Posts Tagged ‘Bay Area Nia’
Posted by terrepruitt on July 2, 2013
I am so grateful that all of the Nia classes I teach are in air conditioning because it is has been really hot the last few days and the weather predictions for the next few days are just as hot if not hotter. I know that a lot of areas get hotter than us, but we usually don’t have such hot weather. Since the San Francisco Bay Area doesn’t always get into the triple digits it is not uncommon for people to NOT have air conditioning. We don’t have air conditioning. Usually with the few days of heat that we do get it is ok. Our traditional — and wonderful, I might add — weather patterns consist of cooled off nights even when the days are blistering. But sometimes or when the days of heat drag onto six or seven days in a row, it just doesn’t seem to cool off and it makes sleeping difficult. I often see posts on Facebook and tweets on Twitter about how people can’t sleep because it is too hot. When it has been too hot for me to sleep it is usually immediately. As in when I go to bed it is too hot for me to fall asleep. I have a little method of cooling down that at least allows me to sleep. I wanted to share it in hopes that it might allow you, if you are too hot, a few hours of sleep.
Even if this is not new to you or sounds elementary, it might help someone. I know when I mentioned it to someone once they said, “Oh, I never thought of that.” So — hey, it might help.
So what you do before you go to bed is take a cold shower. As cold as you can stand. Now I don’t know what it is about showers, but the other day I got into take a shower and even though the weather was really hot I started taking a warm shower, then I realized that it was really hot and I should try a cool shower at least. So when I say take a cold shower, I really mean COLD. As in jump-in-the-pool-stop-your-breathe type of cold. Now if you are actually taking a shower than I supposed that would be long enough, but if you are just in there to cool down stay as long as you can to actually get cool maybe even chilled. Once you are done don’t dry off all the way. Yeah, that is the big part of this. First cool your body down. Drop your temperature as low as you can in cool/cold water then don’t dry off. Then set a fan up to blow on you while you are in bed. Then go to bed, wet hair, damp body, and all.
Part of the sleep process is lowering your body temperature so when it is hot outside and your body can’t cool down it makes it difficult to sleep. But if you HELP your body’s natural sleep process by cooling your body down you are a step closer to sleep. The fan is an added bonus to help keep you cool. Of course have the air blowing on you however you prefer. I don’t like it on my face and I don’t care for it on my back so often I just have it on my feet, either in a constant rush or the breezy kind.
So this is a simple procedure that might assist you in getting to sleep. For many people once they are asleep they can stay asleep, but if you wake up because it is too hot at least you got a few hours (hopefully) in. You could always repeat the process if you’d like. Usually it helps me get through the night.
What do you think?
Sweet dreams.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: air conditioning, Bay Area, Bay Area Nia, can't sleep, cool down for sleep, Facebook, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia Teacher, San Francisco Bay Area, sleep relief, too hot to sleep, tweets, Twitter | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 17, 2012
Every year there is a Bay Area Dance Week. This year is the 14th annual dance week and it is being presented by Dancers’ Group. This will be the fourth year that I have offered my morning Nia Classes to New Students for free. I did it last year, but I didn’t post about it. I figured I should post about it to remind people it is happening. My 9:00 am Nia Classes on Monday, April 23rd and Wednesday, April 25th at Halanda Studio will be free to New Students. Here is another opportunity to try Nia for free.
In addition to Nia there are many FREE Classes during National Dance Week at Halanda Studio. Halanda Studio is owned by two women who rent out the studio by the hour. The variety of classes that are offered at the studio is very diverse. As you can see by the schedule of free classes there is several types of Belly Dancing from beginning to Intermediate/Advanced. Also being offered for free during Bay Area Dance Week is Hot Hula, Yoga, Zumba, Bollywood Fitness, and I’ve already mentioned Nia.
