Everyone's Blog

What do you mean "My Room"?

There has been a lot of noise here today. I've only just worked out what is happening. It seems that I'm being evikt... evickded... evicted from my room. And even after I let Mum and Dad sleep in there near me for all this time.

After I woke up from my lunch time sleep, they put me in the next room in something called a "cot". It's like an all-in-one bed and prison. Mum told me that this was my new bed. I don't really remember what else they said, because I was so hungry.

Mmm milk...

Mister vs his house

Like many other people, I live with my family in a house. And now that the number of people out number the number of bedrooms, we've had to make some changes.

One such change was having disturbed sleep for 14 weeks while Cookie slept in a bassinet at the foot of our bed. Another one is, today, I've had to pack up my drums to make way for Cookies cot. :(

This has resulted in many tears. It feels like the end of an era. Historians will say; "In the 21st year of his drumming.... he had to pack up his drums...." (The crowds will gasp).

Ok, so I'm being melodramatic. And it will be wonderful for Red & I to have a full nights sleep - eventually. But I can't honestly remember the last time I didn't have drums set up where I live*.

Anyway, the deed is done. The drums are down, the cot is up, and Cookie has been introduced to his new bedroom.

... I wonder if the drums will look good in the dining room?

(*My year in Tokyo excluded)

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Why do some clients want me to ruin a perfectly functional and attractive website with what they USED to have on their last website? *sigh*

Fedora 13 & Samba (SMB)

Finally, it's done.

For the last few days, I've been trying to get the samba shares working on my new Fedora server. (When I say new, I mean someones old Pentium D machine.)

I've never configured samba before, and I thought, it would be reasonably straight forward. And it was. However, I didn't think that I'd have such a hard time with sharing it through SELinux... In a sub folder of the /home directory... In the middle of the night.

But it's done. If you've found this page whilst trying to make headway into your own, similar issue, I'll give you the d & l below.

The first thing I did was to make sure you have the smb service installed. Then I created my samba shares - I used the GUI to do this. I also discovered that you can't create the shares if the directories don't exist - fair enough.

I like having everything locked down, and F13 came with SELinux already running. Sweet. Prior to "thinking", I decided to put the shares in the /home directory. Which meant that I had to edit my SELinux config. (File: "/etc/sysconfig/selinux") I needed to put "setsebool -P samba_enable_home_dirs 1" in there. (Yes, I realise the disparity of wanting everything "locked down" and then permitting sharing of the /home directory.)

I then had to run these commands in relation to the shared directories.
semanage fcontext -a -t samba_share_t "/<path>/<foldername>(/.*)?"
restorecon -R -v /<path>/<foldername>/

Then I was done. It all started working, and I stopped getting those SELinux errors popping up on the servers XWindow interface.

References:
http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/13/html/Managing_Confined_Services/sect-Managing_Confined_Services-Samba-Configuration_examples.html
http://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/Deployment_Guide-en-US/ch-selinux.html
http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/how-do-i-set-permissions-to-samba-shares.html

-- edit --
Other handy things that I used were:
Restart samba "service smb restart"
Start samba as a service at boot "chkconfig smb on"

Oooo TV...

I like TV.

I didn't know what to call it until now, but I like watching the people and animals inside it.

How do they get the people and animals inside it? It must be very cramped.

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"Don't argue with a, Mobius strip because it, Will be one-sided." A Technical Haiku - Thanks @thinkgeek :)

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Some geeks are so creative http://statuscodedrinkinggame.com/ (A side note: I do not drink, and certainly don't advocate drinking in excess)

And I was so happy with the demise of IE6

But IE 7 is just as BAD!

There is a issue, where the elements constructed / rendered in the DOM are given a higher z-index than those earlier on. And setting the z-index on some won't overcome it.

We litterally had to script around it. (JQuery code as follows)

$(function() {
   var zIdx = 1000;
   $('div').each(function() {
      $(this).css('zIndex', zIdx);
      zIdx-= 10;
   });
});

State of Play

So, as you may have noticed scrolling up and down my blog page, or indeed, waiting for it to load, I've got to the lengths of incorporating my Twitter posts into the website. And after many hours of tinking with XML, string operations and getting things almost right, I'm fairly happy with it.

I do notice a drawback though... The page is enormous! Oh well. I guess you'll have to endure the lengthy page for now.

In other news, Australia has no idea who the overall winners are of the most recent general election. We've so far been hearing about a hung parliament, in-fighting, and minority groups / individuals having the power. All very intence for them, I'm sure. Still unsure what that will mean for us.

On the home front, Cookie is huge. I'm sure that's why he never writes on the blog. Always eating & sleeping. He's over 8kg at 3 months old. Spud and Cookie are actually sharing some clothes. Spud had a vest on yesterday, and Cookie had it on today. I've actually been wondering if I should switch their online names around. Spud seems like the robust name of a beefy baby.

Hooray for Healing!

Guess what?! It's something that is VERY exciting...

I don't have to take medication for my thyroid anymore! Hooray!

For those that don't know, my thyroid got stuck on full throttle, and I had to take drugs to counteract or placate it. It wasn't cool, I was all over the place, edgy, unable to sleep and full of adrenaline at the outset, and then in the last two months tired and blah all the time. Very annoying. Still better than the alternative.

Praise God!

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Looking up the who's who and the what's what for tomorrows election. Mate, I'll be glad when this is wrapped up.

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RT @muttongrass: Won't somebody think of the words? http://savethewords.org/

"Delishius!"

Spud is so cute! Today we make choc-chip biscuits, and when she licked the spoon she said "delishius!" Totally unprompted and unrehearsed.

*Sniff* the grow up so fast.

Cooking!

I like cooking! Today mummy and I made 'bikkies' - with cho co late bits in them. Yum!

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Wow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTl3U6aSd2w

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RT @Queen_UK: Bogan. @juliagillard

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I'll be glad when this AU election is over. I'm tired of the fear / tear down the other guy advertising.

Rather THAN tell us what you can DO FOR the country, they just tell us how bad the other major party has been / could be. Already know that!

Eat & Sleep

I am getting into this. I eat, I sleep and then I eat and sleep more.

Poppins!

I've discovered something called "Mary Poppins". I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's great! She jumps into drawings... just like mine! I want to draw on the ground now, but Mummy and Daddy won't let me.

Mummy and I watch it lots! We have a great time.

Updated photos!

I know! Contain your excitement & disbelief! I have actually updated the photos page of the site.

Apart from introducing and uploading pic's of Cookie, I've moved things about and added some more photos of Spud as well. She's such a cutie!

Enjoy!

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RT @phil_nash: Welcome to the new decade: Java is a restricted platform, Google is evil, Apple is a monopoly and Microsoft are the underdogs

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RT @harrybr: How many SEO experts does it take to change a light bulb, lightbulb, light, bulb, lamp, lighting, switch?

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Wow, talk about commitment to your website. Look at this 403 page! http://www.bluedaniel.com/403.shtml

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A poacher was chased by hippos into a pride of lions in South Africa. Are animals now teaming up on humans? http://bit.ly/dpNEhN

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http://www.batmanbatmanbatman.com/ Why do people do this?

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@switchfoot Oh! I missed question time! Wait, was that a question?

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For old times sake http://bit.ly/rw1DG

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RT @WebDesignDev The Secret To Get 28,500 Followers: http://bit.ly/9xzQcZ Well, I'm not sure if that's sneaky or very clever...

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http://bit.ly/9uWqeS Wildfire Bunkers. Why have we never seen these before?

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Stop... http://bit.ly/bl2uYV

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This is great :) http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

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RT @Gizmodo: Apple Safari Update Activates New Browser Extensions http://gizmodo.com/5598451/

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RT @Gizmodo: The Birth of A Lightning Bolt http://gizmodo.com/5596001/

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Lol. The Governator sound bites. http://bit.ly/3bIIQE

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RT @smashingmag: jQuery, A Designer's Perspective - http://bit.ly/c9pvhs

Javascript

Have been playing with JQuery UI today. Very nice, easy & extensible.

Check it out if you've never heard of it before. JQuery UI

2 x 2 = trying day

I've had such a trying week. But it basically comes down to these three things.

1. She's two years old
2. He's two months old, and
3. I'm sleep deprived

*sigh*

I have had moments of fun though, Spud and I have started cooking... Which is really I cook, and she stands next to me in her apron and chef's hat and "helps". Still, it's something new for her, and it does break up the routine of the day.

