On being ... whose stuff?

By Ingrid Sapona 

I feel pretty organized regarding my digital files and photos. But there is one digital realm that I hadn’t conquered: my music. I have two drawers full of music CDs that have remained largely un-played since my stereo CD player went belly up years go. Since that happened, the only way for me to listen to them is on the computer. Indeed, one of the reasons I bought the computer I have now is that I could get it with a CD player and Bang & Olufsen speakers. 

Over the years I converted a few of my music CDs to an iTunes-compatible format so that I could create some playlists. Most, however, remained unconverted. From time-to-time I toyed with the idea of trying to getting my stereo CD player repaired so that I could listen to them. But a few years ago, I gave up that idea and, since then, any new music I wanted I simply bought from the iTunes store. 

Some time ago Microsoft began sending out warnings about the fact that in October they’ll stop supporting Windows 10. The reminders kindly noted that I can switch to Windows 11 for free – so long as my computer meets the “minimum hardware requirements”. Of course, my computer doesn’t meet the requirements. (I don’t know anyone whose current computer does!) 

I didn’t find those notices of immediate concern because my computer’s working well. That said, however, I did have a chat with Sandy, my computer guru, about eventually getting something new – at which time I may end up switching systems. My main issue with getting a new computer is that I’ll lose the ability to play my CDs. 

As you can tell, the whole computer/CD player thing has been weighing on my mind. Finally, in anticipation of eventually getting rid of my current computer, last week I decided to begin the task of converting my music CDs. The first decision was whether to convert them all (there are over 150) or just those I like best. I decided to convert them all. Though it would be a time-consuming process, doing them all seemed more expedient than deciding whether I liked each one enough to convert it. 

The CDs in the top drawer were pretty well organized, grouped by artist, genre, and era. For example, pop bands like Chicago, America, the Eagles, Earth, Wind & Fire, and so on, were in one row. Another row had favourite male solo artists like James Taylor, Boz Scaggs, Todd Rundgren, Billy Joel, and Elton John, followed by more recent faves like Michael Bublé and John Mayer. Converting the CDs in that drawer brought fond memories of songs and artists that I love. Adding to my enjoyment was the prospect of creating a few new playlists once I converted all the CDs. 

I won’t lie – I was less than excited about going through the second drawer because it was kind of a mess. Other than the corner that had Christmas CDs, I had pretty much just used that drawer as a dumping ground for random CDs. For example, I knew I’d find in that drawer a meditation CD I bought long ago. Sure enough, there it was: “Journey Through the Chakras”. But where the heck did the two Classical Relaxation Meditation CDs come from? Was I that into meditation? Well, as it happens, those CDs aren’t about meditation at all – they’re just classical music selections that I guess are supposed to relax you. Then there were the CDs by artists whose names I don’t even recognize. What was even funnier was that some of them are signed, which means I probably saw these unknown artists in person somewhere. How could I have no recollection of that? 

I often find that going through closets and drawers I’ve ignored for awhile brings surprises. Sometimes it’s a pleasant trip down memory lane – a reminder of things that used to be of significance to me. But going through that second drawer of CDs I felt a different kind of surprise – one that left me wondering whether the stuff might belong to someone else. Talk about having too much stuff!  

Well, if you find you’re missing a harp CD – drop me a line – I bet I know where it is! 

© 2025 Ingrid Sapona

On being ... helpful?

By Ingrid Sapona 

A few years ago, someone gave me a beautiful orchid for my birthday. Since then, it has bloomed a few times and each time it was a beautiful as when I received it. I have a particularly sunny living room, which seems to keep plants pretty happy.

It’s been over a year since it bloomed, however. On the plus side, there have been many new leaves and it’s sprouted lots of roots. (Some orchids grow on the side of trees – the term is epiphyte – so I wasn’t alarmed when the roots started growing outside the orchid’s pot.) Because the roots take up a lot of space around the plant, for awhile I had it in a corner. This caused the leaves to bend backward as they tried to get a bit more sun. 

