Slightly less neurotic these days

I can't believe that blogger kept my information for so long. Wow. 

For the last year, I've been meditating fairly regularly. Some days, it's a sleep meditation to help me get to sleep with fewer nightmares and fewer dreams where I'm racing between things, away from things, or some other racing. The consistency of my meditation practice has made me slightly less neurotic or at least, I get "over" it quicker than I used to. Previously, I'd ruminate for months or years over something I said or didn't say. 

I feel calmer. I'm better able to keep my cool when my sister threatens to call the authorities on me based on some lie she's told herself. Life is full of things and I'm tired of suffering. So I think I'll use this place to track my progress or lack thereof. 

There was something that I had read (maybe from Thich Nhat Hanh or maybe it was from Sister Dang Nghiem)... I can be ok and there isn't a reason why. I'm starting to think that my suffering is due to my holding on. Things happen, but it's my rumination that makes it suffering. My suffering helps me fit in with all the other suffering beings. Or maybe there isn't a casual relationship at all. Maybe that's my mind wanting to understand or wanting to churn. I don't know.

What I know is that when allow myself to just be, I am at peace. Feeling at peace is pleasant. 

Scooters and power wheel chairs

A power wheel chair should be easier to navigate than a scooter because a power chair is smaller. However, folks who use scooters say that scooters are easier to navigate.  Scooters have a higher center of gravity, so you have to be very cautious about rough terrain and you must take curbs in the center of the cut-outs/ramps.

There are various levels of power chairs and scooters.  The low end ones have flimsy tires that can't handle the outdoors much and can't go very fast.  The higher end models have sturdier tires that make for a more comfortable ride.  A 3 wheeled scooter is more maneuverable than a 4 wheeler. To use a scooter, you must have some mobility since you'll have to pull your leg over the center. 

If you're taking the bus (and most scooter/power-chair users have to), then be sure to tell the salesperson/occupational therapist that detail. Scooters that can go on the bus need to be smaller.  My co-worker's parents have a modified mini-van for wheelchairs, but I believe the modification costs between $10-20,000.  An interesting tid-bit is that you should try to contact your local transit authority.. in Vancouver, you can book a bus where you'd be able to practice moving your mobility device on and off the bus.  Interesting.

Reversing in-addr addresses

The following perl code will take entries that look like a.b.c.in-addr.arpa and make it into c.b.a

In the case where you have only a b.c.in-addr.arpa, then simply vi the file and remove the in-addr at the beginning of the line using [escape] to get to the edit functions and then
:%s/^in-addr.// [enter]


while () {
chomp ($_);
@sub_atom = split (/\./); #split the fields on the . character
print "$sub_atom[2].$sub_atom[1].$sub_atom[0]\n";
}

Looking for VIN checker or a used car?

I'm kinda sorta in the market for a used car. I keep having to look up these links so I'll just post them here for myself or for others to use when buying a used car.. you'll need the VIN.

Canadian Police Database of stolen vehicles:
http://www.cpic-cipc.ca/English/search.cfm

ICBC's vehicle status (whether it's in salvage, rebuilt, normal):
https://onlinebusiness.icbc.com/vdwqs/VDWQSServlet/WelcomeAction

This one lists something similar to ICBC's.
https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/vincheck/vincheck

This one shows you how many "records" there are for the vehicle. This would show you the claims history... well.. it shows you how many times there were "records" -- if you want to know what the "records" are, you'll have to pay, of course.
http://www.autocheck.com/consumers/gatewayAction.do?WT.mc_id=2353&siteID=2353&WT.srch=1

My computers

These are the computers that I have known.

My first was a Zenith 425L sub-notebook. This was early in the transition from laptop to notebook. Mine was smaller than a notebook so it was called a sub-notebook. Gosh, I loved this machine. It was with me through much of my university education. I bought it some time during my second year in university and it ran Windows 3.1. It worked like a charm. I was able to take notes and print them off. It was small and compact and very eye-catching, especially because I was in the English department. Alas, this little guy died a long time ago and he's been put in the recycling bin so I've had to borrow an image from some guy on the internet.

My second computer was a generic desktop that my brother bought for me. I ran a 586 at the time. Then it was upgraded. This wasn't my choice of my computer, but a gift from my brother. It did its job and helped me connect to the internet when needed to work on school projects and other things.

About 2 years after I got the generic desktop, I was working on a second degree and bought an iBook.



And so began my love-hate relationship with mac's. I bought the computer at first because I heard that mac's run more stable. While I was in my operating systems course, I found that the mac os wasn't set up very well. I also found out that the OS really isn't stable at all. So I loved the look of the iBook, but I found that I couldn't do much with it. The programs that I needed to run weren't available on the mac OS so most of my school work was done on my generic PC. The iBook was still there for when I needed to pack something in my bag and I still spent most of my spare time on it, but the majority of my time was spent on my PC.

Then I got a job and again, found myself on the PC more than on my iBook. I upgraded the PC's various parts. I upgraded the memory and the CPU. At some point, I upgraded the mother board. It grew with me. Mac OSX had come out, but my iBook was so slow that it couldn't keep up, so OSX wasn't useable.

I used my PC for a number of years, but it wasn't fun. It was okay, but it lacked personality. I guess I always liked laptops and always wanted to be able to carry my computer around with me. So I bought a macbook.



