Surprised Nine is Fine

I am now coding my websites with HTML5 and have upgraded from Internet Explorer 8  to Internet Explorer 9. Actually, I haven't cared much one way or the other about IE, I have just always had to use it because JAWS users must use it. I have to design for IE.

I am surprised that I really like it. It seems real fast and HTML5 components and CSS3 tend to behave the way they are supposed to.  What really amazes me, are the people who don't upgrade their browsers and some are still using IE 6. It was introduced in 2001, why would you still use a browser that old. People, your browsers are free, upgrade for every web designers sake.

What was difficult at first was that the tabs are on top of the browser above all the menus and kind of transparent. I keep having to hunt for them before I remember they are up there. I don't like that the favorites are in the right corner now, my mother will never find them on her computer (I may not upgrade her browser and ten years from now she will still be using IE 8).

Just for a little comedic relief, I thought I would add this Toyota commercial. I love her line "I am an only child, [dramatic pause] except for my sister." It just cracks me up!



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Lost in the Abysis of Nothingness

The weekend goes well but the big dog is such a bed hog. I am sleeping with my legs curled up, Winston at the top of the bed and Seamus encompassing one third of the bottom of the bed. We have been very lazy and messy these last two days. We watched Jane Eyre and Pillars of the Earth Part II, now I am watch Losers.

I was disappointed with the new Jane Eyre. The second Jane Eyre movie was better. I think if I had not read the book and watched the other one, the new one would have confused me with all flashbacks. Plus, Mr. Rochester in the other movie was more like the Mr. Rochester of my imagining. The new Mr. Rochester didn't give the impression that he truly loved Jane, I didn't believe him.

The Pillars of the Earth was good and worthwhile but fours hours is a long time for a movie. I had to separate it watched a couple last night and a couple this morning.

I then threw in Losers. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is truly one of the most macho men out there in the movie world (if he has played anything less macho please do not tell me!). He is quite yummy!

I have been living on Apple Jacks, coke and cold spaghetti this weekend and I don't feel very good. I think getting back on a diet and eating right sounds good. Food is not really my friend, more often than not if I eat badly for an extended period of time, I end  up sick. I have reached that point.

I have all afternoon and this evening to be down right lazy (don't tell anyone, but I am kind of bored with it). I don't understand but sometimes I have a hard time turning off.  Don't get me wrong, I can waste time like everyone but I am usually busy wasting time. Just doing nothing, especially when I plan on it, gets old quickly.

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Boredom and Movie

This weekend I plan to do nothing of important. NOTHING. I need peace and calm. I need to be a drama-free as possible. I plan to get the new Jane Eyre movie. I may even pick up my book again. I will not make my bed, hang my clothes or put up my dishes. I will be a total complete bum.

Seamus will be with us all weekend, which I cannot wait. Since the vet has put him on thyroid medicine his fur is soft as velvet. I plan to have that boy on the couch right next to me, it is so amazing how great his coat feels.  I need to veg out!

Then I will surf the web on how to cleanse my aura, find the right zen spot and try to hypnosis to never get stressed, or care or cry again!

Bring on nothing! Feel free to send me any tips on what nothing to do.

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Zoom Zoom

Notice I have been absent lately? Well, I am not such a good blogger if I have to blog from my desk. I will ramble quite nicely from my couch but not so good from my really cool desk. That's a place for work and I really don't want this blog to be work. See I ramble... anyway, my wireless router died and I just got my replacement router. The new toy is fast! I am liking it.

My house had it appraiser test today and I am hopeful that it past. In order for me to get to refinance my baby the appraisal has to come in at the right price. I can't imagine that I wouldn't get credit for Travertine tile in the bathroom, new vinyl siding instead of wood, ceramic tile throughout the whole house, full kitchen renovation, oh please, oh please, nice appraiser lady give us an A.

It's really funny how much work we did in anticipation of the appraiser coming. She barely looked at the house, she measured, looked at appliances, the things we worried about I doubt she noticed. She did give me credit for having a three bedroom house even though my office doesn't look like a bedroom just a few renovations and it could be a bedroom again. Whew!

I have had a lot of stress this week and I am glad to this one thing over with. I have been living very neatly AND I AM A SLOB. It was hard picking up after myself everyday for a week. I made my bed everyday for a week and a half. Ironically, Mom said that they won't come on the same day they call. Well, yes, she did. She had a cancellation and came the same day she called. I really worked to my favor as I didn't have to leave work to met her, it was my telecommute day.

