Some good things have finally happened to me over the last couple of weeks. One which is provisionally good, and one which is astonishingly good. The first one, the provisional one, is that I seem to have found at least a temporary remedy for the debilitating menopause symptoms which I have been suffering from for the last year or so. The remedy is surprisingly simple and available at any supermarket, and of course at Trader Joe's. To alleviate symptoms, I drink two to three cups of enriched soymilk a day. I happen to like soymilk a lot, so this isn't too much of a chore. Within a week of starting the soymilk regimen, the hot flashes diminished and have almost disappeared, and those I still get are not too bad.

I have tried soy remedies before, but in pill form. The pills were too strong and I got side effects that were just as unpleasant as what they were supposed to help. With the liquid, I can regulate just how much I get per day, rather than having the fixed amount of a pill. The problem, though, is that in my experience, my body gets used to whatever substance I try, so that it is very possible that my 2 or 3 cups of potion will lose their effect. However, it had an effect last year and is still effective this year, so it is possible either to maintain it long-term or go off it and let my resistance wear off. But so far, so good. Enriched soymilk is not fat-free and does contain a few calories, so I must watch myself lest I gain weight on it. But spring and walking season is almost here, so I should be able to work it off. In its "original" form soymilk tastes like liquid plaster. But I can put various flavorings in it and I can also put it in my coffee. A little soymilk in the espresso makes what the Italians, and Starbucks, call a "macchiato," or "spotted" espresso, only slightly adulterated.

The second good thing to happen to me was the astonishing one. I was sitting around with some friends a week or so ago, wondering whether I could learn to use a Macintosh computer even though for the last 15 years or so I have used only PC's. Most graphic designers have "historically" used Macintosh equipment and Photoshop. I have been one of a minority of designers who use CorelDraw and its associated programs. CorelDraw and Corel PhotoPaint are often scorned by designers, and in the past, you couldn't even present a project to a printer in CorelDraw format because their system wouldn't carry or print CorelDraw files. This is no longer true, but Mac and Photoshop are still the tools of choice for professional graphic designers and digital artists.

My friends are all Mac users and allowed me to poke around on one of their Macintosh laptops to see whether the system was really that alien to me. I found that it wasn't at all like the cranky and bewildering older Macs I've used as a "guest." So I finally had some positive things to say about Macintosh. I decided that it would be a good thing to learn Photoshop as well as my familiar CorelDraw and PhotoPaint, for the purpose of compatibility with the larger digital design "community." Perhaps I'd scrape some pennies together someday and buy a Mac, so that I could, uh, "swing both ways."

I thought no more about it for a couple of weeks until just a few days ago. Then my same friends visited me at my workplace in the evening. They led me out to their car, while I wondered what was going on. Did they have a new cat or something? They opened the trunk and there was a Macintosh iBook G4 laptop in a pristine box. "It's for you," they said. HUH? I was stunned. They were giving me a Mac computer! This was not a re-conditioned used one, nor was it a castoff from a high-tech office somewhere. It was brand new, fresh and untouched.

Why would they do such a generous thing? I just couldn't figure out why they would outright give me one…I know how expensive these things are. Did they want some major artwork in exchange? No, all they wanted was for me to use the machine and learn on it and do good work. These are also collectors who own four of my most important pieces (at least so far.).

There wasn't anything I could say other than incoherent thanks. Within a few hours, after I got home, the machine was up and running. Equipped with wireless access, it immediately glommed onto my home network and updated its software. Then I put it to work delivering internet "radio" music. I don't have drawing, painting, and sound processing software for it yet; that will come later. The Mac has taken the space in my art studio occupied by my other laptop, a Dell PC. That, in turn, has been moved into my computer studio where it will help teach me digital art and physics, and I will continue to use it at work for Trader Joe's graphics. I hope it is not jealous of the newcomer.

I have not found a catchy, clever, erudite name for the new computer yet, but I'm sure that one will emerge. The new machine, like soymilk, is a pure, opaque white.

Posted at 3:49 am | link