I DO NOT NEED A LAPTOP!

There, I've said it. You heard me say it. If I say it enough times maybe I'll believe it.

There's no reason for me to have one. I spend too much time on computers as it is, a portable one would just make it worse. They're expensive, and I can't take them apart to fix them when they break. (well, I probably COULD, but I don't know how replaceable the insides are!)
Nothing I use my computer for is important enough to require me to haul it around wherever I go. Heck, it's not like I even GO anywhere. I haven't had a vacation in nearly two years.

On the other hand, it'd be nice to have for work. I'd have a much faster computer than this 650 mhz machine. I could take my work home. If I got a portable hard drive, I could even take my editing home. I might even be able to get work to pay for a portion of it. Wouldn't that be nice?

Hmm. Did I just justify the purchase of a laptop? I need it for work! *wanders over to the Dell web site* :-x

It just dawned on me that I've had this blog for a year now. Umm, Happy Anniversary! I admit I've neglected it at times and I've been trying to get back into a post-a-day schedule. So, here's my post for the day! Aren't you just SO thrilled?

No more tripping over wires in the hall for me!
Mom actually started this particular project. After a week of complaining about the cat 5 cables in the hall, and then showing me an ad in the paper that my uncle had pointed out to her, I bought three cards and a wireless router and managed to get them installed. She's very pleased - I think I've earned major brownie points for this!

Sort the balls!

I don't know what this game is actually called, but it's definitely a waste of a good half hour . . . .

Blah. Rotten Monday. Slept sporadically, woke up with a sinus headache. Went to work to find no one there except people from two different offices, both having problems sending email. Since they use our router it's up to me to figure it out. Quickly. Check the cable web site, no update issues. Try calling the help desk, but I need to have a pin and/or account number, which I don't know and couldn't find. My boss IMs me from home, she can send mail just fine from that account, so she sends a big HELP! email to Mike. Turned out he had messed with the IP settings last week so that now we could send through OUR servers and not the cable company. Good news, but he could have warned me!
In the meantime I'm still feeling horrible and snapping at everybody in sight. And the stupid phone keeps ringing. I hate phones on principle, but that business phone is awful. Three of the calls were from telemarketers wanting to speak to the person that handles decisions for the business. Generally it's phone companies trying to get us to switch, and I have no idea what company we have in the first place. I asked one quite bluntly, is there some sort of problem? He got all apologetic and then started explaining who he was, some sort of lending company for tech type businesses. Since that falls out of Jan's hands, and there's really no way to get him in touch with our board president, I simply told him to send an email. (Those are easy to delete!) The rest of the calls are simply answered: No, she's not here, can I take a message? The ask if I'm qualified to make decisions. I'm surprised I wasn't snippy enough to reply: "Only over the phone, and the answer is always NO!"

I told my parents about the wireless router I picked up yesterday, and both immediately started hemming and hawing. Not about owning one, but did I get the "right" one? Two more people to snap at: "yes, dammit, they're all the same anyway!" I still have to go buy two more cards - I had planned to go after work, but I figured at the rate I felt I would end up hurting somebody. Most likely me. Maybe later tonight or tomorrow.

Not having my glasses adds another type of reading headache, and I was working on three different computers today. Five, counting what I had to do for the other two offices. The only good thing is I managed to finish editing the Herndon Idol contest - an hour and a half total run time. By that point I just wanted to go home, so I'll have to drop it to DVD tomorrow.

Some Allegra and a long nap have made me feel a little less horrible. Allergies and PMS are an evil, evil thing. So play nice :-P

Oh, sure, the neighbors drive across the yard and Dad throws a fit, but it's perfectly ok for HIM to drive and park on his wonderful lawn . . .

Yes, I know. But it was still strange to look out the window and see a truck parked right beneath it. Dad (finally) took down the cedar tree. A frightening venture in itself, as it involves my dad and power tools. Fortunately he managed to bring it down without harming himself, the house, or the neighbor's cars.

