Tag Archives: technology

Nov13

Tienguis

Posted on by
Standard
Tienguis

One of the things I really enjoy is strolling through the tienguis on my street on Thursdays. Basically this is like a street flea market. It has a real mixture of both new and used items. And of course there is food.

I’ll start with food. This week there were three different areas where food was being cooked. Two of the areas had the usual tacos and tortas. The third one appeared quite popular. I have no idea what it was but it was some deep fried unhealthy looking I’m not sure what. As wonderful as the aroma of meat and onions is, I don’t eat at the tienguis.

But I do pick up my weekly supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition to the usual broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, onions and potatoes, I was excited to find mushrooms. Fruit this week was watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe and apples. And I must admit I buy other fruits and vegetables whose names I don’t know in Spanish or English but I do know how to prepare them.

Now for the non-food items. This is where I really get to practice my Spanish vocabulary. There are always several people selling used tools, cell phones and all types of other technology. One guy had a Dell laptop. He told me it didn’t work but if I went to the plaza de technoligia, he was sure someone there could fix it. A tienguis isn’t where I’d go computer shopping but apparently some people do. I’ll have to check back this week and see if he actually sold it.

Lots of jewelry and toys, new and old. And interesting people to talk to who are selling these items. Of course these items in the used category are often interspersed with tools and books, all laid out on a blanket.

Perfumes, creams and lotions. New and used here too. Housewares including BetterWare. Toiletries and cosmetics. Paper goods. Candy. Furniture. Incense. Wallets. Purses.

And then there are the clothes and shoes. Racks of new and used. Great places to practice asking for sizes and colors. Amazing how a new blouse goes from 150 pesos down to 95 with a teensie bit of negotiation. The sellers expect you to bargain and they’re disappointed if you don’t.

The tienguis is like going to garage sales, except you don’t have to drive around and fight for parking spaces. You just stroll leisurely down the street. Much more convenient.

Nov9

Miercoles

Posted on by
Standard
Miercoles

The movies have now gone from murdering cheerleaders to selling babies. Tell me again why I watch them late at night and then sleep fitfully. But my goal is to watch five movies in Spanish a week in order to hopefully improve my comprehension of the language.

Thank you to my computer guru Laura for once again coming to the rescue. Like I’m not having problems enough adjusting to Windows 11, my taskbar disappeared last night. Of course she instantly found a link and solved my problem. While I love technology it also scares me. But my WIP is safely backed up every night onto not one but two external hard drives.

The weather here is still hot. Many of my friends back in the USA and in Canada are now dealing with that fluffy white stuff and plummeting temperatures. So I won’t complain too loudly that I’m not walking as much as I’d like to right now.

Apparently I can no longer call myself a nomad. I was talking to a friend and he remarked that I’ve gotten into a familiar pattern of dividing my time between Aguascalientes and the upper valley in Washington. And as Christina and Danny often remind me, I now have my forever home in East Wenatchee.

Two events are coming up in Mexico this month. Revolution Day is an official government holiday on November 20th. But the big one is Buen Fin, the Mexican equivalent of Black Friday in the USA. It goes from November 18th-21st.

My Uber awaits and I’m off to Ags Ladies to meet up with my friends. Today is lunch rather than breakfast.

Happy Humpday!

May15

Sleep

Posted on by
Standard
Sleep

I did a program the other night on Zoom. The topic was sleep. And I found out I’m doing everything wrong at night before I go to bed. Yet somehow I fall asleep easily and sleep through the night. Okay, the odd time I don’t. But usually sleep comes easily and is restful.

I’m not supposed to color at night. The lighting is supposed to be dim. I need light to color.

Reading is okay if it’s a book and not on a screen. Hmmm, I like to read on my Kindle. That doesn’t work for me.

Technology. Turn off your phone. Let your phone sleep too. I admit I do turn off my ringer. And I do try not to chat.

