Durban to Boston - Quite the Change

Being in Boston again certainly requires some getting used to. When I left Durban, it was 24ºC (75F) and humid. When I arrived in Boston, it was 1ºC (34F) and spitting snow. It's downright cold … the kind of cold that chills you to the bone and won't let you thaw out. I couldn't get cool enough in Durban on some days. Now, despite wool sweaters, flannel-lined jeans, t-necks and warm socks, I just can't get warm enough.

I looked out the window this morning and a fine snow was falling. Little, tiny flakes that melted on the road as soon as they landed and only served to make it slick. On the deck, however, it had accumulated enough to be seen … covering up the few errant, brown oak leaves that had been missed by the broom. The cat begged to go out, but as soon as her paws touched the cold, wet snow, she made a beeline back into the warmth of the house. It warmed up to just above freezing and torrential rain replaced the falling snow.

In Durban, we were concerned about “sou'westerly busters”, severe winds that whip up gigantic waves when the wind is against the strong south-setting Agulhas Current. At the moment, we're experiencing a “nor'easter” here in Boston, a major storm that is causing havoc with high winds, surge along the shore, heavy rains, flooding and, as it gets colder, icy conditions. It's expected to continue for three days. Today, the rain was so heavy at times that just venturing out for a short time, had me soaked and shivering.

Bright red cardinals are out in New England and winter moths congregate around the doors. Below the equator in summery Durban, doves and herons and warm climate insects abound. Not that it ever gets that cold in Durban, mind you. On fair days, the sun rises close to 0800 in Boston at this time of year and sets by 1600. When the weather is foul, it barely gets light at all during the day. In Durban, where the clocks don't change in the summertime, it's been getting light before 0500 and the sun doesn't set till 1900 or later. Their longest day of the year is coming up versus here in Boston where the short days seem to be never-ending at this time of year.

Lin has put flannel sheets on my bed and heavy quilts. Tuesday, the cat, has been sleeping with me, snuggling down by my feet. She knows I'm missing Jelly. I'm not sure who keeps who warm, but since David isn't around, kitty will have to do.

Another Lost Day...and a few laughs

We've lost a day again. We never seem to find those days once they're lost. We left on Tuesday and somewhere over the Pacific, when we least expected it, it was Thursday and Wednesday flew the coop with no trace. This is really too bad as we need all the days we can get right now.  

Luckily, though we were flying on different airlines, we were at least on the same plane and the same flight. David flew in the Virgin Australia section which happened to be in the seat next to my Delta section. We flew in coach class, but service on Virgin/Delta international flights is pretty good. They serve a couple of reasonably edible meals with beverages and snacks in between. There are more movies to choose from, both new and classic, than one could possibly watch and there's all types of music and games and TV series. Then, of course, there's the free wine.

One of my favorite pastimes on long flights, when I'm bored with movies, not eating, drinking, playing on my i-Pad or snoozing is to look at the SkyMall magazine of “new and innovative products”. This is, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the flights because we know people actually spend their money on many of these products. Let's take the astro-turf with a scented hydrant for dogs ... great for apartments and condos. No walking the dog, but you still need to pick up the poop.

Or how about a plastic singing gondolier that floats around your swimming pool and serenades you?

Maybe you need Skele-Gnomes in your garden? We thought gnomes were bad enough, but the skeleton version of them is over-the-top.

You could choose a life-size yeti (what is life size for a yeti, by the way?) or an Easter Island moai statue, a flying super weiner or perhaps a velociraptor would be more to your liking. It really depends on your taste and your garden and, of course, your budget.

Long flights require odd and sustaining types of amusement.

Dreading a New Computer

 

My old laptop has seen better days. It still works, but has problems recognizing the battery. We bought a new battery hoping that would fix the problem, but it's not the battery. It's the computer. David searched on-line and tried all sorts of suggested remedies. Nothing worked. If we were always in the land of plentiful power, it would not be a problem … I'd just leave it plugged in. But on the boat it's another story, so regretfully we set about finding a new laptop to take back to the boat with me. We find that laptops have an expected life of 2-3 years on the boat. Considering how hostile the environment is, I guess that's not bad.

I specified what I wanted and David, God bless him, did the research. We were working within a modest budget, but my requirements aren't that stringent. Long battery life, enough USB ports, SDHC slot for picture upload, enough memory to hold current data and fast enough to edit videos, photos and books without causing me to blow a gasket waiting impatiently. We've always had good luck with Toshibas. The one I'm replacing is an HP and I hated it from the start. Yet, getting rid of a computer is always a bittersweet thing. All that data to be transferred.

So I bought the new laptop a month ago and it's been sitting on Mary's kitchen counter since then waiting for me to do something with it. I dreaded the data transfer … it always take forever. I dreaded doing the virus scan … it takes forever. I dreaded using the new computer … Windows 8. Really, Bill Gates, do I have to put in my password every time I sign on even though the computer never leaves the boat? How do I get to the “classic” look versus the new Apple look? I mean, if I wanted an Apple (and I did, but it was too $$), I would have purchased one.

Well, nothing like waiting till the last minute. We're a couple of days from departure and I'm only now starting to begin the data transfer and I don't mind telling you, I'm particularly grumpy. David backed up everything to an external hard drive and scanned it all. He actually did all the hard work and still, I'm complaining about the data transfer to the new computer. It's a Toshiba Satellite … some version or other. It's faster than my old computer by a long shot. It's also bigger which required a new case. A charged battery has a 4-hour run life which is double the old one, when the battery was working, that is. Some of the keys are in different places. It's going to take some getting used to. Did I mention it's a Windows 8 operating system?

I'm slowly transferring the data and re-loading all my programs. It's a tedious task. The countdown clock is tick, tick, ticking. Mary's inheriting my old computer … keeping it plugged in isn't a problem for her. I'll erase all my old data and Mary will begin transferring hers to her new computer. I hope my new one lasts a long, long time.