While I want you to attend classes at Halanda and in particular MY Nia class, my dancing spirit has to bring to your attention to the fact that from April 20 – April 29, 2012 it is Bay Area Dance Week. So there are FREE classes ALL OVER THE BAY AREA!!! According to the Bay Ara Dance booklet there are more than 650 groups, artists, and organizations participating. There are over 100 forms of dance to enjoy. Not only are there free classes but there are free performances.
The opening event is Friday, April 20th at Union Square Park in San Francisco. The closing event on Sunday, April 29 will be at 2 pm in Union Square Park in San Francisco where there will be simple circle dance for peace among people and peace with Earth. Looks like this dance will be led by the amazing Anna Halprin. She is 92 years old and still dancing and teaching dance . . . now that is what I call amazing!
Below is the current list of FREE classes (as of Tuesday, April 17, 2012) being offered at Halanda Studio in San Jose during Bay Area Dance Week (Friday, April 20th through Sunday, April 29th – 2012)
Saturday, April 21:
9:30am-10:30am: Bellydance Basics with Amanda
10:30am-12:00pm: Bellydance & Beyond with Amanda
12:00pm-1:00pm: Bellydance Fusion Technique with Michelle
1:00pm-2:00pm: No Rules Bellydance with Michelle
2:30pm-3:30pm: Tunisian Folk Dance with Pamela
—
Sunday, April 22:
2:00pm-3pm: Hot Hula Fitness with Marie
—
Monday, April 23:
9:00am-10:00am: Nia with Terre
4:00pm-5:00pm: Silk Road & Middle Eastern dance for Kids with Farima
7:00pm-8:00pm: Bellydance – All Levels with Hala
8:00pm-9:00pm: Bellydance – Intermediate Technique & Drills with Hala
9:00pm-10:00pm: Bellydance – Choreography with Hala
—
Tuesday, April 24:
5:00pm-6:15pm : Hatha Yoga – Mixed Levels with Dahlia
6:30pm-7:30pm: Bellydance Workout with Natika
7:30pm-8:30pm: Tribal Fusion with Natika
8:30pm-9:30pm Fan Veil Dance with Natika
9:30pm-10:30pm Silk Road Fusion Dance with Farima
—
Wednesday, April 25:
9:00am-10:00am: Nia with Terre
6:00pm-7:00pm: Bellydance with Setareh
7:00pm-8:30pm: Hala Dance Company Rehearsal with Hala
8:30pm-9:30pm: Basic Belly with Naima
—
Thursday, April 26:
6:30pm-7:30pm: Killer Drillz Level 1 with Vanessa
8:30pm-9:30pm: Dances of Persia & the Silk Road with Farima
—
Friday, April 27:
7:00pm-8:00pm: Zumba Fitness with Melissa
8:00pm-9:00pm: Tunisian Folk Dance with Pamela
—
Saturday, April 28:
8:00am-9:15am: Power Flow Yoga with Delanie
12:00pm-1:00pm: Bellydance Fusion Technique with Michelle
1:00pm-2:00pm: No Rules Bellydance with Michelle
—
Sunday, April 29:
9:30am-10:30am: Bollywood Fitness with FusionBeatz
There are other classes taught at Halanda, but the classes listed here are the ones that are participating in Bay Area Dance Week.
Aside from Nia :-), what classes are you going to try out?

