AND SPEAKING OF COMPUTERS...

I have FINALLY figured a work-around for the sad lack of computing firepower that I have at home. As you all remember from back at Christmastime, I was given a digital camera by none other than Santy Claus himself, but it came with several problems.

I can get the pictures onto my computer at home, but it's nearly impossible to push them through the tiny 56k dialup tube I have, so that I can save them in my online photo account.

I can't hook my camera up to my work computer (which has a gigantic pipe the size of a main water line) because of the hardware restrictions the MIS guys have on it.

I could burn a CD and use that to read from, but I don't have a CD burner at home, or here. And I am too cheap to buy one, at least right now. I have some RAM that I have to buy that's much more of a priority, given that my new XP system is running like it's mired in quicksand.

So, I had thought about using a USB flash drive. I wasn't sure, though, given all the other restrictions on my work computer, if one would work. But, they're cheap, and I figured it was worth a try. Tuesday night when I had to make a run to Target for something else, I looked in the computer stuff and found myself a cute little GE/Jasco 128MB "Intelligent Stick." Quite possibly the lamest name around, but hey, "technology is a girl's best friend," you know. (I think "BrainyTwig" would have been better, though.)

Anyway, got back home and after getting everyone situated and eating supper and getting some Me Time, I plugged it in to the ol' Pavilion and loaded it up with the set of pictures I had taken back in January when I decided it was Bring My Camera To Work Day. Got in Wednesday after my early meeting, and in the bit of time I had before I had to go learn to shock people, I gingerly slid the chip into the back of my computer here, and...

IT WORKED! FanTAStic! I copied them to my local drive so I could fix the color and stuff, but I also tried uploading them to Photobucket from the stick and that worked fine, too! Amazing!

FINALLY, you will now ALL be able to see what is so incredibly important around here! The only slight problem I had was that for some reason the "eject hardware" function is overridden by the MIS guys, but the dialogue box still popped up anyway, so actually, it wasn't a problem.

At least not yet.

SO. What was it that was of interest to me back on January 10?

Hmm--well, first, it was a slow-moving day on the Interstate. This is the usual view around Tallapoosa Street--brake lights. This is my exit--as you can see, it IS two-lanes, even if there are some knuckleheads who WON'T move over. The bit of skyline in the background looks a bit Soviet-gulagish, but it's only because it was overcast and generally icky.

Time elapses now, in which I think I did some work, and then it was time to go to lunch. First stop, the restroom. This is my favorite stall. Everyone always uses the other two on either side because the latch doesn't work good on this one, but I have a way of keeping it closed with my pocket knife. ON THEN, to the lovely stairwell, which is just as frightening as the photo suggests. All sorts of hard tread edges that are just begging to hit me on the head.

Finally into the outdoors, here is the view across Linn Park to the county courthouse. (Notice that at lunchtime the park is filled with pedestrians and lunchers.) On around the corner, a shot toward the old library, with the newer one in the background. And HEY, SUNSHINE! AND PEOPLE!

The first thing of interest after you turn down 20th to the south is Advent Episcopal, a lovely old sandstone building that has been being renovated for two years now. They're just about finished. The interior of the Turner Cloister is a wonderful place to sit and talk to bums. (The first picture is looking out of the cloister.)

Another block on down is this little whimsy, a mural of a living room painted onto the side of a parking deck to cover up the nasty wall that remained after two unloved old turn-of-the-last-century buildings had been razed. Kinda clever--the window air conditioner actually is a ventilation fan poking through the sidewall of the parking deck. Would have been nicer to have the old buildings, though.

If you look over to the left from where the picture was taken, there's this spooky-looking back-of-building. I love alleys. This is the south side, and this is the north side of the alley that dumps out in front of the McWane Center. I'm not sure why I like alleys so much, although I suppose it's that you see so much of the history of the building that hasn't been covered over and neatened up since it was built. Finally, what trip would be complete without a stop for a picture of Pete's Famous Hot Dogs?

After I got back and did some more work (I think) I thought it might be fun to show you some of the rest of the valuable treasures in my office.

Remember me telling you about my ratty keycase I've been trying to replace? Here's the inside, and here's the outside. See, I was not exaggerating about the way it looks.

Here is my most prized possession, an autographed photo of Wendy Garner (please note the warm and tender inscription). And then there's a little figure-ground study of the Birmingham street grid which I have hanging by my drawing table. I did it more or less just for fun a few years ago when I was messing around with our GIS terminal.

So, there you have a quick tour. Now that I have a digital camera AND a way to upload photos that is somewhat more manageable, I suppose you'll see a few more pictures now. BUT FOR NOW, I have some work pictures I need to go make. See you in a bit.
posted by Terry at 8:15:00 AM