot from a USB drive it is possible to set up a USB key or hard drive as a second drive and boot from it. Just be careful setting it up lest you make the Windows install unbootable without the extra drive attached.
So what OS am I now using on it? After a trial run with Vista Ultimate that ran OK but didn't leave enough space on the Run Core drive for much in the way of files the drive was formatted and Windows 7 Home Premium loaded. One thing that Microsoft did right with Windows 7 was trimming down the overall size of the install from that of it's Vista predecessors and there is enough room for my basic files - documents, photos, and a trimmed down music file are available when I'm using the Mini 9 away from home. I've also set up a USB drives to boot Linux Mint and Puppy Linux.
What was the point of going to all of this trouble? Main reason was to make this little machine as usable as possible and incidently have some fun along the way. It is now reliable and well suited for casual use away from home - browsing, email, watching ripped movies, listening to music, etc. Still has the limits/problems imposed by the small keyboard though so serious or prolonged use is not in the cards. If I was limited to one computer the Mini 9 would not be my choice.

As anybody who reads much of this journal will know by now, I have a tendency to take in MTF transgender folk who are on hard times as room mates. Sometimes this leads to interesting times and the odd laugh long after the fact. There was once a comedian that said comedy equals tragedy plus time and/or distance. Whoever it was that said it sure had it right. Some background here - relations between current room mates Melissa and Terri can be and usually are somewhat contentious at best. With that in mind, a couple of incidents.

Melisa having been outside on the back porch for a smoke starts to come in through the kitchen as is her habit - sees Terri heating something in the microwave - goes back out the door, down the back steps walker and all with a great clatter and muttered swear words - walks around the outside of the house - up the front steps - in the front door - to avoid going through three feet of the kitchen. Theatrics worthy of a drama queen - you bet.


Then there was the chicken affair - Melissa's church sometimes supplies her with groceries and she being the hoarder that she is tends to try to keep them in her room lest Terri have some benefit from them. She was told that a bag she recently got was all canned goods - what she didn't know was that there was a frozen chicken in there too. After several days the odor got quite overpowering and the result was a midnight trip to the garage with a sealed and very odoriferous trash bag by your truly - in my nightgown and robe to boot. You gotta check those bags more carefully kid... Add in that Terri is threatening to start clucking like a chicken when in Melissa's hearing and you have a formula for both humor and hard feelings.

Any places in Baghdad on the green line for rent? It might be more peaceful than here.

All for now,

Seems that it has been a long while since I posted here - I can only plead a busy schedule/life that if anything gets more hectic day by day. Still working in the same place and still training the parade of new hires who no sooner than they are able to work on their own with some small degree of safety get transferred to other plants/facilities. Just got notice that we are losing three people to other plants and you know what that means - time to put my teachers hat on again!

Still the same situation with the room mates too. Melissa and Terri are still at odds much of the time and the result is not unlike living on the "Green Line" in Beirut or Baghdad - never a dull moment.

I'll be back soon ( I Hope) to recount some further adventures with life, computers, and room mates.

All for now,

Awhile back, in mid 2007 if memory serves a new class of notebook computer was brought out by ASUS that has come to be known as the "netbook". As originally designed, the netbooks had small 7 to 9 inch screens and reduced size keyboards. They also as a class had very small solid state "hard drives" that in reality were nothing more than flash memory chips/cards and usually a customized version of one or another Linux distribution for an operating system. One other characteristic was their price - compared to their nearest existing competition in the computer world of the time - the Ultra Mobile PC or UMPC - they were quite inexpensive. And people bought them as fast or faster than the makers could produce them. Sounds like a real success story and it was that indeed - the market for high priced UMPC's just about dried up overnight.

In the time since then they have started to morph into something very close to the UMPC in form factor. First screen sizes increased to 9 or 10 inches from 7 inches. Then they started to acquire real storage either as SSD's (solid state drives) or regular hard drives. The operating system changed to Windows XP on the majority of them - either full size or with a reduced footprint for the smaller machines. Then larger batteries and faster processors that have all but taken them to the size, weight and bulk of a UMPC. Unfortunately they have not acquired the one thing that a UMPC has that would make them truly useful for everyday work. And that is a decent full size keyboard that doesn't require Hobbit size hands to use for long periods or when you really need to get useful work done. On the netbooks I've had and used it has been necessary to carry a full size USB keyboard and mouse to use when anything beyond a quick email or web address need be typed. Now admittedly it lives in the car, not the case for the computer, but this still sort of defeats the whole reason for having and using a netbook.

