Beware of Lightroom 3 Beta
Ok, so if you read these silly things on a semi-regular basis (and I only write them on a semi-regular basis, so you can't do better than that), you probably know that I have, use, and like Adobe Photoshop CS4. I've been using PS, off and on, for years, although only recently am I starting to learn how to do anything creative with it. I had tried the beta of Lightroom when it first came out, and liked it, but didn't feel it was powerful enough to warrant the cost. I still don't, but decided to see what LR3 had to offer, since the beta program gave us plenty of time to play with it.

Unfortunately, Adobe has landed themselves solidly in the Assholes classification, with this release. I am NOT happy with them, and here's why. First of all, there's nothing special about LR3, that I can see. Bridge plus ACR 5 do the same things LR does, and much quicker. LR3 is such a dog, speedwise, that I don't even care if it does something special that I missed. There's nothing it could possibly do that would compensate for that pathetic response time. Generating a 100% preview in LR3 is 100% slower than in Bridge on the same machine, with the same file. Totally unacceptable.

So, I quickly decided that LR3 would not be in my future. But, it's not that simple, although it should be. First, it has highjacked the process that runs when I plug a memory card into the computer. Instead of Bridge's nice, lightweight importer running, LR3 drags itself laboriously out of its coma, halting everything else going on as it chews up system resources to simply load its import routine. And that routine, should one decide to try it, is also much slower, and less convenient, than Bridge's. Can you turn this off? Not the way Adobe says to. According to the info I was given by Adobe, there should be a way of disabling that feature either temporarily or permanently. Neither one exists, on my machine. I was able to find a way, being more than usually competent at computer operations, but the fever I had yesterday seems to have burnt that memory out of my head, so I don't remember just how.

So, too slow, too obnoxious, nothing new or special... time to say goodbye. Come to find out, though, I can't get rid of the damn thing. There is no Uninstall option in Windows Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs. The app shows up, there, but it doesn't even list Adobe as the publisher! Very, very sloppy, Adobe. Yes, I'm running Windows Vista. Yes, Vista has been hammered by the press. But, I haven't had ANY problems that I can blame Vista for. It's run very solidly for me, and it was the ONLY supported version of Windows available until the end of October, so saying it works on XP is meaningless. Not that they have said that, but the instructions they gave me for removing LR3 were clearly written for XP.

So, I manage to figure out how to send Adobe a request for assistance, through their website. Not easy, but it can be done. Since my support for CS4 is still in effect, I used that to claim their attention because THERE IS NO OPTION TO REQUEST HELP FOR THE BETA. You MIGHT be able to get some help through the user forums, but that's all. So, if this happens to you, and you aren't licensed for CS4, you're S.O.L. What do I get in reponse? A PDF attachment to the email they sent in reply. A PDF! Adobe's bloated, slow, useless, obnoxious, limited, "universal" file format, which requires additional software just to open the damn things. No reason, at all, for using a PDF in this case, unless 90% of it was boilerplate text they had lying around since the XP days. And it might have been. But, it was customized, so it would have been easier to simply paste the text into the body of the email. I hate PDFs, if you couldn't tell.

And, it didn't even contain correct information. First there was the XP-era instructions, which were useless. Even when translated into Vista-era procedures, which I was able to do, they were useless because they were simply wrong. The components they said to disable weren't even there. Did it install improperly on my machine, or does it not behave as expected on Vista? I don't know. And, to top it off, Adobe's advice for completely removing the LR3 beta? Download a utility from Microsoft, and use that. Nice! How professional Or, do I mean lame?

The best part of that? The utility they referred me to, the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility, doesn't remove applications. It "will not remove the actual program from your computer. However, it will remove the installation files so that you can start the installation, upgrade, or uninstall over." Oh, nice. I can run in circles around the problem, now. Thanks, but I think I'll look elsewhere. There are only about 3,000 tools out there for uninstalling botched installations. And I happen to have several of them on my machine, already. I just never expected to have to use one to remove an application from a software giant like Adobe.

Oh, and I almost forgot the final straw. When I ran one of the uninstaller programs I mentioned, it showed me that Adobe had SECRETLY installed something called AdobeSupportAdvisor on my machine, today. Apparently, that was why they had to use a PDF, because they can be programmed to do sneaky shit, like that, while doing it from an email would trigger my browser's security alarms. Very, very uncool, Adobe. I don't care WHAT the intent is, you don't EVER have the right to put shit on my machine without asking me, first. Not EVER!

