New Computer

While I’m on an offices kick, I should post about my new computer – a Christmas gift from Kevin, and pretty much an amazing little machine.

I’ve had desktop towers for years. This uses laptop components for the most part plus a great graphics card (to power my monster monitor), has all sorts of useful slots, and is teeny tiny (less that 8”x8”x3.5” in every dimension). Plus, unlike my Jan ’06 model, it boots, resumes and shuts down like a champ. I’d forgotten how nice it was to have a computer that just works, seamlessly, without all sorts of quirks and temperamental displays. Plus, so tiny it sits on my desktop between my monitor and my lamp instead of down on the floor. My moving-into-dorm-rooms self is jealous – carrying the computer up flights of stairs wouldn’t be the same difficult issue with this model, I’m thinking.

Awesome from a stylistic sense as much as from a toddler-proofing one.

Macro lens

We are surrounded by pretty flowers right now, and in the face of so many crocuses I finally gave in and decided to try some of Kevin’s fancier camera lenses. It wasn’t a complete success, but not terrible either. Here are the crocuses in the rock wall:

The crocus and tulip blend outside our bedroom window – all golden in the sunshine.

And our new mini-iris on the kitchen counter.

Kevin chipped in another crocus photo – the crocuses next to the patio (tucked in under the family room window).

So pretty. It’s amazing how my vision zooms to the flowers at this time of year. Such attention-grabbing little growing things.