Importing CD’s to the Computer

In an effort at de-cluttering we decided that we needed to copy a load of CD’s to the computer so that we could gain some space.  We have well over a thousand CD’s we reckoned and they are taking up wall space and room space.

Well I say “we” but it is really “me” as I am the collector and although hubby is a music fan, he would rather play music (he is a guitarist) than buy a CD.

I have always been well into my music, as you can tell, and have always collected music for as long as I can remember.  I still have loads of immaculate albums in the loft as I used to keep them in not only their original covers but also in clear plastic covers too. 

I also have loads of single records in their original sleeves as well, although with the names of the artist and the song written on them (A and B sides) as I was always an organiser and it made it easier to find them with the names in the top right corner. 

We have 3 bookcases type storage systems and 4 twirly storage systems so they take up an awful lot of space which we could do with retrieving.

Not only that, but it is much harder to decide what you want to play when you have to go searching through so many choices, so you tend to end up putting the same ones on for a while as they are nearby and to hand.

We keep them in genre order but also in alphabetical so each storage area tends to have its own genre collection but we still tend to only play something from the storage area where we are (upstairs or downstairs).

We did have some CD’s already on the computer in Windows Media Player so they are more easily accessible when we are on the computer (or should I say when I am on the computer) as hubby uses his laptop, but only about 50 CD’s. 

But the time had come to do something about my huge collection, so we decided to upload them to the computer, even though it was going to take days or weeks.

Now, I had been collecting points which had given me £95 in vouchers so I thought it would be a good idea to invest in an iPod so that we could play the music whenever and wherever we want.  So we decided to put the music on iTunes rather than the Windows Media Player.

I checked out all the different iPods and decided it would have to be the Classic 160GB one with room for 40,000 songs as nothing else could possible accommodate all my music.  I just hope this is big enough, but there isn’t a bigger one.

So before the iPod even arrives we are going to be kept busy loading lots and lots of CD’s to the computer.  I will let you know how I get on.

Droopy Eyelids

You know how you have never noticed something until someone points it out to you – and then it stands out like a sore thumb from then on - well that was me a little while ago.  

I had a reminder again on my last visit to the optician.  I had put it off for a few years but now I needed to really look at it and address the issue. 

I just hadn’t noticed over the years but my eyelids, my right one especially, were getting lower over my eyes.  When you see yourself in the mirror daily you just don’t notice these things but she asked me to look through some old photos to see what my eyes used to look like compared to now. 

Well that was quite hard because I am not very photogenic and hate having my photo taken, plus we are not the type of people who take many photos of anything at all, so the only photos really were holiday photos or the odd Christmas one.  

Holiday photos were mainly useless as I was wearing sunglasses or squinting with the bright sunshine.  But I did find some old ones to compare and no my eyelids didn’t used to be so low.

What came as the big jolt though is when she asked me if people kept saying I looked tired or sleepy!  

I can honestly say that it had only happened a few times (when I have actually been tired) but then most people are too polite to say and even friends just think you really are tired (because apparently it gets worse later in the day).  

Also I suppose friends see me so often that they wouldn’t have noticed the gradual change either. 

So I suddenly realised that people may think I am being a bit rude and not listening to them properly, or bored, when really I am feeling perfectly normal.  I don’t want to appear half asleep in conversations as if I am bored. 

So now every time I look in the mirror I do realise how far down the eyelid does come down over my pupil and does seem droopy.

How had I not noticed it all these years?  Mainly I suppose because I only really look at my eyes to put make-up on so that is what I am concentrating on rather than where the lid is on my eye. 

I do know I blink a lot more than a lot of people – I have noticed that.  Not that it is relevant, apart from the fact that I thought the pain of blinking after the operation will be more often!

Anyway my optician has recommended this eyelid surgery – not the top bit where older people get saggy lids but the part of the eyelid below the crease (where the eyeshadow normally goes).  

I haven’t got particularly big eyelids anyway so I am sure that by the time they shorten the muscles the upper part of my eyelid above the crease will be resting on my eyelashes! 

Although I don’t have baggy eyelids top or bottom (or thankfully wrinkles yet apart from a few laughter lines round my eyes and mouth when I smile) but I am concerned that I don’t want that startled look that people who have the baggy  top upper eyelid surgery sometimes end up with.

I have to see the consultant on Friday to see what he says this time.  I saw him three years ago and he was willing to do the surgery then but said it was 50/50 whether I really needed it so I could either have it done then or wait for a few years as it was just 50% over my pupil.  I didn’t fancy the surgery as it wasn’t actually necessary as a medical problem, just an eyesight improvement, so I waited.  

Well it seems that the few years has got to the point that I ought to have it done as it is now more than 50% over my pupil and is apparently affecting my vision as far as the light going into my pupil is concerned.

So I shall see what he says on Friday and if he thinks I ought to have it done then I guess I will have to, as it will be best for my eyesight.  I am not looking forward to it though!

Insomnia?

I only had four hours sleep last night and then woke up as I felt "so wired" - twitchy all over. I couldn't go back to sleep and lay there for nearly an hour before giving in and getting up.   This has happened three times in the last 10 days.

For hours after I gave up and had got up I was still "wired and twitchy" and kept yawning as if it was 4 a.m. and I needed to go to bed.  But it has passed and I’m ok now.

I don't know where the time has disappeared today.  Ok I did have a nap to make up for my 4 hours sleep last night but I guess I just must have been slow at doing everything due to my tiredness. 

My nap didn't work out too well as I stupidly didn't put the dogs in the kitchen so they joined me on the bed.   But as the curtains were open it meant they could see things over the fields outside the bedroom window.  

So by the time they had settled down and stopped yapping at birds etc. I had just started to doze when the doorbell rang!  It was a delivery man with a parcel.

Back I go to bed to lay down again and the whole shannagans started again with one of the cats as well this time (not yapping though obviously) until I finally fell asleep. 

Only to be woken this time by an “invisible” person at the door - the doorbell rang, the dogs yapped, I went down and there was no-one there!  

I gave up then and decided to get up again.  Several cups of coffee throughout the day have kept me going but I just don’t seem to have had any extra time considering what time I got up!   

   

Easter Weather

We are having the usual horrible bank holiday weather in England again so any planned outdoor Easter events will not go well.  It is tipping with rain and has been all day today (Easter Monday) so lots of events will be rained off completely.

Last week we had glorious sunshine and record breaking temperatures.  It always makes me laugh when we suddenly have a warm spell as you get a lot of people suddenly dressing as if it were mid summer even though they have pasty white legs and arms.  Out come the shorts and skimpy tops and off come the men’s shirts.  Then of course you also get the ones who go to the tanning centres and have a dark tan all year round – so the moment the sun comes out they have to show off their tan and you see these middle-aged “teeny-boppers” in denim knickers, a denim bra and 5” high heels.  LOL – and that’s just the men!

I know we don’t have too much of a chance to wear summer clothes in England but it is a bit drastic to go so skimpy at the end of March / beginning of April as it can just as quickly get cloudy and be really cold again within a few hours.  Even though it was sunny for those few days the evenings were still so chilly that we had to have the central heating on.   

A lot of our friends go to dance festivals at Bank Holidays and nearly every Easter we are so pleased that we aren’t stuck in a cold caravan too.  Even August Bank Holidays seem to have been really cold for the last few years.   No, I am really pleased to be snug and warm at home this wet and windy weekend.