So, in February I moved it to a sunnier spot and the leaves have started to straighten out. But even so, the plant lists heavily to one side and clearly has outgrown its pot. Unfortunately, in winter (in Toronto) there’s no orchid soil to be found. There were no orchid pots either (they need slits or holes for drainage and to ensure air gets to the roots). I figured I’d have to wait until garden centres reopen. Then, last week I found some orchid potting soil in the floral section of the supermarket. Yeah! 

Though I still didn’t have a new pot for it, the other day I went looking for a YouTube video about repotting orchids. I don’t know if you’ve ever searched YouTube for “how-to” videos but I have and every time I am astounded by how many there are. In the past I’ve looked for videos regarding leaking toilets, strange noises from inside walls, how to install an e-sim, and how to open a jammed computer disc drive. 

For things like issues with a toilet or faucet, I usually zero in on videos from sources I know and trust – like PBS’ This Old House. Mind you, I’m usually not watching them because I plan to do the fix myself – it’s more to get a sense of who I might need to hire to address the problem. (A butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker? No – I need a plumber.) But for other topics – like orchid re-potting, choosing what video(s) to watch is trickier: who knows whether the person making the video knows what they’re talking about. In those situations, I figure you have to watch a few to even get a sense of whether their advice is worth anything. 

Another factor determining what YouTubes I watch is the length of the video. In the case of the orchid repotting, I kind of thought 10-12 minutes would cover it. Well, I ended up watching two that were about 20 minutes each. Quite by accident, the first one I watched featured a woman re-potting a plant that was like mine, with roots growing over the top of the pot. I found that video encouraging, though some steps – like sterilizing your shears before you start – did give me pause. 

The second video was by someone who sold orchid-growing supplies, but it wasn’t all about flogging products. It was, however, very detailed about orchid care, including brewing a tea and garlic concoction for pest control and a making banana-based mixture to use to water the re-potted plant. By the end of that video, I started having second thoughts. There seemed an awful lot to it. Maybe I should just be happy with the memory of the orchid’s beautiful blooms and ditch the poor plant. But, I’ve always had an aversion to tossing a plant that’s still alive. 

So, I scrounged a plastic pot and I cut slits into it, figuring I may as well try. I wouldn’t be making any of the concoctions the second video mentioned, but I did a few things he did. For example, I looked for root rot. When I didn’t find any, I decided I’d to continue, doing my best to follow the first video’s steps. So, I sprayed my scissors (and the new pot) with some hydrogen peroxide because a) I had some, and b) I figured I may as well try not to introduce any fungus in the process. 

Things were proceeding well until I opened my bag of soil and found it wasn’t all bark, which is what both videos called for. I guess the grocery store isn’t the best place for orchid soil. Ugh. I decided to make do, mixing the bark from the initial potting with the new soil. It’s only been a few days but so far, the orchid is still alive.

This whole thing got me thinking about how ubiquitous YouTube self-help videos have become. I know that some folks make money making such videos (social influencers or folks with products or services to sell) but there are far more folks who put them out with no expectation of remuneration. I don’t know, maybe it’s their few minutes of fame, or them wanting to share their do-it-yourself enthusiasm. Who knows… 

And of course, there’s the question of why there’s an audience for them. In my case, for example, I’ve re-potted plenty of plants before, so why did I go looking for such videos? Maybe I was feeling insecure or maybe they were a delaying tactic, or maybe it’s a bit of both. Did I find them helpful? Well, sort of – but if I’d have watch many more, I think I’d probably have decided it’s too fussy or that orchids are too exotic and I might have just given up the idea of keeping the plant. 

What about you? Do you ever watch how-two videos? Have you found them helpful? Have they encouraged you to try something, or have they ever turned you off from a project? Have you ever made one? Could you ever see yourself making one?? 

© 2025 Ingrid Sapona