I can still learn a few new tricks!

My Christmas gift from Paul was a new computer, an Apple MacBook.  We just bought it yesterday, and aside from a few frustrations I am enjoying it a lot. I´ve already loaded it up with my pictures and am working on my music.

I am planning on using open-source software for spreadsheets, word processing, (Open Office) and photo editing/graphics (Gimp or Seashore). I am using Firefox for my browser, and since I used Foxmarks to keep track of my bookmarks they came right in easily.  I´m using Thunderbird (a Mozilla product) for my email and got everything imported from Outlook more or less without problems.

If you´re a Mac user,  I´d be very interested in any tips or tricks that might help me and my Windows-centric brain.  I was actually going to include a picture of me set up on the ironing board next to my old computer, but you know, getting the camera connected is something I think I will leave for tomorrow!

One thing I did by buying the computer here locally was get it with a Spanish layout keyboard.  Mac will let you change your operating language and keyboard in the settings (nice!) but I kept the Spanish layout and operations since it is much easier to do the Spanish characters and the changes for English are easy to remember, too.  I think I´m typing almost as fast.

I am really thrilled to have a laptop again.  It will be great to take it where the sun is (or isn´t…depending) to have music, or knitting patterns, or recipes, or blogs, or email or whatever right where I feel like being.  No more being tied to the office for everything!

I think I have a childish nature, too, since I absolutely love how the application icons kind of ¨hop¨ when mail arrives or processing finishes.  This thing just makes me happy.  Go figure, all those people who said I would love a Mac were right!