This was brought home to me in the last few months after I found on Ebay several laptops of the UMPC breed and acquired a couple of them so cheaply as to be almost a joke. Both are from IBM in their X series - laptops that originally sold for $2500 to $3500 and up that went for $25 to 75 at auction. The difference in everyday usability is quite apparent the first time you use one and it didn't take long to decide to sell off my netbooks. With new installs of Windows XP or Ubuntu and some minor upgrading in terms of hard drives and RAM they are every bit as usable as the netbooks and a pleasure to work on. They are well worth taking a look at before you go out and buy a new netbook if more than casual work is on your agenda.

I guess you could say that smaller ain't always better. Enough for now - it's time for me to get back to work.

More Dumpster Diving

I've written before about the joys of dumpster diving and the tendency of some people to get rid of perfectly usable stuff rather than repair or recycle it. With the return of ex room mate Melissa coming close Terri and I have been working on getting the spare room under the kitchen ready for her to use - thus allowing for at least a reasonable degree of privacy for all of us when Melissa comes back into town. Truth be told I had started to rehab the room several years ago and had been working on it off and on. In exchange for her doing the needed work on the room Terri and dog Scooby get the use of it while she stays here. And there by hangs the tale of our latest adventures in dumpster diving.

One thing that was quite apparent was that we would need to find a bed and a dresser for use in the room - preferably cheap or free. New was out of the question - too expensive and nobody that we talked to at church had any leads to offer. But as Terri said "The lord will provide" and did he ever! So it came to pass that one day I came home from work to find a queen size mattress and springs in the garage and an old but with some repair serviceable dresser sitting in the basement. Seems next door neighbor Tammy was moving out and was going to put them out in the alley for the large item trash pickup. So instead of the alley the stuff provided the last necessary pieces to furnish Terri's room. Talk about a room full of recycled stuff - everything - bed, dresser, computer desk and monitor, easy chair, floor lamp, book shelves, is recycled either from the alley or various friends that were getting rid of something. A few of the things still need a coat of paint but once that is done we will have furnished the room for very little in the line cash outlay.

A wise old man once told me that "All good things come to him that waits - provided that him what waits knows where to wait for them!" Keeping your eyes open and being ready to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself doesn't hurt either.

About all for now - break time is over and it's back to work!

It's been quite awhile since I've written or updated here - have been quite busy with work and life in general. One thing that has kept me jumping is my new trainee (shadow) at work. He's quite a handful and brings to mind a new and somewhat awkward puppy - all feet and ears but anxious to please. Now in a puppy this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing - accidents on the carpet aside - but given the situation at work with being short handed it's been a trial keeping him safe and of of trouble. Problem is that the combination of his being a graduate of the SIUE Environmental Resources training program and his enthusiasm leave him prone to trying things that are well beyond his depth experience wise. Add in that he is still prone to getting confused about his whereabouts, the plant areas and equipment and you have a recipe for both high humor and disaster all rolled into one package. Several times he has come up on the radio wanting to "adjust" or "change" something that would have taken an entire area of the plant down or caused damage to equipment - the almost standard instruction now is "put your hands in your hip pockets and sit down until we get there to check things out". Small wonder that I've been tired lately!

On other fronts, things have been going fairly well. New room mate Terri is working out reasonably well. Shortly after she moved in we got news that her dog was having major separation anxiety problems. Since I have a fenced back yard the obvious solution was to bring him up to the house - so the fur kid makes three! Scooby Doo (I kid you not on the name) is well trained and housebroken and has been almost no problem. He is a cross between a German Shepard and a Miniature Pincher and quite territorial - the squirrels have a great time taunting him. Having him here also gave me a look at Terri as a human being - anyone that will give up their last cash (cigarette money) to buy a sack of food for a pet can't be all bad.

In what could be an interesting turn of events ex room mate Melissa is making serious noises about wanting to come back to Missouri despite her bad initial experience here. Seems that her return to California has not been a howling success and despite my having set some requirements that were intended to discourage her return she is about out of other options. Beyond my refusal to pay for a ticket back here or any shipping on her things, there is the requirement that she get herself enrolled in the Missouri welfare system. We found out last time that her California Medicaid coverage was of extremely limited use here and given her medical problems she needs coverage of some sort. No definite word that she is coming back for sure yet but it is looking more likely as time passes.

Thats about it for now - break time is over and I've got to go back to work

It's kind of funny how time slips on by at times unnoticed - I've written several pieces for my journal in the last few months but for whatever reason haven't gotten around to posting them! I have been doing what little writing I've done on the laptop that I carry for work - my own laptop, not company issue. And due to restrictions on internet use at work I don't post from there. So rather than try to backdate them I'm going to post them following this post with the date they were written in the subject line.