Posted in Exercise and Working Out, Nia | Tagged: Anna Halprin, Bay Area Dance Week, Bay Area Nia, Belly Dancing, Bellydance Fusion Technique, Bollywood Fitness, dance choerography, Free Dance, free dance performances, Free Nia, Halanda Studio, Hot Hula, Middle Eastern dance, Nia Classes, Nia students, Nia Technique, San Francisco, San Jose Dance, San Jose Nia, Silk Road, Tribal Fusion, Union Square Park, Yoga, Zumba | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 24, 2012
The Nia Class on Friday that I teach is at a studio that recently re-located from Los Gatos to San Jose. Being in a newish area I found myself dropping by a store I don’t normally frequent. I ended up buying some tea. I know that green tea is supposed to be good for you and I found myself liking Chai, so I was happy to find some Green Tea Chai. Gently spiced with cinnamon and anise. The box also makes statements about ginger, cardamom, and licorice. I thought it just HAD to be good. I had just purchased some honey from a local bee keeper and I was so excited to try the honey with this tea. I came home and made a cup. I was very disappointed. It didn’t taste like anything, except the honey itself (which is fantastic, by the way!). It didn’t have a flavor that I could detect at all. I had been thinking that along with some of the benefits from green tea, I would be getting benefits from the cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, and I would also get some flavor. With all of that in the tea I thought there would be something. Maybe I clearly didn’t see the “gently spiced”. But I was disappointed.
I thought I would try spicing it up myself. So I added my own ginger, cinnamon, and I even added nutmeg. I figured that I would be able to reap the benefits of the spices if I put them directly in my tea. I ended up making a pretty tasty beverage. I would imagine that I could add my own spices to hot water and make any type of “tea” I want. I know it shouldn’t really be called tea as tea is make with actually leaves from a plant and not just spices. All I need to know is it tastes good and it helps keep me warm (it has been a bit cold around here lately).
And, as I said, I can get the benefits from some of the spices. Granted the spices do tend to sink to the bottom of the mug in a wet pile, but if you keep it stirred you actually drink them. That would be the point—to drink them.
One day, I grabbed the cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon — and you frequent readers must know — I DO NOT tolerate spice at all. I don’t like heat. I made a really spicy hot concoction. I saved it for my hubby, because it didn’t TASTE bad it was just to hot for me and I thought he would like it. He did. So I guess I can make him some spicy hot beverages too.
As a reminder, ginger is an anti-inflammatory, so it is good for the body to help keep chronic inflammation at bay. It also has some nutrients and is used as a digestive aid. I usually use the powdered kind for my tea, but when I have the actual root I toss a little piece in my mug.
Cinnamon is also an anti-inflammatory food. I have thought to add it to my coffee before and as stated in this post, my tea, but now I will just start making a spice hot water mix. Cinnamon is also consider a digestive aid. So why not just add some spices to some hot water and see what you come up with? Or add it to your coffee or tea?
Honey and lemon are common things to put in hot water, I think I will try that with some of my spices. Get the whole shebang. Warmth, water, lemon, spices . . . sound like a winner to me. How about you? Spices to drink?
Posted in Food | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, chai tea, cinnamon coffee, cinnamon tea, ginger tea, green tea, hot tea, lemon tea, lemon water, Los Gatos Nia, Nia, Nia class, Nia Los Gatos, Nia San Jose, San Jose Nia, San Jose Nia class, spicy hot drink, tea leaves | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 28, 2011
This past Sunday we had a Nia Jam in Palo Alto. The San Francisco Bay Area Nia Association tries to have four Jams a year. The peninsula one is in Palo Alto, but it is usually at Stanford, this time it was at a gym. It was a nice day so it was great that people came inside to support the local Nia association. As with a music jam session there are switches and changes that occur. A Nia Jam is where teachers gather and switch off leading songs so there is a mix of music and styles. The routine is created to be about 90 minutes. Normally we have a lot of teachers teaching so we only get to do one or two songs. This time the group of teachers was much smaller and we were able to do three to four songs each. The energy is always very high and exciting at a Jam because the teachers are from all over the Bay Area and beyond, so the students come from near and far. It is also a GREAT way to experience Nia for the first time because you get a taste of all the different approaches to teaching. Nia is specific in the way that we teach, yet at the same time it allows for the personality of the individual teacher to shine through. So a Nia Jam is great fun.