I haven't a thing to write about today. Except for the wonderful weather and the lovely fact that I now have two functioning windows to let in the breeze, and the warmth, and the constant sound of cars, planes and other such exciting noises. So I got a lot of cleaning done, and displaced a lot of dust. It's nice to see the top of my desk again, and to admire the lovely glow of the wood. I never even put a sealant or any type of gloss on it, but it still reflects the light. I did, however, glue a piece of miniature carpet to the left corner of the fold down lid. The veneer has a rip in it, and it'd been rubbing my wrist raw. I'm not very good at patching with veneer, perhaps I should take the lid someplace and have someone do it for me.

I've fallen behind on the comic, so I'd best work on that shortly. My drawing is starting to look halfway decent, and I'm learning more about using tools in Photoshop. I've checked out books on drawing and browsed the net for hours, looking for help, but the best way to learn is to simply do it and develop your own style. It's a lot easier than trying to copy someone else's!

Spent all afternoon digitizing and editing video from the local high school's Idol (talent) contest. And generally laughing. While I wouldn't say it was impressive, I was impressed by the ability of those students to get up in front of a large audience and perform. A lot of them were heavy metal type bands, lots of headbanging and bizarre outfits. One even dressed up in a bee costume. It's difficult to play a guitar, especially with other people, and to get the right sound for heavy metal, and I think they did a great job, even if they DID all sound alike. The winner? A freshman in a nice suit who sang Amazing Grace a capella. He deserved it, he had a great voice, a good presentation and he got the audience involved in clapp their hands. The school's step team also performed, and they're always amazing to watch. The funniest performance was a boy who sang Sugar in the Marmalade, a techno type song I'm shortly going to go look for. Very nicely done.
The audience in itself was very fun and forgiving. They cheered loudly, called out encouragingly and overall had themselves a great time. From what I understand, the camera crew had themselves a great time too, with their running commentary. Of course, what do you expect from a bunch of middle aged men trapped in a room full of teens? The MCs for the evening, the junior class officers, staged everything fairly well, even telling a series of bad jokes between acts. I'm nearly done with the editing, can't wait to get it on the air. (something to air! wohooo!)

Work is picking up. I can't wait. It's a lot easier to get up and go to work when you know there's things that need to be done and have a deadline. I've just been floating around for the past two months and I'm going nuts here. April is going to be full of taping events, and a lot of editing work for me.

Of course, for these taping events, we'll need volunteers. Volunteers are more likely to volunteer when they have all the information about the event. The best way for us to inform them is to put it up on the web site. And there, I run into a problem.

I feel like I have my hands tied. (it's rather hard to type that way!) Mike has given me access to portions of the web site, so basically I can edit the main page and the programming schedule. He uses some form of xhtml to create the site, and has several forms and such, all of which are useful, but I can't change, and he apparently doesn't have time to change. Which means the website is woefully looking out of date.

Another part of my problem is that I was talked into learning how to write web sites using only Notepad. I have Macromedia Contribute on this web site, but no way will it let me access the source code so I can actually SEE what I'm trying to edit. I'm woefully lacking in writing forms (pathetic, I know, so much for that java course) so I 'm not sure I can even properly edit the source code if I did try.

Of course, it could be a good thing that I don't have full access. I have too many ideas for changes! Or perhaps I just need to beg for control. Mike's one of our best cameramen, and I don't want to burn him out!

Finally broke down and bought a Waterpik. So far I've only used it once. Sprayed water all over the place. It's got a surprisingly strong spray of water, too. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon!

Something's interfering with my keyboard signal again. I heard a plane go over, I wonder if it's anything to do with that? I shouldn't think so, but what else could it be?

One of Tuey's forwards - made me laugh:

These great questions and answers are from the days when the "Hollywood Squares" game show responses were spontaneous and clever, not scripted and dull, as they tend to be now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions.

