Secrets the Geek Squad Doesn’t Want You to Know.

Keeping that bleeping laptop or desktop running smoothly, isn’t always as easy as having antivirus software installed.  There are programs, apps, and toolbars, waiting to invade your hard drive and wreak havoc on your computer.  So, what do the experts do to keep garbage out of their computers?  It’s simple, really.  I’m going to show you how to get rid of those horrible, evil toolbars, adware, and junk programs.

Now, if you don’t have antivirus program, you have several choices, and they are all absolutely free.  Let’s start with Microsoft Security Essentials.

You can download it from this link.  Microsoft Security Essentials Download

Another good and free antivirus program is AVG Antivirus. 

Now, not all antivirus programs will detect all adware.  These programs install themselves, without your knowledge.  Even when you download legitimate software, you run the risk of downloading and installing potentially unwanted programs (PUP’s)  as seen below.

Malwarebytes is another free program that will help rid you adware, You can download it here.  Malwarebytes

Now that you have downloaded and ran your antivirus, and antimalware software, you might want to really clean up your computer. Download CCleaner

Now one last tip.  Most computers come from the factory with junk programs already installed.  To get rid of these unwanted programs, particularly the ones that you will never use, go to Control Panel in Windows.

Once in Control Panel find Uninstall Programs. 

Then look through your list of installed programs.  If you see anything that has the words, toolbar, coupon, or anything your recognize as a program you do not use, simply select it by clicking on it, and then click UNINSTALL.

Be careful!  Do not uninstall anything you are not 100% sure is a program you can live without!  Many of the programs operate hardware on your computer.  If you aren’t sure, leave it alone!  Now you know enough to protect yourself from slow computing, freeze ups, and adware.  Good luck.

No Pain no Gain

Well, I just returned from my first ever physical therapy session, after injuring my shoulder.  Seems like the older I get the more things hurt, and the longer it takes for them to stop hurting.  While I have always thought I had a high pain tolerance, I am beginning to wonder if I am human after all.

In the past 48 years, I have endured several cuts, bruises, numerous stiches, and a fractured Tibia, for which I never received any medical attention.  I was once ran over by an old tractor, which left me in the hospital for three days with a bruised Kidney. 

None of those compare to the daily grinding and popping of the knee joints, and other various body parts.  Now I went and done it!  My left shoulder feels like someone is sticking a knife in it every time I raise it above me head.  “Does it hurt when you do this?” said the doctor.  “Yes, a lot.” I replied.  He looked at me with a straight face and said, “Well don’t do it then.”  Ah, the joys of getting older.  If I am not hurting, then I begin to worry.  Anyway, we will see if this “PT” actually helps.  Until next time…

Where's my cake?

Only a little while until my birthday, September 25.  I recently got my hands on my baby book.  Stacey was surprised to see pictures of me as a child in the house we live in now.  There is one of me in the yard with my grandmother, and the pine trees were really short back then.  Strange to look back and see things as they were and as they are now.  Amazing what things stay the same.  I only wish I had my yearbooks, and photo albums that got left in Tucson.  So many lost memories. 

The Good Ole Days

Back when I was a kid growing up in the Town of Stanton Tennessee, I used to get up at 5 AM to catch the school bus, for an hour long ride to Brownsville.  In the summer I helped my Grandparents work in the half acre garden behind the presbyterian church.  I remember having to get up before daylight and try to save the tomato plants from a late frost.  I remember every morning my Grandmother would have breakfast on the table, and the old electric peculator chugging away on the counter.  We were always canning food from the garden.  I remember getting my first bicycle and crashing it into the basketball goal next door, and biting a hole through my tongue.  I would not let the doctor put stitches in my tongue.  So, what is my point...I don't have one, because I lost my train of thought.  Growing up in an extremely small town, I was not exposed to many of the things children in larger towns and cities, found for amusement. I didn't go to a movie theater or skating rink until I was twelve years old.  Once a year, my Mom would take me to the fair in Memphis for my birthday in September.  I remember going to B.F. Beake Grocery for a scoop of ice cream in a cone, or to one of the two drug stores in town for real hand dipped ice cream.  I also remember going to Beakes store for a quart of coal oil (kerosene) for the hurricane lamps my grand mother kept on hand for those all too frequent power outages.  My next door neighbor still had an out house to use the bathroom, and so did our church.  I'm old enough to have actually white washed an out house.  I'll be 48 years old in September, and there is no more Mid South Fair in Memphis, no more scoops of ice cream.  There are no more little family owned stores lining the main street in Stanton.  I was recruited to join the Stanton Historic Zoning Commission.  I have fought to get a portion of the the downtown business district zoned as historic, to make sure that what little of Stanton's history is left is preserved. Even though the buildings are gone now, we can make sure that new buildings are built in a style that compliments the historic image of a railroad town from the late 1700's.  

