The lovely and gracious Miss Mommy managed to flatten a tire today, which means I've spent the better part of the day at Costco getting out tire warranty to work for us.
Fortunately, I got a little ahead with my posts last night and yesterday; and I think most everyone is traveling for Thanksgiving anyway. So I apologize for the lack of posts; I promise to make it up over the holiday and weekend.
~~JD~~
Literally.
My cats, in the heat of passion as they chased each other at breakneck speed around the apartment, knocked my laptop to the floor and demolished the hard drive. I'll be engaged in the process of trying to recover the files today and tomorrow. And possibly to break the necks of the breakneck speeding cats. Possibly. (Probably not; they're my kittens.)
Posting may suffer slightly. I'll try not to let it comletel stop, but hang with me a day or two, and all will be back to pseudo-normal.
~~JD~~
The Blog is three years old as of last week.
Last weekend I went over the 400 post mark. (This is post #404, for those keeping count.)
The first year I started this blog (September 25th, 2004 -- from September to December for the year) I had a total of 41 posts for the entire year. Last Month (our anniversary) I had 42 post for the entire month.
Who knew I could yap so much!
~~JD~~
Deleted a few things, rearranged a few others; and changed the layout entirely. That's the beauty of Blogspot; you can just change the entire layout with a click of the button.
The previous layout was a bit confining and limited my ability to post pictures -- you could put one picture in a column, and that was about it -- followed by another picture, and another; etc. This new layout lets me put two side-by-side. And it allows me to showcase the wonderful Day by Day comic strip in it's full glory.
I'm still working on the colors, though. You might see a few more tweaks over the next few weeks or so. As Douglas Adams liked to say, "Don't Panic."
~~JD~~
** As of Last night, I crossed the milestone of my 300th post since I started this blog.
** We just passed visitor 5,266 this morning. (I know, the counter is malfunctioning -- I'm working on it.)
** This is my 109th post of the year so far. Our previous record was 92 in 2005. We're on track to hit 200+ this year. Blame youTube.
I have no idea what's gotten into me. Well, part of my intention when starting this blog was to increase my writing output so I could eventually start writing professionally. Seems to be succeeding.
~~JD~~
A couple of new things to the old 'blog here, in my never-ending quest to make my 'blog look more and more like Homer Simpson's.
The first is a Playlist from Imeem .com, which is a lot more than just a list of songs of whatever I'm listening to today. You can double-click on the green "Play" button to actually listen to the Playlist in it's entirety (assuming you have a set of speakers and a sound card available to your computer.) Alternately, you can click any one of the single selections noted there and start listening with that particular one. And from time to time I'll be changing the playlists as well -- I've already started working on the Christmas Playlist.
And you know how I love Christmas Music . . . . 
The other new item is my joining a webring, which is a collection of (somewhat) like-minded 'blogs. This webring is called the Texas Connection, and has a list of other 'blogs from Texas for your perusal.
Or in Mike Workman's case, something to do while you're pretending to work, Bubba.
Enjoy!
~~JD~~
I was just noticing that as of this month I've been doing this 'blog 2 & 2/3rds years. I've created 252 posts, and this year I've already done more posts (61) than I did all of last year (49) or the first year (41).
Who knew I could whine so much?
Mileage: 3.7
AM Glucose (5/13): 129
AM Glucose (5/12): 115
AM Glucose (5/11): 58
AM Glucose (5/10): 66
AM Glucose (5/09): 86
AM Glucose (5/08): 61
AM Glucose (5/07): 79
Weight Loss: 23 pounds
We took the western route today to our explored limit, then went one block beyond just for good measure. I'm claiming the extra tenth of a mile, whether it's true or not. Samantha did pretty well, considering she's still wearing her winter coat; but at least she didn't almost have a heatstroke like when we walked to he Interstate. We did have a scary moment when her collar came off in the middle of a traffic-filled street, but apparently I've trained her well -- she stayed right at my side until I could get the collar and leash back on.
Julian had the band awards dinner last night (Oh, Look -- there's my plate!) and we ate at one of the numerous Mexican restaurants in San Antonio. Julian won two gag awards for "Most Likely to be seen on a Dating Show" and "Most Likely to be seen on COPS" (heh!) He also found out he'll be First Chair in the Chamber Orchestra next year. Today he had graduation for the (voluntary) Chinese class he's been taking this year. His class average was 99.8% (100% on all tests and 98% on the Final).
Ariane's grades from this semester are still pending. I'm sure they're all A's and B's.
~~JD~~
1.) It's Saturday Night. I'm full of Guiness -- I'm celebrating. Sue me.
2.) I'm absolutely fascinated by the ClustrMaps to the right side of the 'blog that shows where people are looking in on tghis little 'blog. Some of them I know about and understand; for instance, the big circles in Minnesota, London, Paris, Chicago, Virginia, and St. Louis MO are explained by my friends and family (Mike Sawin in Minneapolis; Paul Sheik-Hossen in Paris & London; Nancy Gertsmeier in Valpariso IN, and my sister Kathy and friend Trevor Burroughs in Virginia; and friend John Gerdes in St. Louis.)
