Toast with me...

Okay, so, we (me, myself, and I) had some success with getting the files off my my old Powerbook.

You can see that there are lots and lots of files.  But in the smallest screen, you will notes that there is not an icon associated with the file "Role Play handout."  That's because it is a PageMaker 5.0 file.  Sadly, I do not believe that any of my Pagemaker Files can be retrieved.  And ... well ... that's my ow fault.  My organizing/reducing/donating fault.  I had PageMaker 7.0 just a short while ago. I very well could have installed it on the PC, converted the files to 7.0, and then opened them in InDesign.  But, no, I just had to go reducing the installation CDs for all the ancient software.  SIGH.

What is missing in this photo is a key component of my success:  Amos' curled by my side.  He comforted me muchly whilst I worked my transfer magic.  Surprisingly, the solution I arrived at this time was immensely easier than what I did last time.  And I very well may need to give Microsoft the credit.

You see, I saved the files straight from the Powerbook to the floppy, 1.2 megabytes at a time.  Then, I opened the floppy using the external drive.  On the Windows PC, I renamed all the garbled files, deciphering the titles sometimes using the date and time stamp, and changed the file extension to .doc.  That made them turn into Word files Windows could recognize.

Now, to open them, I had to do this convoluted setting change deep within Microsoft Office 2010.  Fortunately, Microsoft Office pinpointed the problem and told me exactly how to allow binary files to be opened.  Once opened, they converted to Word 93-97 files.  Then, I did a save-as of each and every one to a Word document, which, theoretically, would make them a .docx on a MAC.

Once all the files were saved and reorganized into folders, I transferred them to a USB flash drive.  Ejecting the drive from the PC and plugging it into the Macbook was very, very, very nerve-wracking.  However, once I opened one of the files on the Macbook, Pages converted it to a readable format and gave me the option of saving it.  That part of the labor probably will never be completed.  The point was to save my work for me.

It was with great joy that I was able to save all but one of my dissertation files!  I have my Generals exam questions and all the source data for my research!!  I even have all the prep work that I did in my research courses and a few other graduate school classes.  Working on transferring the files, I would get a bit distracted at seeing the progression of thought on my research across the documents, across the courses.  Oh, how I wish I remembered all that learning.

Studying is my bliss.
Studying and writing.
Reading.
And the Psalter.

Then, later on, I started to think about all upcoming media onslaught of family togetherness and being so very alone and had some hard moments long into the night.  Out of desperation, I set aside my emotions and very firmly took myself to task.  This was the result.

Those pink towels (a set of two towels, hand towels, and wash clothes) are from 1985, when I went off to college.  Need I say more?  The piles on the floor are an entire set of eight, plus three bath mats.  They are the towels passed on to me that I used in my house in Alexandria and here until I was given the very luxurious new set.  The other off white set is not really needed.  The blue towels were ones I used on bicycle tours when I was a teenager.

If ever there was a flood upstairs, I would have been set.  Truly.  Only, while I am keeping my new set of towels, I also still have eight other towels, from the ones I bought to keep beneath the bird cage for easy cleaning.  Those are now my flood insurance towels.  Those and only those.  Of course, Amos' bath towels were not up for reduction.  They are kept in the bathroom, anyway.

I also decided that I did not need the two old matching quilts, since I have newer ones on the twin beds in the solarium.  Newer as in ten years old, I believe.  With those I added the coordinating blue scroll twin sheets set.  And I no longer have a French toile bathroom, so I do not need the black and white linen shower curtain and the matching hand towels.

I've been saying that the two spots where I had room left to reduce were the linen closet and the servant's closet.  The latter houses all of my too-large work clothes.  An entire career's investment of rather nice clothing.  I'm not ready to set aside that bit of denial as to how much my life has changed.  But surely it was time to stop being able to tell the story of my life by looking at all the towels in the servant's closet.

Lest I lose my nerve, I drove the whole lot over to The Mustard Seed, the non-profit that helps homeless families get back into permanent housing.  Then I took all of my packages to the post office and worked very hard at not kicking myself again, when I added up all the postage the buyers were not paying because I am unskilled at navigating eBay's system.  I am rather pleased to note that the woman who has helped me each time I have been there had been saving a smaller box for the last package I have to send priority, instead of media mail.  Her help will save me a bit of money when the final buyer gets around to paying for his purchase.

So, once again, I am huddled beneath the quilt in the GREEN chair.  Amos is rather pleased with my switch to the quilt.  He burrows his way beneath the folds and snores his contentment like a freight train.  A muffled freight train.

I couldn't quite bring myself to do it, but the main throw blanket I was using—this angel pattern affair that came into my possession back in 1995—ought to be in the donation pile itself.  That, along with the pink cotton waffle weave blanket from college.  [Can you believe I was ever a person who decorated her college abodes in pink?]  Next trip.  For sure.

In any case, I managed to save some files and reduce/organize/donate away some upsettedness.  A few successes.  Toast with me.


I am Yours, Lord.  Save me!