If anyone out there prays, send a little prayer my way. I need strength and courage to make need changes.

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This little piggy went wa wa wa all the way home

Lordy, lordy, lordy! I have to say I have worked my toes off or at least worked them numb. Me and my parents have been cleaning the house and making it look as pretty as it can before the appraiser comes to grade all our hard work. We worked all weekend making the place look great.

I am amazed that my ity bity house could be so hard to clean and get ready for scrutiny.

Friday night after work:
I was ready for a change so we  removed all the Harlequin and Poirot dolls and Mardi Gras masques from my bedroom and packed them up. I cannot give them away so I just put them away.  Mom and I packed the dolls and removed the shelves that held them. Dad Spackle all the holes and found a problem with my new window with the dry wall and caulking. Mom washed the windows in the bedroom and I dusted everything (three hours on only one room?!?).

Saturday:
I scrubbed my tub and shower walls. I Windexed my over-sized shower doors and cleaned the toilet and sink and hid all my toiletries in the linen closet (two hours of pain). I painted all the walls that had spackle and mom repainted the bay window where the dogs sit and watch the world go by.  Mom and I washed all the wood work in the bedrooms, hallway and bathroom. Mom dusted the guest bedroom and washed all the inside windows. I scanned all paperwork waiting on me while mom dusted the office and books. Dad touched up some grout in my bathroom shower and added about three feet of cedar in the top part of my bedroom closet.

By this point we are in so much pain that we can barely see straight. Earlier this spring I had cleaned all my baseboards in the living room so I only needed to dust the nick knacks.

Sunday:
Thankfully Dad and I reworked the kitchen wainscoting and touched all the paint then so we had to clean all the wood work then. The kitchen just needed company cleaning. Then we washed the windows on the outside. Dad re-caulked the shower. Dad edged and weed eated and mowed my yard.

Monday:
While I was at work, Mom and Dad trimmed up all my dead monkey grass. Dad recaulked all my windows after the Champion Window guy came out and said to just re-caulk everything and so, Dad caulked and Mom taped all windows where he caulked and I touched up all the paint. Then Mom and I pruned all the trees that were growing saplings and suckers and weeded large gravel area out back.

We worked so hard that every night we were so exhausted and sore. Dad has bruises from crawling in the closet. Mom's legs and back hurt. I think I have to top them both; on my right foot-my pinkie toe and the one next to it have gone totally numb. This is a first for me. I probably have a pinched nerve but my back doesn't really hurt like it normally does.  I will keep you posted as to when I regain the feeling in my toes -- on day four.

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Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away

The glorious rain came today but why did it have to come the very minute I had an appointment across town and I had no umbrella. Somehow I didn't mind the drenching I got running to my car. I even didn't mind the ominous sky from my floor to ceiling windows in my office.  Spooky skies are kind of neat when you roll your chair right up to the edge.

I am also thrilled that it rained for longer than 15 minutes. I want to have a green yard again!

My appointment this morning was with my bank. I decided that I need to tend to my finances. I have two IRAs from my old job that I need to roll over into one or my current job's IRA. Then I need to try to refinance my house from 6% interest to 3.8% interest.

The appraisal is going to run me about $450 but if I can refinance then it will be money well spent. The whole deal will depend on whether or not my house will appraise for a certain price.

I feel so grown up!

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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************ My next password will be "1diotsmkmehaveastupidpswrd"

 Today, I had to enter my employee account services where my payroll stubs go and my leave accrual reports go, the important things that you need but only occasionally. So I go to log in with this arbitrary ID number that I can never remember. Then I have to enter a password that changes every 90 days so I have to write it down, mainly because I rarely go to the account services.

When I entered the password it immediately took me to the password expired page. How secure is a site that requires you to change your password so frequently that you can't remember it? I have a dedicated file on my laptop of all my passwords.

I find it odd that in trying to make everything super secure they create a compromising scenario where us users must store their passwords in something quite insecure.

