Tuesday, May 31, 2016

This text line is helping teens talk about mental health without saying a word

To learn more about Crisis Text Line or to apply to be a crisis counselor, visit here.

If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For international resources, this list is a good place to start.

Source: This text line is helping teens talk about mental health without saying a word

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Tech Tuesday

I got this email the other day, from Microsoft.

When account upgrades begin at the end of June, you will no longer be able to receive email sent to your Out‍look‍.‍com account in Windows Live Mail 2012.

This makes me sad. And annoyed. I’ve been using Windows Live Mail (formerly Outlook Express) for 20 years now. It’s a great program. And it baffles me that Microsoft won’t upgrade it. Instead, it’s going to get rid of it*. For something that doesn’t work as well, I might add. I’ve tried the mail app in Windows 10 and find it to be slow and rather clunky. I should add, on another computer, because there ain’t no way Win10 is getting installed on my desktop computer.

*I should note, Microsoft says they’re not going to totally eliminate the program … yet, just that your Outlook and Hotmail accounts won’t work with it anymore. Guess how long it’ll take Gmail to decide not to work with Windows Live Mail anymore either?

This is what I don’t understand. You come up with a great product, people love it, they use it regularly, for years, and then you get rid of said product for something that people don’t like nearly as much and that doesn’t work nearly as well. Nobody does three cheers for downgrading. I’m just sayin’.

I have a ton of email accounts, Hotmail, Outlook, Gmail, even some Yahoo. Windows Live Mail was awesome in that I could monitor all my email (except Yahoo) from a single central location. Now I won’t be able to do that anymore.

I’ve tried Thunderbird, and while it’s great with Gmail, I don’t want to use it with my Outlook accounts as it downloads everything off the server onto my computer, and I don’t want that. I’ve tried the desktop version of Outlook for my Outlook and Hotmail accounts, but it doesn’t allow me to see all my email from all my accounts in a single pane. So, I can’t simply check all unread mail, I have to open each account individually. That’s a pain. Most other desktop email clients I looked at just didn’t offer what I need and seem to be geared toward a business application.

So far I’m looking at Mailbird. It has a lot of really nice features. I really like all the apps they connect you with – Facebook, Twitter, Wunderlist, ToDoIst, Google Calendar, the list goes on and on. Being the app-happy fiend that I am, that sits pretty nice with me, actually. And I suppose I don’t mind paying for an email service that offers so much, although Mailbird is free when you have 3 or fewer email accounts to handle. They work with Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, even Yahoo. And probably some others I’m not aware of. However, I’m finding the font in the sidebar to be uncomfortably small with no way to adjust it, and no way to distinguish the different email accounts when you have several. Like, you can’t change the color or avatar image or anything like that. For now though, that’s likely the one I’ll end up with simply for all that it offers. I’ll live with the too-small font to have all my email in a single location.

Microsoft, I have to tell you, I’ve been a pretty loyal user since I first heard about you more than 20-25 years ago. But, as of this year, you are BIG TIME on my poopy list. And I’m aboutthisclose to publically calling you a naughty name.

If you’ve been using Windows Live Mail, what alternatives are you looking at to replace it?

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Monday, May 30, 2016

Memorial Day 2016

Love this poem!

Pacific Paratrooper

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The Things That Make a Soldier Great The things that make a soldier great and send him out to die, To face the flaming cannon's mouth, nor ever question why, Are lilacs by a little porch, the row of tulips red, The peonies and pansies, too, the old petunia bed, The grass plot where his children play, the roses on the wall: 'Tis these that make a soldier great. He's fighting for them all. 'Tis not the pomp and pride of kings that make a soldier brave; 'Tis not allegiance to the flag that over him may wave; For soldiers never fight so well on land or on the foam As when behind the cause they see the little place called home. Endanger but that humble street whereon his children run-- You make a soldier of the man who never bore a gun. What is it through the battle smoke…

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Monday in Bloom

The other day I chanced to look out my window – something caught my eye. It turned out to be the complex manager, and she was showing a prospective client around the property. Both of them were pointing toward my unit as they walked up the sidewalk. I had that momentary sense of panic. “Oh no, I’m in trouble!” Then I saw them nod their heads and smile, and I realized that they were talking about my garden, and I had that momentary sense of panic, “Oh no! My garden is kind of like a selling point!” Pressure! Now I want to make extra sure it stays nice looking.

It was a nice day Sunday when I went out to take pictures.

A bit on the warm side but not unbearable.

Things are looking fairly healthy, although I am calling a post mortem on one of my lavender plants. The bit of green it had on it is gone now. Sad smile Maybe I can get to the garden center and get something else soon. The other lavender is still making a concerted effort to survive, yay!

The salvia are looking pretty.

The coleus is too. I lost one of the sweet alyssum as well as a coleus in this pot though. Seems like a few of those were DOA when I got them potted.

The pink polka dot plants seem to be taking off, though. Whew! I was a little nervous about them because I’ve only seen them as indoor plants in years past. But, they’ll work as outdoor annuals I suppose.

My happy pot. I’ve lost a coleus and sweet alyssum from this one too but I’m hoping what remains will fill in as the season progresses.

The mixed pansy pot. I have 3 yellows, 2 whites, and a burgundy. In the front patch, I tried to keep the pansies all one color to a pot, but one of the plants bloomed a different color than the rest. I hate when that happens! Now my sense of balance is all messed up. A pot of all purple with one burgundy, it’s distracting! I’m thinking of trading a white and a yellow to each of the purple pots so they’re at least even. Then this pot would have 2 burgundy, 3 purple, and a yellow. But at least then my front pots would match and I could make a nice pattern in this pot. Yes, I know I’m weird.