Windows 7 - Wow!

I've been playing with a beta of Windows 7 for a while, but today I installed the first version that was sent out to manufacturers. Wow! I am SO impressed!

I installed it on my several years old Lenovo desktop with 2 GB RAM. I wish I had looked at a clock - but I'm guessing it took less than 30 minutes - maybe more like 15? It found every driver. I installed a lab printer (by IP address) and it searched and found what kind of printer it was and installed the driver without any assistance!

Software also went on very quickly and easily. We have a software installer that is finicky. I tried using it for MS Office 2007 - which seems like it takes around 30 minutes on most computers - but again I wish I had watched a clock - I think it was more like 5 minutes. I've never seen those green bars race by so fast! McAfee and Novell both worked too.

I spent maybe an hour (and was working on my other computer the whole time) and it was nearly done!

Another interesting thing... It made a windows.old folder and all of my data was there. I just had to drag it from the Users folder in there to my new Documents folder. (I did back up to an external hard drive before beginning the process and definitely would not do it without that cushion.)

If it continues to go this well - it's going on my primary computer soon!!

Wireless at Clemson

Wondering about the new Clemson wireless network, Tigernet? Here are a few things I've learned about getting it to work this summer:

1) If you have Vista, it might just pop up automatically. You might get a bubble asking for "more information" twice. The first time, put in your CU user name and password. The second time you'll just have to click OK. Then if you're new or have not been on wireless in a year, you'll have to open a browser and complete the CU network registration before you can browse. If this happens you are LUCKY!

2) If you have a Mac, go to http://laptop.clemson.edu/and click on the Software Installer. At the bottom of the page is a link to the Mac Software Installer page. In the middle of that page is a Wireless Installer. That works great for most Macs!

3) If you have Windows XP, you'll need some settings that you can find at http://www.clemson.edu/ccit/support_services/it_support/laptop/media/pdf/Tigernet%20.pdf (these settings work for Vista and Macs too...).

4) If these things do not work for you, there is a special Tigernet Installer tool available on http://download.clemson.edu/. This is really helpful! If you download and run it, it will ask for your CU user name and password and then do all of the configuring for you!

5) Here is one possible problem if none of these work for you: the password is CASE SENSITIVE! Most other CU applications don't care about case in your password. So if you cannot get on, try going to http://ccit.clemson.edu/ and go to the password reset page and change your password (using all lower case). This fixes the problem in a very high percentage of the cases.

6) Some older wireless cards do not support WPA! So if your card does not have that option, you might have to buy a new wireless card if you want to connect to Tigernet. Most newer cards will work. Linksys and Cisco are two brands you see a lot. If your laptop has a PCMCIA slot (like a "credit card" size), you can buy that kind and slide it in. If it does not have one of those, you can get a USB wireless card.

7) Some antivirus programs cannot be used with the Tigernet Installer. It wants you to have the Clemson McAfee and up to date Windows. So make sure you finish your Windows updates. Then if you have another antivirus program, go to Control Panel, Programs, and remove the other one. You can get the Clemson McAfee on http://download.clemson.edu.

8) One other thing to keep in mind. Only a limited number of people can be on wireless in one location at one time. So if you're in a room with 50 people, some may not be able to be on wireless. This explains why it works in one room and not in another.

9) I heard today there is some issue with using Peer to Peer networking "guardian" and Tigernet. It's best to avoid Limewire, etc. anyway!!!

If NONE of this works for you, you'll need to go to the Support Center.

Trip to California - Part 2

Day 11 (Monday). We went to Fairfield. Our first stop was the Jelly Belly factory tour. It was fun - but we made the mistake of buying three large bags of "Belly Flops" which nearly broke our backs later. Next we tried to go to the Budweiser tour but it was closed on Mondays. Finally we tried to go to the Travis Airplane Museum and it was also closed on Mondays.