Things really haven't changed much at work - still doing the rotating shift schedule and every time we get someone trained up to the point that they can work safely on their own they get promoted and/or transferred to other plants in the district. Just got notice that three of the people that I've been training over the last 18 months either are or will be gone in the next month or two. So I'm starting over again with more eager newbies and hoping I retire before they leave!

The situation around home also looks as if it is stabilizing to some extent - I'm back down to two room mates - Terri and Melissa - and the wonder of it all is that they have gotten to the point where they are peacefully coexisting. It took a temporary room mate - a young FTM named Landon to do it though as the problems with him gave them someone else to dislike besides each other! Since this story is worthy of a post by itself I'll save the details for that.

That's about it for now - I'll post this and the other pieces and get back when I can!

I suspect that there are many of us that tend to keep an open eye on trash dumpsters we pass just to see if there is anything there still in useful condition - I'm not talking about going through the trash looking for cans and the like. While there may be some people who do so for recreation, I suspect that most of us would pass on doing so unless it was a matter of survival. Living as I do on the proverbial "poor side of town", it is not uncommon to see people in just that situation and to them go my sympathy. It's a damn hard way to have to live and not what I'm writing about here.

For someone like me who is not above doing a bit of tinkering, fixing up, or simple repairs though the dumpsters are at times a treasure trove of good useful stuff. While I've heard tales of people finding complete computers, TV sets, and the like in working order I suspect that such would be much more likely in the more affluent neighborhoods. Still, that doesn't mean that I haven't found some good stuff time to time. One recent find was an upright canister vacuum cleaner that only needed a new filter cartridge to be back in good, usable condition - cost of new filter about $15 to $20 - a complete new machine is over $100. Then there was the floor lamp that someone tossed because the shade was crunched on one side and it needed a new knob for the on/off dimmer switch. Then there have been a couple of computer monitors - 17" CRT's in full working order - the only thing wrong with them being that they weren't sexy high tech flat panels! Anyone that reads this and wants/needs a monitor has only to come and pick one up. Like puppies - free to a good home.

I guess that in some ways my habit of picking up items from other people's trash comes of being raised by parents who went through the first "Great Depression" in the 1930's and as a result made frugality a way of life. When I was young their frugal ways drove me nuts, but with times as they are some of those habits that I picked up have come back to being "in fashion" - who would have thought it - for once I'm actually trendy!

Enough for now - break time is over and it’s time to get back to work!

Some catching up here indeed! Since my last entry in late June things have been a zoo around here. For a start, MCCGSL has moved into our new home in the Soulard District in Saint Louis, Mo. We had a "ribbon cutting" ceremony on June 21, 2009 and have been holding our regular Sunday services there. for a story from the St. Louis Post Dispatch on our new home follow this link -

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/1570529DB8FE6D26862575DA007E39D8?OpenDocument

For a video of the ribbon cutting and the first service -

http://vimeo.com/5381499

Reverend Carol Trissel's first sermon and some of the story behind our new home -

http://vimeo.com/5381966

There is not much else I can say - it was a day of homecoming and high emotion - one new first time attenders comment in some ways sums it up. "Is it always this loud?" I could only answer that no it wasn't - but given the occasion we were ready to let loose and truly celebrate our finally having a place to call home.

Then there is/was the story of Melissa and finally getting her on her way back to California. All during the last month she was here there were little hints that she was having second thoughts about going back. But her ticket was already bought and she was going - even if I had to carry her on to the train! The biggest milestone on the way was shipping her stuff back via UPS for her to pick up when she got there. On the day she left ( July 20 ) there was an air of a Keystone Cops movie - confusion reigned! But with a couple of minutes to spare she was on the train and I watched it leave with a mixed sense of relief and loss. Relief in getting my privacy back - and a sense of loss for the company that made the house less of an empty space.

We have talked several times since her arrival back home in California. The problems that drove her to leave are still there - at least some of the things she left at her property had been pilfered/stolen and she can't live at her place in Lake County Ca. But for the present at least she has safe quarters with another transwoman - we will have to wait and see how things work out. She has made some noises about coming back here - but was reminded of the conditions on her doing so. First, that she become a Missouri resident so that she can get into the health care/welfare system here. Second, that she was responsible for the transportation costs for herself and her possessions. No tickets will be provided. Cold? Not really - she has to stand on her own for there are no truly free rides in this world. Help or a hand up yes - but no long term free ride.

Last, for anyone interested - I've set up a Facebook page and it is likely that it may get updated more often than this page - if anyone is interested, email or PM me and I'll provide my contact info there.

That's about it for now - I need some sleep before I go to work tomorrow!

Not to mention totally off the wall!

What do Highlanders do when they get bored with herding sheep? Check out the video for an answer! Get your mind out of the gutter!


http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883380?bctid=17075685001