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RT @dalziel: Data retention: Got nothing to hide? http://ff.im/-o8rff

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RT @firefox: Firefox 4 Beta 1 is here! Test it out and let us know what you think. http://bit.ly/fx4beta1

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@RodeoClownII Welcome to Twitter :)

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Google Profiles? Is there any information we can't get from that little Google search box? http://www.google.com/profiles #googledomination

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"10 things I hate about operating systems" ~ Tech Republic http://bit.ly/dqDRao #techrepublic

"I wuv you"

Spud has been learning more and more words and phrases, and already is handling a short string of instructions (something Mister still struggles with ). And one of the more recent things she's come out with is: "I wuv you". Ahhhhhh.

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The best home printer ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX09WnGU6ZY

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Best Unimpressed face ever. http://bit.ly/9SmUcG

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RT @smashingmag: Google JavaScript Style Guide - http://bit.ly/b3zGrp

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RT @newsycombinator: Graphs don't lie :) http://bit.ly/b58Z0l

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RT @godwingrech: Little girl asked Daddy "Do all fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time'? He replied "No, some begin with 'If I am ele ...

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RT @WebDesignDev: SEE THIS: 30 Must Have Web Designer FREE Fonts: http://bit.ly/bFHomd

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RT @darthvader: Go Empire. We destroy more planets before 8am than most oil companies do all year.

Surprise Redsign

In case you've been wondering what I've been doing since the last post, I've been redesigning the site, being a daddy, and working. That is the theme of my life at the moment. But now I've finally finished redoing the site, and I can get back on with posting.

You may notice that there is now a blog for Cookie. He's my son! YAY!

-- edit --
Oh, I'm still updating the admin for the site, and being a parent, employee and husband, but I hope updates won't be too randomly spaced!

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RT @theprodesigner: 50 Inspiring Websites Using Red As Their Impact Design Color http://goo.gl/fb/EKUxX

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Forget about "Master Chef", lets try "Disaster Chef"! We'd need someone who could throw up on cue, or at least convulse, to judge it though.

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RT @muttongrass: Monkeys run You Tube? http://twitpic.com/256pdw

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Interesting response to #Sunrise (#Ch7) yesterday http://ff.im/-nFr4h #internet #censorship

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Beware of Ceiling Tigers... Mmmm think about it.

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Spending entirely too long working on new twitter background concepts & spending even LONGER trying to upload to twitter #twitter #failwhale

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Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Insightful.

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The Batman Diaries #movieswithbatman

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Fun with Batman and Jane #movieswithbatman

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The Bathouse #movieswithbatman

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Kill Batman part 1 & part 2 #movieswithbatman

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2 Fast, 2 Batman #movieswithbatman

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The Bat with the golden gun #movieswithbatman

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Batatouille #movieswithbatman

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Breakfast at Batmans #movieswithbatman

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The Bat October #movieswithbatman

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Lawnmower Bat #movieswithbatman

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Scooby Doo 2: Batmen unleashed #movieswithbatman

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Me, Myself and Batman #movieswithbatman

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Batman Dogs #movieswithbatman

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Weekend at Batmans #movieswithbatman

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Ghost in the Batman #movieswithbatman

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RT @Doobit: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Bats #movieswithbatman

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Must Love Batmans #movieswithbatman

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Casabata? #movieswithbatman Although, I can't imagine Batman as Humphrey Bogart...

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2001: A Space Batman #movieswithbatman

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RT @Batman: Much speculation on titling a film about me. It should be obvious: Batman vs. Predators. #movieswithbatman

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"Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia" (noun): Fear of long words. Even the definition is shorter than the word.

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Ahhh... The bliss of having both children asleep.

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RT @dalziel: Gillard continues the pattern http://ff.im/-nrHdx

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"We're Sorry" ~ Google http://ff.im/-nrL0a #google #privacy

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Why does technology advancement mean I have to change the way I do things? http://bit.ly/9Makxn - What hover? (touch screen devices)

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Farewell Microsoft Kin, we barely knew you existed. http://bit.ly/9eWVxo #mskin #kinphone Seriously, did you know MS had made this phone?

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Subliminal Campaigning? http://bit.ly/9bjhgZ It's amazing what a bit of perspective can show...

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RT @muttongrass: Headline of the year? http://bit.ly/bb2GXF

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RT @muttongrass: How a web design goes straight to hell via @oatmeal http://bit.ly/6XCosG

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Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realise... it was your money to start with

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Kids are asleep, finally - some down time.

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Mmmm, Flash, Javascript, Switchfoot playing loudly, and leftover food... Woo!... aw crap.. phone :(

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@dombayo When do you fly out?

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Remote control helicopter... with an Automatic 12 Gauge Shotgun! A working RC Gunship? http://bit.ly/y5Ra7 #rc #rcgunship #gunsonthings

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LOL! Old spice ad. Very funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE

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RT @jackwanders: Explore CSS3 http://j.mp/bsPi0B :

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re: Can the Air freeze? Perhaps not, but the grass is frozen.

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It is SO cold. Can the air freeze?

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@matthodge I'm on #Exetel, we're up and working.

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Tourism NSW: Discovering new & wonderful ways to annoy & frustrate their website viewers. http://www.visitnsw.com/

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RT @Gizmodo: How to get full bars at all times with the iPhone 4 http://bit.ly/a8kY7M Srsly! :

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@ElishaPearce P. McDermott says the ALP is scared of being re-elected, & are looking for a way not to get a second term. Lol. #GNW

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Mmmm 100% height hack fail. :( I hate that.

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RT @dalziel: Vodafone is releasing Nexus One in Australia http://ff.im/-mNObp :

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RT @ElishaPearce: RT @herculezg: Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you will die today. ::

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The day draws near when work will be ending support for IE6. HOORAY! #ie6 #deathtoie6 #ie6mustdie

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@simmolowerson Don't we all. #dancelikemj

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Finally have time to work on the website. What on earth was I doing again?

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Have other countries realised we have a new PM? Will they care? Do we care? Does it matter if she's just the face of Union power mongers?

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RT @realrossnoble: I just found out lady gaga outfits are made in an art class by kids with learning difficultlys :

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http://bit.ly/R4H8b I also like to move it. #madagascar

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"There, I fixed it" http://bit.ly/vRP94 I am one of these people. But a NES controller for a doorbell? That's Genius! http://bit.ly/9MEchI

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If you like Lolz, but are also halfway intelligent, then you'll probably like Historic Lols http://bit.ly/9BgJAZ

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RT @darthvader: Does it come in red? - http://bit.ly/dB7L5U (via @flyosity) :)

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Should Governments record your internet usage? http://bit.ly/d8Mn6b Is it enough to get them kicked from power? http://bit.ly/9HhzfQ

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@muttongrass Today is different?

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RT @smashingmag: jQuery 1.4.2 Visual Cheat Sheet - http://bit.ly/ctOSIE :

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May God have mercy on us all... http://youtu.be/M3xDWk9vbNw #Worldcup #iphone #app

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Why is the man next door abusing his garbage bin?

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Recipe for frustration: Take 1 Shell Script, 1 Samba & 1 USB Mount Point. Mix together thoroughly & ponder where you went wrong for 50 mins.

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@reddinteractive It should say, "Redd... ROCK ON!" :D

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Do you use Chrome? 10 extensions you should try. http://bit.ly/aOMDtk #chrome #security #techrepublic

Owie round two

The wonder of child birth is amazing. But the few days prior to, and the actual birth can be really hard.

Cookie's birth was vastly different to Spud's. Even though we were more experienced this time, and we knew what to take, we still were slightly less prepared the second time around.

Shows you what mental preparedness can do.

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Family back together again. Ahhh... where's the serenity. ;)

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Stupid mmorpg's. Leave them untouched for a month to have a real life, and then they punish you with 2541 patches to download. #mmorpg

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RT @art_cursor: http://tinyurl.com/34ld3m6 Online font converter :

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Hooray! New baby boy to the family!

I have a brother

Daddy took me to see Mummy at the "Hoz-bital" today, and there was this other baby there. Apparently he is my brother, although I'm fairly sure he wasn't around a few days ago. Do they make babies there?

Anyway, I'm a little suspishi... suspi... wary of him. He's cute, and I'm the cute one here.

I have a sister

I met my sister today. She's very noisy. I think maybe she was from the other (noisy) baby place.

She seems nice. But it might be too early to say...

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5 disk SCSI with RAID 5+0. You'd think I've got my bases covered, right? Wrong! Rebuilt System boots,but the web service doesn't run! *sigh*

The long trip

Today Mum and I went on a long trip. Mum tells me it's called "Pashunt Transsfer". I think it means this building full of new babies is too noisy, and we're going to a different one.

Long trips make me tired.

Finally!

What an experience. I wasn't expecting being born to take that long. Apparently, Mum and Dad didn't either.

