Comeuppance

And God smote him...
Retribution is swift! I never should have gloated last week...Payback's a bitch!

After a few hours of new computer elation, cold, cruel, computer reality smacked me in the face! I'm making the switch to 64 bit Windows. All my files are FAT32. I have more than 10GB of them backed-up online...and that doesn't include music files.

My first step into the 64 bit world went fine. I downloaded 64 bit drivers and software for my EPSON R280 Photo Printer. Totally painless, start to finish. I printed some web pages, no problem.

I opened the "EPSON Print CD" program and it looked great, has some nice improvements, but that's when I realized that all my saved CD/DVD labels are 32 bit files. I went to the printer's website and inquired by email for some counsel on my upcoming move to the new system...24 hours and I'm still waiting for a reply.

Update:
27 hours...EPSON Support lets me know the bad news, my Label files won't play nice with the 64 bit program...another do-over in the name of progress...

Next up, iTunes 9. I downloaded and ran it. The installer scolded that I needed the 64 bit version, and offered a link. There was no 64 bit option offered on the iTunes download page...thanks Apple. I downloaded the 64 bit version, installed it and subscribed to a few new podcasts. I plugged in my iPod and it failed to synch. I tried a couple more times and finally gave up. Apple doesn't make email support easy to find, so I'm still running the old computer for iTunes and downloading directly to the Touch from my WiFi network...manually...there they go again, computers making my life easier again. Do you remember when the Personal Computer first came on the scene? They said we'd become a Paperless Society thanks to the PC Revolution...umm, exactly the opposite happened! It's a good think paper "grows on trees"!

I took a break from computer chores, did the Post Office and grocery shopping, and messed up the DaveCave's kitchen. I discovered a couple of other tech troubles. I made two DVD "Coasters" with my DVD Recorder, and found out I broke the LCD screen on my camera...let me up already! I'm sorry, OK?!

I made a brine from a Fine Cooking magazine recipe, and I'm curing my very first Corned Beef. St Patrick's Day is two weeks away, the Top Round Roast I'm turning into corned beef should be ready just in time! I'm not into Corned Beef and Cabbage. I love Reuben Sandwiches, and Corned Beef is usually a loss-leader around St Paddy's Day. Making my own gets me a little closer to the food, if you will.

I've been cooking since I was in the Boy Scouts. I make most of my own bread (albeit with a bread machine now), I've brewed hundreds of batches of homebrew, I smoke fish and poultry...and pork chops. I bake, I make salsa all summer long, and I grow vegetables and herbs. I've milled my own flour, and I even made home made ricotta cheese once upon a time. I've been a part of the Local Food Movement before there even was a movement, I guess.

In the DaveCave's kitchen I made a Sausage, Olive, and Mushroom pizza. After dinner and a full day's sleep I started back on the computer migration project. I was stymied by the Canon Laser All-In-One, so I have to consult my files for my purchase info, and call Tech Support for help...

I've been truly thoroughly smited for my boastful smugness...and it's not over yet. Tonight's my Monday, there's a new storm system crossing the Big Valley that will be here by the time I get up to go to work. Snow level may go as low as 2000 ft by morning! I haven't groomed Champagne Powder in a couple of weeks! Worse yet, I haven't written about grooming in more than a week, either!

For that I apologize!

Damn, I'm still Up...date!
So, it's now five hours after bedtime...I'm having serious trouble with iTunes...I've succeeded in losing all my Apps, and when I synch the thing, it doesn't load any content to the iPod! Of course, by the time I called Tech Support, they'd all gone home for the evening...Good Night!

Got It Down

Saturday Night!
Bu-bye smug. Fatigue is today's theme. It was a productive storm...13 inches on the 24hr snow stake. It wasn't exactly champagne powder...textbook Sierra Cement. Around the base area it was so hard...it beats you up...thanks God for weekends!

