Ebony's Pearls

My daughter bought a MacBook Pro last month. Then she bought a wireless router and promptly forgot the password, so I couldn't use it for my Ubuntu laptop. This kept me locked at my cold desktop computer.

Today, she remembered the password.

I used it successfully to log on, and now I can write from anywhere in the house. I can pick a warm spot and log in.

She named the wireless connection after the house - Blue Moon Keep. Our neighbors who have computers now know for sure what the name of our house is (as if the giant blue moon painted above the front porch isn't a clue), but, because the network is secured and password protected, they can't access it. Anyone who visits will be granted access to the wireless network, so we're not totally stingy with it.

This makes me happy, since I'm the one paying for the internet service. Now, I, too, can lounge around in the bedroom and connect - or carry it into the library or the kitchen, or even outside.

As much as I'd like to get a system I could play Spore on (I play it at friends' houses and own a copy to install someday), I have to instead repair my car. Fortunately, the only damage is body damage. I needed a new front bumper, headlight, driver's side fender, side light, and hood. I didn't actually need a new hood, the one on it could have had the dent hammered out, but my youngest ordered a new hood anyway since it was cheap. And he added in new interior door handles, since the mechanic who rebuilt the engine 3 years ago broke them. All of that for just $400.00. These simply bolt on, and he ordered the bolts, too. With the power tools I have, I can put these parts on myself. I'm not so sure about the lights, but my mechanic won't charge a lot for that. The last thing I need to do is replace the front windshield. We're still looking for a replacement for that, and I'll have to have a professional install that. The man who installed my back window when the kids blew it out with a BB gun several years ago will put it in for $80. I think that's pretty awesome, being able to fix my car up completely for less than what the car is worth.

The Blue Book price on it is $1,900.00 - decent for a 14 year old car with manual windows and locks, an AM/FM radio but not even a cassette player, no air conditioner, and a 5 speed manual transmission. I expected it to be worth a lot less than that, since Chantria's 2002 Ford is only worth $3,000.

It's for sale, by the way - a white with beige interior 2002 Ford Focus station wagon with new transmission, new starter, fairly new tires, new brakes, single CD player, air conditioner, power windows and remote keyless entry.