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

Q. According to Cosmo, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A. Rose Marie: No; wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say "I love You"?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.

Q. What are "Do It," "I Can Help," and "I Can't Get Enough"?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm these days always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the CampFireGirls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.

Q. According to Ann Landers, is their anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him.

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and Laugh

I got to take a tour of Karen & Bud's new house today. It's big! A lot of rooms, a lot of closets, and a lot of light. I like the staircase (it splits and goes in two different directions!) and the little kid's playroom in the basement. They have room to put a pool table in. If they do . . . . you can guess where I'll be!

I got back Unit 2 from my interior design course with a grade of A-. I'm pleased with that, as it was a pain to do the color exercises and the printing on the floor plans. Now I can scan in my drawings and get back to work on Unit 3. (and check to see what I'll need from unit 3 for unit 4 before I send it in!)

It seems to have been a good day at work.

First, Music and the Spoken Word arrived - in DVD format. it's been coming for four years in SVHS, and they've sent out letters in the past asking if we'd be interested in DVD (of course we said yes!). No warning, though, but I'm thrilled! Just one step closer to all DVD broadcasting!

Speaking of broadcasting, we are now streaming live over the Internet. At first I thought this was pointless, til I realized that now people don't need to have cable to be able to watch our station. DSL users in the area will be happy, I suppose!

From my SSRC Non-Mini list:

If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills,
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, through
no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can do all these things...

Then you're probably the family dog.

It seems AOL has decided to implement a new degree of evilness.

The Washington Post Online - AOL Blocks Spammers' Web Sites

Now their users are blocked from spam generating sites.
My take on AOL's new 'feature' - If they can't get to the web site, they can't buy it. If no one buys the product, they won't send the spam. Apparently this is not a parental control type feature that can be turned on and off. AOL is saying, 'sorry, you can't go there!'

Censorship? Possibly. Granted, the sites they're talking about are probably too untrustworthy to go to/buy from anyway. And I won't say anything at all about AOL users needing this type of censoring. Nope, not at all. However, I can see a lot of mistakes happening here. Our HCTV volunteer list is considered spam by yahoo, I'm constantly digging it out of my bulk mail folder. Trying to find the email is one thing, not being able to access our web site because AOL thinks it's a spam generator is another.

I don't think it will work. It makes them sound like they're "trying" to do something (I don't even want to think about the number of complaints they must get!) but I don't think this is the right way to go about it. It would be quite interesting to see if it did, though!

Well, THAT was a waste of darkness.

I need an off button installed for those nights I can't sleep . . . at ALL.

Browsing through Amazon one day, I found that they were recommending a book about the 'Art of Gormenghast', a mini-series I had never heard of. The set and costume design (from what I could see of the picture) were very well done, so I tried to find more information about the story. It's a series of books by Mervyn Peake, about a Baron and his crazy family, the town/village/city of Gormenghast, and a maniacal kitchen boy with plans to take over everything. I found the movies on Netflix, and they were great. I finally located the book (three books in one) and am about to read it. It's a big book, it may take a while - but I hope that as usual the book proves to be even better than the film.

Google Holiday Logos
There's also a few sites that have people's own versions of Google's logo . . . trying to find one that isn't half broken . . .

Very strange - the Blogger posting page looks very different at work than it does at home. Why?

I have nothing to air. Nothing. At all. I've been struggling with this for a month now. I don't even know how to write the schedule. Sure, we have a few basic programs that have a set time slot every week. Short, half hour long shows that get aired about four times a day. That leaves 22 hours to fill. Of course, I don't air anything from 11:30 pm to 8 am, so that leaves 13.5 hours to fill. Every day. With the same shows that have been airing for the past year. People are going to stop watching. I certainly would.
The problem is, there's a lot that we do that isn't re-airable. Government shows, sports, time/season related events. Old news. It gets very quiet this time of year in the town. No special events going on for us to cover, and no one seems to be very serious about doing their own programs.

