Archive for February, 2007
I just got my hair done & I want to pull it out!
February 25th, 2007
Yeah, yeah. I’m not keeping up with my goal of posting 5 times a week. To be fair, I have posted a little at my Benjamin Bratt website and at my Supernatural blog, but certainly not with the frequency I’d planned. I’d also fallen off the wagon with the Treasure Hunt. (I spent much of the last couple weeks making user pics for my LiveJournal site. I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for pictures of pretty boys.) But I did a quick calculation this week & found that if I find 2 treasures per day (including weekends), I’ll finish on time. Yay.
Friday night I upgraded to the latest version of WordPress, and this morning I’m all befuddled. When I came on to post, everything was in HTML. Now, I know HTML pretty well, but I’ve really gotten used to the WYSIWYG editor. And since WYSIWYG helps with the flow of thought (and the blog is title “Stream of Conscience,” after all) , I really didn’t want to be hassled with having to stop, think, and put in HTML tags. (Besides, the tag editor wasn’t working all that great.) But I finally got the WYSIWYG back. And yet I was still having problems. For some goofy reason, I didn’t have all the editing options available to me. Things seem to be back to normal now, though. But, have the buttons in the Insert/edit link box been swapped? I keep wanting to hit “Cancel” instead of “Insert” (which is really annoying because my links & link titles in the Treasure Hunt are pretty darned long).
Oh, and I had this very annoying greeting in the upper right-hand corner, “Howdy, NICEUSERNAME” (or something like that). Fortunately, I found where to correct the name. I’d sure hate for this post to show up as “Posted by NICEUSERNAME.” And the really odd thing? I upgraded my Ben Bratt website blog, too, but everything over there is working just fine. Sheesh.
It’s snowing its brains out! We were supposed to have a “wintry mix” changing over to (freezing) rain this afternoon. But this is the whitest damn rain I’ve ever seen! Well, the good news is, maybe work will be cancelled tomorrow. Heee. That would be terrific. Oh wait. I just realized there’s something I’ve got to do first thing Monday morning. Rats.
Posted in Blogging, General, Work | Comments (0)
Day 2—in retrospect
February 19th, 2007
I thought about posting several times yesterday, but just never got to it. My right forearm was ridiculously sore from all my efforts to free my car from its ice & snow-encrusted prison. I got all the snow & ice off of the car, but there’s still icy snow up around the tires. Both Saturday & yesterday, the temperature was supposed to get above freezing. I figured once the snow got a little mushy, I be able to get underneath it or break it up so that I could shovel it. Well, if it got above freezing, it didn’t reach the ground. Of course, it didn’t help that my neighbor was out there pouring hot water to melt some of the snow. Now the ice in that spot is about 1 inch thick.
Nonetheless, I did get my car out. It took a bit of effort, and it’s not a pretty sight, but at least I’m mobile.
As usual, I didn’t get as much done on Sunday as I had on Saturday. Still, I cleaned out my frig & went to the grocery store. And got a few more loads of laundry done. And found a book I’d been looking for. And I have yet another day off to get more accomplished.
The pull of the computer games is immense. It’s such relaxing passtime for me. But it’s also an escape, and an enormous time-waster. (And solitaire doesn’t count, because I easily get bored with it and move on.)
Posted in General, Head Games | Comments (0)
This stops now: Day 1
February 17th, 2007
A week or so ago, I decided to try to break my computer game habit. But before I knew it, I’d retrieved the game from my recycle bin and was through a few levels. So I then thought it might be easier to start the new habit on a weekday. Well, that didn’t work. But I have been spending inordinate amounts of time on the computer, and my life is suffering.
It really hit me yesterday. I’ve gotten myself into a terrible mess with work and home, and I have to get out of it somehow. I’m hoping it’s not too late for the work part. I know it’s not too late for the home part; it’s just overwhelming.