Those I understand.
But what's with that guy in Portugal. Who's the doofus in Argentina, or in Thailand who's looking at my 'blog? Who the heck in Venezuela is reading these pages? In Spain? In Italy?
Heck, who's that in Florida, or Kansas, or Canada?
For some reason this just tickles me to pieces!
(And for some reason, spelling seems to be incredibly complex while I'm inebriated.)
If you haven't tried this, click on that little map with all the red circles on it. It's just under the counter and right above Bert's smiling face.
3.) I've added a few new 'blogs and websites to the links available on the right side. Two I'd strongly recommend are Frontline Forum and Midnight in Iraq. They're 'blogs maintained by military folks currently stationed in Iraq; so this is news straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Take a second to take a gander and let me know what you think.
4.) MAN, they have a lot of good vintages available in Texas.
5.) Just for everyone who's wondering; we're not very likely to travel this year. We're still waiting for the INS to issue Ariane a new Green Card. Until she gets a new Green Card (the old one having been stolen when she was mugged last year), we're pretty much stuck here.
Deportation is a very real possibility without your Green Card in South Texas, particularly now.
So; how's by you folks right now?
~~JD~~
There's two new features to the 'blog that I'm kind of tickled with. The first is directly underneath the Counter and shows a map of the world. About once a day this little map will update with red dots indicating the locations where people are looking at my 'blog from. It also tracks the ISPs where people are coming from, so if there's any attacks on the 'blog, we'll be able to track them. (Unlikely, but a necessary precaution anymore.)
Meanwhile, I'm just interested in where people are looking at my 'blog from.
Also, there's another map from FRAPPR directly above the counter that has the title of my 'blog ("Apocryphal Evidence") on top of the map. By clicking on this title you can see who else is online and viewing the 'blog (optional registration only) and even chat online with those folks. So if your my relatives in Indiana or Illinois and want to set up a chat with my other relatives in Iowa or France, be my guest.
Or you can even chat with me, should the muse move you.
This FRAPPR map also allows you to zoom into anywhere on the globe and get satellite photos of anywhere. Just zoom in with the (+) or (-) and move the picture with the arrows, all of which are at the top left of the maps. It's a lot of fun. I can even see my car in the parking lot of our apartment complex.
Enjoy. Anyone wants to chat, e-mail me at jd_long@hotmail.com.
~~John~~
With the end of the semester last week, I'm staying our of Ariane's way by tweaking the website a bit. You may see some small refinements and adjustments ongoing -- in most cases, I'm adding more links to other marvy websites for your entertainment perusal.
And another good newsy post when I get a chance this week -- I promise.
~~JD~~
If you've seen the Back to the Future movies, you'll recognize Tom Wilson as the Biff Tannen character who makes Marty McFly's life pretty darn miserable.
However, a funny thing happened on the way to being a Pop Icon. Underneath the "Biff Tannen" facade lies Tom Wilson, who's a darn funny comedian.
And he paints, too! Quite nicely, actually. Kind of reminds me of Van Gogh or Gaugin impressionism with a touch of absurdism in the subject matter. In fact, here's a good example:
He's done this one several times, with such titles as "Spectacular Waltzing Skaters," "Fabulous Ocean Vista," or "Surfers at Wakiki Beach." The gag is, of course, that the image is inside the Viewmaster.
Get it?
It just really cracks me up. Click on the Title of this post to go to the website, or go to www.tomwilsonusa.com.
~~John~~
A couple of brief things here. Two things on the 'blog, and a Christmas Cow.
First, I've re-enabled the Comments Section at the ends of each post. I originally turned these off a few months ago when the autobots discovered my blog and started leaving Spam Comments.
Fortunately, E-blogger (my site host) has developed a Word Verification protocol to defeat these Spam-bots. What it means for you is that when you choose to post a comment, you'll have to read the weird-looking word and type it into the box in able to post comments. A fair trade, I think.
Finally, I had some recognition for my little blog of some note that I want to share (or crow about; take your pick.) One of the 'blogs I list under the heading of "The News, As I See It Daily" is Brian Mulroney's Blog The Radio Equalizer. I've been a big fan of radio ever since my Grandma Glynn gave me an AM table radio for Christmas 1967. I used to listen to all the Chicago Radio Greats: Wally Phillips and Roy Leonard on WGN, Newsradio 78, WJJD, WIND -- I even discovered Rock-and-Roll on the great WLS at 890 on the dial. I remember drifting off to sleep many a year listening to WBBM Newsradio.
So you see why I have links to both Robert Feder'sChicago Sun-Times column on Chicago Radio as well as The Radio Equalizer. Radio's pretty much in my blood, if not my very DNA.
