Day After Blues? Not me!

It was the morning after Xmas. I was up later than I would’ve predicted, but then again I didn’t have a single pressing agenda item to serve as a motivator. It was like 8:20am. I woke relieved to finally be off of call and untethered from the office. It felt as though a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I could now get some much deserved holiday rest. The house wasn’t a mess but it did look like Xmas – gifts galore taking up every nook and cranny. The idea of order was not being communicated by the home. I eagerly pushed through my exercises and then took on the gray morning air with Ykraps in tow. Gone was the brilliantly sunny weather we were so blessed with on Xmas day. I wore my new Viking plaid pajama bottoms while on our walk. I encountered no one while walking. The kids were up and joined me downstairs upon my return. Jacob was eager to play with his many new toys and insisted on opening the Wii. I asked that he hold off until later, although I understood his eagerness. Mindy joined us a few minutes later. She expressed feeling very tired. I shared the unfortunate news of more cold like symptoms. But it’s no wonder with all the flesh pressing over the past few days, and many around us were noticeably congested. I happily logged onto my desktop PC to check the performance if nothing else. We were still up & running! For this I was most pleased. Mindy offered to prepare a full blown breakfast while I ran. I think that she made eggs and ham. I returned from my run around 10:40am. Waiting was my breakfast served with a Mimosa. Yummy! After breakfast Jacob and I butted heads over his continued bouncing of a ball in the family room despite me asking him to cease. But instead of adhering to my request he continued on, citing his mother’s earlier approval. I asked that he stop, regardless of prior approval. He did not. I ended up taking his ball and launching it deep into the backyard. Problem solved. He wasn’t happy and let me know it. Turned out, Mindy wasn’t too pleased with my tactics either. I retreated to the PC where I focused on program/file restoral. I couldn’t find my Dell Image Expert software on any of the Dell supplied CDs. I once again contacted Dell for some help via Live Chat! This time the gentleman wasn’t as helpful. He stated that if it wasn’t on one of the CD’s supplied then I might be screwed since Dell has since broken ties with Jasc/Corel whose software program they had rebadged. He also stated that they don’t archive programs like that. I understood but wasn’t pleased. After all, managing my photos is the most significant task I use my PC for. I had already began surfing the net for new photo editing software when I decided to reinsert the CD that Dell insisted the original program should’ve been stored on for like the fourth time. This time, however, I selected a lesser model PC and presto - more applications were revealed including Dell Image Expert. This pleased me much! However, as I loaded it, I remembered upgrading to a more advanced version after 60days but never burnt the upgrade to CD. The version I had ordered with my PC amounted to little more than a photo downloader/organizer tool with next to no editing capabilities. Even with the upgrade their tools were very limiting compared with most "real" editing packages these days. Still, I reloaded Dell Image Expert. I tried it out but did not proceed with reloading any of my 20,000 photos. I wanted to shop around a little thinking that now might be as good a time as any to get a more robust package. I first checked out Adobe’s Photoshop Elements 6.0. If nothing else, it’s the most widely known/used package out there for amateurs like me. But honestly, I had a free trial copy last year and I wasn’t that impressed. I decided to Google and CNet. I happened upon Corel’s Print Shop Pro X2. It looked comparable to Adobe’s offering but also seemed to offer more bells and whistles. Plus, I liked their gooey better. Turns out, they’re the same folks that made the Dell Image Expert which is now called Corel Photo Organizer. However, before buying I was eager to try first. After all, I was just as concerned about having a package that downloads and organizes as much as the editing capabilities. Neither Adobe Elements or Corel Paint Shop Pro placed much emphasis on that piece with their marketing literature. I even tried calling their support line to ask, but after holding for twenty minutes I dropped the call. Mindy soon left for her chiro appointment. I stayed home with the kids. Jacob spent most of his time playing with his new PS2 in his room. They were no trouble whatsoever. Eventually, We all three went outside to play together. Jacob and I passed the football while Bella swung from the tree swing. After playing and making the kids a snack, I decided that I would do the Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 free 30-day trial. Couldn’t hurt! I downloaded the package – a large one – 375 meg. Next, I downloaded all the pics currently on my 1gig camera card. I quickly found that their organizer/downloader was built into the advanced software package. Very cool! In addition, there were hundreds of editing features that I’ve always wished I had. I tried a few of them prior to Mindy returning home. By then it was time to get off the PC for a while. I had spent countless hours on the PC the last couple of days. Late afternoon Jacob and I played Madden 2008 on his PS2. It was fun but a challenge for me. There are just so many buttons to push to get the players to do what you want them to do. Jacob either wasn’t very forthcoming or couldn’t explain it very well. What he did do, though, was kick my ass! :) Bengals over the Vikings. Yikes!!! About that time Jimaken arrived to pick up Jacob for yet another hockey game. My PS2 training class was officially over! After Jimaken and Jacob left Mindy, Bella, and I headed to Barley’s. Bella was looking very forward to her first dinner at Barley’s. There were a handful of regulars in for happy hour. We sat at a bar side table where we ordered dinner. I ordered a Mean Manalishi and the Wednesday special – 2 mini-burgers. Mindy had a wine and the same special. Bella had Honey Chipotle wings and soda. We stayed until 6:45pm then headed home. At home we played some Wii for the first time. Although, Jacob and Mindy played earlier. It wasn’t long before Jacob retuned home. I enjoyed a couple more beers throughout the evening. Mindy headed to bed before I.