It's good to be out though, it was getting very cramped in there!

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The Twitter 'Accept' bug http://tinyurl.com/2b92amo I wonder how many other undocumented Twitter commands there are? and who'll find them?

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RT @Gizmodo: Seriously, This Is Why You Should Still Quit Facebook http://gizmodo.com/5534736/ :

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Just installed Yellow Dog Linux on an old eMac. T'was surprisingly straight fwd. Apart from the graphical installer FAILING EVERY TIME #YDL

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The original Star Wars trilogy, in 2 min 13 seconds - oh, and it's done in Lego http://bit.ly/cbQMGI #starwars #lego

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"Why is it when I heard the word School and the word Exploded, I immediately though of the word Skinner!"(Superintendent Chalmers) #simpsons

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Results of Colour survey. http://ff.im/-jMLmy (Much much funnier than you'd think results of a colour survey could possibly be.)

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Josie's band, finally living up to the name. http://tinyurl.com/2cu43ch I want one too!

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The answer to "How Mac can we be, without being Apple" is answered by Dell. http://tinyurl.com/yz6mkfz

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*sigh* Why do people think they can steal websites, change the 'copyright' & use it? Didn't even check the code for files they were missing!

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@ElishaPearce what has 24 legs and can't climb a ladder? ..... The Melbourne Storm

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Awesome pics of Eyjafjallajokull & the volcano that stopped the world http://boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html

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@dombayo That's the same thing that happened to me! (Different amount though) Isn't that great?! :)

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http://profeblog.es/blog/jfguirado/files/2010/03/mmm-pi-l-plato-camiseta-pi-numero.jpg Mmmmm Pie

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How strong IS your password? http://lastbit.com/pswcalc.asp I scored 4279 years (1 computer@500k/sec) /

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Just discovered Moonfruit. http://www.moonfruit.com/ Glad there are still free + ad free web places like this.

Rant

I haven't had a lot of time for the web recently. Apart from work, games and twitter - I hardly go online at all. Anyway, I thought I'd share my frustrations from today.

Today, I had the displeasure of talking to a lady from an organisation that we do the website for. She is a self professed techno-baboon. A know-it-nothing when it comes to the internet. (Site: Homer Simpson "They have the internet on computers now".) Normally this would be fine. Even the people who are gruff because they know it's an area that they aren't familar with are fine. But this lady consistantly talked over me.

Now, I hate this at the best of times, but I'm trying to explain something to her, and she just would not shut up. Even when there was silence, I would being my reply, or offer her an explination of a term, and before I was 5% through, she'd start on again.

It was like a bad long distance line... Where she couldn't hear me... And didn't even know she'd made a call.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

//end rant.

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RT @smashingmag: Why Google Releases New Apps: They're Desperate for Content - http://bit.ly/daoCMH - Interesting read. :

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@muttongrass re: What's a Justin Bieber? I have no idea...

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@slashfilm re: Green Lantern's CG suit. That could get mighty cold in winter...

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RT @slashfilm: Exclusive: Green Lantern's Suit Will Be Almost Entirely CG http://bit.ly/92XbRN :

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http://hacks.mozilla.org/2010/03/privacy-related-changes-coming-to-css-vistited/ Who were the devious people brute-forcing at my history?

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http://bit.ly/cSiuGA When you want to shoot yourself in the face with paint. I think this is your only feasible option

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"Random comments are random" - Thanks doobit. Best random quote ever. #randomquote

'Any time is Sushi Hippos time'

Thank you SloganMaker, you have made my day

"Any time is Sushi Hippos time" - lol.

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@realrossnoble re: Victorian terminator film. Wonderful! Something in the vein of 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' perhaps?

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In the middle of a site rebrand. It seems that 10mins every 3rd evening isn't enough to do this in a timely manor. Oh well, back to Halflife

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How much time (ie: Money) have we spent ensuring IE6 works? http://billforbill.com/

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RT @smashingmag: Internet Explorer 9 Preview by @zeldman - http://bit.ly/cTlEVI :

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http://trololololololololololo.com/ I... don't know what to say...

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RT @muttongrass: Got a really nasty piece of Malware on my PC today thanks to @grooveshark The PC is currently being reformatted. Thanks ... :

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How appropriate, just saw four Black Hawks on maneuvers http://www.invadenewzealand.com/

Paypal support and me.

I very rarely call people a retard, but recently I've been dealing with someone from Paypal Payment Gateway Integration Support. He is supposed to know all there is to know about their API, however as you can see by the synopsis below, that isn't the case.

Me: Is there a way to do this (A), or do I have to do this (B)
Him: Yes yes, you can do that (B). Can't do (A)
Me: Are you sure?
Him: Yes
Me: Really?
Him: Yes
Me: Ok, what does this mean from the support document? "You can't do this (B)"
Him: .... You can't do that (B)
Me: You suck.

... I'm lost for words.

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@matthodge Yeah, it's a pain in the butt. Especially since we're still supporting IE 6.

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RT @realrossnoble: Thought you might like this www.hatsofmeat.com/ /via @NeonBrightside This might just be the best use of the Interne ... :

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Webkit browsers (Chrome / Safari) foiling me. AHHH!

"Stawbies!"

Lizzie surprises me all the time. Mainly by her repeated attempts to push the boundaries. However today, I put a plate of food in front of her, and she said...

"Oooooo, Stawbies!"

They weren't actually strawberries, it was cut up tomato, but that isn't the point.

The talking begins!!

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Playing with Twitters Real Time Search. Some people have no lives outside of the internet, do they? #nolife #icantbelieveit #getalife #yamug

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To add, or not to add. Does anyone ask that question? First to have more iFriends than people we've ever met, wins...

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@Chadkeats Lol

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Just remembered I forgot about Twitter. How cyclic.

What Mummy and Daddy are for

Well, after a lot of thinking, I've decided that Mummy and Daddy are around to do things for me.

They make me food, the get my clothes and they clean my house. I looked this up on the "interwebs" and found this type of person is called a "servant".

So, since I found this out I have been trying more and more things. But they aren't very good servants - they keep saying no to things. (I think I might have almost got Mummy to crack last week though.)

I'll do more research and get back to you.

Health

You might be wondering why I haven't written anyithing here for a while. Well, so have I - but that is another story.

Last Monday I found out that I have more health issues than the one I already knew about - apparently it's Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). And I've been kinda down since then.

Actually, I re-read some of that post just then, and it reminded me about Dad, and that I shouldn't loose focus or hope. I have a good, loving God - and that he doesn't allow things to come up against us that we can't handle with His help... And I have loving and supportive family and friends.

Hmmmm, it's funny. Reading my own blog helped me. Lol. I can only hope that it eventually helps someone else too.

Hi Mum

So, it seems that I might have forgotten to tell my Mum about this website.

Either that, or she had forgotten.

I mean it's only been going on since I was at university. And it was one of the main forms of bulk communications I had when I was in Japan. So, I can see how she might forget something so inconsequential.

Speaking of which, I wonder where those backup files are... I should add them back in.

Anyway - Hi Mum. Love you, good to have you back.

(Oooo! Gotta go, Kevin Rudd is on Good News Week now.)

Ahhhh!

Lizzie is such an advanced youngster. She can't talk yet, she can't write and she can't ride a bike...

But boy can she whinge.

It seems the "Terrible Twos" has started early. "I want that, I don't want this", "Now I don't want the first thing (now that you've got up and fetched it for me), I want something entirely different".

*sigh*

I need a break. When was our last holiday? Oh that's right, just over one week ago!

-- edit --
I should put this in perspective. She's still fun, funny and obviously loves us lots. Loves giving us hugs and loves playing little games with us too.

Holidays

We went on a holiday! (I think a "holiday" is where you sit in a car for a very, very long time, wait a few days, and then sit in the same car for another very, very long time.) It was nice to see all the "trucks" and birds.

We went to the beach while we were waiting to go home again - and I got a rash. It isn't very nice. I got to play in sand with Mummy and Daddy, and they dug big holes for water to stay in so I could jump in it.  I like jumping.

The beach was good, but I didn't like the water when it hit me - and it was much better without my clothes on.

Anyway, we are all back at home now, and I think it's time I start seeing what Mummy and Daddy are for. I'll let you know what I find.

Twitter Update

@realrossnoble Watching a man fall over in foam is so funny. No matter what the context. #goodnewsweek

A Surgical Strike on Westfields

It may surprise you to know, but Red hates shopping. More than most men. Whist my feelings towards it rely on external forces - time pressures, hunger, child aggravation quotient etc. Red's is basically 90% over the whole thing prior to arriving at the shopping center.

