Functionality

I keep getting called to create new automated tasks for the company. Things just get layered on, and I'm falling behind little by little. Then I'll make a good leap and get some done once I figure something out. It's been interesting to become "the report 8i+(h" in the co.

So, what do I do? I dunno. I'm leaning to taking a little time off to let my mind vegetate. I need to get taxes done so I can buy a new french door, plus change windows upstairs (and down), and figure out a new storage technique (I'm thinking a mobile shelf that can be raised or lowered above cars in the garage). [sigh]. No rest for the wicked.

(this is a previous blog message, but due to blogger's inability to import anything, I'm using this as a new post).

I'm off work, and on a computer?

So, I am off of work. And, here I am, sitting at a computer putting in a blog entry. Surprising, isn't it? Yup. But I'm not working in IM and not doing any work. Finally, time to relax! A little cleaning, and a great weekend!

(this is a previous blog message, but due to blogger's inability to import anything, I'm using this as a new post).

screwball

At times, it may feel like your relationships are just sour. Something to remember, though, is that there are struggles that will end. Remember, as hard as a relationship is, it's a natural part of life. No matter how much I have screwed up, I feel like there is always an end to that. Additionally, there are times that, even if I didn't screw up, I feel like I did. I just need to remember to push through those.

Something that the world should be aware of in my current relaitonship is this : I have married the most marvelous woman in existence. She is an independent mind, individual, a beautiful woman. She keeps me humble, and working. She has a phenomenal understanding. There is nothing like her, and I am truly grateful to have her in my life.

(this is a previous blog message, but due to blogger's inability to import anything, I'm using this as a new post).

Sugarmuffin

As frustrated as I get with working on the house, or trying to deal with a lawyer or a painter that doesn't understand the poor job, I have a woman in my life that more than makes up for that. Her name is Shan, and she is amazing. She has soothed my mind many times when work has gotten to me, or when I am about to face news. She has her heart in the right place, she has a mind that functions very well, and she has a personality to match! (The fact that she is beautiful is also a plus).

So, I ask, has a woman like this ever existed before? or is she the best ever?

Having you hold my heart is a blessing to me.
Having you near makes me the man most lucky.
Having your eyes look deep, brings smile to my soul.
Having your fingers' caress makes me so whole.
Having your heart beat close is love unto mine.
Having you close sends giggles down the spine.
Having your hands' gentle touch quivers my knee.
Having your lips whisper love makes me giddy.
Having your breath warm my cheek brings desire to kiss.
Having you hold me close puts me in bliss.
Having your arms around me results in an embrace,
Having you close makes me want to stay at your place.
Having you snuggle fills my heart with glee,
Having your love is something I want enternally.

(this is a previous blog message, but due to blogger's inability to import anything, I'm using this as a new post).

Along comes another weekend...

.. and I am going on call. Frustrations about the corvette, work schedule, season, and the house have all compounded into a couple of lessons for the ages. What I have learned is...

• An expert is only an expert because they do that on a regular basis, meaning you, yourselves, should be able to do as well as any expert if you set your mind to it.
• Just because someone claims that they are willing to work things out doesn't mean they actually are willing to.
• Do things on your own. That way, you can expect a specific result. If you don't like the result, just do it over, until you are satisfied.

That's not to condone becoming a hermit, but just a simple principle. You are the best expert when it comes to things that are close to your heart.

(this is a previous blog message, but due to blogger's inability to import anything, I'm using this as a new post).

How awesome my beautiful woman is!

I must say, that my wife is the greatest woman ever to exist!

Last night, overstock.com was doing a database change, and she was asking me about that. In case you didn't know by now, let me spell it out for you. I am a nerd, and when I start to talk about work, I often start to drop jargon into the conversation that is standard for work, so I didn't even pay attention. And... as I told her about the changes that needed to be made, I dropped "DBA" into the sentence, and she caught me in the middle and said, "database administrator, right?"

I had forgotten that I was talking to someone that wasn't a nerd, and had started our relationship a year ago with only a basic understanding of computers. She had reminded me that I'd never told her what the acronym meant! Here she was, giving the right phrase for the three letters.

It reminded me of another blog post I read once upon a time. I smiled, called her a nerd, and told her she has a job as a Linux Systems Administrator in her future (just to egg her on, mind you). However, with what she has learned in a year and a half just from listening to me, she could definitely have a future in Systems Admin if she decided she wanted to.

But the coolest thing? She listens, and remembers. I caught the BEST woman to ever exist!

Managing services as cheaply as possible

Okay. After paying $120/mo for a co-located server at a local datacenter, and after the server crashed, it was finally time to simplify and lower the costs. I started migrating services to cheap or free replacements while I checked the hardware to see if I could ressurect it, and ended up leaving services to reduce costs. And here is what I have come up with :

1. I moved the registrar to a cheaper registrar (Register.com thinks they are the end-all solution, but are more trouble than they are worth - I even had to fight to be able to transfer my domains from them, because a couple of times they refused to transfer them).
   
   This did a few things for me:
   
   (A) Using the GoDaddy "park domain" option while the actual hardware was checked introduced me to their "Total DNS" tool in the domain manager, which allowed me to control the A, CNAME, MX, etc records and point the mail to another service.
   
   (B) This allowed me to resurrect services a little at a time without the original name servers in place.
   
   
2. Next I set up a free mail service and pointed the MX records over there. It's called "Google". They actually have a Google Apps for Businesses that utilizes mail, calendars, sites, etc., and it's a handy tool to have. They have instructions there. Cool thing - you end up using a gmail interface, or an IMAP client (or POP), and it's free.
   
   
3. After this, I had basic services running for keeping the site, and thought I should explore the option of NOT co-locating the server (the co-location agreement kept me sitting at 5Gb/week for bandwidth, too), and started checking out virtual server options. I ended up settling on a VPSLink.com "Link 2" virtual host for the website (it's a small one, 128Mb RAM, 5Gb disk space, 0.5 CPU [Xen], with better bandwidth). It's perfect for a small website that isn't visited often. The cost for a "Link 2" option was $140 - for a year. I will upgrade at some point to the next level, but it will still be a cheaper option by far.

My costs have been reduced from $1,473.00 per year (registrar and co-location costs alone, not including management costs), to approximately $148.00 per year. What's not to like about that?