Thursday This and That

Huh. Turns out the internet is full of people who like talking about Star Trek and computers. I would have never guessed. You geeks.
Just a last word or two about the MacBook debacle, and then I’m done with it. First of all, I DID figure out the two-fingered tap thing. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t even turned on single-finger tapping (shouldn’t that be the default? I thought it was!), and once I did that, I was given the option for secondary clicks. All is right with the world.
Secondly, I have a back-up system in place for my iMac; I was just lazy and hadn’t got round to getting the MacBook to back itself up as well. I figured I didn’t keep much on my laptop — and I didn’t, really, but it was definitely enough to be painful once it was gone. Anyway, speaking of back ups or the lack thereof fills me with self-loathing, so we shall now draw that line of discussion to a close.
On to happier topics — Swiss cake rolls! Little Debbie ones, in particular, and ones pilfered from my parents’ sweet jar (at the cabin), specifically. Some junk food delights from my youth really haven’t held up for me over the years, but I have to admit these were pretty good. Shockingly sweet, but, you know — good. I have to accuse them of Wagon Wheel syndrome, however. I’m a Swiss roll deconstructionist (more literally than philosophically — I nibble the chocolate off each end, then eat the rest of the chocolate before unrolling the cake, eating it as I go), and I’m pretty sure it used to be easier to remove the chocolate coating, as it was more substantial.
I spent today alternating between proof reading and sewing (and eating Swiss cake rolls, although that happened just the once), and while the proof reading wouldn’t make for interesting viewing, here is the shirt I made. It’s a pattern from a Japanese book, made from fabric I thrifted for two bucks. I knew from the start that using this silky, rayon-blend (probably 100% rayon, actually!) would drive me nuts — if you even glance at it, it slips into a puddle on the floor. And if it’s already on the floor, it spills into the next room. I swear I would spend ten minutes carefully pinning a piece, only to pick it up and have all the pins fall straight out. Practically.
But I like it, I’ve decided. It actually looks its least billow-y (tent-like) in the photo I linked to (which was taken in the overcast, evening light; my apologies); I took it in an inch on both sides before I hemmed the bottom, and it’s still just a bit too big (I know it’s supposed to be a loose, easy fit, but it’s a bit much). I think the next time I make a pattern from this book, I’ll go with the smaller size and see how that works. I really like using the patterns and ‘instructions’, though. It’s somehow SO much clearer than English-language patterns!
Okay, one last computer thing (it’s not related to the MacBook, so I’m allowed). I was thinking about the uselessness of the voice command feature on OS X 10.5, but when I was turning off my iMac last night, I realized its perfect function. I’m not sure if this is actually a command, but if it were, I could finally say, ‘Sleeeep,’ a la Dark City, pass my hand in front of the screen, and have it blink off. I mean, that’s already what I do every night, but I’d feel more powerful if I didn’t have to press any buttons first.