Tis This Season...

Well, tis the day before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature is stirring, except when I use the mouse. Or one of the kitties rolls over and goes back to sleep.

Luckily, I got all my gift wrapping done yesterday, so today is a true vacation day for me. It's kind of odd having the day before the holiday off, instead of the day after, but that's what our weird calendar does, and I'm not complaining about days off. I'm grateful for my job, I even like it, most of the time, since I changed roles, but paid days off are always welcome. So are half-days off, like yesterday.

That enabled me to finish up my shopping, with a visit to the craft store, where I bought matts and frames for the Pink Panther animation cells I bought for my niece's kids. Gotta love the variety of pre-cut matts they have, these days, even if it does mean that people like me (I'll let you decide what that means) spend an hour trying dozens of combinations to find the "best" one. And I've found that I really enjoy mounting and framing art. It's very satisfying to apply that finishing touch.

And then, this morning, I pop into DA and discover a not from one of my first friends on DA notifying me that she bought me a subscription. Which was good, because I would not have noticed, otherwise, because there is no visible change, other than where it says Premium Member up near my username. (Who looks at that? And, why? I sure don't! I dunno. Maybe if you're counting the days left in your membership...) And that led to me realizing that another of my long-time friends here ALSO bought me a subscription! Which is how I KNOW I wouldn't have noticed the second one. Because I didn't notice the first one, until the second one came in!

So, I've gotten better gifts from my friends and employer than I can reasonably expect from my family We were taught, as kids, to save up our allowances (does anyone call it that, any more, or is it just charity/extortion/guilt money?) so we could buy presents for everyone. Apparently that custom ended when my sister became a parent. As did the alternate custom of making or doing something personally for the recipient. So, I get to look forward to receiving some worthless and meaningless crap, tomorrow. Because, while they'd be offended to get something equally cheap and worthless (I don't think they even get the concept of a meaningful gift, so we'll pass that), they seem to consider the enormous effort of remembering to grab something on the way out of the store for me the height of flattery.

I suppose that sounds bad, but it's not that I want them to strain their budgets on my behalf. I'm "the rich one" in the family. Nevermind that my older sister had as much potential as I did, and chose to squander it; the end result is that she's always broke. And my niece has 5 kids, now, while I can afford to buy myself anything reasonable, which doesn't help when shopping season rolls around. I would just rather not get anything, instead of getting something that demonstrates in concrete terms how little I mean to them. The crumpled, previously used, movie passes my grand-niece gave me for my birthday are perhaps the ultimate example.

On the plus side, I love movies, so it almost sounds thoughtful. On the negative side, she works at the theater and gets passes for free, but couldn't even bother to give me new ones or spend 10 minutes of the ~17 hours per day she spends on the computer when she's not working to make a card to go with them. This being the kid I gave $200 as a graduation gift a few months ago.

Oh, well. Tis the season... Merry Christmas, Bright Yule, etc., to all.

I Have Sunk
I've never heard of this happening in a house less than a century old, but my kitchen faucet sprang a leak, last week. Not in the usual fashion, wherein it begins to drip due to a worn washer or eroded packing. No, I went through that a couple years ago. No, this was something new. It sprang a leak halfway up the spout. Apparently the battery acid that passes for drinking water around here ate through the metal. Like I said, I've never heard of it happening in less than a century, before.

So, I bought a new faucet. A Delta, same as the old one, because nothing else is likely to be better. I went with a "cheap" one, for $70. Saturday, I started trying to replace the old one. Couldn't budge the nut holding it on. 20+ years of corrosion: in one case, it ate through the metal; in the other case, it welded the two pieces, nut and bolt, together. It welded them so firmly that the bolt broke loose from the faucet before the nut broke loose from the bolt. But, not in a good way. Not in a way that would allow me to remove it. Just so it would allow the bolt to turn WITH the nut.

This, of course, is AFTER I've spent close to an hour being folded, spindled, and mutilated under the sink. Lying on the edge of the cabinet is NOT fun. I felt like I'd been hit by a car. So, eventually I called a handyman, who didn't want the job. He didn't like being folded, spindled, and mutilated, either. But, he gave me a couple of suggestions. The idea of holding the bolt with vise grips while turning the nut didn't pan out. The vise grips kept slipping. I guess I needed bigger ones.

