On Being Kicked Out of the Land of Windows XP

If you haven’t already heard, Microsoft will no longer be supporting the Windows XP operating system as of April 8th of this year.  Computers running Windows XP will continue to run.  It’s not like you’ll turn on your computer on April 9th and be greeted by a death rattle and a blue screen saying, “Goodbye, I’ve gone to that big OS place in the sky.”  It only means that Microsoft won’t be writing anymore software to protect it against cyber-villains who love to find vulnerabilities in any operating system and take control of it for their purposes or just ruin your day by accessing and deleting or rewriting  everything precious to you.  Yes, it is potentially that bad.

You might think that up-to-date anti-virus software is the answer.  Partly, but not completely, and none of the AV software developers are guaranteeing continued support of XP beyond 1-2 years.  Microsoft wasn’t writing those updates for giggles.  Computer attacks come in different forms and they’re not all in a way that even the best AV software will catch.  Even at their most perfect, all operating systems have flaws, little cracks in their programs that hackers just love to find and exploit.  That’s what those updating patches were for, to fill those cracks, and after April 8, they’re not going to be coming to an XP computer near you.

So, no more updates, no more security patches.  Windows XP has reached its expiration date and like a can of soup that’s marked as should have been eaten two years ago, you use it now at your own risk.  You might ask why Microsoft would do this to so many people, folks who may not be able to afford to upgrade to something still supported by them or buy equipment with their newest operating system bells and whistles built in.  I’m sure there’s an official statement as to why, but let me give it to you simply.  Microsoft is a business and one of the things they do is create operating system software.  You want bigger, better, faster, they can make it happen, but it’s at a price.  Yes, price, cost – MONEY.  They’re providing updates free of charge.  It’s damned nice of them, but it’s not profitable for them to continue to write software code and provide it free for every operating system indefinitely.  How are they going to make any money when you’re forever happy with what you have? 

Some call it keeping up with the cyber-times, creating a better computer experience and keeping the hackers at bay in the process.  Maybe, but much as it’s been 15 years of Microsoft supported bliss for all of us Windows XP users– yes, I said “us” – I think you can also throw a bit of planned obsolescence into the mix as well.

Celebrating the Vernal Equinox

This winter season has been less than ideal.  Even those who loved it weren't overly happy with it.  I mean, how happy can you be with it when you have to dig to your car, dig out your car, dig through the five foot ridge of snow left at the end of your driveway by the highway department, and traverse questionable quality roads just to go to your favorite winter sports activity?  Let's take a moment to think about having to get too much snow off the roof before it collapses.  Let's contemplate how much time was spent clearing ice and using enough salt on roads and walkways that we could start our own ocean.  We won't even discuss the extra heating costs brought on by too many visits by polar air even as far south as Texas and Florida.  We needed it to end and as of this posting, it officially has even though you may not be able to tell yet.

So, let's talk spring.  Let's talk about longer sunny days and warmer temperatures.  Not too warm as to be oppressive, just warm enough to remind us that Mother Nature is really not a bitch.  There's a whole lot less snow trespassing on my property than there was even a week ago.  I can see brown, I can see green, and right now, they're the most beautiful colors I've seen in several months.  There are buds on bushes and trees. Birds are singing to claim their place to nest and raise their families again.  It's renewal, pure and simple, and it's not just renewal of a natural cycle in the northern hemisphere as our planet orbits the sun, but also renewal of a joie de vivre for most folks, something which tends to hibernate a bit from late December until now.

But, the start of spring is different for everyone.  It isn't just a date on the calendar.  For some, it's the disappearance of the snow.  For others, it's longer days.  For still others, it's warmer days and nights.  Some say it's spring when flowers bloom.  There are those with unique takes on when the season arrives.  I particularly like the tradition of when a car falls though the ice on a lake that spring is declared (they reclaim it every year). Unfortunately, that group of folks may be waiting into May for that to happen, given that the ice has been estimated to be at least 2-3 feet thick.  My neighbor's take on it is when he can retrieve the ladder that he had to thrust into a snow pile for roof snow debulking without having to walk through the white stuff again to get to it.  I hope he doesn't need the ladder before then.

As for me, my start of the season just happens to coincide with the day that spring astronomically arrived. We might have cold temperatures again, but they won't be near, at or below 0°F and they won't stay cold for very long. We may have snow again, but it won't be hanging around for very long. Flowers may be slow to show themselves, but they will eventually and they'll make me smile whenever it happens. Regardless of the timing of the signs that say it's spring, they'll only be reinforcing what I know and feel.

