New

Nancy's daughter, Laura, brought me their old, gutted Gateway. It's harddrive was gone, and the CD writer was out. I put Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 Beta LiveCD in, and it worked fine. It's an 800mhz P3, 512mg. I got another cheapy 80gig hard drive, loaded the Ubuntu Linux system on, and wa-la, there it is. It's a bit slow, but not sluggish. Once a program is up and running, it's fast enough. Web pages load fast. Pictures render in just a second or two. It will make someone happy someday.

I'm working on getting this computer with Linux system to be as functional, compared to Windows or Mac OS, as possible. It's much easier with Ubuntu. This computer still needs some items;

1. A CD or DVD/CD writer
2. USB 2.0 port card
3. D-Link wireless card
4. front side UBS 2.0 plugins -maybe
5. Another 512mg of memory - total to 1.024 gig,
6. Maybe a video audio input card
7. Maybe a stronger graphics card

The thing is, if I actually got all that stuff, it would cost as much as or more than a new computer. A faster computer. That's the trouble with hardware. Sometimes, it's just not worth it to upgrade.

It's functional as-is; Office programs, internet connected hardwire, MP3 players, etc. Once I get it working, I'll probably give it away. Other than to play with the hardware, I don't need another computer.

Even though this is a beta version of Ubuntu Dapper 6.06, it will be supported for three years. That means updates and downloads for this particular version will be available. For free.

My goal is to help keep computers working for people as long as possible, and not throw them away, not just yet. Many computers are still very usable. The might need a bit tweaking, but certain Linux distributions will work on some pretty old stuff.

Nancy and I have been eating much better. Out of necessity, I'm eating lower fat, higher fiber, and small meals. My guts are feeling much better too. I was really bad off. My insides felt like they'd had surgery. I was having difficulty just moving around, as least as I normally do. I was feeling very sick after each meal, and on a couple of occasions, threw up right after. Lowing my fat intake did the trick. I've upped my fiber intake, and got some Udo's Probitic Lozenges, to help restore the good bacteria in my gut. Oatmeal helps too, probably more than anything else. I also have to not eat after 8:30, so I don't go to bed with something on my stomach.

My school stuff is difficult this summer; so far, there no classes offered at the times I need. I have to take two courses before I can take others that follow. If I have to, I'll just purchase the textbooks for the classes, and review them as though I actually am taking the course, then take the courses in the fall. Kind of like Independent Study. Some of the course are available online, but my advisor recommended I take them in class, because of the labs.

My Personal Training Business is picking up a bit, too. I have openings for 3 more clients, so that should fill in a few weeks. I will be doing more Yoga training, and will be available for in-home group sessions pretty soon. My minimum class size is three, and a max of eight. I'm only teaching beginning level classes, as I'm not more than just an intermediate myself, but I'm a good teacher. Twenty plus years as a personal trainer have helped with that.