Trip to Iran

Followup on yesterday's post.  I called the AIA today to see if I could take the extension part of the trip without doing the 17 day trip through the Silk Road. It turns out that it is possible but I will have to wait to see if any who take the Silk Road tour will want to take the extension. Apparently some others have asked about this possibility also so I am not alone in the request.  She took my name and will let me know. She also told me that there is a tour planned for April 2014 but it is not finalized.  At this point, I am planning on taking the September tour since it is feasible that I can do it. Now to win all those necessary races this spring to enable me to do this without any question.  (Jenny from Louisville helped me to figure a way to win the necessary funds with an interesting story about a man who won over a million dollars from a thousand dollar exacta bet on long shot Mine That Bird.)  Gad!  Blew me away to realize that.

However, I am determined to go. I did check out other sources of tours to Iran that cover the same ground and the prices are similar so it will be one or the other.  There is a trip this April but that is a little too close for me at this point in time.  April 2014 is the one that the AIA is planning so she said.

I read an interesting story tonight on Facebook about Called to Serve which is being trained by Nick Canani, son of Julio Canani.  Gary Stevens will be riding him in the Big Cap this Saturday against both Game On Dude and Ron The Greek. For sure this Saturday will be chalk in that race but what an exciting trifecta or superfecta possibility.

News from AIA

Oh my golly gee whiz! My fondest dream may come true. I just received a tour program for the Silk Road which will be in September. As an extension is a trip to Iran to visit Persepolis and Tehran.  I want to go in the very worst way so I am planning already to see if I can at least go to Iran if not to the Silk Road. I have to call the group tomorrow to learn if I can do it that way.

My one dream has always been to get to Persepolis somehow. I am so excited about the prospect of it that I will soon check out all tours possible besides this one.  But this would be great if I can do it.

I have been there when it was intact as it had been in 4BC because I visited it spiritually before ever knowing what it was.  I was so impressed with it that I have always wanted to see it, as much as I had wanted to see the Chateau de Versailles after seeing it as it had been when under construction and built during the reign of Louis XIV.  Believe it or not, the greatest treasure in life was learning of all this Heavenly material that is within when I searched for it.  Making one more of Jesus's promises valid in my opinion.

But hallelujah!  I have an opportunity to go to the Silk Road and Iran, and maybe if possible, just Iran.  I do not know if one has to take the Silk Road trip or not since the Iran trip is an extension from that excursion. It is wonderful too but is warning me that I must be physically able to climb stairs, walk a mile, etc. so I cannot do anything but prepare for it.

Greatest news of the day for me.  I can hardly wait.

MacBook Air and Apple Store

I bought my MacBook Air at the Scottsdale Quarter in Kierland Commons Mall.  The employees are very nice and helpful in trying to demonstrate to those of us who participate in workshops or one to one  training how to operate and use the computer.  I am sometimes quick to learn and sometimes very slow to learn.  I have to use the concepts several times so that they become habit with me.

I admit that I really love this computer already. It is a fantastic instrument. It is extremely thin, very light to carry, and the keyboard is compatible with my speed in typing.  Because it is too early for me to know everything that there is to know on this computer, I am going slowly so that I do it right.  I have had two sessions already  to learn more about it. One was a workshop and the other was a one on one. I do not mind being an ignoramus because I learned from the cpt group where I took a word processing course years ago that one learns better from mistakes often than from getting it correct all the time.

I sent my friends Joan and Patty a video from youtube which describes it in a review, and it reminded me again about the program with fingers in moving things around. I will have to refresh my memory on that several times to get it right.  I have to remember to ask where all my transferred photos and documents are to be found on this machine. I did call and received help online but I will have to ask a rep to help me next time as well.

I have received help over the phone twice and both times I had no problem at all in solving the problem.
I also bought a mouse scanner which the Brookstone manager helped to put on for me, and it does work just fine.  I also had verizon put my vzmanager on so that I can use the machine in my apartment. That is all for now.

Computer Update

It has been quite some time since i have posted anything at this blog. I have been exceedingly busy.  I am trying to do a lot all at once.  But I did finally do myself a favor and bought myself a MacBook Air computer which I am in the process of learning.  I am a bit of a slowpoke at this since I spend only a few hours on it during the evening.  But to bring it all up to date I am trying to condense what has happened in the past week into a few paragraphs.   I had to go to Microsoft to have my old computer checked for a virus.  Fortunately, I learned that there is no virus on my computer.  But I am having trouble with my touchpad on both my old laptop and my netbook.  But the technician came to check it out and I learned quite a bit from him.  In addition to that, I am going to apple store to learn all I can about this new computer which I admit I like so very much.  I would easily recommend Apple to anyone who asks me.  It is definitely a computer that I am going to like after I learn all that I need to know to operate it efficiently.

I bought it to finish my novel on Alexander of Macedon as well as any other novels I might decide to write.  But I am only in the first days of learning this so it will take me a few more sessions before I begin to revise my first draft into a potentially publishable version. I think about it all the time though.

Despite the fact that I am virus free I do not trust the old Gateway computer now to write a novel upon. I did not use word on it anyway so that I can start completely fresh and new on this computer.  I just have to learn where and how.

I have been reading other author's novels in the meantime which always helps me to think about how to  make my own book interesting and salable.  I just finished reading Jenny Milchman's Cover of Snow which is about a small town's problem with police corruption.  Her story makes me think of the problem of pedophilia amongst not only religious bodies but also involving government officials and children's homes.  I read something about a scandal in the UK that involved government officials who used and abused children who resided in orphanages.  It was very sad to read that people's lives were threatened even in trying to expose that heinous crime.  Jenny's book begins with a suicide and the widow is the person through whom we hear the tale of the corrupt police force in this small town in New England.  Then I am reading Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton whose explains early in her book the difference between detective stories, mystery stories, and crime stories.  What a fascinating distinction.  Her short stories are at least solved within twenty pages, and it is fun to read how she is able to detect and solve cases brought into her office.

Closing this...just an update on where I am on both computers and the novel...

Galápagos Giant Tortoises

Apple versus Microsoft

I never thought that I would ever get this involved in computers.  It started years ago when I took a word processing course in Flint, Michigan and learned all the codes on a cpt program. I think it is intended to be used for Blue Cross and other businesses, but it was my first introduction to computers. I ended up writing a book about a world security program using computers which is still a fantastic concept I will admit...My idea in the book I mean...It is all a mental telepathy type program which believe it or not started as pure fiction but ended up as reality...I could go on about that but it would probably scare the shit out of too many people to be blunt...it does all mean that my ideas are not fantasy but very much reality.

Anyway, I have been using windows since I bought a Gateway from HSN some years ago...That was the beginning of a long nightmare which I will avoid discussing right now.  But anyway, last week I bought a MacAirNotebook laptop and am now learning how to use it.  So today I had an appointment at Apple to learn something about Mac and my tutor was very nice and helpful to me.  I won't go into details. 

So then I went to Brookstone to purchase a mouse scanner that was on sale. I have wanted a scanner for a long time, and this mouse method is very interesting.  The manager helped me to put it on my computer so now the next step will be for me to try to use it. I will try that tomorrow in the clubhouse where I can use the wifi.

I am on an allowance with my broadband so I will close this down now to leave room to use it tomorrow...That is all for now...I am weary from a long day, and my nerves can only stand so much of this learning a new computer and hi tech.

Sgt Reckless - Korean War Horse Hero