So, to combat this, we make lists. You see, lists equal mini-goals that are probably achievable. And today, was a great example of this in action. We left home - later than planned - and arrived at the local Westfields to find the place crawling with shoppers & their cars. A quick check of Red showed no signs of steam venting from her head. We were off to the best possible start.

All of a sudden (3 hours actually) we were done. Hooray! We all toddled back to the car and headed off.

It's the only way to shop. In and out in the shortest time humanly possible.

I'm back!

Daddy has finally let me use this again. It seems that when I am naughty, I don't get to do stuff I like - but Mummy and Daddy keep getting things that I want to explore.

Like Mummy and Daddy's new "kitchen"? (This is a funny word) There is a big shiny thing with a light in it sometimes. I can see myself in it, and there are buttons and knobs to play with - but Mummy and Daddy don't like that.

And just a few days ago, they put up the big tree again then put shiny things on it and told me not to play with them! They don't know me very well. (I play with them when they are in a different room)

G'night. 

Twitter Update

Hmm, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... Christmas shopping done and dusted in 3 hours. With all the finesse of a military op. :)

Twitter Update

Sick again! NO! What is with these crazy temps?

Mmmm Kitchen-y goodness

We have a new kitchen! Hooray! It's been a long time coming, but is finally in and completed. All that is left to do is paint. (Don't get me started on the house paint - when we bought it, it was all "rental blue" walls - with "rental turquoise" on the skirting boards...)

Anyway, We have a lovely new oven - gas + electric x 900mm, and we've moved a wall to give us some more room. It's come up really well.

Twitter Update

Flat out at work. Bushfires nearby. Baby asleep and a New Kitchen :)

We are still alive

I know that nobody has posted here for a long while, but we are all still alive. Lizzie & I are both quite sick however.

Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know.

(Ps: Check out Google's next step in Internet / world domination)

Twitter Update

@muttongrass I formally accept responsibility for putting "Ice Ice Baby" in your head. But, could be worse- sings the song that does not end

Twitter Update

RT @muttongrass: Blood-powered electronic interface embedded under skin to mimic a tattoo... creepy http://bit.ly/2kRAy0 :

Twitter Update

@muttongrass It does make you uncomfortable though... ... so I hear...

Twitter Update

It had to happen eventually... http://openofficemouse.com/pr110609.html #oomouse #ugliest_mouse_in_the_world

Twitter Update

Just heard about Google 'Go' http://bit.ly/4t7DOu Now we wait for all the "Go Google, Go Google" posts #google

AAHHHH!!

Lizzie has been Really testing the boundaries recently. Pulling things out of bookshelves, throwing food & toys, and pointing and grunting at things, demanding more.

It's really quite frustrating. (I appear calm and collected, don't I? She's been asleep for over two hours now. Ahhhh, peace )

But I want it!

I don't understand Mummy and Daddy sometimes. I clearly tell them that I want something, and they tell me that I can't have it. Mummy and Daddy have taught me what the sign language is for more, and I do that franti... frantika... frantically, but they just say no.

So I cry. That sometimes works. I'll have to remember that.

*Sigh*

Feel pretty 'meh' today. Work is giving me the cranks for the 2nd time ever. Before you say "You work with clients, say no more", I know they can be a pain, a handful, and just down right rude - but the ones giving me pain at the moment are in that realm of nice clients, that agree to something, but that something grows and morphs in their head, as they talk amongst themselves. Then get narky when you inform them of the price involved in their new vision - when they say that it is what we've already talked about. *sigh*

It's scope creep of DOOM! (Heh, well - at least that made me mini-lol.)

Twitter Update

Started my Twitter-Lists. Hopefully this means I can add more people/places and not go insane trying to read everything.

The Windows 7 Marketing Dept.

Now providing people with a whopping Coronary. What are these people thinking? "I know, we'll KILL the people who like Windows 7?"

... maybe this was released by some anti-mircrosoft group.

-- edit --
I just did a search on "Anti Microsoft" and there are lots of hits, but it seems like there isn't a single web designer to share between them. Ironically, one of them says that MS is holding back innovation - but that site looks like it was designed by a primary (junior) school student.

If you have found this post by way of Anti Microsoft searches & are looking for alternatives, have a look at these... OpenBSD, FreeSpire, Mandriva & Ubuntu. (& Yes, they're all based around Linux)

Twitter Update

I'm astounded how many tweets are flooding my twitter form only following 10 people. How does anyone read anything when they follow more?

Twitter: You follow me - I follow you.

I've been told by MuttonGrass that there are people in Twitterland that follow others purely for the "follow-back". I don't understand. What circles do people operate in where the most followers wins? What is the prize? Who hands out the prizes (& what is their twitter username )?

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Audrey 1! Hooray!

Twitter Update

@matthodge Elgg is an open source social networking/publishing platform. http://elgg.org/ #elgg #socialnetworking

Twitter Update

@matthodge Yes, IIS is the manual equivalent to Apache. Once you get some speed/momentum, you can stop pedaling. Right before you reboot it.

Twitter Update

On call tonight. Website not responding. Logs growing while I watch. Update OS & reboot server... And you think my life is boring? HA!

Domains, domains, domains

While I'm not one for chopping & changing, I've always felt oh-hum about mrred.info as a domain name. (It has served it's purose though.)

So, tonight, I registered a *new* domain name.

What is it? Well that is a closely guarded by me and my keyboard. But it is something memorable, something fun, and most importantly - something I like

Twitter Update

And the winner? http://bit.ly/29Ep2a I have issues with Chrome. Google collects data that's what they do.

Twitter Update

Apparently I'm supposed to put stuff up here for other people to read, or so I'm told. I'm working on an Elgg Distribution. Glad I told you?

Twitter Update

Finding Interesting Tweeters to follow...

Twitter Update

Finished Setting up twitter design.

First Twitter Update

I'm wondering how good Twitter is as a source of information, rather than a way to share my every move with "the internet"

Twitter? *sigh*

So I've finally sucumb to the idea that perhaps a twitter account is something that might be useful. Not just for people to follow me & read my thoughts, but as a source of information. MuttonGrass tells me that she gets all the interesting stuff from the people & businesses that she follows. Anyway, I've brought myself to a place where I can live with having a twitter account.

Two problems with this.
1. Is this a slipery slope to being inundated with social networking / media sites usernames & memberships? Red is on Facebook, but I've never wanted an account, even though I have about 15 outstanding invitations (thank you for keeping a tally Facebook... ?!?)
2. I can't find a username that is free! Obviously I could pound the keyboard for a few minutes an MAYBE get one that isn't used. Like "kae54hkughe", "o384thiruhgdsrg", or "k3u4thei74thgai7w4gtiwerbsugbrgsrg". But really, what would that mean to me. Any who on earth would remember it!

*sigh* Any suggestions?  I realise this would be easier if I'd finished the comments function for this site... but deal with it. I have email. 

-- edit --
Ok, I've released the ability to comment upon the world. Not sure how it will go, so we'll see. (I didn't realise how far ahead I was)

IE 6? Do we have to?

Noooo!!! Sitepoint: Microsoft re: IE 6

Oh well, at least we can get people to do this: Sitepoint: Google Chrome Frame

I love this image (from the last link). Chrome eating IE wonderful!

Tech inside Tech

I'm sure we all know that the current trend is to find a technology or service & jam it into a mobile phone / keitai denwa / cell phone or hand phone (depending on where you're from).

Bucking this trend is Samsung, and Engadget gives us a glimpse of what they're attempting here. It's certainly a different tact.

Mr: "1 Omnitech please."

The only reason you need to get xbox live

Splosion Man

That's an awesome concept.

Marvel Comics bought by Disney

I heard today that Marvel Comics was bought out by Disney (Alt). I'm not sure what this will do to my favorite superheros, and really, I'm not sure what to think. There is speculation going in both directions that this is the dawn of a new era for the Marvel created characters, and conversely some people firmly believe that this will be the end of the characters we know and love.

I've grown up with X-men (plus all their variants), Batman, Spiderman & others, and I would hate to see them change. But... could Disney actually make them better - would they dare try, or will the bottom line just turn them into pale imitations of what they once were?

~  Wonders where all his X-men comics are...

My new wheels

Today started off like all my other Fridays. I didn't think anything much of it - just another day.

I got such a surprise when Grandma arrived! And she gave me my first car! I still don't know how to use it properly, but Daddy has been really good by pushing and stearing me around the house. It's great! Oh oh! And you can lift up the seat and put things in there. (I have put some pegs in there for safe keeping)

I wonder if I have to do 120 hours with Mummy or Daddy around?

Jetstar, Tiger Airways & FRUSTRATION!