So, I ended up removing the whole damn sink. Not a fun job, either. Still couldn't get the damn faucet off. MAYBE, if I'd had an angle grinder with a cutting wheel, I might have been able to cut through the nut, but the "washer" underneath it was actually a big, thick, cone-shaped shield. So, I ended up having to replace the sink. Another $110.

Since I was doing all that, I decided to do something about the fact that the pipe coming out of the wall were completely unconnected to anything solid. Of course, that's because A) it was poorly built, to begin with, and B) it was 20+ years old. That wasn't expensive in dollars, but I had to figure out a solution, solder up a bunch of pieces, drill out some undersize holes, cut and patch the wallboard... oy!

And, while I was doing that, it leaked enough water to REALLY destroy the MDF bottom shelf of the cabinet, so that had to be replaced, too. That was cheap, at $12, but took another couple hours, between removing the old one, fixing the supports, and fitting the new one in place.

Then I couldn't get the garbase disposer off the old sink, either, so I had to replace that, too. It still worked, though not very well. But, I didn't really care, because I rarely use it. But, it's necessary, because the dishwasher has to feed into it. So, I had to buy a new one of those, too. And the damn things don't even come with the electrical cords you need to hook them up. $120 and you can't even hook it up, because there are no wires. They're extra. Luckily, THAT I was able to salvage and reuse. But, I couldn't get the sink basket off the other bowl, either, so there went another $20.

So, 14 hours after I started working on it, Sunday morning, I still didn't have a sink, but I was definitely feeling sunk. I finally got it finished up about an hour ago. It works. I was able to wash dishes. First time I've been happy to do that chore in ages. Then I ran the dishwasher, which had all of my plates and silverware, except for one spoon, in it. I hope it didn't leak. I haven't been down to look, yet. I really don't want to look. If I never see the bottom of a sink again, as long as I live, that will be fine with me.

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Thanks!
I'm always appreciative of any comments, favorites, or features, naturally. I've long since given up trying to keep up with thanking everyone individually for each , because I do need to sleep pretty much every day, but I am grateful. And, I HAVE noticed all the new names showing up in the notifications of faves. So, a special thank you to you folks.

I do still try to reply to all comments on my work, and all your comments, positive or negative, are welcome. And, now that I can see the messages on my homepage on my regular message page, you may even get a reply to those.

And, if you dropped by to say thank you,

You're Welcome!

If you said something nice about me,

Thanks!

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Tennis Anyone?
I had a surprisingly pleasant day, today, considering how miserable yesterday was. It got off to a wonderful start when I discovered that Leo, one of my male Crested Geckos, was well on his way to healing an injury I thought was going to require surgery. Then I had an excellent time at the Outback Tournament of Champions, at Surprise, AZ. The weather was only a tad warmer than we would have liked, there was a trace of a breeze, and my two favorite players of all time faced off for the title.

The Champions series is a "senior circuit" for retired pro tennis players. You won't see Fed or Raffa playing these tournaments any time soon, but this tournament drew Andrea Aggassi, Todd Martin, Mark Philipoussis, Jim Courier, and several other former Top 10 players. I didn't get to see all of them play, as it's a three day tournament. But I got to see two matches, and got some pretty decent shots of my own while watching them make some spectacular shots.

Not For The Squeamish
For those who are wondering about Leo, and aren't too squeamish, I'll add a bit more to the story, here. Men, in particular, may find this story a little disturbing, given its nature. But, to start, you need to understand a bit more about lizard anatomy than most people probably care to, because it's relevant.

The key point is that male lizards (and snakes, crocs, turtles, and other assorted reptiles) do not have a penis. Rather, they have two fully functional units, which are called hemi-penes. That's a rather misleading name, as it implies that each is only half of a whole, while in reality each is independent and, as I said, fully functional, assuming it's a healthy lizard. The hemi-penes are normally tucked away in pouches located just behind the cloaca, through which they are everted, one at a time, when the lizard feels it's appropriate. In some species, given a willing partner, the male may alternate using each one, sometimes multiple times each, although that seems more common in snakes.