For really, spring is a more a state of mind than it is a physical place in the universe.

The Recovery Phase

Well, it’s been a month since my VW Golf’s clutch went to the floor and returned no more.  The experience left me shaken, hobbling, without a working car and unsure what was going to happen next.  Well, here’s Part 2 of the story.

First, there’s my post-dragged condition.  Immediately following the incident, I was a dirty mess and not in the good, sexy way.  There was dirt and salt along the entire right side of my clothing and, of course, my hip was caked in it where friction had yanked my jeans and panties down.  I even had about two tablespoons of ice-deterring gravel and salt in my right shoe which contributed to my limping.  In the urgent care facility, they tried to cover the floor to catch as much of it as possible, but there was still a winter sand and salt cleanup of the room after I left, I’m sure. 

After examining me, ordering x-rays of my right hip and left knee (both negative) and doing the preliminary cleanup on said areas, I was sent home with antibiotic ointment and the works to do a few dressing changes once I really got to get clean.  I was still working on my huge event-induced adrenalin rush even as my best friend picked me up and took me home.  I told the nurse who did the initial evaluation that my pain level was 5 out of 10.  To be honest, I wasn’t really feeling pain at that point, which is normal under the effect of adrenalin.  Once it started to wear off, though, that number turned out to be quite accurate, although it briefly had a moment of being a 7-8 pain level as the shower water hit my injured hip for the first time – yeowch.

Self-examination of the areas post-shower revealed that there was an angry red area on my hip slightly larger than a football which had lost its entire protective layer of skin.  There was also evidence of embedded dirt even though I had managed to scrub most of it off.  The left knee, which had been wedged up next to the door, was clean, but managed to have a few cuts and some bruising where door edge met knee joint.  There was also some numbness to that area, which was mildly concerning but not enough to warrant having it rechecked.  Ointment, bandages, then rest.

Let the world know now that I am a side-sleeper.  It wouldn’t be a problem except that I tend to sleep on my right side.  For the first week, it was impossible to turn onto my right hip without being reminded of that 5 out of 10 pain level.  I learned to sleep more on the left side, with only experimental turns onto the right until I found the discomfort had decreased enough to return to the preferred side down.  However, there was another hazard.  I have cats.  I have cats who have no issue with walking on me like I’m part of the bedding.  I have one cat in particular that likes to pop up and perch on – yes, indeed – my hip.  After several episodes of my screeching, followed by expletives deleted, this particular 8 pounds of feline flesh and fur figured out not to do that until I said it was okay. 

The knee stubbornly remained numb on the outside even as the cuts at the center of the numb area healed.  However, I was able to bend and straighten the knee without pain or difficulty, so I focused attention on my problem child of a hip on the opposite side.

Cut to present day, when all but one of the bandages are off.  The wound debridements I had to do were less than fun, but necessary.  The area on the hip has gone from ugly red and tender to pink and pretty much normal.  There is one last 4x6 adhesive bandage that covers the area at the hip-thigh crease, but it’s not there to just cover the last of the deeper cuts.  It’s there to remind me to keep my hands off.  They’re at the itchy phase and driving me crazy!  If you ever wanted to run a coat-hanger under a plaster cast, you know what I’m talking about.  As far as the knee, the only evidence that anything happened are the two thin healed lines where the cuts were.

For those who wonder about the car, it’s still sitting at the garage while I wait for the replacement title for it to come from NYSDMV.   The last time I saw it was shortly after that huge storm that dumped about two feet of snow.  They very nicely shoveled out my car and I cleaned out all my possessions.  The money still isn’t there to repair it and I know the car has other problems that will need to be addressed, at least one of them shortly after the clutch and/or transmission repair.  I love my 1998 VW Golf, but at 15 years old and having one too many mechanical issues, it’s time to let it go. 

For the moment, I share rides and even get to occasionally borrow a car to drive.  But, more importantly, I’m walking.  Losing regular use of a car is something of a blessing in disguise.  Public transportation is more than a mile and a half from my home and taxis are expensive.  Although the hill I live on makes the return home a challenge, I like walking right now.  I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being inconvenienced by needing to walk to where I needed to go.  There are times when a car is necessary, of course, and others when it’s simply preferred.  Eventually, I’ll have to buy another car.  But for now, I’m almost completely healed and enjoying my recovery phase.

But, stay tuned.  I suspect there will be a Part 3, with a happy ending to this story, if you’re up to reading about it.  It may be down the road a bit, though, no pun intended.