Day 12 (Tuesday). We drove north up highway 101 so Denny could see the "drive through Redwood". It was a long and interesting drive - beautiful scenery. On the way back we took the Pacific Coast highway (#1) right along the ocean. It was also incredible. It was a long, fun day.

Day 13 (Wednesday). This was the day we planned to return home - but there were no flights headed east. So we went to the Budweiser tour - it was fun.

Day 14 (Thursday). There was a flight to Andrews in the evening, so we checked out of the Inn at 11 AM and drove over to Sacramento to see Old Town. It was really great! We ended up in a military museum - stopped in a few shops - had oysters in a restaurant on the water - and then drove back to Travis. We stopped in the airplane museum there for an hour or so - and then it was time for our flight.

We were in another C17 - no stops to the east coast! It was nearly midnight east coast time when we left - so the loadmaster put two huge bags of blankets and pillows on the floor and said anyone who wanted to could lie down and sleep on the way. I laid down - Denny did not - but I did not sleep. It was a really comfy trip, though - and we got there in four and one half hours - incredibly fast.

Day 15 (Friday). This was definitely the worst day! It was 4:30 AM when we got to Andrews and we were exhausted. Billeting was full and there was no transportation in the middle of the night. They had a flight to Beaufort at 7:45 AM. So we decided to try for that. We finally found out about 9:00 AM that we would not be able to get on that. I met a couple who were cancelling their billeting for Friday night - so I called and got their "spot". We went outside and waited about 45 minutes for a shuttle - and it took another 45 minutes to get to billeting - so it was around 11:00 when we arrived. I went in and begged to get into our room early and they were not very helpful. So we sank onto their sofas and tried to stay awake. Finally around 12:30 I noticed a change in personnel, so I went back and let them know that we were waiting for a room. The lady said we could get a room - but it would be smaller than the one we were supposed to have - and I told her that absolutely did not matter. She handed me a key and a map and I went outside to check out the map - and it was a long, long ways to our room - way farther than we could go with heavy suitcases. So I went back in and she was a bit nasty to me - and finally a nice lady colonel came in and agreed to drive us to the room.

Denny slept until the next morning! I got a cab and we got back over to the terminal - and caught a C130 to Savannah. It was a little bumpier ride than the others - but was good to be going close to Charleston. When we got to Savannah, another couple on the plane shared a cab ride to the airport with us. The cab drive was a LOT scarier than any of the airplane rides!!! We rented a car and got back to Charleston just as it was getting dark - picked up our car at the terminal - returned the rental to the airport - and were finally back in our home state!


SOME FINAL THOUGHTS ON OUR FIRST SPACE-A TRIP

1) The people were SO nice and friendly and helpful! Someone told me at a terminal that at airports, it is considered rude to talk to the other passengers, but at terminals, it is considered rude NOT to talk to the other passengers. We met great people everywhere we went. And that includes the civilians in California. The people of California may not know what grits is, but they have a good handle on what we call "southern hospitality".

2) Next trip, we pack LIGHT!!!

Although I used it a ton, next time I do not lug along my 5.5 pound laptop. There are public computers everywhere. I am looking for a wireless pda for email, Priceline, etc. for future trips.

Denny is convinced to use a suitcase with wheels next time (since even the soldiers were doing it).

We definitely do not need more than a few changes of clothes - there are great free laundry facilities in billeting.

3) Ground tranportation was a huge problem that I did not anticipate. I did not realize some bases did not allow taxis and did not have shuttles. With flights arriving in the middle of the night it becomes an even bigger problem. If you have difficulty walking long distances, you have big problems with transportation on bases.

4) Flying on military airplanes was so much fun! I am a bit afraid of flying on commercial airplanes - but the military planes felt so much safer and sturdier. And even though we did not have padded seats most of the time, it was more comfortable. Having lots of leg room and being able to get up and walk around (or lie down) made a huge difference.

5) Having a GPS was wonderful! It was like having a great little friend to guide us everywhere we went.