Why is it that my ATM pin has not changed in since it was issued to me and I have it in my head securely. I truly think it is more about creating a false sense of job security than it is about computer security. Why is it that major corporations like Visa, Master Card and Discover allow you to create a password for your credit cards and let it be for how long ?.... EVER, for-freaking-ever! But at work I have to key in a new password every 90 days, because you know someone may hack into my computer and download a couple of press releases!

The future of the computer police.

Now, I just add the next numeral and keep the same password. Since I began my job almost five years ago, I have had to change my password 28 or 29 times. That is just plain stupidity and not secure at all. 

Pretty soon information technicians will be roaming the halls with AK47s and segways gunning for anyone with a password shorter that 48 characters including at least one upper case letter and three special characters. 

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It's what's on the inside that counts

New outlet mall opened this weekend and from the looks of driving by the crowds were completely insane. Just what I need a name brand outlet mall for my sister to trek down from Dumas, TX and empty my wallet.

Every October, Kim comes for the Affair of the Hearts, Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge, Kohl's and anything else we can go to without our feet giving out. Each year, I spend about a grand without even realizing it. Now there's an outlet mall...I am so screwed.

On a side note, did they try their hardest to make the exterior look as ridiculous as possible? It has to bee the ugliest mall I have ever seen.

There are 87 stores in this mall some sound promising others not so much. Kimber, you might want to add another day to the fall shopping fest and bring Rick's wallet to boot.

See the full list:

Aeropostale, Auntie Anne’s, Banana Republic, Bass, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Bella Pizza, Bon Worth, Bose, Brooks Brothers, Carter’s Childrenswear, Chico’s, Children’s Place, Christopher & Banks,                   City Bites, Clarks/Bostonian, Claire’s, Coach, Converse, Corningware, Dazzle Nails and Spa, Disney Store Outlet, DKNY, Dress Barn, Easy Spirit, Famous Footwear/     Factory Brand Shoes,

Fragrance Outlet, Gap Outlet, Gold Toe, Guess?, Gymboree, Haggar, Hanes Brands, Izod, J. Crew Factory, Johnston & Murphy,                  Jones New York, Jos. A. Bank, Journeys, Justice, Kasper, Kay Jewelers, Kitchen Collection, Lane Bryant, Le Creuset, Le Gourmet Chef, Levi’s, Lids, Maurices, Michael Kors, Naturalizer, Nike, Nine West,

Oakley Vault, Orange Leaf Yogurt, OshKosh B’Gosh, Perry Ellis, Polo Ralph Lauren, Primo’s, RackRoom Shoes, Reebok/Rockport, Rice Garden, Rue 21, Saks Avenue Off Fifth, Skechers, Smashburger, Soma, Sunglass Hut, Talbots, Tommy Hilfiger, Ultra Diamonds, Under Armour, Uniform Outlet, US Polo Assn., Van Heusen, Vans Outlet, Wilsons Leather, Yankee Candle, and Zumiez.

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The bliss of the mundane

I am quite proud of myself today. I got up and picked up the entire house by 9 a.m. Then I went to breakfast with the fokes and worked on the family's photo project. Now, I sitting back watching a movie.

I haven't had one of these weekends where I feel like my house is in order and I have time to rest. It feels good. Isn't it weird that just cleaning your house, weeding your planter and working on a project actually makes you feel good.

It's the kind of weird I will take any day over the bad weird. As my reward, God has sent a little rain this way. I am so thankful. I have two mature Maple trees that have more brown leaves then green. I am praying that they will come out of it when the rains come back.

Oddly, my baby Red buds are doing rather well. I really thought I had lost them last fall but then they came out of the winter with happy green leaves.

I feel calm... I like it.

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Sleepy, but happy

The video below is how I wish I felt. Instead I am just plum tired. The minute I hit the bed I plan to be out cold. Half way through the video I start thinking, hey camera man please leave the room and let her sleep.



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The boondoogle I would want to see

If this clip does not scare you there is something wrong with you. First that crazy Russian Putin has no desire to be a friend of the United States and I do think he is crazy enough to wage war against us.