So, I figure the first thing I can do is stop playing the damn computer games. Oh, I have other bad habits & obsessions, but I’m only going to work on one of them at a time. Maybe that way I stand a fighting chance.
I made a list of five (only 5) things I want to accomplish today. And I want to do this on every weekend/holiday. I did this last Saturdary & it worked nicely. However, by Sunday I threw it out the window. (No good reason other than I just didn’t want to do it.)
I’m currently reading “The Four Agreements,” and it’s time I start putting the first agreement into action. Be impeccable with your word. I have fallen so far from this agreement, I can’t even begin to write about it. It’s overwhelming, but more importantly, I’m too ashamed to put my behavior in writing. This behavior has got to stop. Now. I have to honor my commitments, not only to others, but to myself as well.
So, with that said, I better go honor my commitment to accomplish 5 things today and start one of those tasks—the laundry.
Posted in Head Games | Comments (2)
February 12th
February 12th, 2007
Three of my favorite people were born on this day. The most famous is Abraham Lincoln. I wrote a somewhat long post about him last year, and why he was so special to me. Unfortunately, I’ve changed blogs a couple times since then, so that post is lost forever. Perhaps next year I’ll revive some of it.
Another of those is my dad’s cousin, Connie Carr McCutcheon. She’s one of my 2 favorite relatives, along with my dad’s brother, Uncle Rod. [There are 2 other people I put in my favorite people category that I'm not related to by blood. One is my nephew's wife, Debra, who died unexpectedly about a year & a half ago. The other is my sister-in-law's sister-in-law. More about them later, too.]
And last but by far not least, there’s my most favorite person ever—my mom. It’s hard to believe that she’s been gone for nearly 20 years. When we first found out she was terminal, I remember looking at her across the breakfast table, and I absolutely could not think of life without her. She’d always been there for me. And while she wasn’t necessarily the best parent (nor was she by any means the worst), she was the best person I ever knew. She had an absolute heart of gold. She didn’t crave the spotlight, but instead worked behind the scenes many times so that others could shine. And she never asked for much in return. Consequently, I think some people may have taken advantage of her, but I’d have to say that nearly everyone who ever knew her, knew she was someone very special.
I’ve learned to live without her. But there are times, like now, that I’d give just about anything to see her again.
Posted in Family | Comments (0)
Watch this show, dammit!
February 11th, 2007
Today I was going to write about how I’m trying to break my addiction to computer games. The post was going to be titled something like “Breaking the habit, Day #1.” However, before I could even think about it, I’d recovered the executable file from the recycle bin, loaded it and gone thru’ a couple of levels. I guess I’ll have to start my countdown some other time.
In the meantime, I’m going to break with my habit of writing about Supernatural only at LiveJournal. I just read that the ratings for last week’s episode were at a season low. The show has had a horribly tough battle this year, since it’s up against Grey’s Anatomy, CSI and NBC’s comedies. What’s worse, Direct TV doesn’t carry the CW, so I can’t even get some people who would likely enjoy the show to watch.
I started watching the show towards the end of last season. I’d seen it advertised when I was still watching Charmed, but had no desire to watch a series featuring a couple of “male models.” The actors were so darned pretty, I figured the show was aimed towards teen-age girls and their run-amok hormones. (Plus, I am not a fan of the horror genre, altho I did enjoy Charmed before its final years.)
I don’t even know why I tuned into it one evening. It might be because my friend Teresa had mentioned that Smallville was one of her guilty pleasures. And since Teresa is only a year younger than me, and not a frivolous person at all, I thought I’d check it out. Perhaps I was just too lazy to change the channel. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I tuned in.
Yes, the episode was suspenseful, and even a little scarey. But what really surprised me was the depth of the underlying story, the relationship of the brothers, and how well it was portrayed. The episode was titled “Something Wicked.” You could tell that Dean Winchester (the older brother) had a lot of layers, and was hiding some enormous pain. And we got a bit of back-story that showed the enormous pressure this boy had been under. The performance of Jensen Ackles (whom I’d never heard of before) was superb.
