Saturday, August 22, 2009

Macs and booklets

Hello!
      This week I have been working on making a small 8 page booklet for my English class on things in a house.  That doesn't sound too difficult, but I found that it was harder than I thought.  
      When I was on furlough this last time, I was encouraged to purchase a mac instead of a PC.  I haven't had any problems with this switch until I found out that you can't get publisher for macs.  You can get other microsoft office products and they work great on macs.  You just can't get publisher.  So, when I first got it, I had to figure out how to save my certificates, tests and other publisher files so I could still access them.  They are all now saved as jpeg files.  I am not all that great with a computer, so someone had to help me do that.  Those files can not be changed or updated so the tests and certificates have to stay the same from now on or I have to figure out some other way to do them.
      Now we come to the booklet.  I tried to do it in word for macs.  I just couldn't get the pictures to go where I wanted them or get the page to look right.  So, I went to a local copy place and asked them to help me.  They said they could do it and do it in word so I could have a copy.  Alas,that was not the case.  They resorted to doing it in publisher on their PC.  So, now I have the booklet.  It looks nice, but I don't have a way to store it for the future on my computer because it is in publisher instead of word.
      Okay, I really am not a computer expert :).  I am sure there has to be a program out there for macs that does the same thing as publisher does for PCs.  I just don't know what it is.  So, if anyone reading this blog has an idea, I would be ever so grateful to hear it!!!!!
       Did I mention that it took me three days to write the rhyming little booklet and to get some pictures drawn for it.  They said they would have it done for me with copies by 3 this afternoon.  When I went to get them, they weren't finished.  I stayed there and worked with them until 6:15 this evening.  We have the pages done.  I will have to pick up the copies on Monday.  Things do take much longer here!  It is just 4 pages front and back.
      Okay, enough about that.  I am glad it is done!  The news about Kenya has reached at least one paper in the U.S.  If you want to read it go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082103698.html?wprss=rss_print/asection   This drought could be a serious problem.  So, please keep Kenya in your thoughts and prayers!!
      Thanks for reading!  Let me know you are as I often think I am writing to the air.  Feedback is nice every now and then.  Have a great weekend! 

3 comments:

  1. Sorry, I am not a computer expert so I can't help you with your Mac problems. Seems to me there are more PC's than Mac's maybe I'm wrong! Good luck with all your "Challenges"-7/6/10-cjpottenger

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  2. Thanks Connie! I figured it out. Still don't have a publisher for Mac, but I found out how to do it in Word. Still isn't as easy, but it works. I have an old PC that I can use publisher in if I need to, but I haven't made any more booklets at this point. I do like my mac though and this is the only complaint I have with it for the most part.

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  3. personally I don't really know the difference. I'm still many years behind on the whole computer business! :)-Connie

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