There isn't a single word to describe just how enraged I am about the ordeal that I've just been though. I've just tried to book flights to Melbourne using the wonders of the internet. Prior to my attempts to book, I thought "oh yeah, booking online, thats convenient". Now however, I think "Oh yeah, booking online, I'd rather eat my own face".

Apparently, the Jetstar website has flights showing that aren't available. Regularly. It appears they only update their site when someone calls the call center. Also, discernable English isn't a prerequisite. And because the Virgin Blue prices were SO Much higher than the Jetstar & Tiger Airways, I thought'd I'd go wrestle with a Tiger. Then the problems started.

After figuring out which times / days (vs cost) I was prepared to pay, and after realising that Tiger Airways is the only Airline in existance that I know of which makes you pay for an infant to travel (1.5 hours) - I put in my payment details and was away. NOT!

The first two times I tried to book these tickets, I was thwarted. Page time outs, page contains no data, SSL certificate not issued by someone important etc. Two phone calls to Melbourne (which was Singapore on Skype - Interestingly, she spoke better English than the Jetstar lady.)

Finally it all went through... and it was then I saw the taxes & fees.

• Seat fees - What on earth is this for? You want a seat? Sorry, that's extra.
• My Infant Fee - This was actually more expensive than an adult with luggage!!
• Convenience fee - "We save money by having less staff - so we're going to have to charge you for it."

I don't hate to fly, just the ordeal of getting to the gate.

~ Frustrated, tired and edgey.

It's a Miracle

I know it's really difficult to believe...but i am actually writing a Blog! Will wonders ever cease??

I don't really have anything interesting to say at the moment, this was really just to shock Mr more than anything else.  He has been hoping for so long now that i would actually add something to this site that he has put so much time and effort into....so i figured now was as good a time as any.

So here i am, honey, proving that i can write my own Blog!

When the photo section is up and running better i will put up lots of photos of Lizzie, Mr & me.

I'll be sure to post something else again soon.

I don't get the fuss.

Everyone is clapping, and saying "yay!" when I walk. But I can crawl so much faster than I can walk... Why would I bother. If it wasn't for the fact that I like falling on to the soft blankets Mummy puts on the floor, I would just stick to crawling.

I suppose everyone I look up to walks... maybe there is something to it.

Those feet are made for walking...

So since news broke on Thurday that Lizzie started walking, she's been taking small groups of steps semi frequently.

Mostly this ends up with her falling over. But the thought is there.

Hooray for advancements!

Lizzie's First Steps!

WOW! She finally took five unassisted steps!

I have the Power!

So, after a long time of no activity in this blog, I asked Red if she'd mind my blogging for her. And she said yes! (Well, she said "Uhhh, yeah, I guess" - but that's the same! )

Unfortunately, I (she?) has nothing to say at this point...

Alas poor Project Manager, I knew you well...

Let me start by saying, she isn't dead. She's just on medical leave. (Something about a broken leg, phft...)

Anyway, I didn't realise how much of my day to day working life was reliant on her and the info in her head. Something as simple as "Could you send through those wire-frames please", becomes a time consuming ordeal. *sigh* 

MuttonGrass, what would we do without you? I'm praying I'll never find out.

Lid goes on, lid comes off, lid goes on, lid comes off...

I like lids!

Oh, NOT head first...

In the past, when I crawl off the bed, off the step between the kitchen and the sunroom, or off the couch, Mummy and Daddy have been tence. (I may be a baby, but I can tell these things.) I figured out the other day (by them clapping and saying "yay!") that you're supposed to spin around and put your feet down, rather than going forwards. "Head first" Daddy calls it.

This is also a lot easier on my hands and chin. So, for those of your that haven't figured this out yet, give it a try.

JQuery, in all it's glory

For those of you who have no idea what JQuery is, it is "a fast and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development. jQuery is designed to change the way that you write JavaScript" (JQuery website). In short, it is an awesome interface between finicy Javascript, and the developer. We've been using it for a while now at work, and it never ceases to amaze me just how good & wide spread it is.

Just thought I'd share.

I hate Thumbs.db

As a tech, I have all my OS's set to show system files. This is fine, and I don't mind seeing them. The only thing I hate is that Windblows always asks me if I want to move, delete or overwrite Thumbs.db when ever I do anything file related. I minor to medium annoyance.

Anyway, I have this Burberry jacket that I was given just recently. It's a sort of a grey colour, and I have found that it is quite hard to figure out what clothing to wear it with. So today I thought that it was passable to wear with my jeans & white shirt. Everthing was fine, I felt good, it looked good enough.

I was doing some file clean up on an old server here at work, and walked away thinking "Ha! That'll keep you busy for a good while", and went back to my desk. [Enter Thumbs.db] "Do you want to delete this system file"... Yes, of couse I do you dumb computer. *sigh* I got up to go and press... *RRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPP*

[Dead silence]

CRAP! 

Thumbs.db hates me, and it seems it also hates both halves of my jacket.

-- edit --
'Laer Arwen' wanted to know how on earth I ripped a jacket on an office chair. It has a split up the back of it a little way, and a button. The button got caught on the back of the chair where you adjust the tilt.

Working like a nutter

For those of you that know me personally, the stretch from 'normal' to 'nutter' isn't much of a stretch. It's more of a gentle lean than anything else - but this is beside the point.

Recently, a friend & colleague (see "Router Upgrade! Hoorah!") has moved overseas, and the resultant hole that he has left at work is, well, quite obvious. Scheduling, something that I used to think of as a necessary evil, has now become essential (Even if I'm out by a few hours here and there - apologies L).

Anyway, trying to fit the 100% of my work, plus the 50% of my long-distance friend's, and the normal day to day distractions support of clients that don't understand email is, is starting to drive me nuts.

*sigh* It's Friday. Things'll look better on Monday... Won't they?

Brush, brush, brush...

Recently, Mummy and Daddy have been getting this strange stick with soft bits sticking out of it, and pushing it over my teeth. I've seen Mummy and Daddy do this (more than once every day actually), and now that I've started, I know why... It feels funny!

A moment in time

Today, at 12:34 and 56 seconds, a moment in time passed that will not be seen for a while.

12:34:56 7/8/9

Granted, you have to remove the 0's, but you get the idea.

Router Upgrade! Hoorah!

A work colleague & friend of mine has plans to move to Indonesia, and as a parting gift, he gave me his ADSL router. Praise God! I'm finally able to ditch this hellishly annoying Netcomm NB5. I mean, as far as free routers go, it has done ... semi-ok. (As long as you call resetting it every 32 hours or so, "ok".)

However, if you're planning on actually purchasing this model, you should have your head looked at. I don't know if it was it was a woeful firmware version, if they've shipped their manufacturing to some hole in the middle of nowhere, or if Netcomm is wreaking it's terrible vengence upon me for some undisclosed reason.

Not to sound paranoid, but I'm fairly certain it's the last one.

-- edit --
I've just been told by another friend that his NB5 has worked perfectly for over 3 years.... I knew it was the 'wreaking terrible vengence' option!!

-- further edit --
This new router has not skipped a beat since I set it up 16 days ago. Good work Billion!

Go Karting

Over the weekend, I went to a friends bucks day. Go Karting. It was great! Just like Mario Kart.   I had no idea that screaming around on a glorified lawn mower could be so much fun! It was a really good idea for a bucks day - even better than paintball!

Anyway, since that day, I have been paying for it. The pain that I have been experiencing from that first race, not knowing how the finer points of karting, is just ridiculous. I can see why drivers always look so fit!

Walking is fun!

Oh wow, I didn't realise how much fun walking is! I hold Mummy or Daddy's hand and walk around on my toes! Hehehehhehe. I might keep doing this!

The Big 30

Now that by birthday has passed, and I sit on the wrong side of 30, I think of all the things that people usually think about when they have a milestone birthday. Things like, "How the heck did I get all the way here?", "I wonder if not exercising for the last 4 years has been a bad choice?" and "If everyone around me tells me that I'm old, or 30 is old, does that make it true?" I'm sure everyone asks themselves those questions sooner or later.

Anyway, I'm reasonably bad with resolutions. So I resolve not to resolve anything about the above questions. Perhaps then I'll actually do something about them.

~ Tired & possibly old.

Owie on my bottom!

I have a lot of red on my bottom. Mummy calls it 'Nappy Rash'. I call it painful.

I heard Daddy and Mummy talking about the wipes that they use to clean me after they change my nappy. They think that maybe I am aler.. aler-gi.. allergic to them. (I think that means that it hurts you.)

This is the second time they have tried to use the bad wipes. But Daddy tells me that they have now put them far away.

I hope it's very far away.

