We’ve been cleaning up Alan’s memoribila room lately. We found copies of this excerpt in his folders from ABBA. He said I should read it every morning to start my day. Actually, he said I should read positive thoughts or positive sayings every morning before I start my day. It might be an interesting experience. I might try it. Anyway, here it is. I thought you might enjoy it too.

The weird thing is I was planning on planting a garden here next year. Now, I think I will. I just will.

“Gorilla of my dreams!” was just one of the quotes at Tod Brilliant’s Polaroid Art opening at the Flying Goat coffee house in Healdsburg. One time Tod told us that he would like to go down to the local coffee shop in a gorilla suit, order a coffee, sit there and drink it–all without talking. He just wanted to see people’s reactions.

It turns out he actually did do that once. I didn’t know he’d actually done it though. He and a friend dressed up in gorilla suits, walked down to the Flying Goat, ordered coffee — and I think — attempted to drink it. After my experience in the gorilla suit last night, I’m not quite sure how someone might accopmlish that.

Regardless, Tod had a rather successful opening last night–or it seemed successful from my perspective. There were many people, some wine, and root beer floats. I arrived just after 8h00 pm and everything was in full swing. Because a year or so ago, Tod had mentioned this gorilla suit scenario, I thought it would be funny to attend his art show opening in a gorilla costume. I rented a gorilla suit from a local costume shop (including a tutu–because I wanted to be a girl gorilla).

I made a tiny child cry. A few people tried to talk to me, but I have such a quiet voice and the mask made it impossible to hear me say anything. I just ended up standing around getting stinky and hot — which is just what you would expect from a gorilla suit.

The best thing was though, nobody expected me to arrive in a gorilla suit. Tod thought I was his friend who’d dressed up with him before. Andi didn’t know who the hell I was (until I had to breathe and I showed her my face). I hope Tod and Andi appreciated the appearance. I just thought it would be funny.

My friend Waitman made a custom bumper sticker for someone he doesn’t know personally, but is apparently relatively famous: Theodore Gray.

Theodore is the co-founder of Wolfram, Inc. and the initial developer of the software program Mathematica from two decades ago. Waitman thought about it for three days before he ordered and sent it to him. Then he got worried about offending a guy that he didn’t know and wondered about his sense of humour.

Theo seems to have a sense of humour though because he replied:

“…I also collect cigarette lighters (don’t ask my why) and one of my favorites says “I’m famous on the internet”. What made someone think of putting this on the side of a lighter I do not know.”

I am structuring my time around projects and learning. In September, I had a few things I wanted to do with my time off but I am finding that if I don’t schedule it, I don’t do it. Therefore, I am declaring Wednesdays to be Website Wednesdays. Wednesdays will be the day I work on getting my websites online or researching how to get more online. All-in-all, it should end up being very productive.

I also have Filing Fridays. All I do all day long on Fridays is file and enter finances. I guess Fridays really are Filing and Finance Fridays.

Tuesdays are for doing things or making lists of things to do for each project I’m working on: To Do Tuesdays.

I was struggling with Mondays, because I couldn’t find something to relate it to. I had Moxie Mondays for a day because that was the best I could come up with. However, today somebody reminded me that I want to learn more about multi-media, video, tracks, and audio-visual story-telling. Therefore, I am declaring Mondays to be Multi-Media Mondays.

I also wouldn’t mind visiting some museums or photo galleries in San Franciso. That was on my list of things to do this summer that I never did. Steve suggested Sightseeing Sundays. I like it. It fits.

I was stuck on what make Thursdays. I have a few minds mulling it over with me. The best one we can come up with though is Thumbprint Thursdays. This means I will have to get a job at Thumbprint Cellars–and it will have to be on Thursdays. I wonder if I could swing that? And what do I schedule on Saturdays?

I am talking to Joe at Directware Plus in Petaluma a lot recently. I found him the other day because I was randomly calling computer networking numbers in the Yellow Pages. I was hoping to find a WiFi solution for this Verizon PC5740 broadband card. I called Directware Plus because they have a local Petaluma address and I like to support local businesses. I listened to the automated answering service, considered the options, and then pressed 3 for technical support.

I assume that I am supposed to buy their products before I call for technical support. However, when Joe answered, I just asked my question (which was about using my new laptop as the router for my cellular data card and I thought that was a pretty technical question). He was very good. He just took it all in stride. I now assume that he answers a lot of calls like that–just people calling up out of the blue to answer computer questions–because he’s good at it.

I call him Joe Random because Directware Plus was just a random number I picked out of the phone book. It was pretty random that I just pressed 3 for technical support. It was pretty random that I get such good support from that random number. I like that. It fits into my “Series of Random Events” life theme.

