For the first time since getting my new laptop in May, I tried to access my external hard drive, where I have stored all of my digital images since 2004. Brenda requested a picture of Buford that I had taken awhile back.

Compatibility issue between 3M Petrifilm Plate Reader and Windows Vista

This problem was caused by a compatibility issue between Windows Vista and 3M Petrifilm Plate Reader.

3M Company, the company that manufactured 3M Petrifilm Plate Reader, has informed Microsoft that they do not expect to offer updates to fix this problem.

Wow. Sucky. Looks like I will be bugging my aunts to burn a (few) CD(s) off of my picture files. This week has been mostly lousy anyhow, so why not this, too. I have been attending class at work, class at home, and all the while I have been thinking about what will happen tomorrow. My mind is tired, and I feel sluggish. I have a 750-word essay due Sunday that I haven't even started researching yet. Nick brushes off this concern, says I can crank out 750 words in a heartbeat. True.

I am taking Friskey to the vet tomorrow afternoon. Dad pulled a 180° on me early this week and told me that she seemed fine now. After a week of weeping and making myself okay with the decision, it was painful to hear his words...false hope is lethal. He stopped by the clinic earlier this week to describe the way that she acts, and they suspected that she has the equivalent of human Alzheimer's. They calculated her age in human years at nearly 90. I told him to make an appointment for Friday afternoon when I had my half-day of work. I knew that whatever the outcome of the visit, I had to be the one to take her. I had to enlist the help of my fellow kitty-lovers to go along with me.

On the flip side, I'm a published photographer now! On a whim, I submitted an oldish photograph to a local news station's weather calender contest. While in Florida, I was told that I was a finalist. Yesterday morning I noticed my photograph on a commercial for the calendar before I left. Last night, UPS delivered a package with 15 calendars, umbrellas, a jump drive and a thermal coffee mug. I am July! Since we have so many calendars, Nick thinks we ought to put on up by Sophie's litter box. He reasons that maybe she would like to have something to look at while she "poos".