6) I loved being on air bases. You feel so safe! The rooms in billeting were beautiful.

Trip to California Scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Trip to California - Part 1

For two years I planned for the day when Denny would turn 60 and we could fly space A – hoping that we could fly to California to see my son Trey. I had not seen Trey in 4 ½ years. Trey is mentally ill and homeless – and lives in Santa Cruz, CA. I carefully chose the last week in October and the first week in November after Denny’s birthday in September for our trip. This would wrap around Clemson’s fall break and be a good time to travel and avoid crowds.

Day 1 (Friday) – I was at work, packed, ready to go when I found out about flights leaving in five hours from Charleston to Dover and Andrews (with a flight from Andrews to Travis the next morning). So I decided to try to make it to Charleston as quickly as possible. But I have to run home to grab my bags – and then there’s a terrible storm – and I didn’t make it in time. Oh well, there will be more on day 2…

Day 2 (Saturday) – I called the Charleston terminal about a flight to Dover that day and they told me it would take no passengers. I’m disappointed, but still have lots of time. We drove over there that afternoon and talked to the airman and he told us the flight for Sunday should be taking passengers.

Day 3 (Sunday) – I called the Charleston terminal and they again told me the flight to Dover for Sunday would also not take passengers. Darn… And there are no other flights that could possibly be helpful (mostly Europe).

Day 4 (Monday) – I called the terminal and the only flight of the day that could help was going to McGuire (NJ) at 10 PM. So we went over there early and eagerly waited for it. The Charleston terminal is really nice. There’s a room with a large flat screen television, big comfy leather chairs, two public computers, and two children’s rooms that are private enough where you could go into them and nap. We got on the flight to McGuire with two other Space-A travelers (SPATS). They were both very friendly and nice.

The plane was a C17 – low to the ground – and huge. The seats were along the sides – they were canvas fold downs. There was a large metal floor in the middle of the plane and the “ceiling” was high – it felt really spacious and roomy and safe. It had a big metal ramp up the back.

We arrived at McGuire around midnight. I had been trying all day to get a room in billeting, but they were still out of rooms. But there were rooms available at Fort Dix – right next door. Unfortunately, most cabs are not allowed on base and the ones that are could not come. We met a Spanish-American man named Roland who was in the same predicament. We agreed to share a cab to Dix if we could find one – but we could not. The three of us found a snack bar with three sofas and I claimed the smallest one and was getting ready to lie on it for the night when Roland came back and said he found us a ride to Dix. Some really, really nice airmen went to their supervisor and got permission to take us over there in a rickety bus.

The first place they dropped us was called the Doughboy Inn. It was totally closed with a sign about going to a place on Maryland Avenue. So we quickly flagged down the airmen on the bus as they were riding back past us to avoid being stuck in the cold rain all night. They took us to Maryland Avenue where there were people and dropped us off.

Day 5 (Tuesday) The billeting was nice – a little more expensive and more difficult to get to than the Air Force one – and very hot (even for cold natured me) – but it was a roof and a bed. The next morning we decided to share a rental car with Roland to get to Dover (and on to Andrews) since there were no westbound flights out of McGuire.

Denny and I rode a shuttle bus back to McGuire’s BX where there was a Hertz rental agency. The shuttle bus ride was really nice – it was snowing – but they played really great music and we got to see the base. We picked up a car and drove back to Dix to get our suitcases and Roland.

Roland was an interesting man – he had been in the Air Force long enough to retire and was a US citizen - but was originally from Spain (very heavy accent) - married to a Spanish woman. He had four sons with good educations (one of them Harvard) – two in the US, two in Spain. He had sold his US house and now lives in Spain. We drove to Dover – checked and there were also no westbound flights from there.

I tried and could not find anywhere to stay near Andrews, so we stayed in Dover billeting. It was VERY nice. We got up at 2:30 AM and left Dover at 4:00 AM trying to get to Andrews in time to check in the car and possibly make the 8:00 AM roll call for a flight they had to Travis.