And now the tablet. I like to unwind playing Candy Crush and Word Connect at night. I don’t find it stimulating enough to prevent me from sleeping. So much for screen time.

The surprising one was to avoid sex. Apparently studies have found that there is too much pressure to perform and that is not considered conducive to getting a good night’s sleep.

Another hint was sitting in a chair to unwind before getting into bed. Bed should be for sleep only. Nope. I prefer to review my day while lying comfortably in bed.

Don’t meditate before going to sleep? Another one I totally disagree with. There’s nothing like doing a full body scan technique to relax at night.

Fresh air. Yes, that one I agree with. I always sleep with a window open. Of course I don’t do winter in a cold climate anymore.

Avoid caffeine and don’t eat a heavy meal prior to bedtime. I’ll go with that although I do indulge in chocolate from time to time.

Noise. Loud is not good. Some people find sound machines soothing. Personally, I love to hear waves lapping as I listen to Pachelbel.

Here’s one of my favorite strategies that wasn’t mentioned on the Zoom program. That one is prayer. If you don’t do that one already, then you really do need to try it. The religion you practice doesn’t matter. God hears it all.

If your sleep pattern goes wild and you feel out of sorts, you should get a referral to a specialist in the field of sleep medicine. Got to love all this new terminology.

Unfortunately far too many people rely on prescription medication or may self-medicate with the variety of available over-the-counter products. Sometimes these may mask physical conditions that are affecting sleep. Of course sleep deprivation itself causes a variety of problems such as depression. In a way, it’s kind of a vicious circle.

In conclusion, there is no generic cure for insomnia. Not everything works for everyone. I have my regimen and I’m sticking to it, whether recommended or not.

Oct6

So What?!

Posted on by
Standard

Monday, Monday. Facebook down. What’s App not working. Didn’t bother checking Instagram.

It certainly made for a quieter day. No constant pings and dings of notifications on my phone. I actually spent very little time on my phone.

Here in Mexico What’s App is a lifeline to many. I’ve met a lot of people who just put 50 pesos at a time on their phone. They don’t have a phone plan like I do.

For 200 pesos a month, less than $10 US, I have unlimited talking and texting as well as long distance to the USA and Canada. Some data is included ans all social media is also free.

Without a phone plan, What’s App that runs off WiFi is free, so that is a very popular option for those who do not have a plan.

Therefore a lot of people were impacted when everything went down on Monday. Their pesos on their phones would not stretch quite as far.

I find it interesting that phone plans here are so reasonably priced. In the USA a similar plan with AT&T costs me $40. Canada was even more expensive the last time I was there.

While buying cell phones is far more expensive in Mexico, using them is definitely much more affordable here.

Aug1

Technology Today

Posted on by
Standard

As a child technology consisted of occasionally answering a telephone or watching the odd television program on one of the three available channels. Cable didn’t arrive in Winnipeg until I was a teenager.

My children grew up with cell phones and computers. And let’s not forget all those videogames. Records? 8 Tracks? Cassettes? VCR? CD? DVD? All dinosaurs now.

My granddaughter was just over a year old when I bought her a tablet. Okay, admittedly it was Fisher Price, but a device nonetheless.

On Thursday I decided to track my device usage, just for fun. Although I do have a tablet, I have not yet replaced my laptop that died in Mexico back in April of 2020. So how much do I actually rely on technology? Apparently quite a bit more than I thought.

Alexa. Short conversations. Good morning. Weather. Tell me a joke. Trivia. Play music. Hmmm, it all adds up.

Actual tasks. Renewed travel health insurance. Updated info on WordPress. Paid credit card bills. Worked on a blog post. Emails. Revised SAIL exercise routine.

Stress relief time. Candy Crush and Word Cookies. Social media, although at times it seems to add to the stress. Playlist for meditation.

Only television time is maybe a half hour of Olympics. No Netflix today.