We kicked it anyway, and the sun was peeking through the cloud deck when we got off. I finished my morning out in the woods...laying cross country tracks. No, not on floss skis...in a BR350 with a track setter on the tiller...not my cup of tea.

The upside of the wet snow is that it piles high, and California needs the water.

Sunday AM Update
Me and the crew kicked it last night! We knocked out the Work Orders. and groomed the obvious oversights on said Orders too...

I was on the road before 0830, headin' home to the DaveCave to start my days off. More chores...there's a fluorescent fixture in the galley I need to replace, and general clean up to do.

Maybe I can stay awake to watch the Gold Medal Hockey game from Vancouver...

The weatherman says my days off will be nice, but the winter storms will return when I go back to work Tuesday night. Bring It!

Still Groovin'

Actually it's more like "Still Smug" Yes, there was Hero Snow from top to bottom last night. One Winch Cat Pilot called in well, and I phoned for reinforcements...Voicemail City I'm afraid...Out came the Blue Pencil while none of the guys returned my calls. (To be fair, I called the Calvary after 0200! I needed to see what the Graveyard Wrench had to say about the Parked Fleet's issues. There were two cats good to go, both BR275's...with, it turned out...no Pilots.

Anyway, it was me, one winch, and one Rookie. Great snow saved our bacon! As the evening wore on, I started restoring the trails that I edited at the outset. We got the Work Orders 90% done....thanks to the fine conditions.

We've got another system due in Friday night, and a string of 'em across the Pacific, to keep the snow flying into next week. Just what the Doctor ordered!

To continue with my Smug Theme...this is the first blog on the new laptop. I spent the morning cleaning out the Bloatware, downloading and installing the Security Software, importing my Bookmarks, and generally marveling at the state of the Gadget World.

It's bedtime, so tomorrow I'll install my printer drivers, and transfer 12+ Gb of files from Carbonite.

I saw a Tweet last night: " As if the food world weren't already stacked against me, they brought peanut butter bacon cookies to set."

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies? Are you kidding me?! A quick search, and I've got the recipe...looks like I'll be doin' some baking come my days off!

Damn right I'm still smug! mmm, mmm, mmm!

Stickin' With A Theme, Here

I awoke to the pounding on the door of the DaveCave. "Just a second!" I croaked. I was expecting the FedEx Guy, and posted a big "FedEx" note on the front door to insure the connection was made.

The knock came a little after 2 PM, and I'd been sawing logs since noon. I got out of bed, threw on some shorts, and opened the door. The sun was right behind the FedEx guy's head...I squinted as he said something about seeing my sign, yada, yada...He handed me his "tricorder" and stylus. I signed the screen, but couldn't see a thing with my just opened and sun-dazzled eyes.

I took the package, set it on the floor next to the bed, and went back to sleep. Even my new laptop wasn't going to jar me from this sleep cycle!

I woke up after 8 PM, and had a bunch of housekeeping chores that needed to be done before I could play.

Now it's make dinner and lunch for work...I'll get the battery charged...and that's about it, for tonight.

In the morning, I've got to do the grocery shopping...stocking up before the next round of winter storms makes a mess of Truckee and the roads. Forecasts say a foot or more starting Friday afternoon, with plenty of wind to blow it up!

Then it'll be playtime! This laptop is now six years old! I paid twice what I paid for the new one that came this afternoon. The new one has 8 times the memory, the hard drive has more than six times the storage, and the processor has four cores vs the one in the old reliable. Welcome to the 21st Century!

Armed with the new toy, I'll finally get to do some video for the blog.

First things first, however. There's a Mountain of hero snow waiting for me! SturgUrge and his GF are going to be guests on My Mountain Friday. Gonna be a good night in my BR350!

Groovin'

I woke up feeling smug tonight. We're in between systems, but the storm door is open. We need all the snow we can get...California's snowpack is our largest reservoir, and there's no lengthy EIR process to endure. I want to enjoy usable boat ramps in September and October here in the High Sierra!

