I have so ridiculously many photographs.
Last week, I was trying to find an old image — one that I bought from a stock photo site in 2018 and haven’t looked for since — and I realized that all my files are backed up on USB drives. Well, I didn’t realize that, I knew that already. What I realized was that my current computer (which I’ve owned for well over a year) doesn’t have a basic USB port. This is embarrassing on so many levels. I mean, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know, but I’m also embarrassed that I haven’t had a reason to back up files in over a year. Ugh. Just… yeah, ugh.
Anyway, I spent most of a day trying to get files off of my old USB drives, via various convoluted means, involving an old computer with a dead battery, DropBox, iCloud, a portable hard drive with a USB-C cable, etc, before getting so annoyed that I looked up adapters on Amazon and discovered that the proper adapter — or rather a set of four adapters, one of each variation — would cost me $5. Sigh. Honestly, I’m embarrassed about that, too. Would it have killed me to have just checked the option that would cost money before I started? I went ahead and spent my $5, ruing the many hours that I’d wasted, and now I can plug my USB drives into my computer and find my photos the perfectly straightforward way.
Except… I’ve got thousands of them. Many, many thousands. The photo library on this computer is missing huge chunks of time currently, and yet still has over 8000 photos in it. My phone has 9241 photos in its library! It’s just not sensibly usable. A long while ago, I did a major project of exporting photos from my photo library so that they wouldn’t get trapped there if/when file formats changed (or I ever switched to a non-Mac), so I’ve also got a few thousand favorite photos that aren’t in these photo libraries. Those are all nice photos, but wow, such a pain to try to look through. At least photo libraries make it easy to skim through lots of photos at once.
And photos are such a huge time suck. They’re like a time vortex, stealing minutes and then hours and then entire days. I thought, maybe I’ll make some photo albums in the app. No, maybe I’ll choose some to have printed to put on my wall. No, maybe I’ll make a photo book. That last is actually a great idea. But time-consuming and not how I want to use my time this week or maybe even this month. And now, of course, an hour later, I’ve spent a big chunk of the morning looking at photos, thinking about what should go with this post.
How about a very, very early puppy photo with Gina in the background?
Or another cute Sophie photo from July 2021?
But actually I’m still hunting for the stock photo from 2018, so maybe I should get back to that task. It felt like such a minor goal, a nice thing to check off on my to-do list. Instead, it’s turned into a quest.
Meanwhile, autumn has arrived in Humboldt. Last night, I was snuggled into my warm blanket, grateful that I had it. I told myself I should get up and close the windows, but I didn’t, of course. When I woke up fully, I realized that was probably just as well, because the windows weren’t open. I’d closed them the night before, because it turns out Arcata with school in session — during my very first real, non-pandemic year — is crazily loud on weekend nights.
I was at least a little sympathetic to the drunk women having a raging argument with many f-words on Friday night — they were too emotionally invested to realize that they were being rude to all the people around them who were trying to sleep — but the singing fraternity or sports team on Saturday night, chanting together as they jogged down the street at 1AM, inspired nothing but loathing in me. Organized disrespectful jerkiness is much worse, IMO, than inconsiderate emotional breakdowns. I hope that neither is going to become a feature of the weekends from now on, though. I guess if winter brings endless rain again, that will discourage outside partying. Positive side to everything, right?
Last week, people asked me about the hurricane. We did get a tiny bit of hurricane related weather, but it was nothing, just a chill in the air and a breeze by the time it reached here. The wildfires, though, are big enough and close enough that our air quality is currently listed as Unhealthy. This is better than Crescent City and Medford, both currently in the Dangerous zone, but still. It’s strange how much wildfires have just become a background feature of life. Like thunderstorms in Florida, maybe — they’re just part of what it means to live in northern California in the 21st century.
I don’t really feel ready for it to be autumn, though. Not only because summer seems to have slipped through my fingers entirely unproductively — what have I been doing with myself? — but also, it was just much too short. There was literally a single day where it was hot enough that I wished I’d bought the overhead fan I’ve been thinking about for three years. One day! Which does justify not having gotten a fan, I guess, but one day does not feel like sufficient summer to me. Of course, everyone sweltering in all the places that have been much too hot this year probably wishes they could say the same. I should work on appreciating what I have instead of worrying about what’s to come — always a good plan.
All right, time to go find that photo. I’m sure I have it somewhere. If only I knew where…
I also have waaaaay too many photos. Luckily, external hard drives are now cheap, so I just backed everything off my laptop and phone there. I didn’t bother sorting anything, because who knows if I’ll ever bother looking at these photos again, yet this approach at least means that I have the option down the road. Good on you for keeping your old computer running! Mine is pre-pandemic, and I hope to use it for at least five to ten years more.
By the way, I would get the overhead fan. They’re not expensive, and what with supply chain issues (and the possibility that the US breaks ties with China over Taiwan) that might not be the case in a year or two.
The older I get, the faster time flies. It’s been a nothing burger summer, partly because of the wildfires. I’ve been very grateful for my two fans and two air purifiers, one of each in the living room and in the bedroom, because I’ve put them to good use this year and the summer isn’t over yet!
I’d like my current computer to be my forever computer — I want it to last for the rest of time, never changing. It does what I need it to do! But I tend to kill the keyboards eventually, and that’s usually the trigger for looking for a new one. It has, historically, been the reason that I stuck with Macs, because after plenty of experience with both (Windows for personal use, Macs for work), I concluded that Macintosh keyboards were just way sturdier than cheap Windows keyboards. My work computers lasted for years even though I used them most of the time, whereas I could kill a Windows keyboard in 18 months with reasonably light use. Now, though, I’m pretty locked into the Mac eco-system. It would be really hard to move out of it — so many files would become inaccessible to me, and I’d have to get all new software. Not an appealing idea! Oh, and that hard drive post was from 10 years ago — that’s why you couldn’t comment. That hard drive is long gone!
As for the fan, yeah, I probably should. An air purifier is probably a lot more useful, though. I keep debating, and being indecisive!
You’re right, the air purifier is more important! I really like my Ikea STARKVIND because the replacement filters are economical (some air purifiers are cheap, but the filters are expensive and/or hard to get so that’s something to consider).
I’m locked into the Windows eco-system the same way, so I can relate.
PS The hard drive on my last laptop also crashed last winter. I haven’t figured out how to salvage the data, so I’ve stored the hard drive carefully until I have the time and energy to deal with that. I suspect the more time goes by, the less important it will be. I couldn’t leave comment on your post about your failed hard drive, but I would definitely take Reb up on the kind offer if I had that option for my old hard drive!
If you need a “new” laptop, I highly recommend getting an old ThinkPad. The old ones are incredibly sturdy, with comfortable keyboards, and are usually available dirtcheap used (or sometimes given away free).
You spend time sifting through photos and I spent my time sifting through quotes on my computer. LOL
You and my daughter have something in common – IMO – you are both too hard on yourselves.
Bruce Lee was apparently a very wise man. One of the things he said is:
“Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy and they cast spells, that’s why it’s called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself, and you can change your life.”
I am not 100 percent good about this myself but I do think it’s wise.
I would actually never, ever talk to any other human being the way I talk to myself. Which is probably a good thing to call out, so thanks for the quote! I did finally find the stock photo, though, and have now spent a couple fun evenings playing with it. I’ll show you the results very soon!