The theme for this Nia Jam was Summertime. The focus was moving with lightness with the intent of bringing in lightness and a sense of “summertime”, effortlessness and joy. It allowed for a lot of play, like kids playing during summer vacation. Not only were we able to bring in the lightness in our minds, our physical bodies, and our spirits, but we had the extra special treat of a skylight. The room we were dancing in has a huge skylight in the middle of the ceiling and a few glass doors to the outside so we were able to share in the beauty of the sun light and move with it. Along with the skylight and doors and windows to the outside, the room has a huge wood floor and a mirror on one wall. A small portion of the back wall is made of glass “windows” that looks into the workout room. I saw many people stop their workout to peek in at the Joy that was whooshing around the room in spirals, releves, kicks, and punches.
Nia Jams are no different than Nia Workout Classes in regards to what to wear. As you can see everyone wears what they are comfortable in. Whatever allows you to move freely and makes you feel good is perfect. But you also have to be ok with getting on the floor in your dance outfit. Like most Nia classes there is almost always Floorplay — even at a Nia Jam!
There is a wonderful sense of community at a Nia Jam. Teachers gathered to share the Joy of Nia. Participants gathered to experience a Jam. All of us gathered to do our favorite exercise. All of us ready to workout. All of us ready to dance. All of us there to do Nia. It is really fun stuff. I hope that you will be able to join us for our next Jam.
You can visit my website to see all the pictures from the Nia Jam in July. (The link MIGHT change in the future.)
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, Bay Area Nia classes, floorplay, fun workout, lightness in workout, Nia Classes, Nia Dance, Nia energy, Nia exercise, Nia experience, Nia focus, Nia intent, Nia Jam, Nia joy, Nia routine, Nia teachers, Nia workout, Palo Alto Nia, releves, San Francisco Bay Area Nia Association | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 15, 2011
Ok, so it is Wednesday and as you might notice, it is 1:00 am and I am not in bed yet. This means I have a few more things to do before I get to bed, which means I will not be up at 6:00 am doing my Ten Minute Workout, drinking my coffee, reviewing my Nia Routine, deciding on a Nia focus, and popping out the door in time to be at the studio 15 minutes early for my Nia class. In fact, around here, when the weather is nice traffic is worse, at least lately because our weather in the San Francisco Bay Area has been so wet and rainy, I think when it is sunny people think they have to be out. If it stays like this, then people will settle down and it won’t be so bad . . . . I hope, but on Wednesday, it is ALWAYS worse than Mondays and Fridays. Go figure. (I have my theories.) On Wednesdays I have to leave a few minutes before I do on Mondays.
Since I am not a morning person that means, I will do my Ten Ten in Ten after my class. But YOU can do it anytime. And the beauty of it is . . . . you can share . . . .
So . . . . tell me . . . . how is it going? What are you doing with it? What questions do you have? One of my readers I am lucky enough to actually see in person so I was able to answer some of her questions, what about you? What do you want to know about this workout?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
June 15, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Ok, after 3:00, but I did it. This workout is really meant to be something that easily fits in your day. If completing it is a challenge then it seems like ten minutes is a good start to a workout. If it is not challenging and you want more than you can add reps, sets, or weight. Or it could be that you are adding it to something else you are doing.
It really is something that can work for anyone if they want. If the way it is presented is not “working” for you but you want to do it, let me know. You can always send me an e-mail if you don’t want to comment.
Cheers!
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, dance studio, exercise studio, exercises, Nia, Nia class, Nia focus, Nia routine, Nia San Francisco Bay Area, reps, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area Nia, San Francisco Bay Area Nia Classes, sets, SFBay Nia, ten exercises, ten minute workout, workout | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 19, 2011
Today I taught Nia. It was not a Nia class, but a one-on-one session. No matter what I am teaching, a class, a playshop, a move, a song, an individual, I always learn things myself. It is amazing. Sometimes I am reminded of something. Today I was reminded of how fun it is to teach someone something new. To explain something in a way that allows them to understand. In some instances it might be the information is received and then there is still learning or “mastering” to be done, but they have the tool you gave them. In some instances they just have it. It just depends on what it is. But it is amazing.