Day 6 (Wednesday). When we called Andrews, they were very pessimistic about our catching the flight to Travis. They said there would probably be only five seats and many people wanting them. As CAT VI’s, we are also last on the list so it seemed pretty unlikely we would be on the flight. As we sat there and saw lots of people coming in – many of them young people (who would take precedence over retirees), I got very discouraged. We were exhausted and cranky. We started talking about giving up and going home. I was overwhelmed with sadness that I was not going to see Trey after all. I had been planning this for two years – intensively for two months. The tears starting falling out of my eyes – I could not control it.

Then they called everyone who wanted to go to Travis to the desk. To my amazement it was almost all retirement age people – only one or two young ones. I was suddenly encouraged because I knew that I had signed up very early. They called back several of the other retirees to tell them they did not “make it” – but not us. Finally they called us back and said if they did not tell us we did not make it, we could go!!! Then they gave us a difficult decision – stay on the one to Travis as a “tentative” (could get bumped) or take one to San Diego as a definite. We stayed with Travis.

The plane was a KC 135. It was narrower than the C17 – wide enough for two pairs of airline seats and a narrow row between them. It was a Medevac – used to transport patients – so the first half was stretchers. Behind the stretchers were 8 airline seats (two rows) – and at the back there is a line of pull down canvas seats. We got SO lucky – we got seats on the front of the airline seats. There was lots of space for our things and comfortable seats. The loadmaster let me to go the back of the plane to a special window with controls that had three seats where you lie down on your belly and look out. Wow!!! What a view! You feel like you’re actually in the clouds.


Our first leg was to Scott AFB, IL. It was pretty cold – but I had blankets and coats. Then we were supposed to take two hours on the ground – but it was more like one hour. We could not leave the plane – but we could walk around. Then we flew to Peterson AFB, CO. We could see Pike’s Peak. There was another break for taking people off and then we were on our way to Travis.

One thing to mention is the box lunches. What a deal! For $3.65 they give you a huge sandwich (I had to take some of the meat out because it was too big for my mouth). There was potato salad, lettuce and tomato, fruit juice, a can of fruit, a piece of fresh fruit, a candy bar, bottled water, and chips.

When we landed in California, I could hardly believe we were there!!! The shuttle bus at Travis dropped us off outside the terminal and there was no transportation to billeting. So I went inside to get phone numbers for car rentals while Denny stood outside with the suitcases. When I got back outside, Denny had snagged a retiree who drives around offering rides (for a small fee) and he drove us the two blocks to billeting.

The Air Force Inn there was gorgeous inside and outside. It seemed like a many-star hotel. The only shocking thing that was missing was no internet in the rooms (only in the lobby) and most cell phones did not work. Denny’s cell phone had died in Charleston. Mine worked in the lobby only (part of the time).

We walked over to the bowling alley for dinner and then went back to the Inn and basically passed out from exhaustion.

Day 7 (Thursday). I found out that Denny was going to stay at Travis while I went to Santa Cruz to look for Trey - but there was a drill weekend and we could not have rooms in billeting over the weekend. After a lot of calls, I ended up with a rental car at Enterprise at the BX. I walked down there (1 1/2 miles), picked it up and drove to Santa Cruz. But I knew I would have to drive back that night, find a room for Denny for the weekend, drive him to it, and then drive back to Santa Cruz the next day.

It took about 2 ½ hours to drive to Santa Cruz in the morning. I went to the Homeless Shelter on Coral Street. The main office had a sign saying it would open at 1:00 and it was about 12:45. I wandered around and saw the place where Trey picks up mail (I’ve used it a lot). I started talking to the man working in there – I think his name was David. He was very sweet – and said Trey comes by at least once a week for mail.

