Friday Laptop Issues

For those who read the blog and even wait for it to appear, yesterday it was very late. I had problems with my laptop backups and was focused on them, so the blog didn’t finish until late yesterday. Sorry.

What I discovered while writing the blog was that I could not find a Microsoft Word document on my laptop, and I thought I might have deleted it in error (I had the wrong name for it). I checked my backups. I use Apple’s Time Machine to keep long-lasting records of changes to my laptop. Meaning I could, at least a few months ago, check back a year or more for something. I was shocked to see that something had changed, and Time Machine now contained only a week of history. Yikes!

Corruption or malicious changes often take a month to discover. A backup needs to be able to recover the laptop from a month-old copy. A week is not enough. My checks, which I was doing instead of writing the blog, showed that the fast, solid-state drive I have used for years was now 90% full, with only a week’s worth of updates. The same drive that once held for years. Something changed.

And indeed it has, I am using the Tahoe 26.1, the latest version of the OS, and it appears that this destroyed all my backups. Apparently, there was no backward compatibility, and it just scratched them all. Time Machine is not always stable over the years, but I have rescued my Apple Laptop many times with it. Every hard drive has failed, and I have rebuilt my systems from a Time Machine image.

I also have another fast (and expensive) external drive that I keep not in the house (usually), and I manually copy all my files to it. I also back up Quicken to it. If I wanted to get ancient-style, I should use an optical drive and make everlasting copies, until the technology fails or you realize the copy did not really work. But a simple file copy works, and most of what I want to keep is not current. Quicken also backs up online (part of the service) and will sync an old copy. Had to do that once already.

I found the file on the grey drive that I grabbed from its hiding place (my Time Machine drive is called ‘Silver’ — the metal cases are different shades), then found it on Local on my laptop. Somehow I had searched the Cloud, not my Apple laptop (?!), and do not get me started on iCloud and how my files are there, too. Still, I was disturbed that my dream of safe backups was dashed. I manually copied my files, and ran out of space. F**k!

I was out of time, the morning spent on an IT mission to get safe. I have found that backups and file searches somehow take hours that disappear in a puff of IT blue smoke. I hopped into the shower, shaved, and all that. Ignored laundry day (Friday for me), and boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to Beaverton.

I was only a few minutes late for my blood donation, but then I was told to wait until the setup was done at my church, First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. Not ‘Global’ but ‘United’ as we are the loving original now officially accepting LGBTQ, and we fly a flag on the outside of the building matching this. Generally, we UM folks think there is enough ‘excluding’ out there without us adding to it.

I have to fill out the online form. I got multiple calls, texts, and emails reminding me of the appointment, but none had me fill out the online form. But I then remember it is only good for 24 hours, and just sit and do it on my iPhone. There are two people ahead of me, as I am now a walk-in, as I did not do the online form first, and then show up (eye-rolling moment, but it is a volunteer organization, so it gets special dispensation, and I just smile and follow their processes). I waited about ten minutes and chatted with Cliff, the check-in volunteer. We both worked at the same local NGO, Building Together, but did not know each other.

I pass with exceptions (travel to Iceland, having cancer, and breathing issues not currently an issue) and soon fill a pint while trying to read, bleed, and relax. I am feeling fine. I have now done this about every three months and have no issues except a headache and some fatigue later in the evening. With a cookie and a bottle of water, I head to get some groceries. I plan to make Jambalaya for the church potluck (yes, more UM stuff). I stopped by 185th Veggies, and they were happy to see me. I spent $20 on veggies (and some microwave popcorn).

Next, I stopped, fading a bit, at Market of Choice and was once again amazed at the prices. I got some sausage and a whole baked chicken for the Jambalaya, and found Pacific Seafood’s shrimp without tails (and cleaned). I grabbed a few other items (including more eggnog) and still spent more than 5x at 185th Veggies. The hams were $8 a pound, more than twice Costco’s price, I learned from Dondrea.

With all my goodies, I head to the house in the EV. I talk to Deborha on and off while traveling. I still forget some items, and I sit in my chair and get a few minutes’ nap when Corwin shows up.

We return to the board game we started on Friday, The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, from the same people who made Pandemic. We make corrections, and this first play is really invalid, but we finish the game and win. We reset and play again with the rules all correct, I think, and it reminded me of the Pandemic building engine. We soon became desperate, hoping to just make it. We manage to distract Sauron like in the movie by marching out our armies of the Free Peoples, but the Ring Bearer is not in Mordor, and hope is fading. Corwin, again running Frodo and Sam, gets them in Mordor, but hope is lost, and we lose: Frodo loses hope, and Golem is not there (he is not in play for two players). Next time!

It was an excellent experience, and the game works and is not overly predictable like the original Pandemic (which makes sense for a virus). It reminds me of the War of the Ring by Ares, but faster and for more than two players (though War of the Ring can play three, it is not really a good three-person game). There is dust on War of the Ring as it is hours to set up and hours and hours to play, and often many rules issues as you try to remember how to play and keep all the rules right. After two add-ons, a rollout map, and other updates, it’s an expensive game to gather dust.

(got to read the map upside down)

After our loss, I had to head out, and Corwin and I said our goodbyes. The EV crossed Beaverton using the same sliding path I used when visiting the Humminbird House after getting two tickets. I avoid lights with cameras and Beaverton’s Finest using this path. Dondrea and Z welcome me to their home for a quick dinner, a giant pot pie from Costco. We open some gifts and, after a delicious dinner (I brought the pumpkin pie and the new eggnog), I teach how to play a new board game, Tiny Epic Galaxies. Dondrea, telling us she does not get it, smokes us.

With the game taught, box packing needing to be done, and me getting tired fast (blood loss showing). The travel in Air VW the Gray across Beaverton without issue (or attracting unwanted attention from civil authority). I did little more than sit in my chair in the living room and relax.

But the blog was not done, and that is against my discipline, so I would not let it carry over to the next day. I grabbed an electric blanket, my laptop, and wrote the blog in my chair, not my desk, and finished and published the blog wrapped in a warm blanket (thanks, Kathy and Martin, for the blankets).

I decided I need to invest. These wonderfully fast, wallet-sized, multi-Tbyte, solid-state drives are not cheap; the OWC Apple site provides the latest (and more expensive than last time, damn tariffs!). Too much money (over $400) and it will be here next week. I cannot risk deleting old data due to Time Machine instability to free up space on my manual backup. I click and spend; ugh!

I put on my PJs and take my meds, but not my emergency inhaler. I read more Judge Dee stories and finally turn off the light near midnight. Sleep is disturbed by dreams of small spaces, suggesting a feeling of drowning. But not too serious this time, I remember in my dream being able to breathe and deciding to try to go on.

Sleep was hard, but not as bad as the night before, and I got some rest. I do wake and take my inhaler, and that helps.

Thanks for reading.