Mac Tip #4: Zoom In

At some point, we all have trouble seeing and brining a magnifying glass every time you use your computer may be a bit odd. The print on some websites and the people in some pictures are just too small and you need a way to make it bigger.  Pulling the screen closer to you is not the best help, because after a while you will hit your nose to the screen.  So put away that magnifying glass, keep your head at a normal distance from the screen, and learn how to zoom in.

Find the "Control Key": 

(Yours will be far more streamlined than this, because this chunky one is from a PC.  It's located in the bottom left corner of your keyboard.)

Simply hold down this button while you move your fingers on your trackpad on your laptop (You know, it's where you control your mouse) in a upward motion.  You will see the screen get larger in front of you.   Once the words or picture is as big as you would like it, let go of the control key and use your fingers on the trackpad to move the screen around.  You will not be able to type or navigate when the screen is zoomed in,  you will only be able to look at what is on the screen.  To get the screen back to it's original size, hold down the control key again, and move your fingers in a downward motion.  If you have a desktop, do the same things as mentioned above, only use the scrolling feature on your mouse.  

Go on, give it a try:

isn't it so much better when you can see?

We Wasted the Good Surprise on You

Surprise parties present such problems for everyone involved.

 If you are the guest of honor, then the weeks leading up to the party, you think that no one cares about you.  This is because everyone who knows about the party is trying really hard to be really sneaky and therefore say nothing about anything pertaining to the event at hand.  Not even a hint that they know that something is going on.  So if it's a birthday, no one even acts like they remember it's coming.  If it's a congratulatory party, no one acts like they care.  You may as well have lost your job, or quit school. So you end up feeling that you are a loser who has no friends, and the ones you do have, hate you.

If you are the organizer, you are forced to think of who to invite.  This is so crucial because if you invite someone that you have no idea that the guest of honor has a secret loathing for, then you are screwed.  You shift quickly from "party-organizer-hero" to "party-ruiner."  If you invite the enemy, then you are better off not throwing a party at all.

When it's time for the "SURPRISE" everyone is always freaking out.  And with good reason, I mean no one was mean to their friend for no reason right?  But this moment is either overly prepared or completely under prepared.  If it's coordinated perfectly, then the guest of honor is receiving text messages or phone calls telling them where to go and when, that the organizer hopes to pull off as a spur of the moment plan, and the guest of honor will wonder why the heck the organizer is suddenly so freaking prompt and organized.  If it's not planned well, then the surprise is wasted.  The house is full and booming with loud tunes and doritos crunching and then right before the guest of honor gets there everything is quiet.  You have to balance a fine line between being organized and being aloof.  Which is really hard to do when you are trying to be yourself and make someone go somewhere right at an exact moment.  This is the most stressful part of the party.

Attached to the "SURPRISE" moment, is the mess of the picture takings.  For some reason, when people hide and are waiting, there is this temptation to crouch down.  No matter that there is most likely nothing to hide behind since everyone is in a living room, if people are crouching they feel like they are being really stealth.  So when the guest of honor opens that door and people scream the beloved "SURPRISE" all the cameras start flashing; but from down below.  This results in the guest of honor always having a double chin.  Eyes red, and stomach looking sort of pregnant.  They always demand that a fake "surprise picture" is taken, and it never fools anyone.

The People You'll Meet

At the Starbucks that I frequent, I usually run into this character.  He loves to communicate and so I know way too much about him:

1. He "loves all things Jesus"

2.  He is unemployed but is dying to find a job very fast.  But, he sees that for most jobs he wants, he needs  a Masters.  So when he found out that I was getting a Master's he said, "Oh where?  I need to pick one up."

3.  His career goals have evolved from accounting to health care to drug rehab.

4.  He no longer goes to this Starbucks anymore because the soft chairs started to hurt his back.  He goes to one now with "more tables."

5. After telling him all about my job, he has concluded that my line of work is a "professional reader."

Oh the people you'll meet.

You Forgot Your Pen and Asked Me for Mine. I'm Mad at You Now

This is a great post from Stuff Christian like.

Ha ha.  I'm still laughing.

Read it, and then please confess here that me and that guy are not the only two people that do exactly this.

Class Act

We had macaroni and cheese with apple sauce on the side for dinner last night.

I ate it on my bed, with a tray, in my running clothes while watching Sienfeld.

All I could think about was how I would love some wine to go with it.

I'm such a class act.

Sir, Can I Have Some More?

I picked up some Natural Mint Hot Coco from Trader Joes.  Cy said we could only get it if I actually drank it.  I think he is referring to, literally, the 30 boxes of tea that I have yet to consume.  But, I am proud to say that scoop by scoop I am drinking it down.  I even brought it with me babysitting last week, and when it was time to reach for a mug, I was delightfully surprised to find the same jar in their cabinets.  The grocery shopper of that household is one of the healthiest but still yummiest food eaters I know, so I knew I had scored big time.  But just in case I need to convince myself (and you) a bit more, check it out:

In terms of pesticide use, it is second only to cotton.  So that means, if you are wearing your organic shirt and you spill your hot coco down the front, then you are pesticide free. Or if you get organic coco, then none are used at all.  Yes, that means you don't even have to wear a shirt.  Wait, what?

Coco has almost twice the antioxidants of red wine, and almost three times as many as green tea.  But you can't pretend you are drunk, no one will buy it.

Mint will soothe your digestive track, and getting rid of stomach discomfort and any bacteria that you may have in there.  If this really is the case, I can't imagine that mint hot coco is the best option, but it might be enough for you to have more than one cup.


Facts from: Ideal Bite and A2Z of Health

M.I.A.

I have been totally and completely M.I.A. lately.  I guess that is what happens when you work full time, go to grad school full time and try to live a life.  But I think I am back for a few days now, so that is good.  Here are a few things that you have missed hearing about:

1. My best friend Stephanie got engaged.
2. We tried to send out our thank you notes for our wedding gifts and found out we have about 5 gifts we have no idea where they came from.
3. We talked about "bodily fluids" in seminary class. Oh, Leviticus.
4. I was dying to go to Costco and got all hyped up when we ran out of time and we could not go. (yes, that is a highlight).
5. I threw away some hair dye coupons so they could not "tempt me". (That's a direct quote)
6. I realized I have a book due today and I have not finished it yet. Or started it.  Or even have it in my presence.

You are probably so sad that I have not blogged about these things.  Grab a tissue, it's ok.  I will be back on my A-game this week.