Overheard......

—1) At the mighty Mezz:

“I love my MAC,” said a reporter; “but the one I got at home is an old G3 tower that we had when you worked here.
It had 9.0 on it, upgraded to 9.2.
Someone told me I couldn’t upgrade it to OS-X, so I’m stuck with 9.2.”
(9.2 was what I used at first, but it was rather unstable. OS-X has never crashed over the 2+ years I’ve used it.)
“So I’m using some flaky browser that’s not Internet-Explorer. I’m told IE for MACs is terrible.......”
“So FireFox,” I said.
“But there isn’t a FireFox for 9.2.”
“Oh yeah,” I said. “That was part of the reason I upgraded to OS-X — no FireFox for 9.2.”
“I really love this laptop” (an Apple iBook on her desk); she also had an Apple flat-screen. Both had the OS-X interface. Both also had FireFox in the dock.
“Now I copy-edit, and I can even put Steve over here for a ‘pyooter-chat.”
“Um; your cubicle is two from his,” I said. “I’d shout at him if I were you; in fact, I don’t even have to raise my voice and he’s listening.”

—2) At the vaunted Canandaigua YMCA:

“I’d never vote Republican again even if they paid me. Those guys made such a mess over the past eight years, I’d have to be crazy to vote my approval.
And then old white-haired dude named that bimbo to be his running-mate.” (Her word, everyone.)
There were similar comments at the mighty Mezz, but I know -a) I’ve already exceeded the boredom limit, and -b) I had the awful temerity and unmitigated gall and horrific audacity to comment negatively on the REPUBLICAN ticket. (That is, I reported a negatory comment [dread], and we all know Dubya has been the greatest prez of all time....)

The “mighty Mezz” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired over two years ago. Best job I ever had.

RE: “I love my MAC.......” —My siblings all use Windows PCs, and insist the Apple Macintish, which I use, is a “Tinker-Toy.” (I’m the only one that uses a MAC; making me reprehensible.)

“G3” is an earlier iteration of the Apple Macintish computer. I have a “G4.” My first MAC was a “G3;” and my computer at the Messenger Newspaper was a “G3.”

“9.0” and “9.2” are versions of an earlier Apple operating-system. “OS-X” is the most recent Apple operating-system.

Microsoft “Internet-Explorer” (“IE”) is their Internet-browser. It’s mainly for Windows PCs, but they made a MAC version. “FireFox” is another Internet-browser. It’s the one I use with this blog — recommended by them. (IE messed things up.)

RE: “In the dock......” —OS-X has a row of icons for each software application in a “dock” at one edge of the screen; mine at screen-bottom. The icons fire up the software application.

“Steve” is Steve Bushiere (“Bew-SHEER”), Copy Chief at the Messenger Newspaper.

RE: “Her word, everyone.......” —I’ll get noisily accused by all my siblings of personally badmouthing Sarah Palin, who they think is a fabulous choice.

RE: “I’ve already exceeded the boredom limit.......” —My siblings, especially my all-knowing, blowhard macho brother-from-Boston, the NASCAR-dad, think that exceeding five words is boring.

RE: “Comment negatively on the REPUBLICAN ticket......” —All my siblings are tub-thumping Limbaugh Conservatives, and are appalled and noisily incensed that I am a Democrat.

“Dubya” is George W. Bush, our current president.