It's going to pick up next month, however, and I hope to be griping about not having enough time to edit and schedule everything. Local elections are going to take up a LOT of our time!

Fifth - I'd like to say thank you to the many friends who recommended the Highlander tv series. Yes, I know, you're all laughing at me. But they've got swords! Big ones! And Adrian Paul! And . . . 80's clothing. (urgh) And Tessa. I keep hoping she'll get killed. Richie just needs a good smack or two upside the head, but Tessa's just whiny and annoying. (or a badly scripted character.) She's mostly just fluff - I can only hope they improve her part in the series or kill her off.

But mostly I watch it for the fight scenes. and Adrian Paul. And the swords. Yeah. I like swords. ;-)

Fourth - I had those two teeth pulled. Apparently my teeth are moving very fast, and the ortho bumped up the date to get them out. I called my doctor and begged for a dose of valium, and went and had it done last Monday. The wonderful Dr. Silloway (who removed my wisdom teeth and knows my history of passing out when confronted with such procedures) also gave me laughing gas without charging, and two types of oral painkillers. I didn't feel a thing! I'm glad it went so quickly - by the end of the week I was back to normal, and the holes have almost filled in now. Hopefully the teeth on either side will move just as quickly!

I was amazed at how big those teeth were. Only one third of my teeth actually show above the gum line! At least now I no longer worry about any other teeth falling out . . .

The sad thing is, though - the tooth fairy doesn't come for adult teeth. (I was SO disillusioned!)

Third - not like they need a plug, I see their silly advertisements everywhere! Go try out Netflix! I got tired of movie conversations that stopped short because I hadn't seen the movie. And there were a lot of them. TV series, too. I am setting out to fix that. It may take a while - three movies at a time - that are on DVD. I love it! A nearly constant source keeping me distr- er, entertained.

If you've ever been to my house, you know how difficult it is to watch movies here. There's not that many people living here, but the ones that do make a lot of noise. In and out of the house, rattling dishes and whatnot in the kitchen, talking on the phone, or generally walking in during the only incredibly violent/rude/sex scene in the entire movie and saying "what in the WORLD are you watching?!" (It's no wonder my friends don't show up here often.) So I've long since given up trying to watch ANYTHING downstairs while anybody's at home.

While technically I could fit a tv in my room, I can't seem to get it set up for chairs and a tv. I sit at the computer (or lie with my head at the foot of the bed) and watch my movies with the door shut or headphones on. It works, since generally I'm the only person who wants to see the movies on my (incredibly long) list.

Second - new favorite comic (sorry 8 Bit Theater and WTF!)

Miss Mab's DMFA Comic

Start from the beginning and read through. She's hysterical. I wish I had that sort of talent.

First - now I feel a little guilty about my historical society rant. Things went smoothly once the right people talked to the right people, and I now have the CD. I had a great time going through the CD, trying to figure out what buildings were where. We've gotten one interview done, two or three more lined up for tapings . . . this show is really shaping up!

I haven't been posting very much lately, have I? Seems terrible. There's lots of topics I can think about posting.

Brian finally found my blog (I'm rather disappointed, I'd assumed he'd found it ages ago!) and we both took a trip through the archives. (there ya go, mention #3! happy?) I'd forgotten a lot of what I posted! But it was fun to see some of the things that had caught my eye over the past year. (can you believe that? It's almost this weblog's first anniversary!)

Perhaps I should post a bunch of short ones to catch myself up. Then I can forget to post other items!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

This is a test. Since my server moved, I had to point the blog site to the new server, which always takes me a few tries to get it right. So if you can read this, I got it right!

This post is partly a test. If it works, feel free to check out this game.

I have started the process of moving to a new server within DixieSys. It seems the server I'm on, one particular #12, is rather crowded, and I have been having all kinds of problems getting my email. This means my site may be down for a day or so. Have no fear! it will be back!