The Reno AFD says Friday afternoon or evening the next system will start ramping up. This one has some sub-tropical moisture tagging along, too! Snow levels will start up there near Pass Level, but drop during the event.

So, why the morning smugness? Ice Fishing aside, everything's working good in my life. Business is good, work is good, skiing's good...I've even stopped watching 24/7 News this month (thanks Olympics) Perhaps that's where the well-being trend comes from? I watched David Letterman's crew drop a Curling Stone from Nine Stories Up onto a Lincoln Sedan the other night...that was funny!

I'm looking forward to the return of the Hero Snow, too!

Good Mornings!

I'm running a little behind today.

The good news is: I got the whole day's night of sleep! The bad news is: Ice Fishing with SturgeUrge was scrubbed. Sadly, it's just as well...snow started blowin' in before 11AM at the DaveCave Tuesday. Tuesday morning, I called Doc at the Mini Mart/Tackle Shop nearest Boca Reservoir for the Ice/Fishing Report...Doc said: "The ice had been softening last week...but we had two cold nights" "I was out there Sunday, and heard they were catching some nice fish early in the week."

I weighed the intel with the approaching Cold Front, and weather forecast, and called it. I rang SturgeUrge an hour and a half before our appointed rendezvous to advise: "Have you got a
Plan B?" SturgeUrge and his GF went skiing...I made a shopping trip to Reno.

Reno was ugly! They got 24 inches of snow Saturday night, when we only got a half inch on Donner Summit! Three days after their snowstorm, most of the snow was still on the streets! Boy, those lanes were narrow! I made quick work of my errands...COSTCO Gas, COSTCO, WinCo for groceries, and home!

My head hit the pillow at 3:30PM...just a little behind schedule. I awoke at 7PM...logged on to the 'Net to see if I had to report for Jury Duty in the morning...Nope! and went back to bed...the Olympics weren't going to mess with my sleep this week! At 9:30 I woke up again...in time to wait for the alarm...was it Women's SkierCross or Men's Giant Slalom? It's all starting to run together...there is more Curling, right?

I hit the driveway a little early...fired up the Honda Snowblower, blew the driveway, and hit the road to work...

We had a good night...my tractor's tiller never suffered a single confused electron, and never missed a beat! The storm really pounded between 0400 and 0630...we rolled some trails three times!

All this time I've been spending behind the sticks of our new Bisons is taking it's toll however...my beloved BR350 seems so slow now! I remember that all my great tractors over the years haven't been the fastest... but when they do get to the jobsite, they do more work, push more snow, and generally kick more ass than the newest, fastest, shiniest interlopers vying for my favor...

My ol' BR350 rocks! I'm looking forward to tonight's shift. Good skiing today...this storm will break before tonight...Thursday's gonna be epic people...call in well, and hit the slopes! There's only half of Winter left now!

Good Nights

Winter made a cameo appearance last night. It was snowing lightly even as I wrote of my desire for some new fluff. When I got to work, there was a fresh dusting everywhere, but not enough to measure.

Swing shift reported that it was wet when they started, and that the freezing level was about a third of the way up the Mountain.

My tractor's tiller ran six hours on swing, before it's electrons became confused...again. The operator parked it in disgust...I felt his pain...

I was in no mood to futz with the thing, so I drove a Bison instead. I put the rookie who overslept in my cat...and it ran the whole shift for him!

It's amazing how much a little snow can improve the pack! Though Hero Snow didn't make a comeback, just the quarter inch or so added enough fluff to speed things up nicely. Enough that we groomed everything on the Mountain save that once or twice a season drop near the top.

Everyone enjoyed the drama-free night and early end to the fun. I was at the fuel dock at a little after 0800!

Tonight's forecast is for scattered showers becoming snow showers after midnight. That's a forecast I can work with! The Reno AFD claims we're in for unsettled weather all week! It's my Friday, and I'm down for a fun weekend with SturgUrge coming to town.