The other day I needed information about my laptop memory, processor speed, etc.  (to sign up for Protonic, which is free tech support).  I knew there was a simple command to help locate this information, but I hadn’t used it for so long I couldn’t remember what it was, and had to look it up.  (It surprised me that Protonic didn’t offer this information as one of their suggestions for finding the information!)  Anyway, for those of you who don’t know about it (or, like me, can’t remember what it is), here’s the deal.  Assuming you are on a Windows system, open up the start menu and click on “run.”  Then type “msinfo32″ (minus the quotation marks) into the field and click “OK.”  It may take a moment, but it should pop up a window that has all kinds of information about your computer – the processor speed, make and model, actual and virtual memory, etc.

I plan to post about the stuff I’ve sewn in the last few days, very soon – but my younger daughter turns one on Wednesday, and we’re celebrating tomorrow, so I don’t have time to deal with the pictures.

Filed under: Media & Technology by Rachel
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For the sake of being politically correct, many writers have turned to being grammatically incorrect. “A child” does not do “their” homework. “A child” does “his” homework. Even if “he” turns out to be (unknown to the writer) a girl. See, we have singular neuter pronouns in English. They (plural!) just happen to be the same as the singular masculine pronouns. Perhaps the men should be up in arms because they (plural!) don’t have a pronoun especially dedicated to them. After all, “he” and “him” and “his” are pronouns which can apply to all of humanity. They (plural!) have to do double-duty for the guys. Meanwhile, we girls have our own special pronouns – “she” and “her” and “hers.” Or maybe we could all find something more worthwhile to make a stink about than the “gender equality” of our words. (Whatever would we do if we were Spanish speakers? Heaven forbid that a table should be “feminine,” while a hammer is “masculine”!)

[Oops.  Edited to remove my own grammatical error.  I guess I should proofread better.]

Filed under: Grammar, Politics/Current Events by Rachel
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We regularly have smoothies for breakfast.  We also regularly have just a little too much – not enough for another serving, but more than we want or need to drink.  I pour these leftovers into popsicle molds and stick them in the freezer.  This way, we (almost) always have healthy popsicles on hand – and in a variety of flavors, to boot.  (Smoothies with some yogurt in them make some of the best popsicles, as the yogurt gives them a creamy texture.)

Filed under: Babies & Parenting, Kitchen, Cooking, & Recipes by Rachel
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I wonder what makes the difference in the pricing of steam cleaners.  Steam cleaners are a healthy, environmentally-friendly alternative to harsh chemical cleaners.  They can also make it easier to clean grooves and things that tend to be fairly inaccessible.  But the price range is amazing!  The Ladybug steam cleaners can run over $2000!  And yet, some steam cleaners can be found for under $100.  As with anything, I guess that prices, features, and quality must all be weighed to find the best balance for one’s needs.  Most of us probably don’t need to put out two grand for a cleaning machine.  On the other hand, a less expensive machine is not a “deal” if it’s a hunk of junk!

Filed under: Cleaning & Tidying, Frugality & Economics by Rachel
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Celebrities get a bad rap with the propensity of many to give their babies weird names.   They aren’t any more likely than non-celebrities to get overly creative with their nomenclature; they’re just better publicized.  Still, where do parents come up with some of these things?  And why do they want to do this to their children?  A few (celebrity and non-celebrity) names I’ve heard over the years:

• Ima Hogg (’nuff said)
• Dweezil & Moon Unit (C’mon!  Patek Philippe sounds more like a baby name, and it’s a watch!)
• George, and George, and George, and George, and George Foreman … (The name isn’t bad.  But here a little more creativity might’ve been helpful!)
• Autumn Skye Woods (All beautiful names.  But together?!)
• Jermajesty (That sounds like a setup for chaos in the household.  “And what would you like for lunch, Jermajesty?”)
• Tu Morrow (Uh huh.  That’s just “tu” cute.)

We, on the other hand, enjoy imagining the possibilities, for entertainment, while recognizing that we would never, ever actually bestow such names upon our helpless children.

Like Lottie.  Lottie Ramey.

Filed under: Just for Fun, Media & Technology by Rachel
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