Since that episode, I’ve never seen Ackles (the guy on the right in the picture) falter. The guy has delivered on nearly everything they’ve thrown at him. (Ok, the “Phantom Traveler” afraid-to-fly bit might have been a little overdone, but I’ll forgive because it made the episode that much more fun to watch. And his one love scene was a little too graphic for my taste.) Week after week, the guy knocks it out of the park. He’s made Dean Winchester one of the most interesting, multi-dimensional characters on television. He easily outshines any Emmy-nominated actor. (Well, except maybe for Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer, but I think Jensen would give him a run for his money.) And yet he recieves little recognition for his talent.
Back to last week’s low ratings: It’s a damn shame, because last week’s episode was fabulous, one of its best ever. Normally Sam, the younger Winchester, is an empathetic, more cerebral counterpart to his rakish bother. But Sam is fighting a dark destiny and last week we got a glimpse of just how menacing this sweet-faced hero could be. Normally an intellegent, endearing young man with a pleasant temperament, Sam’s dark side emerged to wreak havoc across the northern midwest states. And Jared Padalecki’s (the taller guy on the left) performance was down-right Emmy-worthy. All of a sudden, his amicable 6′4″ frame became ominous, his voice became frightening; and his “near rape” scene was perhaps the creepiest, most disturbing scene of the series.
But will any of this be recognized? Probably not, because magazines like TV Guide prefer to cater to the more popular, more mainstream shows (even tho’ they don’t need the publicity). And even the CW doesn’t seem to care. They keep the show on Thursday night, when a move to another night might give the show a wider audience and a better chance. In the meantime, I’ll keep hoping for a miracle.
* Photo/flyer by cloex-brosluvr
Posted in Couch Critic | Comments (0)
I’ve been bit off this week
February 10th, 2007
First of all, I can’t seem to get rid of my LiveJournal account, like I had planned to in my 10 blogging goals for 2007. I really feel the need to be a part of the Supernatural fans community (since the show has been totally awesome lately—or should I say more totally awesome than usual). And even tho’ I’m not getting a lot of comments, the blog still allows me easy access to the people & points of view I like. And I guess I’m still a little too embarrassed to extol the virtues of a tv show geared towards 20-somethings on this blog. So I continue to hang out there.
Nor have I been as good about seeking my treasure hunt items. I like to do a couple of them at lunchtime at work, but since I was at work only 2 days this week (see the fall at McDonalds), I kind of got out of the habit. But so far this weekend has been reasonably productive, so perhaps I’ll make a little progress today & tomorrow.
Oh, and tomorrow I’ll write about trying the nasy addiction I’m trying to quit (& already failed today).
Posted in Blogging, Couch Critic | Comments (0)
What I’ve learned so far
February 6th, 2007
I seem to have hit a block with the Lorelle’s WordPress Treasure Hunt. I’d been marching along so smartly, I thought this would be a piece of cake. But today I kind of came to screeching halt. Ok, it wasn’t screeching, but I’ve definitely come upon a stop sign. So I thought that maybe a good way to get me back into the game is to post some of the terrific lessons I’ve learned so far—or rather, the terrific websites I’ve found that I plan to revisit once the hunt is over.
- I implemented Askimet on my WP blogs. I really needed it, because I logged onto my e-mail one day & found I had over 1000 messages in queue. Eek! So at least that’s under control now.
- How to highlight my own name in the comments section. Of course, I first need to get some comments.
- Canvas! Ok, so I really want to create my own theme, but this still might be a fun download to play with.
- A boatload of links to help me hone my CSS skillz, er, skills.
- Create custom fields! I didn’t know you could do this with WP, and it’s something I’d really like try. I like this feature on my LiveJournal blog, and I had it on my very very first blog at Bravenet. And I can even customize the custom fields!