It was love for about 2 years. And the the screen began to flicker every now and again. Then the screen began to flicker more regularly. My husband was nice enough to take the whole thing apart and replace one of the parts, but I had my concerns. I wanted a computer that I'd keep forever and forever, and this was not it. So I sold it. It was the first computer that I sold.

After I was done with the Zenith, my brother installed Linux on it and used for demonstrations in the math classes that he taught. He continued to do that until my cousin dropped the computer and broke the hinge. After that, the computer had to be handled very gingerly. The PC was given away to a girl that my brother knew who needed a computer. I had my macbook at the time so I was more than happy to part with it. The iBook was intended for use by my kids, until my sister spilled coffee on it. I should ask for the computer back, for sentimental reasons. And my son will likely enjoy taking the computer apart in a couple of years.. as soon as he's better able to control a screw driver.



To replace the macbook, I decided (against better judgment) to buy a Dell Inspirion 1525. It was okay. I could have used it, but my sister said that she was considering buying a computer, so I gave her mine. I was using the computer that's been lent to me by work. She took the computer for about 1 1/2 years. Then she returned a used computer to me. When I gave her the computer, it was barely a month old and I kept very good care of it. When it was returned, the battery would die 30 minutes after being unplugged. The trackpad key was discoloured and there was trouble typing certain keys. I eat while at the computer, but I've never managed to get my keys stuck like that.

.. and so here we are. I've still got the Dell. I won't buy another dell in my life. They're cheap little machines. Not as cheap as Acer's, but still pretty cheap. Then again, my work computer is a dell and it's holding up quite well. I guess the Inspirion is their low end, consumer line and that's the line that I wouldn't buy. However, if I were going to buy their higher end products, I'd rather just buy a mac. The Dell is used purely for its ability to VPN into work. It saves me from lugging my work computer around if I need to do a little bit of work.



And last weekend, I picked up my Samsung N130. It was released a few weeks ago with Windows 7. The 6.5-ish hour battery life was appealing. The keyboard is quite nice and there's only one key that's bizarre, but a minor nuisance when compared to the other netbooks out there. The screen is okay.. It's my typewriter and I can't see it replacing a "real" computer. I've got time-share with a macbook. That's where I keep my photos and my other "serious" stuff. This computer is for minor internet surfing and for writing.

I expect to keep this computer until my kids get a bit older and I'll pass it on to them to play with and destroy at their leisure. The Dell, I'll keep as my alternate work computer. It's not a computer that I enjoy spending time on, but it's practical and that's enough reason to justify its existence.

Hot yoga and other news

It's been busy since I've returned to work. The kids are growing more each day. Last week, my 2 1/2 year old went an entire day without diapers. It's quite the feat for someone who showed no interests in potty training.

I started hot yoga. It took 3 classes before I was able to make it through an entire class. It's still gruelling and I didn't make it through today's class because I didn't get enough sleep last night, but it's been amazing. My achy body is a lot less achy after the yoga class and it's even better if I can get out more often. I go to the early yoga classes, so if I'm awake at 5am, I'll head in. I'm feeling better about my body and it's looking better.. Or maybe that's just my perception.

Even on the best of days, I don't like the class. The heat is terrible, the humidity makes you sweat even when you're lying down doing nothing except trying to take your mind off the heat. There are moments of panic as I lie there, before the class starts, when I just want to escape the heat. I don't like heat but I'm learning to tolerate it better. I have a keen sense of smell, which isn't so good when there's a roomful of people in 36 degree temperatures. But once the class starts, I'm in such discomfort that I forget about the heat and hardly notice the stench that makes me feel like gagging. On a good day, my mind can stay with the class and I get a good physical work out. On bad days, I get a great mental workout as I try to stay with the poses and try to not let my mind get overly negative. It's interestig to say the least.

The nanny is working out well. The worst part so far, has been when my daughter got hurt and went to the nanny instead of me. It was bound to happen and just means that she's doing a great job caring for and caing about them.

My job is a little uncertain. We will have to wait and see what happens. No updates just yet. I had another one of those, "We hate your employer" moment when I met my friend's finace's family. Whatever.. All corporations suck, but I do what I can.

Other than that, all has been well.. I have a charmed life and everything just works out somehow.

Books

I tried the "Spent" book, but I didn't like the greens powder and I hated the whey powder. My taste buds are a little sensitive. Oh well.

On to the next book.. actually, a return to a previous book. "The Power of Now". I had started reading it and enjoyed it, but thought my husband could use it, so I let him read it first. The book was read a little and then neglected, so here I am. Picking it up again.

I feel like I need something. My group was physically moved during my leave and I am not enjoying my new environment. There are stories of teenagers targetting people who work in the same company that I do. I'm hearing a lot about muggings in every direction. It's gotten me worried.

I've been having a lot of headaches since my return to work. The new environment, the loss of closeness within my team, the muggings, the lack of safe parking, the women on the bus who bathe themselves in perfume... and too much sugar from the stress..not a good combination.

I hope that everything calms down soon. I can't take the headaches much longer. I've got a bunch of Tylenol3's sitting in my drawer at work, in case the headaches get severe. So far, my cocktail of advil and Tylenol seem to be holding things together. Thank goodness I have a nanny. There have been a couple of days where I've come home with a raging headache and all I can do is say hi to the kids and then take a nap.

The first week, I took 3 naps. The second week, 2 naps. Hopefully this next week will result in 1 or no naps. Hopefully.

The good news is that I can ride my bike. There's a small section that feels treacherous, but the majority of the ride is nice. Lots of hills, so it's relaxing in a different way.