Today I started work on an entirely new 'blog software suite.

I've gotten to sick of all the typos and other errors on my posts - errors that I sometimes don't discover for months.

I was first just going to work on the spellchecking function of my existing software but in the end decided that it would just be easier to start from scratch.

I hope to have the new (email based!) software ready for production use this weekend. Hopefully nobody will even notice the difference except that it might be a little faster.

The hardest part will actually be converting all of my old posts to the new format. I haven't quite figured out how to do tackle that problem yet.

pull
v. tr.
1. To apply force to, so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the source of the force.

This past Friday and Saturday I could feel my favorite bar calling to me as I drove home from Louisville.

I was able to resist that calling, telling myself that if I couldn't even spend one weekend away from Rich O's then maybe there was indeed a problem.

Today, on the way home from work, I felt the pull again, and this time I relented.

I stopped and got myself a pizza, and while I was waiting I decided - what the hell - I'd have myself a beer.

What I had was a Robert The Bruce scottish ale. I'd never had this before, but I was definitely intrigued by its scottish name. After my experience with the Pyramid Tilted Kilt ale in June I'm not very likely to pass up any scotch or scottish (I forget the difference) ales anytime soon.

This was really good. If it's still there when I next make a weekend trip to Rich O's I'll definitely be having more. I actually noticed three things that really stood out. First was the reddish color that revealed itself when I held the glass up to the light. Second was the slight gritty feeling that continued until the head had dissipated, and third was the slightly bitter aftertaste - something new to me in my limited experience with this style of ale.

gran-di-ose
adj.
1. Impressive because of unnecessary largeness or grandeur.

My sister Dina bought this smimming pool. It's about half the size of her house. My other sister described the view of the thing from the kitchen as looking like The Great Wall of China ran through Dina's backyard. I have to agree.

Too bad it's been so cold here - she might have to wait until Spring to enjoy it.

ME: You didn't show up last night. Nine or ten more times and I'll start to take it personally.

VIGILANTEGIRL: My friend got ran over by a car last night. She's still in intensive care and might not live.

ME (THINKING): Wow, this foot sure tastes terrible.

And now for something completely different.

To see this post go to the bottom of the page and enter the password into the search field.

(crossposted from pool 'blog)

Just a follow-up on the theft of my PDFs and videos by another site.

I've had two conversations with the owner of the business with the website. He's assured me that all of my files will be removed from their site during a change of their outsourcing company. That change will take place within the next few days.

They're changing outsourcing companies at least partly because that company was, I believe, responsible for putting my stuff on the site to begin with.

I believe that the business with the website had no idea that this was being done, and I'm giving them several days to make the changes we've talked about.

I check my own website access logs regularly, and today I was able to follow the trail back to what looks like a new version of one of the offending pages. So far, it's exactly the same except for a little blurb at the end about how the videos came from www.barenada.com.

I don't know if the plan is to leave things that way, but if so, those plans will not be acceptable to me. My files are still there, and I want them gone.

Please people, just put up a link to some pool pages. Don't copy their files to your own site.

This while thing still has several days to get straightened out.

It's surprising how many attorneys are pool players. I've been contacted by several. I just tell them what I told the guy - if they remove my material from their site then I'm quite willing to drop the whole matter.

VigilanteGirl has invited me to this new club this coming weekend.

I've asked around at work, and nobody has heard of the place. Since the people at work are generally the same age as me - maybe a little younger on average, I'm convinced that I'll be the oldest person at the club.

Hopefully there won't be too much staring and pointing.

Or laughing.

Or screaming.

I need to tell VigilanteGirl that she's taking me waaaaay out of my element, and that she's in charge of keeping me entertained and making sure the night doesn't take a Logan's Run type of turn.

There are too many damn shows that I watch on Tuesdays.

I need more TiVos.

Tonight I find myself trying to watch seven different shows between 8:00 and 11:00.

Last Comic Standing (Finale) 8:00 - 10:00

Extreme Home Makeover 8:00 - 9:00

Big Brother 5 9:00 - 10:00

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy 10:00 - 11:00

Thing I Hate About You 11:00 - 12:00

Joe Schmo (Finale) 9:00 - 11:00

The Amazing Race 10:00 - 11:00

I've ended up skipping the last half-hour of Last Comic Standing, and I'll Tivo Queer Eye during its 1:00 AM showing.

Man, I have a pretty exciting life don't I?

(crossposted from pool 'blog)

Today I got an email from someone I didn't know telling me to check out another pool site.

What I found there were copies of my PDF files and videos. Exact bit-for-bit copies even.

I received no credit, and if not for my URL at the bottom of every page in the PDF, and the fact that it was me shooting in my basement in the videos, there would have been no mention of me or barenada.com on the entire site. The files were clearly meant to look like they belonged to the company with the website.

After a few phone calls I spoke to someone at that business. He assured me that they had no idea that the site contained copyrighted material, and that he would take care of it.

Time will tell I suppose.

For now I'm not sure whether to feel violated, or proud, or both.

Last night LaptopGirl was talking with her friend about "This old man that seemed nice but would probably hit on her at some point and gross her out" or something like that.

For a second there I thought she was talking about me but she wasn't.

Or was she?

This stuff is funny to me.

This morning I told VigilanteGirl that I was going to Burger King for breakfast. When I offered to pick something up for her she promised to "love me forever" in a jesting tone.

In my imagination I heard her promise to "love me long time" which would actually be a very different promise - and one that would probably be easier to keep.