- I found out what Vox is! LiveJournal had been talking about it & I was so confused. And of course, I created a blog there, just to see what it’s like (no posts yet, tho’). I’m such a blog junkie.
Well, I’ll continue to plug away, and maybe I’ll have some new discoveries by next week.
Posted in Blogging | Comments (0)
That’ll teach me
February 3rd, 2007
I decided to hit the McDonald’s for breakfast on my way to the library this morning. As I was walking from my car I noticed, in the drive-thru’ lane (which was very busy), a patch of black ice. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until the nano-second before I planted my foot on it. I knew even before my foot hit the ground that I was in trouble. My feet went waaay out from under me. I landed on my ass, then my back, then my head. Luckily I didn’t see stars, but I did have a the wind knocked out of me. As I sat back up, I looked at the car in the drive thru’ lane, who of course, just sat there waiting for me to get up. (Nice!) But it was so slick, I couldn’t get up. I had to wiggle myself off the ice, then get up. The people in the car just sat there watching me. Finally, as I managed to get up, the passenger opened the door to ask if I was alright. Well, I guess later is better than never. (Or maybe they just wanted to wait until I was upright again, so that they wouldn’t have to do too much work & wouldn’t miss their chance to order breakfast.)
Anyway, I am ok. Nothing’s broken. My butt is sore (& probably bruised), and I think my back may be bruised a bit too. I scraped one of my elbows (even tho it was generously padded by my heavy coat), and whacked one of my ankles (I know it’s not broken because I can still walk). And now I notice all the muscles that I tensed up as I went down are starting to tighten. I can’t wait to see what I feel like tomorrow.
Today is the birthday of my newest cyberfriend, Andie. She’s quite an amazing gal, with a most incredible sense of humor. If you watch Supernatural, you would enjoy her take on the Winchester brothers, called Plastic!Winchester!Theater (the exclamation points are necessary). Two Ken dolls, one very handsome & the other with goofy hair (just like their tv counterparts) take on all sorts of weird, paranormal activity. They’ve tackled ballet-performing zombies, troll dolls, Evil Care Bears, Barney, and a pink walrus, just to name a few. Their arch-nemesis, though, is not the “yellow-eyed demon” of the tv show; it’s Snuggles, the fabric softner teddy bear. If you’re looking to laugh your socks off, head on over there. And if you don’t know what Supernatural is about, check out her Supernatural Guide for Newbies.
Oh! And, Happy Birthday, Andie! 
Posted in General, Musings | Comments (0)
How’m I doing?
February 1st, 2007
So, how’s my progress with my 2007 blogging goals? Really great! Yeah, yeah, it’s only been a few days, but I’ve had enough success to keep me moving forward.
- I’ve made great progress with the Treasure Hunt, finding 2 treasures each day this week. At this rate, I’ll finish this goal in ahead of schedule. And best of all, I’m finding some really great treasures along the way—sites I’ll come back to visit time & time again.
- I think I’ve made a blog entry every day this week. You don’t see them here because most of them have been on my Benjamin Bratt website. There’s been some good publicity about his upcoming move, Love in the Time of Cholera, so that’s kept me mildly busy. (I also added another author. She hasn’t posted anything yet, but it’s nice to make the site collaborative. And I learned something in the process.)
- Consolidation has more or less happened. I wrote on LiveJournal that I wouldn’t be posting much there anymore. I still participate in communities & discussions, but it’s so nice not to have to worry about creating my own entries there. And I deleted my WordPress.com blog. I wasn’t using it. Heck, I couldn’t even think of a name for it.
One other thing:
- I decided to hold off on goal #9. Right now I’m trying to concentrate on getting my finances back in order and getting my laundry done. Once I have those two beasts under control, I’ll start the whole eating better thing. Which is why I’m changing the goal slightly from writing about recipes to writing about the improvements I’m trying to make in my life. Go me!
All that, and there’s a new Supernatural episode tonight. I’m in heaven!
Posted in Blogging | Comments (0)