My voice

I've discovered something new! Did you know that you can make your voice go up and down? Daddy tells me that it is called 'pitch'. I don't know what that means, but I do know that it gives me something to do when I'm waiting for stuff.

Like last night, Mummy was getting my food sorted out, so I thought I would show them what I can do, and see if they can maybe do it too, because I have so much fun with it.

... they didn't seem to like it as much as I do. I kept getting told to "shhhh" and to not be so loud.

I don't think it was loud though. I think that they can't do it, but they wish they could. (Is there a word for that?)

-- edit --
Yes bub, it's called "Jealousy ".
~ Mr

*Click!* What the?

The primary carrier for telephony in Australia is Telstra, and they don't have the greatest name when it comes to service. And try as the might from the top echelons of the empire, the will always fail while the Telstra employees are doing things like this.

Today, while talking to a client, my manager was disconnected mid sentance due to a Telstra technician wanting to "test the line". According to him, our building has faulty lines coming in, and he needed to test it. Beats my why he had to disconnect us to do it, when I've seen other techs test lines, the leave the wires in.

Sheesh.

GIYF - Google is your friend

You know those people who ask you questions that you can't possibly answer? If you're like me, you just want to scream I AM NOT A SEARCH ENGINE! .... no? Well, if you do, you can now use this wonderful instructional tool, 'Let me Google that for you'.

All you do is send the person to a link that you've constructed. For example, http://lmgtfy.com/?q=capital+of+Tanzania

Simple huh?

United Breaks Guitars

A Canadian Muso has written a great song about his guitar being smashed up pre-flight after being ignored and fobbed off by the US Airline United.

His song 'United Breaks Guitars' was effective too, I believe that he's managed to get the airline to make financial amends.

United Breaks Guitars on YouTube

Read the story on the Authors Website (or on www.news.com.au)

A Thriller of a post

I'm sure you've all heard by now. The news has ricocheted around the globe. Michael Jackson is no more. However, his memory lives on here...

www.eternalmoonwalk.com

The Acid Test

So, I think I'm over the stomach bug. I did the acid test.

Lunch: Chicken & gravy roll + chips

Dinner: Chicken cacciatore on rice.

I figure if I can eat all that without loosing it, I'm good.

Why do Teef hurt?

Hello eferyone. I haf a sore moufh. Nobody told me my whole head would hurt when I got teef 

Sick as the proverbial

I haven't been sick like this for a long time. I wont bore you (gross you out?) with the details, but I puked 6 time in 5 hours in the wee morning hours of today. Quite nasty. And now I ache, oh how I ache.

Anyway, to distract me, I'm going to work on the website. So if there are crazy things that are written or things that don't make sense, just be happy that normal services will resume tomorrow.

(Mmmmm, dry toast. )

What is it with out letterbox?!

I live in a house, a house with a letterbox. No surprise there for most.

However, out of the 1000's of letter boxes on my road (it's a long road), my letterbox is unique. For it is the whipping boy of all the drunken louts & all the dumb teens that want to "Uhg. Me BASH!" things. You see, previously my letterbox was... well, it was a letterbox. But today, it is completely flat. It's like someone has ironed my letterbox.

Still, the post that it is on is intact. This has happened before you see. So a friend of mine and I put in a 6 foot, galvanised pipe - 60mm in diameter with diagonally crossed bolts through it. Oh, and we cemented it into the ground. So, now to break out the next sacrifical letterbox.

Oh yes, we take our letterboxes very seriously here in Australia.

I'm One

*Whispers* Hello again!

Sorry I haven't written in such a long time. I have had SO many things to do... That, and Daddy told me that he thought I was "spending entirely too much time on the computer". I don't know what that means, but it seems to mean that the door to the computer room is closed... and I can't reach the handle.

Anyway, I turned one just recently! Hooray! I got lots and lots of presents! My friends came over and we had a cake made from small cakes! Mummy told me that they are called "cup cakes". I like cups now - they have cake in side them!

Twitter

So today I, or rather work signed up to Twitter. As anyone who has the slightest knowledge about SEO would know, inbound links count, especially from well regarded websites. And so, as much as I have avoided the social web, there I was, Twittering with frantic abandon - you see, I had real work to do too.

Having now written, I can see the slight excitement that is felt by Tweeting something, and having people start following you. You get a warm, fuzzy sense that perhaps what you're saying is important to someone. Maybe that person that has added you to their follow list is actually someone who has the same thoughts, feelings and ideas that you have! You could be moments away from having a Friend!

Of course, auto-following based on a keyword isn't really an indication of that. And anyway.. I already have friends.

I'm not Dead

So, as you might have guessed from the title of this post, I'm not dead.

So many things have been going on in our lives, that I've not had any real time for development, or even writing. My appologies.

Having said all that, I've been playing tonight, looking at two sites that have sparked my imagination. www.kawasaki.com.au and www.masterchef.com.au. The break-out backgrounds are great. I wish I had seen these earlier!

Why am I sick again?

I don't understand. I was sick before, and now I'm sick again. It's the same thing.

I thought that if I was going to get sick, that I would get better, and we'd all move on. Daddy told me this long, kinda boring (sorry Daddy) about how some thing called a virus gets passed from person to person and it just comes around again.

Now, I'm 10 months old tomorrow, and even I know that this is dumb. Can't everyone get better and it'll go away?

(Mummy's coming - I have to go!)

Big Update

Sorry that it has been such a long time since I wrote. So much has been going on!

Amongst it all, I have turned 9 months old, and I've had a 'baby-cold' as Daddy says, and I've got new toys, and I got sick of sitting still and spinning around on my tummy, so I started "crawling". All my friends are doing it - so I thought there must be to it.

Anyway, since I started crawling, my Mummy and Daddy got this brown thing made from trees, its like a cot, but its got no bouncy stuff at the bottom. Mummy calls it a playpen. Its fun. All my favorite toys are in there!

Well, I should go before Mummy and Daddy realise that I'm not asleep.

Lyrics I never knew

Wikipedia has a lot of interesting facts. For instance, I did not know that the childrens song 'Alouette' was as crazy as this...

Skylark, nice skylark
Skylark, I shall pluck you
I shall pluck your head
(I shall pluck your head)
And your head
(And your head)
Skylark (Skylark)
etc etc...

What a loving song. Still, I guess it's better than;

Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.

Progress

So you thought nothing was happening? Well, you were wrong. I'm not typing in my very own wysiwyg editor. Hooray!

Now I have a lot more freedom. I can finally just plop images in the text where ever I want. Now, the plan from here is;

1. Remove the righthand column that I've been using for ad-hoc images & expand this center content section,
2. Put in some labels so that we can assign themes & topics to each post,
3. Upload some more photos so you know we haven't been totally ignoring you
4. Put some feedback ability in as per M4cey's requests demands,
5. And find more reasons to use ordered lists.

Sorry you're so far down the list M4cey, but at least you can't flame me on my own site about it! HA! 

Google, Kickin' it old school

My, how far we've come. This Google Classic reference really does show how far mankind has progressed in 60 years. :)

*Astounded*

This might just be the best website of all time. http://www.omglasergunspewpewpew.com/

Good Advice

I stumbed upon this post while at work today. It's somewhat old, but I think it hold good advice for those programmers out there.

First Proof

*Tada!* Here is the proof that I haven't (totally) been slacking off when it comes to this site. What I'm working on now is a forum. :) Because every site needs a forum, right? .... no, but we'll see how it goes. I'm still tinkering with the styles and the new look at the moment, so bear with me. Enjoy!

--- update ---
Yeah, no. Forum on hold. Working on adding / editing functionality. Possibly more important than a forum that nobody will use.

Changes

So, you may have noticed that there hasn't been any movement on this site in a little while. Well, thats because we've been flat out with all sorts of stuff. Mainly baby related and social. Having said that, I've been trying to work on the site here and there. *Someone* has also been on my back to put on a response facility. (Which is coming! I promice)

Anyway. You'll see it when it arrives. (Congratulations to Steve and Kat on their marriage!)

More new tricks

I've got new tricks!

Mummy showed me this new thing that is really fun! She calls it "clapping". Apparently, it's a magic trick, that makes everyone around me start clapping. It's good fun. Whenever I'm board, I just start clapping, and everyone joins in!

This also works with waving, although, it's not as loud, so people don't always notice.

My Mummy is sick :(

I had a very bad sleep last night. There was some sort of noise all night. Daddy told me that Mummy is sick.

She was doing this thing called 'hurling' all night. I don't know what that means yet, but it doesn't sound good. She has stayed in bed all morning, which is very unusual. Daddy has even stayed home from work.

Anyway, I'm 6 months old today. I thought that it would be all fun, and everyone would be smiling lots. But I guess life isn't always what you expect*.

