Huzzah, I finally figured out how to change the default text on Google Docs. There are some unintuitive steps. That’s a good way to start today’s blog as I’m going to write about how I finally figured out how to fix my Windows Media Player. I had been keeping all my music on OneDrive. The problem with that is that OneDrive doesn’t really save space on your computer. It just duplicates the files in the cloud. There is a way to save space and put them only online but as soon as you use them they return. The entire process was slowing my computer whenever I used WMP. As I plan Gord’s Gold on it, that’s a problem. So I switched to dropbox and moved all my music over there. The problem then was that WMP and explorer couldn’t find the metadata for most of the files. If I went to my MP3 metadata program, I could see it was all still there. Then I made a discovery. If I copy and paste the files the metadata becomes visible. So I did that for my entire music collection. Great. The problem now was that WMP was no longer looking for the metadata so thought it wasn’t there and there was no way to get it to rescan the library.
I tried removing the dropbox music folder from the music library and then adding it. No good. It still wouldn’t scan it as if starting from scratch. I did some research and discovered the rather byzantine method of getting WMP to rescan every file. It worked! For the most part. There were a few stragglers that I’m still rounding up.
The upshot is that Windows Media Player is now working better than it has in months, just in time for preparing my top albums of the year show. I ordered the albums by release date and went through them. I found some great ones I forgot came out this year. I now have to make Sophie’s Choice and figure out which ones make the cut. There are going to be some that I suspect won’t be on many other people’s lists. I value originality more and technique less than most people. This is why you can’t have a totally objective best of anything list, It depends on what each person values. I also fish in different waters than many.
Even with the computer problems I managed to record next week’s show.. It was a bit of a struggle and it’s less theme driven than usual, but it’s still my best show ever. I say that every week and I mean it every week.
In the evening I went to a 6 PM Knick game, they played Cleveland. That’s an awkward time for me. I have to leave at 5 and I don’t get home until 9:30, my bedtime. I don’t actually go to bed then but it’s the goal I strive for. The problem is, when do I eat dinner? I just grabbed a hot sausage outside of the Garden. It was $7, highway robbery. I wonder what they cost inside. I’m much more inclined to overpay for food at a baseball game than basketball. It’s just an ingrained tradition, as Humphrey Bogart said, “There’s nothing like a hot dog at a ball game. It beats a steak at the Ritz.”
So much of what we do doesn’t stand up against rational scrutiny. That is one of the things we have to learn to accept. If the cost is not high, I’ll go with my inclinations. I will go against them for a reasonable gain.
Last week I kept meaning to do a home COVID test but couldn’t find the time on the nights I went out and forgot on the nights I didn’t. I like to test twice a week. As I hadn’t tested at home I decided to test in school. I figured that was safer than not testing at all. I went to the little classroom where I teach my special ed student. I knew nobody wanted to be around me when I shoved a swab up my nose. Wouldn’t you know it, somebody came in when I was waiting for 15 minutes to get the results. They wanted to use the room for a meeting. I told them that I’m waiting for my results and they left. Later someone came in and told me that I’m not allowed to test myself in school. I accept that and won’t do it again but it is purely irrational. She presented it as a safety rule but it in fact makes things less safe. Taking the test is no more likely to infect people than blowing your nose. The way I do it, it’s less likely as I put it in the zip lock bag I brought my lunch in. I didn’t argue because people are especially irrational when dealing with disgust. If I offered you $10 to put a sterilized dead roach in your mouth you wouldn’t. I know I wouldn’t. No matter how much you assured me it was sterile, even if I watched the sterilization procedure, I doubt very much I could overcome the nauseating image of the roach in my mouth.
I just came back from the Monday after class meeting. This was the best ever. First off, it was very short. Secondly they served donuts. Isn’t it in the constitution that donuts must be served at all meetings? What is liberty and the pursuit of happiness without donuts? Where there are no donuts there is no freedom.
That’s enough for today. I’m slowly getting back into the habit of regular blogging. Wish me luck.
Wise Madness 