SO, is anybody out there absolutely ecstatic about Vista? Is there anybody out there whose enthusiasm knows no bounds when they are gazing on that magnificent Vista through Windows - if you'll pardon the play on words.

To be more realistic, is there anybody whose Window's Vista does not cause the heaving of great sighs, the holding of heads in hands, in utter despair, - swearing profusely, - either under the breath or in great roars of frustration? Does Window's Vista work for anyone????

I am listening (with great pleasure) to Philip Martins renditions of Gottschalk, awed by the flying fingers and technical dexterity, - as well as the soaring melodies.



I am into my third evening of trying to rip this music into the Windows Media Player Library. The computer tells me it is ripping this music, - - it proclaims to me when each piece has completed ripping, - but it is all talk. All talk.... There is no green indication of any ripping going on at all..... after the ripping is supposedly completed on a track it immediately goes back to declaring 'pending'.

Programs are continually going into non-responsive mode...

I cannot delete anything off the desktop without crashing the computer.

I cannot download RealPlayer, or uninstall the old RealPlayer that no longer works.

If I try to print anything directly from a website it prints in little tiny squares up in the left hand corner of a page, - I have to tranfer anything I want to print to Word before it will print properly.

Oh, I could go on and on, - the frustrations are wicked and leave me in an evil mood. I yearn to go back to XP, even without Windows Movie Maker (which I love).

And I am also finding the music of Gottschalk fascinating and 'totally awesome' . So how come I have come to him so late in life? It is a puzzle. Is it because he doesn't quite live up to Chopin?

Whatever, -I will stop quarreling with Vista and enjoy this wonderful rendition of Gottschalk's spectacular music. All the trills and runs, the arpeggios and the glissandas and at times the most romantic of melodies.