When I am learning a new routine I would love to be able to take a perfect “product” into my class. But there is often a point where I know it is not perfect, but I can’t learn anymore by myself. So I take it into class and usually that first time in that one hour I learn more than (or just as much as) I had learned in the time it I spent getting to the point I where I took it into the class. Amazing. I might have actually said this very thing before in a previous post, so it might sound familiar to you. Or it could sound familiar because you have experienced something similar. Learning as you are teaching. I love that!
Well, it is May and for the past week, maybe two it has been cold and raining here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I don’t mind it so much. Especially since, as you may know, I have a new found love . . . making soups with my immersion blender! The last one I made I made it too spicy and I couldn’t eat it. I was very sad. But my husband loved it which was great because he was stuck eating the whole pot. I was thinking it would be the last batch before the warm weather comes in and I might have been right. The past two days have been pretty warm and very beautiful.
It seems like spring might actually finally be here.
During the cold one of my friends posted a picture of some of her flowers. She had cut them and brought them in the house and posted “At least it’s springtime inside the house.” She inspired me. It took me a few days, but I cut these from a tiny rose bush we have in our yard. These are VERY small roses. The bush is probably not even two feet high.
I just wanted to share. I wanted to share the beautiful flowers, the beauty in a sign of spring, the excitement of learning as you teach, the wonder and beauty of the world. I wanted to share and I wanted to say I am looking forward to living in the beauty that is, and learning as I go.
Posted in Flowers, Misc | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, beautiful flowers, beauty, emulsion blender use, Flowers, immersion blender, learning as you teach, May 2011, Nia, Nia Bay Area, Nia class, Nia Playshop, Nia routine, Nia Song, rain in May, rose bush, Roses, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area Nia, soups, spring, teaching Nia | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 26, 2011
I believe teaching Nia in the San Francisco Bay Area allows me to be exposed to a lot of different things. Recently I was able to experience or try two different things. Regarding one of them, I was showing a friend after Nia class, a product that a mutual friend sells. I was explaining what it was for and she said, “It’s a placebo.” This past week I asked a question on Twitter about a healing technique and I was told it was a placebo. These instances make me chuckle. I believe that if one is in a medical study and is told that they might receive the actual medicine or they might receive a placebo, that is applicable. When someone purchases a product or a service completely open to the idea that it might work and then they feel it does work, how can it be called a placebo? If it works for them in a positive manner, if they receive the help they were expecting, then how can it be called a placebo or just said to have the placebo effect? Could that not be said for a lot of things?
I once read a blog which has since been marked private so I can’t link to it, but it talked about all the “placebos” in everyday life. The blog stated that the buttons on traffic signals don’t actually work, they are just there to make people feel as if they have some control. The same with elevator call buttons and, if I remember correctly, thermostat controls in hotel rooms. Hmmm, I don’t actually know about the traffic lights and elevators, but I have had temperatures adjust in hotel rooms, so I think he might have been talking about some hotel rooms. Don’t we ALL press the buttons on traffic signals? And we all press elevator buttons? Do we do that because we actually think it does something? Yes. We might never know if it does actually help because eventually the light will change and eventually the elevator is going to come and by pressing the button it actual stops on the floor we are waiting on.
In regards to some products and some services for our bodies where we are left to decide if it works or not for ourselves, do you think that any of it has to do with what we think? Does any of it have to do with what we believe? I am somewhat talking about something that is difficult to measure. If you buy a lotion and you put it on you can somewhat tell if it is helped your skin. But what about a relaxation product?
Did you drink the tea believing it would help relax you and it did? Was that the actual tea or was it you believing that after you drank the tea you would feel relaxed? Did you believe that putting on cold wet socks (with dry wool socks over) would help your cold and you wake up feeling better? Was that really the wet sock treatment or your BELIEVING in the treatment?
If you feel is works is it a “placebo”?