Phone calls. Voicemail. Texting, Messenger, Google Duo and thank you God I only use What’s App when I have my Mexican chip in my phone. And then there are all the photos I take with my phone.

Time to practice Spanish. Love my Duolingo! Average of 115 XP every day.

I haven’t tracked the time, only the activity. I don’t think I want to even know how many hours a day I am consumed by technology. But I’m sure it’s still much less than the younger generation whose ear buds are permanently attached to their bodies.

I’m done writing this post now. I’m going to read a book. And I’m not going to read it on my tablet. I’m going to read a real book with pages that you actually hold in your hands. And I can do that without even searching through a frustratingly long list of passwords!

Jun18

Help! I’m becoming a computer Geek………..NOT!

Posted on by
Standard
Help! I’m becoming a computer Geek………..NOT!

So here I am in Mexico with my spiffy new ASUS Transformer Notebook. I love it! Touch screen! Faster! Removable tablet so I can play Candy Crush comfortably lying down. I’ve mastered Seagate for backups and am using a USB hub. The compact size is another plus. Yes, my ancient Acer of the past three years is becoming a distant memory. Or is it?

At this moment I long for it……….slowness, freezes and all. I plugged it in and it charged. My battery never died. The hours we spent together………….sigh! Not one warranty problem ever! My ASUS  is a mere month old. And the battery will not charge! I am not impressed at all. I replaced the cable. That didn’t help. I spent hours messaging my computer guru back in Canada and we have been unable to solve the problem with files and programs. What ASUS has suggested on their support site just doesn’t work.

This afternoon I went to Office Depot with my laptop. The diagnosis this time was that the connection on my laptop is the problem and that when I return to Canada I should send the computer back to ASUS to be fixed under warranty. Uh oh! I live in Mexico. I’m not planning to return to Canada anytime soon. And anyone who lives in Mexico knows that sending it back from here is akin to throwing it directly into the trash can.

There is no Best Buy here in Mazatlan. Apparently no-one even sells it here so forget about any maintenance. It would probably cost more than what I paid for the laptop even if I could find someone to fix it. And my computer guru is still convinced that it’s the charger.

This is what I have decided. For the time being I will leave the laptop plugged in on my desk. No more Candy Crush lying in bed with the tablet. Yes, it’s a transformer. The beauty of being a laptop and a tablet……when it works of course. In October when I go to the Dominican Republic for my daughter’s wedding, I will have my computer guru give my son the proper adapter that I need and he can then give it to me. This is the simplest way. There is no such thing as guaranteed delivery of anything in Mexico.

But I want to tell you about my computer guru back in Winnipeg. Her name is Laura Bungarz. We met about five years ago in a university course for ESL. I was completely hooked when in mere minutes she demonstrated how to make a powerpoint presentation. And I could actually do it myself after that!

Those of you who know me are probably laughing by now. I am technologically challenged, or so I’ve been told. VCRs, DVD players, computers, iPhones……you name it and I can screw it all up. But no more! I now have Laura in my life and actually have found out things about my computer that no-one should ever need to find out.

Did I mention that Laura has the patience of a saint? After all, I am her favorite non-paying client ever. Just the other day she talked me through downloading zip files and changing them into regular files. She taught me all about my control panel. She had me do a BIOS update, not an easy feat to accomplish by any means. Yes, she did this from Winnipeg with me here in Mazatlan. She even made videos for me to make it easier. She speaks so clearly on the videos and her explanations make any process simple. It’s the next best thing to being in the same room with her. Of course, I do miss seeing her roll her eyes at some of the questions I ask.

I hope you will check out her website: laurabungarz.ca

And others have been so impressed with her that she was invited to record videos in California, so check out this link as well: lynda.com/LauraBungarz

Here is a pic so you now know what she looks like should you be so silly as to not check out the sites.

Remember: If you ever have any issues with technology, Laura is your woman!
As for ASUS, how likely am I to buy another ASUS product? Or recommend ASUS to anyone? Hmmmmm…………