(*Daddy thinks that I made a funny by writing that. He said "out of the mouths of babes". I don't know what that means, but he calls Mummy "babe", so I guess its a good thing! )

~ Tired: Going back to my cot ~

Database'd

Over the last two days, I've made the leap from having all the posts on this site coded directly into the page, to having them back into the database. Which is a sign of major progress for me.

Initially, this site was supposed to be a place for me to play with PHP, but alas, I had to move servers, so all my code had to be shelved. I guess it makes sence for me to write this in ASP though, since I do write in ASP all the time at work.

Anyway, back on topic, each post you see now is now being typed straight into the database. So I really should be working on the administration side sometime soon, but hey. I'm the scribe for this whole site anyway, so what is a little direct database manipulation between friends?

-- edit --
Now with bonus smiles!

Abrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrb

I'm almost 6 months old! But it seems like I've been around for ages. Time really does go slow.

Since I have been around for so long, I thought I should share with you all the benefit of my wisdom. Top 5 things I have learnt...

5. If you cry, they will come.
4. There is nobody quite like my Daddy. He is unique. (I am hoping this will pay off in the future.)
3. People love a smiley baby.
2. Everything, everything should be tested against your tounge. You get a better understanding of it that way.
1. There is endless fun to be had in blowing raspberries.

Old Posts

So tonight I was able to find some time to work on the site. I've put up all some of our old posts :) Yay! I hope you find them enjoyable. (It's been so long since I've read them, I don't remember what they say!)

I could have been wrong?

In my last post, I was talking about how Mummy was trying to 'feed' me this 'stuff' that wasn't milk. After a few days of not being sure and even protesting about it, I think maybe - just maybe - I might be starting to get used to it.

Apparently, Mummy and Daddy have been feeding me something called 'Pear' and something called 'Potato' and something called 'Sweet Potato'? (The last one isn't actually sweet, so I don't know what they're playing at there.)

Anyway, they tell me that apple is next. I don't know what to make of all this really, but I actually like the pear now. So, maybe there is more to this whole 'eating' thing? I don't know.. I suppose time will tell :)

Cutest Lil'Guy

This video of the new baby pygmy hippo is SO cute. Red & I plan to go visit at some point in the future. So stay tuned for photos.

Worst. Website. Ever.

This website has to be the WORST I have ever seen. (As of 19 Nov 2008) I work for a webdesign company, and this has made the whole office cry. We try so hard to make things on the internet pretty, useful, functionl and cool. This has none of those things. I'm torn between wanting to keep the site up for a laugh, and wanting to tear down the entire building that it is hosted in.

Updates

So, I bet that people are wondering just what it is that this site does. Well, if you've been checking back at all recently, you'll know that what it does at the moment is precious little.

When it was just Red & myself, I thought that home stuff, work and church related things were keeping me too busy to finish building this site. I have a 14 week old baby in the house now. I didn't know what I was talking about.

Anyway, its not all bad. :) Lizzie is wonderful. She's smiling, talking & singing now. It's great to watch her develop.

Since Lizzie can't write, I think I'll use her page to list developments and photos of her. That way you can all see how cute she is. :)

You want me to do what with that?

Ummmm, so I have like, seen people put stuff in their mouths that doesn't come back out again, but ... but I never thought _I'd_ have to.

Let me go back to the beginning. At lunch, just then, Mummy put this, this mush in my mouth. I guess it tasted ok, but it was very strange. And get this, they wanted me to eat it! It's not like its milk or anything. I'm not sure what they think I am.

Hillarious

This photo has made my day.

Banking crisis hits Japan

Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on HBOS in the UK, uncertainty has now hit the Japanese banking sector.

In the last 7 hours the Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived, Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks and Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black...

Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

Classic Gaffe

One of the guys I work with made a classic mistake today. He got Osama bin Laden's and Barack Obama's names mixed up and came out with - in all seriousness - 'Obama bin Laden'.

Bwaaaahahahahahhahahahahahaha

I wonder if my colleague is related to GWB?

Word to the wise

I've learnt something in the last few days. I've made an equation to help everyone understand too.

Coffee into Mum = Coffee into Baby = No Sleep

I hope we've all learnt something from this.

So WIRED

I've had to wait three days to write this post. Daddy tells me that there is this thing called coffee.

Mummy decided to have a coffee on Saturday, and I then for some reason, I didn't need to sleep anymore... It was amazing.

That is, until today. Today, I slept lots. And I think my Daddy is jealous.

Anyway, according to Mummy, there will be no more coffee flavoured breast milk anymore.

Photos

Mr & I have been taking photos and video of Lizzie, so *hopefully* they'll be put up here soon *Eventually!

New games

I've found a new game I can play with Mummy & Daddy. It's called "Make them make funny noises". The way it works is, I start talking, and then they join in. It's really quite funny.

Another game that I play with them is called "Make them act like crazy people". See, all I have to do is start to smile, then they do all kinds of funny things to make me smile more.

So, to all those other 10 - 14 week old babies, you should try this. It'll make your day, I promise. :)

Mirrors

Red was holding Lizzie the other day as she discovered that it is herself in the mirror.

All I could think to myself was... It starts so young... (13.5 weeks old infact)

3 months old

It has been an exciting first three months, and I would like to thank my Mummy and Daddy for helping me though them. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today.

I'd also like to say a special thanks to the rest of my family too. To Nanna, Grandma & Grandpa, to my Anty & Uncle, & my great grandmother too. And not forgetting the love, hugs and presents from all the special family friends.

Coming soon

Its coming. Mr promises.

Funny nappies

My Mummy has stopped using the nappies that I've been in ever since I was born. I'm now wearing funny, brightly coloured cloth nappies. They're very nice on my skin, and I think they look very stylish. (I don't know what stylish means - but Mummy says it's a good thing)

My friends

I thought at this point I might say hello to some of my friends from Mummys mummy-ing group. So, hello to you all!

Also, to all my friends at church a big warm hello to you!

Ooooo TV...

A while has past now. I've been busy growing, it's very tiring you know...

I have discovered something amazing though. It has people & place & animals inside it. Mummy calls it a TV.

What is that?

Not many people know, but babies can speak fluent animal. I also didn't know this until I arrived to my new home. As soon as we came through the door, Trinity - Mummy and Daddy's cat - told me that she wasn't sure about me coming in to her territory. But I ignored her, and she seemed to calm down once she realised I wasn't here for a fight.

Home time!

I haven't written for a few days, the last two posts wore me out. I'm only 4 days old - Daddy tells me that I'll get better at typing when I'm older.

I get to see where I'm going to live today! Hooray!

A new start...

Well, we're home. Finally. The machine that is the hospital system never ceases to amaze me. We began the "going home" process at about 2pm, and finally drove out at almost 6pm. But, we made it.

Red and Lizzie are sleeping soundly. Me? I'm heading there in a minute but I know Lizzies adoring public want to see more of her. So, here is a photo of what she is doing right now.

We've taken lost of photos, and I will keep my promise. They will be up online in short order. However, for now, I will go and join my family in slumber.

Oh, and for those of you who want to pray... My cat, Trinity, has begun a trying time of adjustment. I'm sure she'd love your prayers. :) ... and while you're at it, feel free to pray for us all. It's wierd feeling bringing an entire person home who you've never met before...

Day two

Mummy & I have been put into a room with another baby & his Mum. His name is Rajid. He's not happy. He cries lots, and his Mum just sits there. Poor Rajid.

There is a lot of noise here. Mummy tells me that we're across the hall from the sick baby room. But I don't mind. As long as I'm near Mummy, I'm happy.

My first day

I was born! I'm told I'm cute. I've only seen the people in this room, so I guess I have to believe them. I mean, after all, they're my parents. :)

A new start...

So, here I sit, at the beginning of a new phase. I think I'm especially thoughtful at the moment because last night I saw something that has changed my life. I saw the birth of my first child. A daughter whose name is Elizabeth, has come into my world, and changed it forever.

I was planning on using the next 11 days till the actual due date to finish this site, so that it could start with the announcement...

It's a Girl!

However, it seems that little Lizzie was as anxious to meet us, as we were to meet her.

re: A new start...

*Owie* Awwwww, she's so beautiful...

Coming Soon

My Blog. It comes again. Please remain calm.

M.I.A

Who would have thought it. As you may know, I now work for a web development company, and I have been working on websites for months. But who would have thought, that I didn't want to work on mine in my spare time!

Anyhow, I have the bug again! I think I'll be working on it again soon. But for the short term, I have to move it. My current host has been great, granting me a super deal on hosting. But their services had to come to an end in that area, so I must find another. Anyone know any good web development companies?