Posted in Just stuff, Misc | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, cold treatment, healing technique, medical study, Nia Bay Area, Nia class, Nia Classes, placebo, placebo effect, relaxataion products, relaxation technique, San Francisco Bay Area Nia, wet sock treatment, Wet socks | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 18, 2010
As I was getting ready for my Nia class the other day, I thought “How cold is it?” I was trying to decide how to wear my scarf. Then I thought this would be a great blog post because when I first learned how to wear a scarf I was amazed. Then as I grabbed the laptop to type this up I realized that a lot of my readers probably already know this because they are from colder areas than California. Maybe if you don’t live in the Bay Area then you might not know how we wear our scarves so I will be sharing that with you.
A few years back I was getting ready to leave work, I hung my scarf on my neck then grabbed one end and started wrapping. My co-worker saw me and started chuckling when I asked her what she was laughing about she explained that people in California wear their scarves different from people back East. She was from back East and was accustomed too much lower temperatures. I was so curious. I had never thought about wearing my scarf a different way so I asked her to show me. She took my scarf, folded it in half, hung it around my neck and tucked the loose ends into the folded end. WHOA! I laughed. I instantly recognized how much warmer that is.
Here in the San Jose Bay Area – maybe all over California we wear scarves more as an accessory than for warmth. Then when we want to be warm we throw one end over our shoulder. If we want to be REALLY warm we wrap the scarf around our neck a few times. All of these methods leave our lower neck/upper chest area exposed. But when you fold then hang it around your neck then tuck the loose ends your lower neck/upper chest area get completely covered. It is so warm and cozy that way.
I actually wear my scarves these two different ways. Usually on my way TO my Nia class I fold and tuck. On the way home because I am usually hot and sweaty from working out I just throw it over my neck and wrap. This helps me stay a little warm but not as warm as when I fold it and tuck it. So? What do you think? Did you know this?
How do you wear your scarf? Do you wrap? Do you tuck? Do you do one or the other depending on the need?

Folded in half then tucked.
Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, California weather, cold weather, East Coast, Nia, Nia class, Nia San Jose, San Jose Bay Area Nia class, San Jose Nia, scarf | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 16, 2010
I had a friend visiting from Colorado that actually came to one of my Nia classes this week. I am so blessed to have friends that come to my class when they are visiting California. So many of my friends have moved from the Bay Area so when they come visit they often have a list of people to visit so I am always very grateful when they take time out of the schedule to come to a Nia class. After Nia we went out to breakfast in Willow Glen. My friend was telling me that she had employed a Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light tactic for her children in regards to food. Instead of saying “bad food”, she uses the lights. I love that. I told her I was going to use it for a blog post and she told me who she actually got it from, but I forgot. My mind was already racing—GREEN LIGHT!
She used “Red” as treat food; hot dogs at a summer cookout, cup cakes at a birthday party, food that is served on special occasions. I would imagine that red could be used for foods you don’t eat at all. I think that the method is awesome and it can be tailored to fit the family, individual. I just like it instead of saying the food is “bad” or I was bad. I could say, “Oh, I had some red light food.” The idea for the red light is to stop and think before you proceed.
Yellow is food you eat but with caution. You might have it more often than a red light food, but it is still not the food you eat freely.
After I started typing this I looked up “red light food” and I see that on one site someone mentions Weight Watchers doing the red light food, I see on another site that it has been attributed to a Lola O’Rourke (“of the American Dietetic Association”). I am seeing a lot of different ways to design it and — as with anything — it should be tailored to your own individual needs. But it can be a useful tool in how you think about what you are eating.
Red light foods would be sweets, treats, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream, soda, maybe even cheese and dairy (depends on the needs of the individual). Yellow light food could be healthy fats. Even though they are healthy we don’t want to consume too much. Meat could be in this category. Veggies, for most people, would be a green light food. As with fruit and whole grains. But there are people who can’t eat certain vegetables due to medication and then there are those who are gluten sensitive.