So, with that in mind, when I tell you that Leo was suffering from a prolapsed hemi-pene, any male who knows what prolapsed means just winced. For those who don't, perhaps a phrase from the Viagra ads will ring a bell; "if you experience an erection lasting longer than four hours, seek immediate medical attention". That was kind of Leo's problem. Strictly speaking, it was no longer erect, but would not completely go flaccid, either, and therefore, could not retract. Presumably a very uncomfortable situation for a lizard who normally rests on that part of his anatomy.

The big problem was, I couldn't see it, when he was resting in the cage. I only discovered it when I took him out to weigh him. So, I had no idea when this began. It could have been the previous night, or the poor bugger may have been suffering from this for weeks, that being the last time I was aware of any mating activity. So, off to the vet. (And I really have to find another vet. That one is creepy, but that's another story.)

Awful as it sounds, this condition is not that uncommon. When I was breeding snakes, it would happen fairly regularly, usually as a result of the female getting bored and attempting to leave, while the male was still hooked in. I don't know if this is what happened to Leo, or not, but it's usually pretty easy to remedy, if caught quickly. A bit of mineral oil and a poke with a rounded implement will usually suffice to stuff it back in it's pouch (sorry, guys). Unfortunately, I had neither, and this didn't look like one of those cases. It looked damaged, and possibly dried out a bit, so I didn't want to risk hurting him more.

But, the vet couldn't do it, either, and said it might require surgery. No surprise, there. I'd been expecting that. But, she said it might be possible to that a soak with sugar water would cause the swelling to subside and allow it to invert itself back where it belonged. So, I brought him home, made some powdered sugar in the blender, and stirred up a solution with that. Holding a sticky wet cotton ball to a lizard's private parts for half an hour, while said lizard is doing his best to escape half the time, is not my idea of a good time. The fact that there was no visible result didn't add to the experience, either. But, it must have offered him some relief because he seemed to appreciate it, and actually fell asleep during this process, at one point.

So, I went to bed thinking poor Leo was going to lose a fairly high priority bit of equipment today, and woke up thinking about doctor's bills and how to avoid going back to the creepy vet. This being the weekend, options were few. But, luckily for everyone (except the creepy vet), the sugar treatment apparently worked it's magic overnight, because when I checked on Leo this morning, everything was pretty much where it belonged. The afflicted side was still a little swollen, and sore looking where it still peeked out a bit from its pouch, but no longer a candidate for immediate amputation. So, I'm hoping it will heal, and not require any further medical intervention, but that was a pretty neat trick. And Leo and I are both extremely happy with the outcome.

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Thanks!
I'm always appreciative of any comments, favorites, or features, naturally. I've long since given up trying to keep up with thanking everyone individually for each , because I do need to sleep pretty much every day, but I am grateful. And, I HAVE noticed all the new names showing up in the notifications of faves. So, a special thank you to you folks.

I do still try to reply to all comments on my work, and all your comments, positive or negative, are welcome. And, now that I can see the messages on my homepage on my regular message page, you may even get a reply to those.

And, if you dropped by to say thank you,

You're Welcome!

If you said something nice about me,

Thanks!

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Vacation!
So, I'm on vacation, now, for a whole week. Woohoo! If I didn't have to work on remodeling my bathroom, I'd be really happy, because then I could go somewhere. But, I've got to get this done, and the only way it's going to get done is if I take some time off to do it.

My baby gecko seems to be doing better. He's started to put on some weight, now, so I'm feeling a lot better about it. I uploaded a couple shot of Coconut to my scrapbook, for those who are interested. Crummy shots, again, but what the heck. She's so cute. I should take some more shots of the little one, too, but I haven't, yet.

And, I uploaded a shot from my Alaska trip that I hadn't gotten to, yet. I've still got a few folders from that trip to go through. I think this is one of my favorites from the whole trip.


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Thanks!
I'm always appreciative of any comments, favorites, or features, naturally. I've long since given up trying to keep up with thanking everyone individually for each , because I do need to sleep pretty much every day, but I am grateful. And, I HAVE noticed all the new names showing up in the notifications of faves. So, a special thank you to you folks.

I do still try to reply to all comments on my work, and all your comments, positive or negative, are welcome. And, now that I can see the messages on my homepage on my regular message page, you may even get a reply to those.

And, if you dropped by to say thank you,

You're Welcome!

If you said something nice about me,

Thanks!

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