And the heat goes on!

Ok, did I actually say, "I wish it was summer"!  It has been too hot to fish, too hot to be outside, and way to hot inside my house.  I'm on week two of having a black eye, from getting a tree limb in the face at work.  The stitches came out on their own.  It still hurts.  Supposed to go back to the doctor this we so he can check it and make sure I don't have any complications.  I've been working for The Town of Stanton, since April this year. (2011) This started out as a part time/on call position, but right now, I'm working up to 37 hours a week.  We always take off at lunch on Friday.  I'm supervising 7 workers, and trying to keep all the equipment working.  Not easy!  Every time I turn around something breaks or quits, or just flat out won't do anything.  I have a good crew though, they have kept things moving along, even though we constantly run into some sort of obstacle.  We have been replacing the fence around the sewerage lagoon.  There were tree's up to 2 feet in diameter grown into the fence wire. Unfortunately, I can't keep the backhoe running long enough to get all of the stumps dug out. On the bright side we have plenty of work to keep us busy.  We have started clearing off overgrowth on some of the ditch banks around town.  Tree's and shrubs hanging over in the road. I don't know how long I can keep up this pace, my whole body hurts. I haven't had time to mow my yard, so I actually have to pay someone to cut it for me.  I have so much stuff I need to get done, and I am too tired to do any of it.  Maybe the weather will break and drop back down in the low 80s at least.  At least I'm getting a good tan out of the deal.

Mud and Flood

Well, I have had enough of the rain and mud for this spring, is it summer yet?  Last time I posted I was talking about going fishing.  I went with my wife, Stacey, up to Eva, TN, for our 3rd anniversary. We rented a nice cabin, just over looking the Tennessee River/Kentucky Lake.  The first day was awful, the boat motor wouldn't run.  The fishing was bad, the water was rough and muddy.  We went back to the cabin to enjoy our first night in this huge cabin, that was bigger than most hotel suites.  Satellite TV, phone, air conditioning, gas logs, two bedrooms, two baths, awesome real leather furniture.  Stacey was a little upset that there was no internet, but I told her we were roughing it.  The second day out, we found a boat motor, for a good price, and took it out, right off the bat I ran into a tree.  Scared the stew out of Stacey.  The water was really rough all day long, white capping.  About five PM, we were able to get out an fish for a while and caught some nice catfish. It rained the next morning with thunder storms, until about noon. The fishing still wasn't very good, but we managed to get out and try the motor out.  25 Horsepower is pretty big on my boat, just above idle speed and we really were moving. Once I got the trim adjusted it did really great!  Just enough to keep the nose out of the water.  We could make it to the Beaver Dam  Creek Marina and back in half the time it used to take us.  Too bad they were closed because of the high water, they have really good burgers.  Third day out and we didn't even bother putting the boat in the water, fish were biting like crazy right on the campground, which was completely flooded! All the way up to the road, there was flood water.  I caught a picnic table once and had to break my line to get it loose.  Stacey was fishing off of a picnic table that had a few inches of water, just at the base.  She was pulling Bluegill out of the water as fast as she could re-bait her hook.  I kept catching those little stripped bass.  I finally moved down to where she was fishing and my luck changed drastically.  We caught 50 in all in just a few hours.  We had to quit because we ran out of night crawlers.
This had to be the best trip we had even with the bad weather and flooding.  No sleeping on the ground, no wet clothes in the tent, shower right there waiting after a long day of fishing!  My wife always catches more fish than I do, but that's because I'm running the boat, of fishing her fishing line.  Oh, the minnows I bought two months ago are still in my fish tank in the bedroom.  Stacey thinks I'm keeping them as pets.  I'm just fattening them up for the Crappie!

Spring Fever

As I sit here, debating on whether to stir up something again, watching the rain, I keep wondering, is it almost spring yet?  Well, it certainly feels like it might be trying.  The buttercups are blooming, but I have seen them covered in snow, so that's no indication.  I am so ready for tee shirts, and grass cutting.  OK, my mind suddenly went blank, and all I can think about is fishing.  As much as I would love to stir up some controversy, I'm afraid that I can't think of anything important right now.  Sorry I bothered you.  Go back to what you were doing on Facebook.