Joe has good suggestions. He even convinced me I should negoitiate a lower gym membership during my hiatus-from-jobs-that-pay-the-bills-phase. And I did. He also reprimanded me for eating a stale bagel. I didn’t eat all of it, just the bit that wasn’t stale. Regardless, he had practical advice about my general health and well-being (more specifically, “Don’t eat stale bagels. That’s disgusting!”). He ends up being sort of like the person on the other end of the line in This American Life’s story on Time to Save the World:

“…Act Two. Heather Help Me. Jessica Riddle reports on how, as a teenager, she and her friends would pick up the phone and dial the letters of the name “Heather” and talk to the old man who’d pick up the phone. At first they’d just prank call him. But then it turned out to be much more. (18 minutes).”

Except, I wasn’t making a prank call when I called him and don’t know how old Joe is, but I don’t think he’s old.

Today Joe helped me set up a WiFi router at the rental property. Just like that. Thank you very much Joe. Contrary to the conversations, I don’t know what else to say. One day, you too may utter that famous quote from Shrek: “Two words, Donkey. Shut. Up.”

I will continue to talk to Joe Random I think. He’s got a sense of humour and is very good at what he does. I think I might even call him up and ask him random, non-technical questions. I will call up the Directware Plus number, briefly listen to the automated answering system, press 3 for technical support and say: “Joe Random. This is Donkey. Technically, I have a question…”

Today, it’s raining on this mountain top. I guess winter is setting in. Yesterday, I called a local computers-R-US technician to ask if he could help me find a way either to plug this Verizon Broadband PC5740 card into a router so I could broadcast the internet connection from the one corner of the house (where it is the strongest) to the other corner of the house (where I need it) or to help me figure out if I could use my laptop as the router and log into the laptop from the desktop. When I told him where I was located (because he wanted to know why I wasn’t getting a cable internet connection), he said: “Oh, poor you. You are stuck on the top of Sonoma Mountain without any high speed. Must suck to be you.” No sympathy from Joe. But he is (or was) trying to help me find a solution.

Yes. I guess, it sucks to be me. I have an incredible place to stay while I sort my life out, except, I can’t seem to get high speed internet access. Well. I am investigating all kinds of solutions for high speed right now because it took me 2 hours the other morning to pay my bills over dial up (it should have taken ten minutes). I’m now investigating cellular amplifiers and maybe, if worst comes to worst, satellite. Joe gave me a lead on HughesNet. I have yet to follow it up.

Winter is setting in though. And I’m guessing that most of my Canadian readers will say: “Winter!! A bit of rain and you think its winter??? You gotta get out of California girl. Reality check: A bit ‘o rain doth not a winter make. Come back and spend a few months in -30 C and see how you feel about winter.”

And I’m thinking about it. Really. My main problem is though I don’t know what I would do if I moved back to Canada. How would I pay my bills and stuff? I’m pretty frustrated here in CA. I think I just have to make a decision. I have a flight home on 15 Dec. Maybe, I’ll just stay in the Yukon. Life could be worse I guess.

Yukonjen.com is getting a makeover. I’m very excited at the prospect. The worst thing is though, that I’ve already written this post, but I lost the connection. Now I have to remember what I’ve already written–Ugh! I have two weeks to figure out this Verizon Broadband thing. I hope I can figure something out WiFi-wise. Right now, the best reception is in the corner of the living room but I want to work in the office. Alas. If this internet connection thing is the greatest of my woes, I am grateful.

Back to the topic. Yes, my site is getting a makeover. I’m hoping to have it online by the middle of October. I’m also expecting that I have a few more answers to some questions that have been plaguing me for a while too. Change is good. Change is progress. You have to update yourself every so often and I think it’s far better to be the initiator.

Redd, Catherine…I hope you are prepared to release GB jr from the clutches of Chris Danton. I’m only going to assume the worst.

What a relief. Finally. This Verizon Broadband data plan does work…It just doesn’t work in the corner office! It works in various places throughout the house, it just doesn’t work in the corner office. I WILL NEVER BE BOXED IN AGAIN!!! Yukon Jen –outside the box. The only way to be.

I just have to find a router and adapter thingie so I can make this entire place WiFi. Now–that would be cool.

Thank you to both Matt and Daamon at Petaluma Wireless for being so patient and helping me sort this out.

Wicked. I’m so excited. I just spent the last hour or hour and a half showing Alan Google Earth. I showed him the 3D view of his property here in California. I showed him where my parents live in the Yukon. I showed him the wee spec on the screen where I grew up (Mile 906.8 Alaska Highway). By the way, there are certainly a lot of ice caps in Northern Canada and Alaska. Also, for future reference, there are some HUGE bodies of water in the Yukon. In Canada for that matter. There is practically no water here in California.

Well. Now I have to make myself something to eat. All in a day’s work–outside the box.