Second Biden is our Vice President and should be ever thankful the Secret Service keeps him alive. He's incredibly stupid and if he needed to save his own life - Bahner would move up the chain of command. Now we learn not only is he the dumbest VP in history, he's greedy! To have the government rent his propery so they can protect him is wrong on so many levels? [ Must not say dirty words, must not say dirty words. ]

Nudist taking over a Marine owned beach? Are they mental? Let the idiots go to their beach and let the Marines hone their amphibious assaults skills anyone stupid enough to be on their beach.  Have you noticed that nudist are always fat and ugly - come on people! That's just not right. A new slogan "Support our troops, keep you pants on!" Camp Pendleton Marines should receive hazard pay for having to endure the mind numbing site of ugly naked people. [ Mental picture ulgy nake people running like sissy girls when the Marines land. ]



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Friends Don't Let Friends Dance Old

My brain hurts today. It was a weird day spent with reading, reading and more reading. If I wasn't trying to learn the new HTML5, I was proofing one of the longest newsletters we had in a long while.

I think I looked at my computer maybe 45 minutes out of the entire day. It felt like I was back in college. That flashback I did not need.

It's odd, I don't like the fact that my life is flying by but I don't think I would want to repeat my 20s. I like the fact that I know my future now. I like the fact that I am independent and taking care of myself. My brain works better now, why is that 20 year figure wasted on a 20 year brain?

I do miss dancing. I wish 40s didn't mean you look funny dancing now. They need to open some 40s plus clubs where we could go get our grove on without being comedy relief for the 20s crowd.

The video below is living proof middle aged people need to think long and hard about dancing publicly. Do you really think these women would have ever convinced that dude to go out to the dance asphalt if he remotely thought he was being videoed? Dance all you want in the privacy of your own home!



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Ring, Ring

My cell phone is approximately three or four years old, you know the Razor that was so popular a while back. It's beginning to act up and I am thinking it's time for a new phone.

The problem I am seeing is that all the new cell phones are smart phones. I don't want a smart phone. I do not want the ability to blog or Facebook on the run. I need some distance from all those 1s and 0s to actually live my life.

So which cell phone do you buy now, if you want to use it only for - get this - a phone. I don't text, why text when I am holding the phone and I can call and speak actual words and get actual words spoken back to me. I think I will keep my phone for now.

If I have the ability to Facebook or snap a photo and blog about right then, I know I will. As a person who designs webs and writes for a living, yes, I must do that eight hours a day Monday through Friday - I don't want to do that in my off hours as well.  I don't think it's too healthy to be too linked to the web.

That's why I find the following commercial so apropos to what I am trying to do. I would rather have 19 friends and be active (probably not trail biking but maybe gambling, movies, reading). The key for me is to find a good balance to enjoy both worlds.


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My Easy button doesn't work

Friend Linda went on a retreat this week for work and came back energized and with an Easy button to boot.

My week was anything but easy, it was one of the hardest weeks I've had in a long time. Everything was a fight or a struggle. Everything I have coming up looks to be the same fight or struggle.

I am tired of the drama and I want boring. I want easy but that stupid Easy button didn't make it easier. It just made Linda laugh. She enjoyed pushing the button even though I was not amused. I honestly think she was laughing at me. Even after I broke a form everyone uses. Yet, she still pushed the stupid button and laughed.

Do yo think she drank the kool-aid at the retreat?  She told me I could waller today in all the crap happening but the crap had to be left at work and I am supposed to enjoy my weekend. I doubt that will happen, the crap is still there... waiting ...waiting, patiently for me to return and wreck my world.

If I had a button it would definitely be a "Make It Suck" button and it would be stuck on! As that the theme of my week. I took a long soak hoping to wash away all this ickyness, but it only succeeded in scaring Winston, afraid he was going to have to take a bath. I am still bummed.

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Practice Makes Perfect

Well its takes mom about five months for mom to earn me enough clicks to get my Google AdSense email.

I am trying get to my ad revenue up to at least five clicks a day, so I can get an email from Google every month about a payment being issued.

I have yet to recruit enough ad clickers, but I shall continue to try. One of the things that adding the ads to the site it has encouraged me to write more constantly. When you write for a living, you tend to write about the same things and the subject matter gets old. This blog allows me the freedom to write anything I want  and in turn helps me keep my creative skills up.

Here I am limited only by my imagination, which means some days I will bore my three readers profusely. While on other occasions I will be quite imaginative. The sheer nature of a blog is to put down you own thoughts from the day or a particular subject. When I first began it was all about this new techie thing that I could actually publish.

Now, I enjoy the rants, the spastic Tuesdays, the stretching of my imagination. As I get stuck in the routine of work, this outlet helps to keep my desire to write strong and hopefully entertain my three readers.