So what food are included in your light scheme would be up to you. I just thought it was a cool way to think about it. I really thing it is a great way to teach kids. I’ve mentioned before that I am not a fan of (even though I still say it!) saying food it “bad”, or I’ve been “bad” when referring to eating unhealthy food.
So what do you think? Might you want to play “Red light, Yellow Light, Green Light”? 🙂
Posted in Food | Tagged: American Dietetic Association, bad food, Bay Area Nia, California Nia, green light food, healthy food, Lola O'Rourke, Nia, Nia Bay Area, Nia California, Nia class, Red light food, sweets, treats, Willow Glen Nia, yellow light food | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 21, 2010
Nia teaches me a lot of things. So does my husband. He is my computer technician. As you probably know with computers when something isn’t working correctly it isn’t always an easy fix. When he suspects what the issue is he can plan for it and figure it out and fix it. But sometimes something comes up that is not familiar. The first thing he asks me is “What have you done?” The second thing he asks is if I “Googled it”. Two times within the last nine months something has been troubling my computer. The first thing was an “Active Desktop”. The second was a HUGE e-mail. They annoyed me enough I was desperate to find relief. This time I remembered that whenever I have something wrong with my computer my techno-geek asks me if I Googled the problem. So that is what I did.
The Active Desktop “thing” happened when I wanted to save a picture from an e-mail to my computer. It was a Nia e-mail and a Nia promotional picture so I wanted to save it so that I could help in promoting the Bay Area Nia event. When I went to save it my computer asked me if I wanted to make it an active desktop item. I believe I was in so much of a rush I didn’t read the whole question, I saw “desktop” and said yes. I was thinking it was just asking if I wanted to SAVE it to my desktop. When I said yes it caused this “thing” to continue to happen with my computer. Every time I clicked from icon to icon or from document to document or webpage to webpage, my screen would go blank for a second then it would flash back up and continue on with its task. I put up with that for months. Every time my monitor went blank, my stomach would sink because I thought my computer had died. But then it would flash back up. At one point I did “Google” how to fix it, but the directions did not match with what I was seeing in my files. But after feeling sick for months I finally decided that I couldn’t take it any longer and if I broke my computer worse than it was so be it. I looked at the directions again and just kept looking and poking into my system until I found what the instructions were telling me I would find. I fixed it.
Then a month or so ago, I tried to send an e-mail. I didn’t realize it was as big as it was until my e-mail program kept showing something in my outbox. Well, it wouldn’t send it, it wouldn’t delete it, it wouldn’t do anything with that one e-mail but the rest of my e-mail was working fine. So for about a month I just put up with it, thinking there was nothing to do. But . . . I did it a second time. (Eyes rolling). As I was scanning the document I thought, “Remember to check it before you send it.” But as always when I am on my computer I got distracted and by the time I finished typing the e-mail and pressed send I had forgotten to check the size. It was huge and it wouldn’t send. So it was stuck again. Now I had TWO stuck e-mails.
So again I turn to “Google” and I found something that explained what I had to do. Now . . . keep in mind that I am pretty much a chicken when it comes to messing with my computer because I know if I break it I will be without it. So I only do things that I am confident about. The solution to fixing the e-mail was to disconnect it from the internet. I was completely comfortable with doing that because when I had a corporate job I used to do that all the time in order to connect my work laptop. So . . . .I disconnected the internet from my computer. My e-mail program had no way to try to send the e-mail (that was too big to send) so it allowed me to delete it. Yay. No more e-mail that can’t be sent and a message coming up saying “Do you want to exit with an e-mail yet to be sent?”
So . . . my point is there are things in life you can “Google”, especially if it has to do with a computer problem. Did you know that? It took me years to learn that many people post answers to computer issues. Its awesome.
Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: Active Desktop, Bay Area Nia, Bay Area Nia event, computer problems, computer problme, computer technician, Google, google a problem, Nia, Nia Bay Area, Nia promotion | 9 Comments »