Then I went over and the office had opened so I went in and signed in. I talked to two nice people in the waiting room. One said he was a personal friend of Trey’s - I believe he said his name was Dave – he had seen Trey about two days earlier. He said he lived with Trey in a u-haul last year. David had said I should try to talk to someone named Matt – so I asked for him. He was apparently a counselor – and very sensitive and helpful. He called a social worker named Maggie and she offered to meet me on Pacific Avenue where a lot of homeless people “hang out”. We exchanged cell phone numbers.

The traffic was heavy – so it took a little while to find Pacific Avenue - and Maggie called and told me to park in a parking garage. I did and found her on the street. We walked and talked and she introduced me to people we ran into. One was a lady named Chrissie who was the “host”. Another was a police officer called “Sergeant Mike”. We talked to several homeless people too. All of the people were very caring and helpful! After a while Maggie had to leave for an appointment, so Mike walked up and down the street with me. I showed Trey’s picture to a lot of people. Maggie and one other lady gave me their business cards and asked me to email them pictures of Trey (which I did later that night). It was drizzling and there were not many people on the street – and I’m not sure if Trey had gotten my emails saying I was coming.

After I left Mike, I found the library and talked to several people in there. They said there was no way for Trey to do Skype or Magic Jack to call me (I had brought a Magic Jack and a headset to give him if they would let him do it). The library was right in the middle of the downtown area where he could get to it easily.

The most interesting homeless person I saw had this teepee on a cart that he dragged around. He had long gray hair (so I know it was not Trey). I was surprised at how many women there were. But from talking to Mike and seeing the people, I got the distinct impression that it was a choice for many of them. Mike said there is more help for the homeless in Santa Cruz than anywhere in the US and that’s why they have so many (thousands). The weather is great – moderate year round.

One of them told me to go to the Homeless Shelter at 4:30 because they had a big dinner for them. So I went over there and talked to more really, really nice people. Several recognized Trey’s picture and encouraged me. I assured them that all I wanted was to visit him – I was not there to rescue him. I think they are a little cautious that I might be trying to force something on him.

Finally around 5:00 I was exhausted – my back was aching – so I left the shelter. I tried to drive to the wharf (at the suggestions of several) – but could not find it. So I headed back to Travis. When I got on the mountainous road to San Jose, I called Denny to let him know I was on the way back. His voice was tense and I was upset over not finding Trey, and I lost it as I was hanging up. It took 3 ½+ hours to drive back. There was two hours of stop and go traffic. There are too many cars in California!

I made the decision that I could not drive back and forth to Travis – we would have to get a hotel nearer to Santa Cruz for the weekend since we could not stay at Travis (they were full). So when I got back to Travis I Pricelined a room in Santa Cruz. I only bid $35 and they took it – so it will probably be a dump compared to Travis. But we can stand it for two nights – and then head back to Travis.

Day 8 (Friday). Denny and I drove to Santa Cruz and checked in at the Torch Lite Inn. To my surprise, it was very nice and in a great location – right across the street from a bridge that takes you to the boardwalk. It had a comfy bed, nice carpet, wireless internet and a nice owner/manager.

We went to the soup kitchen and I talked to the workers and the clients. I showed them Trey’s picture. They were sure he did not come there any more – but several did know him. One Hispanic guy named something like Estevez insisted I go to the Jumping Monkey on Front Street – said he hangs out there. So we went there and talked to the people who worked in there. They said Trey comes there most nights and is friends with a lady who works there in the evenings – but she was not there. Since it was Halloween, they would be closed that night and there would be many thousands of people at a street party on Pacific Avenue.

At that point, I basically gave up. We were leaving on Sunday and it was Friday night. I wrote Trey an email saying to let me know where to meet him (it was about the 20th similar email I had written to him) and reminding him of my cell number. I had told him to check his email every day the last week of October and had been emailing him several times a day.

Denny and I then drove south on Hwy 1 towards Big Sur. We stopped at Monterey for lunch. It was a beautiful and interesting drive – and our first fun activity.