To mom, I say thank you for diligently clicking on my ads earning me anywhere from 15 cents to S1.95 a day. If this revenue boosting doesn't work, beware I will just have to become an Arbonne dealer and I will pester you to buy all your make up from me (even though I think their hand creme stinks).

Here's to hoping for five clicks a day but realizing the daily exercise is worth much more than that. One of these days, Friend Shana and I will figure out how to write that novel together (she's an awesome writer with a killer imagination) and I won't need this blog anymore but until then I will keep practicing.

Enough for now...

When do I get recess?

I have been doing a little freelancing here and there and in doing so, I am actually increasing my skill set. I would love to do some changes to my "real" job's web but I seem to be too busy to get around to it. So my side jobs get some of my best work. In a way that's kind of good and yet, it is not.

My work site will get the benefit of HTML5 first, I think, mainly because I know that site inside and out. I am a little excited about this HTML5shiv that makes everything backwards compatible making even IE6 less of a booger.

Then I plan to learn asp.net for web forms and stuff and may stick my toes into mySQL. I don't know about that, SQL kind of scares me. So I think I have much learning to do in the near future.

What really scares me, is that I created a database driven resource guide with more than 3,000 entries and need to move it from the antiquated Front Page Database Interface that require Front Page Extensions and I am not sure how or what program to convert that database to. I want to maintain the ease of accessing the database via the web and yet I am just clueless as to where to start on that. So I will procrastinate on that.

The problem I always have when I work from home is that I get too deep into my work and tonight's entry is prime example of me still thinking about code when I should be relaxing. If you have any ideas of which way to start, I would love some input.

Enough for now...

Sign of the times

This photo, provided by Jodi Burr, shows the sign supporting their

sign's military service. The Burr family says their homeowner's

association is suing them for their refusal to take down the

banner from their front yard.  Read more: Fox News Story

 For all you who live in housing editions with homeowners association that won't allow American Flags or patriotic signs for our sons and daughter deployed to war zones - revolt now. I challenge everyone who pays dues to hang out the biggest flag you can get your hands on  or post signs and yellow ribbons for the safe return of our military and say "bite me, HA".

I am absolutely floored by the lengths that some of these associations will go to. Suing people to remove the flags and signs are beyond the pale.

When did we become so hung up on showing our patriotism? When did supporting our Country become passe?

Shame on you, homeowners association, that frown on such signs of patriotism.

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Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my Dad's birthday. This photo is who my Dad is. His is quite and not easily excitable. He is also goofy on occasion and you never know when it is going to come out.

If you know Tommie then you know he has to have something on that head of his. Even if it's a McDonald's hat.

(P.S. dig the TV. The remote control was sitting on the rolling ottoman.)

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Wasted Future

It is such a shame that with success and fame that a healthy dose of sanity doesn't accompany it. No matter how many tried to help Amy Winehouse, the drug's grip was stronger. I do feel sorry for her, drugs are evil and when they get a hold, it takes a great deal of will power to get healthy again. But the thing to remember is that before she ever took that first hit, she was sober. She chose to do drugs.

When you see these two photos of her, you wonder why anyone would do drugs. They make you ugly real fast. It's hard to believe that the photo on the right was take the night before her 25th birthday. She looks closer to 50 there. Now at the age of 27, Amy Winehouse ceased to age any more. She's dead.

The big question is,  who's the next celebrity to die a stupid death?

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You are diving me nuts!

This last month I have been working on a horrible project where I have been trying to get approximately 80 remote offices to provide me with information. At the beginning the majority of the people were super and sent their information in but the last 20 or so have been absolutely obstinate. I sent emails asking for information, they replied only giving half the information, I replied asking for clarification or all the information, they would reply again with partial. I was so frustrated with the mean people that my assistant  had to take over talking to a few.

It got to a point that I was almost ready to get in my car and drive two hours to a couple of offices and give them my can can of whoop a$$. But that would not have been profession of me now would it? The frustration though did manifest itself as laughing hysterically.

I told my friend, Linda, that the next time a project of this nature comes along, I am going to say "Don't ever do that to me again!" Like that freaky young girl on Toddlers and Tiaras. That show just freaks me out. If you haven't heard her before here is a snippet.



Enough for now...