Will post back again in the near future.

~ Feeling excited again ~

M.I.A.

For those of you who regularly visit this website, I have two things to say to you. Firstly, I am amazed that you are still visiting since nothing has happened in the last two months. And secondly, thank you for your persistence.

An update:

• I have started my new position at a web design company as a web programmer. [*grin*] Hooray!
• I have been sick and been back in hospital again. (Boo!)
• and I don't like the drugs that I've been put on.

~ Feeling a little more like normal for the first time in about a month ~

A change in the air?

As an IT professional, there are certain things that I expect in my career. These are things like; at some point or another, the move to the Sydney IT Corridor is inevitable. At this point let me say that God has a sence of humour.

During my time working for my current employer, there have been times where I''ve asked God if He really still wanted me to stay there. I had since forgotten about this, but a recent turn of events prompted me to ask once more. And for the first time, I had the feeling that my time here was winding up.

Red just happened to look in the local paper, and stumbled upon the only IT job in there. So, on somewhat of a whim, I applied. The only application I sent out. And now, I''ve just accepted a job as a web programmer.

Now for the ''God has a sence of humour'' part. It''s five minutes from my house, in the IT industry and more money ~ something that I never thought was really possible.

Hooray for God''s plans and timing. I''m glad He''s in control.

Under the radar?

I've rewritten this entry a number of times now. And they've all been vastly different. The only common theme running through them all was apologising for the lack of blogging.

What is the reason for my apparent absence? That would be due to the week that I spent in hospital (and the weeks of illness leading up to that). I was told that for someone who doesn't drink, doesn't smoke or take any kind of illicit substances, my liver was very very sick, and that there was more than likely a reason (other than "it was something you ate") for the 8 weeks of diarrhea.

Anyhow, I was swiftly taken down to the Emergency Department of the local hospital, and admitted reasonably quickly. It took them 5 days to figure out what they believe is wrong with me, it's something called Chronic Ulcerative Colitis. They also tell me that it's something that I'll have to be on medication for, for the rest of my life.

"You have a Chronic Bowl Disease, but it's managable" weren't the words I was wanting to hear. However, I'm told that it's better than Crohn's Disease and the host of other things that look & feel similar.

My Dad had a chronic disease, Athritis. And seeing him go through life constantly afftected by that wasn't fun (especially for him). But, I did see him win over it, not physically, but certainly mentally ~ and I've decided, I'm not going to settle for this. I know that God can heal me completely, and I'm going to fight this thing.

I'm not going to just accept this outcome as final. I will allow God room to move.

I hope that you'll find time to pray for me.

I know I am...

When Red called me and told me that I should check our website, I was really excited! Had she written something on her blog? Had she spontaneously turned into a web developer and over hauled the entire site? Had she figured out how to ftp her photos up?

While the last two things are a little less probable, I was still quite optimistic.

And here we have it. Red''s very first blog, her first thoughts displayed on the net. Hooray!

Good work! (This is almost inspiring and motivating enough to get me to finish the photoBlog section. And by finish, I of course mean start.

Truly Amazing!

WOW!! I can hear you all cheering! Red has finally managed to write her very first Blog.

After much 'encouragement' from Mr and some other people who apparantly look at our website, i thought it would probably be a good thing to actually put something on hear to keep them off my case (for at least a little while).

I don't really have anything to say...oh, i did just receive word that Canon has a digital photography competition running at the moment which i intend to enter. if you are interested, log onto canon.com.au and have a look at some of the entries. hopefully a few of mine will be uploaded there soon.

So there...Red's first Blog.

God knows where you're at

I was looking through my PDA last night, and I happened to bump the SMS button. This held the last message SMS conversation between my Dad and me. I read them, remembered, and cried. I miss him.

Red hugged me till I regained my composure, and prayed with me. Which of course brought on more tears.

As the mood lightened, I flipped through my bible with one hand, and stuck my finger in saying in jest, "This is what God's saying to me." It landed on Psalms 119:75a. "I know, O LORD, that your decisions are fair;" It went straight to my heart. I knew that it was referring to Dad, and that even though I miss him heaps, that the decision to call him to heaven was God's alone, and it was fair. It was after all the release from debilitating arthritis that I, and many others had been praying for.

My eyes next caught the verses 76,-77a. "Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant. Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live..."

And then, you guessed it... more tears.

God knows where you are at. A reminder for me ~ perhaps hope for you.

Willingness to Change

There once was a man, who was living with his fiance. He says that he desperatly wants to get things right with God, and that he knows that what he's doing is not right in the eyes of God. He constantly revisits the phrase, "When we get married, it will all be alright in Gods sight. Then we can be forgiven for our sin, there's only X amout of months left. But I won't move out, and I won't break up with her."

So, he knows what he's doing is wrong, and he feels that, once he gets married, everything can be forgiven. But, if he's not actually sorry for what he's done / doing, then is he really repentant?

There was once a lovely older lady, and she doesn't want to know what God has planned for her life anymore. She is happy to sit around with her cat and read for the rest of her life. "Every time I have stepped out in what I believe God wants me to do, I've been hurt." And therefore, she no longer wants to do so.

The scary thing about all this is, I see parallels to these stories in my life. (Obviously NOT literally.) But as minor as my parallels appear to be in relation to the man and the lady mentioned above, don't most things start small? I tell God, "Everything for you, Lord", when really I seem to be acting, "Everything for you, Lord, except the way I drive". Or, "Anything for you, Lord. Just not those DVD's that came from Shanghai, without a case. I mean, they were a gift after all."

Compromise starts with one step in the wrong direction. But where does compromise end? In the act of trying to ignore God prompting, and ignoring your own conscience, what happens to your heart or your spirit?

I think I see now ~ they fossilise

Fairwell to thee

I don't think that I mentioned this here before now, but I'd like to take this time to publically fairwell my Dad, who died in Feb 2006 and my grandfather, who died yesterday.

They were both great men who loved me and our family as much as someone could.

Thanks Dad, thanks Pa. I love you both.

Hooray for convincing!

(I have been occasionally dropping hints.... and telling Red that she should write here, and let her thoughts be known to the world, and then, inspiration struck! Upon the purchase of a new camera, Red thought she could do a photo-blog! Hoorah!

So, I may yet get here thoughts up here after all 

~ Mr)

New Look Site

Hooray! The New look site is up and .. "looking".

If you remember earlier, I was praising CSS? Well, because I went to the trouble of doing everything in CSS, it was _real_ easy for me to change the look. So again, Hooray!

I should pause at this point in time to note that not all the blogging that will occour here will be technically related. I have plans and ideas to make this a realy diverse site.

I hope you enjoy the ride once its fully released.

Time for a New look

I know what you're saying to yourself.. "How on earth could this site need a new look, it hasn't even been released to the public yet!" .. Well, I guess you're right.

However, a new look it is. I decided that the top banner/title-y thing was taking up too much real estate.

You may have noticed, Red hasn't blogged a thing yet. This could be due to the lack of motivation stemming from the all to obvious fact.. that nobody is reading this site.

Isn't that depressing.

A Long time coming

Well here I am again, blogging as sparatically as my previous site. (How unfortunate)

I have been bogged down with work related things for ages now. That, and I went away for two and a half weeks.

Anyhow, I'm back now. I am up to my arm-pits in 'real' work at the moment, so development and posting may be somewhat, well, sparatic.

Hooray for CSS

This is the first site that I have written where I have hardly touched tables, and gone for as much CSS structure as I can. And I have had a mild success today! Hooray! Would you believe that a little matter of having a "float:bottom" in there (which, by the way, doesn't exist), messed up my entire layout? *sigh*

Ps. God told me something awesome last night, I'll see if I can't post it up here sometime soon.

Sorta Workin' (Update on Progress)

As of the 15 Dec, this site has unofficially been launched in its Beta stage. What I have managed to put together so far is:

• Mr & Re's Blog pages
• The backend with which to blog
• The Secured Area (Which is only really to say that I have one, and therefore can create one.)

I'll let you know about anymore developments as they happen.

Still Under Development

You may have been wondering why this site hasn't been changing much. Well, thats easy. It's because I've been working on the "back end" of things. I can write everything directly into the database via SQL everytime.

I haven't set a release date for this site, because the time that I get to work at it is so... so.. well, random really.

Under Development

G'day, This site is in development, and as such has one (1) page. Should you desire to see more than this page, please return here frequently till it is ready.

For all those who wish to give me ideas for this site, please come tell me directly, or email them to not@realemailaddress.com

Under Development

(Hopefully, I can convince Red that she has enough time to put her thoughts up here. 

~ Mr)