That night we went to the VFW. The person sitting next to me asked what brought us to Santa Cruz and I told him about Trey. Big mistake. He was very nice, but turned out to be drunk or crazy or some combination of the two. He said he was sure he could find him if he could see his picture. So I said I would drive back to the hotel to get the pictures. He wanted to ride with me to help me find it faster. I whispered to an older man who was talking to Denny and he said it would be okay – just not to tell this man Trey’s SS number. When we got in the car he rolled down the windows and started screaming at the people on the sidewalks (who were all dressed up in Halloween costumes – it’s apparently really big in Santa Cruz). He kept trying to get me to run red lights and drive faster (it was dark and raining and I was in unfamiliar territory and there were people in the streets wearing masks). When we got back the VFW I was very glad to have made it back safely!!

The bartender kicked that man out shortly afterwards. Then the older man asked to see the pictures so I sat beside him for a while. He was insistent if I would bring the pictures to him or to the post the next morning they would definitely find Trey. Whoa… He was drunk too and told me about killing someone. It was an interesting evening!

Day 9 (Saturday). The next morning I got up and drove around for about 30 minutes trying to find a drug store. We needed aspirin and advil for our backaches (from carrying suitcases). I asked if they had means to copy the page of pictures and they sent me to Kinkos. I went in there, made copies, and carried a copy to the VFW. Some really nice and sober people were in there and they acted like it was not something they could help with (which made sense to me) – but they gladly took the poster I had made.

When I got back, Denny and I drove across to the boardwalk and had lunch in a pricey little sandwich restaurant. Then we walked across the street to the boardwalk and walked around to the front and saw the ocean and the amusement park. It was very cold, windy, and raining. We could see the wharf and see that cars were driving on it – so we got our car and drove down there. You drove way out in the ocean. There were some steps and I saw that you could see sea lions if you went down them (we had been hearing them from our hotel). So we walked down and saw dozens of them lying on the pilings under the wharf – and some swimming around. It was amazing! The ocean sprayed us a few times – and I tasted the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life.

When we got back to the hotel I sat down to see if Trey had answered my email. I got an email from his brother Todd instead saying “Don’t give up!”. Minutes later my cell phone rang and it was Trey!! He told me where to pick him up – and I went there at 5:30 - but it took a while to find. It turned out that the very first person I spoke to in Santa Cruz – David in the mail room at the Homeless Center – had told him I was there.

He was in his friend Isaac’s apartment. He described Isaac as an “angel” and he was correct. Isaac was a really nice bright young man – an engineer with a nice apartment on Pacific Avenue – right next door to the Kinko’s I had been to earlier that day! He was letting Trey stay there for a couple of weeks until his girlfriend gets there. He had been a friend of Trey’s in Charleston and had just moved to Santa Cruz. He handed me his business card as we met – so now I have a contact I can get in touch with.

Unfortunately, I believe that Trey’s mental illness is worse now than the last time I saw him. He told me that one of his paranoias is of cell phones. I wanted him to call his brother on my cell phone and he held it about a foot from his face and left him a voice message (he did not answer).

We drove through a redwood forest to a small town a few miles away and had dinner in a little Italian restaurant. Trey had a salad and vegetable soup. He does not eat wheat or sugar – mostly stays with organic vegetables. He is very thin.

We went back to his apartment and showed Isaac the magic jack and talked a while. Around 10:00 I went back to the hotel.

Day 10 (Sunday). We got up and drove up highway 1 towards San Francisco. Wow. What an incredible drive! We could see the ocean most of the time – mountains a lot of the time. It was amazing to see farmlands on the ocean and so much undeveloped land on the ocean! When we got to San Francisco, we drove over the Golden Gate bridge. We drove up a ways more and then went on another bridge and over to Napa. We stopped in an American Legion in Napa. Then we drove back to Travis AFB and checked back in to the Air Force Inn there. We walked across the street for a light supper at the bowling alley – and I actually bowled one game.