TEXTING MODULE FOR TRAINING

This blog is in reference to the Texting Module:

1.) I have only sent 2 text messages in my entire life. My teenage son helped me with the first one, and that was almost a year ago (I find the "lingo" thing very confusing!). The second time was just now, when I was practicing the iHCPL thing for this module.

2.) Now that I did a text message without the help of my son, yes I do think I could do it again. Now I figured out how to get regular alphabet instead of what the phone is "anticipating" I want to say. My son has a text message package on his cell phone, but I do not, so I get charged if I either text or receive. My son is the only person who ever texts me, except for the first message I ever sent in response to a friend, who was at a soccer game and couldn't hear to talk, so she texted me. I think texting would be useful in circumstances like this, as well as during an emergency.

I was really glad to get a text message from Nancy Rodriguez during Ike, as I was almost at the end of my cell phone minutes, with all of our friends and relatives trying to call and check on us!

3.) As I said previously, both of the text messages I've sent so far have been regular ones. Even though I now know how to text, I don't think I'll do it very often. I prefer to talk on my cell phone and don't want to get charged extra for texting. I don't think I'd use the function often enough to justify paying an extra charge for it.

4.) I use my own abbreviations (easy things like "r" and "U") instead of the lingo. I would like to spend some time on my own studying the Lingo 2 Word so I could be more familiar with the terminology; the only one I know is "lol."

5.) I think people who text while they're driving are NUTS and should have their licenses suspended for a month or two to think about it!!!! I get especially upset when I see people doing this on the freeway, which I drive on frequently, while going at great speed. I try to stay away from them!

Spring Cleaning #28

I think that Spring is a great time to do this exercise! I have already (at least) started to clean out my closets at home. I have nothing on P drive, S drive or Z drive that I have added. I figured out when I first started looking at my HCPL webmail how to move things to the "sent" mail folder if I wanted to keep them without taking up space in my regular webmail inbox. I have a few things saved there that I want to keep, like items regarding continuing education hours, course descriptions for CE, and also the online Harris County Library newsletter with the article about my older son graduating from high school and going off to Germany to study for a year. The GTD article was very interesting, especially the "2 minute rule." I think this would be useful to apply in other aspects of my life, not just the computer spring cleaning project. I do need to learn to delegate more responsibility at home (can't really do that here at the library as that's not my function). I also learned how to make a Tada List. I opened a new account, listing my son's high school activities from now til the end of the term. I then e-mailed this list to myself on my personal email at home, since this has nothing to do with library activities. I plan on keeping up with this Tada list, as I'm sure it will prove useful. I can alway add library activities to it at some future date, then e-mail that list to my webmail account to help me remember things. Janette Larson also showed us how to add a calendar to our library webmail page, how to change colors, and how to add specific events to this calendar. This is another thing I plan on adding to my HCPL webmail account. I'm a terrible packrat, so these exercises are really good for someone like me!

Week 3 #7

This is a cropped photo of Misty using Pixter. I tried to make her a different color, but then it washed her out too much, even when using brightness/contrast. So here is her cropped photo.

Week 3 - #6

I really enjoyed playing around with Color Picker. The possibilities are endless :) I especially liked exploring the kaleidoscope screen savers. Anyone else out there who remembers playing around with a kaleidoscope when they were young? (I even bought my husband one for Christmas the year we got engaged, so he could keep it with him at work to play with when he got bored or frustrated. I figured it was the perfect gift for a man who already had everything). Anyway, Color Picker was my preference for choices to "play with." Also reminds me of my older son, who has an affinity for art.

This wonderful photo came from lolcats.com, since I didn't have any of my own to use. This is how I often feel when working on my iHCPL. My husband, a worldwide head of computer security, often calls me "computer dysfunctional" :(

Week 3 #5

DSCN0618
Originally uploaded by mamabird97

This is not my Siamese, but is a picture of a friend's beautiful cat, Misty, calmly having a bath while everyone else was scrambling around to evacuate during "the Big Hurricane" that never materialized here (thank God!). I used Misty's picture so that I didn't run in to any copyright infringements (I wanted to use a Siamese picture but didn't have any pictures saved online of my own cats).

The cat lover

I am a cat lover who is very set in her ways (as is my cat, a blue-point Siamese, whose name is Russian for "mouse"). In order to study or read effectively within the confines of my home, I must have a least one cat, curled up in my lap asleep. This can be a big problem when trying to use the computer, as my cat wants to help me with the mouse or type on the keyboard. Such challenges can generally be overcome with some creativity (or the talents of a contortionist). My optimum learning setting is peace and quiet. I have difficulty understanding how my two very intelligent teenage sons can study or do homework while listening to rock music or anime on the computer. Even in college, I had to live alone so that I wouldn't be distracted when studying and could maintain my own schedule. So the big question here is, who is more spoiled, me or the cat(s)?