Anyway, about two nights ago I was scrolling down his list of favorite blogs to find Michelle Malkin's website (finally decided to link her on my own site; check it out on the left-hand side) when lo and behold; what to my wondering eye should appear but . . . Apocryphal EVIDENCE!!! -- my own little blog!. When I re-checked the next night, I'd been upgraded to a ~~Busy!~~ listing as well -- meaning Brian's reading my 'blog as I'm reading his.
Wow. I'm mildly famous, sort of.
Follow the links above or RIGHT HERE to confirm my delusional fantasies for yourself. I'm about 1/3rd of the way down on the right, under the listing Crank It Up To "11" -- way down past the ads.
How cool is that???
Finally, from the sublime to the absurd, the Vidette-Times back in my hometown of Valparaiso Indiana are reporting that Howie the Steer; the signpost and mascot for Kelsey's Steak House, was "vandalized" Christmas Eve.
As the photo above shows, one of the customers crafted a giant-steer-sized Santa Hat for Howie and stuck it on his head overnight. Howie is quite beloved in Valpo; the mayor of Valparaiso, my fellow classmate at Valpo High School Jon Costas, once (according to the TIMES "wrote a song in Howie's honor. Costas sang the tune at a Board of Zoning meeting, and at Saturday's move, after riding in on Howie's back.
You can read about that little adventure Right Here in the Northwest Indiana Times as well.
~~JD~~
I've had a comment or two about why I put so darn many links to other 'blogs and websites on my own weblog. The answer is ridiculously silly, actually.
When my last computer died early this year, I was stuck trying to recover all the Bookmarks from my last computer to transfer to the new one. As I struggled to pull them all together, I was struck by the fact that even if I did, I still wouldn't have them on the other computers I use (Julian's computer, my computer at work, etc.)
So it occurred to me that I could just as easily put my most-used bookmarks on my weblog and have them available through cyberspace, at whatever computer I may be at currently.
So don't just think of it as my 'blog -- it's also my cyberspace signpost to where I want to visit today.
So now you know.
~~JD~~
Been awfully busy lately, so I haven't had much time to update lately. We've got our nephew David visiting from Paris (the one in France) so we're almost constantly on the go somewhere on the weekends -- which is when I usually post, y'know.
Plus to make matters worse, my USB ports on our brand-new laptop are on the fritz; which means I can't synch up my camera to post any new pictures. We've figured out a fix; but it will take me an hour or two of uninterrupted time to do it -- which I haven't had lately.
So we're all alive an well. Work is going very well for both of us; and we completed our move last weekend. Pictures when they become available. Gimme a week or two.
~~JD~~
For those of you not part of the Palm Pilot / Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) revolution, it is well and truly here.
I bought my first PDA in the fall of 2001 (after the crash of Professional One Limousine.) I bought it with my first paycheck after the fall, mostly because I saw a co-worker (a temporary nurse from an Agency) at the Nursing Home I was working at using a PDA, which caught my eye almost immediately. She had loaded a Nursing Drug Handbook onto hers, which meant she not only had one availabe at all times on the job, but the lookup was lightning fast, too -- saved a lot of time.
Fast **and** accurate? I was sold right there.
My first PDA was made by a company called Handspring. They were the cheif competitor with Palm; which Palm also recognized when they bought them out. (They're called "PalmOne" currently.) The similarities were obvious; both Palm and Handspirng shared their Operating System, Programs, and desktop software. Handspring differed in that they had an Accessory Port into which you could plug available hardware; like a camera, GPS device, additional memory cards, E-books . . . all kinds of neat stuff. Although I never bought any of the hardware, I liked the idea of having it available.
Well, a PDA is designed to last about 2-3 years, and mine was almost 4 . . . so I decided to upgrade. I had gotten tired of lugging around both the PDA and a cellphone, so I looked for one that combined the two. Researched out the different models, checked around for the best deals, and found the TREO 650. Top of the line and brand-new; it has many times more memory than the older Handspring, as well as a built-in camera, video recorder, calculator, and internet browser. I've also downloaded software so I have databases to contain all the information I need to know about my patients at work; plus my drug book, a Taber's Medical Dictionary, and three different versions of the Bible. I'm going to buy more software to load the entire DSM-IV (psychological diagnostic manual). With the old Handspring I was lucky to get the Drug Book and the Bible in there.)
And, of course, the old reliable Palm OS still has the dependable standbys of "Contacts" (which pretty much has every name and phone number of everyone I've ever met -- painstakingly entered from my old Address Books over time); an Appointment Calendar to keep track of meetings, work schedules, and such; the "Memo" feature which lets me keep everything from genealogical information to favorite quotations to Erikson's Stages of Adolescent Development; and the "To-Do" features, which lets me make lists of things I need. Shopping Lists. Christmas Lists. List of the Garth Brooks albums I need to complete my collection. List of my Disney videos . . . etc, etc.
And a cellphone. And a Realplayer MP3 Player. And I haven't even figured half this stuff out yet.
So very . . . . Star Trek!
The good news about this is that you'll be seeing more photos since i now always have a camera with me. This may not be a good thing, as you'll see below. Julian surely doesn't think it is . . . at the moment.
