A mechanical ally?

Never thought I could miss so much the use of a computer until I recently experienced a hard disk failure in my desktop.  

The machine I own is not that old, but its manufacturer would no longer service it as per past policy; thus, I decided to depend from a computing tech store in my neighborhood.  Although I could have purchased the needed part, and performed the replacement myself, I did not choose this alternative to save precious time and money. My judgment was quite correct and the choice worth it.

I have had a couple of similar needs while working in Albania, where there are no service alternatives except to depend from local expertise, which is very good. The results there have been all positive, but this was the first time I took this route here in NYC, and am happy that it also turned out so well.  As an afterthought, it's interesting to note that the technicians in the store I used are not native Americans, but all relatively young immigrants from NE Europe. 

I knew that I would not loose most of my data, which I backup constantly, but I also knew that I needed to add more time to the actual mechanical fix, to reload and update most of the additional programs I love and use daily to keep track of personal matters and work tasks.  I have almost concluded this tasks (requiring innumerable software upgrades!) , but what I found funny was my feeling of delight when the technician informed me that my machine was being returned fixed, and also upgraded in a couple of ways (in both hardware and software).  I felt like I was waiting for an old friend coming out of,  and returning home in good shape after a forced hospital stay…..:-)!   

The local tech store did an excellent job, and preserved also whatever other data, and pointers I had used previously, including my screen background!  I was able to reconnect and test all my peripherals,  and now, to complete the functionality of my mechanical ally, I am waiting for a free CD that I had to order online to activate my webcam since the manufacturer realized the problematic of its reload under Windows7. 

Onward I go with loading the data accumulated during time out, happy that I can count again on my tranquil and indispensable assistant. After more than four decades of using computers of all sorts, I really could not carry on my work without at least one of them on my side!

An anniversary

Just remembering decades ago..... on January 7th 1952, I landed in New York as an immigrant, after a dramatic  transatlantic  journey from Bremenhaven, on the "M/S Gen. Henry Taylor",  a carrier of the Military Sea Transportation Service of the United States Navy.  The incredible hurricane that was raging in the Atlantic at that time required rerouting of the ship's course due to its dangerously bouncing up and down by giant waves, which washed away with great force the ship's decks. Our arrival at destination was delayed by about 5 days. 

With great relief we reached the New York harbor on Sunday night, and were temporarily anchored in the bay until the next morning, when the stevedores became available to unload our carrier. Monday  was a very cold and a snowy day, spent mostly at the NYC Pier before being accommodated into a small NY midtown hotel toward evening. 

I traveled with my Mother and hundreds other immigrants, under the auspices of the US Immigration Service operating in Europe with the United Nations, first by special train, for three days, from Italy through Germany. Then, after spending 2 nights and Christmas Day in a huge (6,000 occupants) distribution camp in the village of Grohn, we were booked to travel on the above ship with 1200 other immigrants from all over northern Europe and the Russian countries.  

Since about  300 of us had no specific destination at arrival, at disembarkation, we had to wait for the others to be routed to other forms of transportation out of NYC.  We were kept warm, and fed all day in the waiting rooms of the pier until that evening, when we were lodged in hotels. We remained there only for a couple of days, the time necessary by a variety of agencies to take over the task of finding us work and accommodations elsewhere.

That's the beginning of my life in the new land 61 years ago, to the day!

Time for travel plans to new destinations

For adventurous people, it's Albania!  Pleasant surprises are guaranteed, as per this article's hints on Huff Post Travel......  

Old subject......

but, splendid photography by Jill Peters in this posting by Daphnee Denis.