BigPinkCookie

The Other Skins...

By the way - if you start to see wonky things in the sidebars, I'm tweaking files here and there so I can use them as I get all the skins to a compliant point. Sorry about the mess, please ignore the dust. I should have it fixed soon enough. I feel so validated!

Updated: Well, I did feel validated. Now my CSS isn't validating and I have NO clue what the error message means since I did nothing to my XML. *sigh* Anyone have any ideas?

I Did It!!!

I did it! I did it! The new and improved BPC Lite just received a "This Page Is Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional!" You can see for yourself - Validation Results for BPC Lite.

UPDATE: Validating my CSS was a lot easier - a quick phone call to Matt to get help figuring out the errors, stripping out the oh-so-cute but not valid scrollbars, and now I am pleased to announce that the CSS is valid too!

I would like to dedicate this moment to Tantek for not laughing at me too hard when I said CSS makes my eyes bleed and instead convincing me that I could do it. I also want to dedicate it to Matt for his helpful hand-holding and coding along the way, and Kristine for her CSS zen help.

Wow. Valid XHTML, Valid CSS, and Valid RSS. I think I've hit a new level of Geek Nirvana.

Getting There...

WOW. BPC Lite is actually starting to look a lot like the defualt skin for this site. And I am actually understanding this stuff. Wow. Still some things to figure out though:

- Matt put my "Take a Bite" list and others in to and unordered list. This is all great, but it leaves a huge gap between the title and the list itself. How can I get rid of that gap? Fixed thanks to Kristine.
- Also, when there isn't a list, everything sits right on top of each other. I need a break in some places, and have no idea how to do it without faking it with p tags. Ideas?
- I added links to the validation pages, and my code is soooo far from valid. I think it's the MT tags that it is choking on though, and I have no clue how to fix them. Getting closer, thanks to help from Kristine & Annessa.
- Kristine? Kristine? Help.......

BPC Lite!

Want to know what I'm working on right now behind the scenes? The new and improved Big Pink Cookie Lite! Less calories, lower weight, and hopefully in the end it will validate! Now let's just hope my eyes don't start bleeding.

Kudos to Matt for cleaning up my CSS for me and making the initial template - I'm just modifying the MT tags, tweaking font sizes, and making sure everything works before it goes live!

Still Going Strong...

I just wanted to take a moment to wish my parents a Happy Anniversary! 34 years, and still going strong. Words can not express all of my appreciation for the things they do for Jason and for me on a daily basis - we are truly blessed. Thank you again ... and Happy Anniversary!

ScriptyGoddess Turns 1!

April 12, 2002 - ScriptyGoddess was born! Happy First Birthday to ScriptyGoddess! And mad props to Jennifer for letting me be a part of it! I know I haven't said it often enough lately ... YOU ROCK!!!

Fresh Friday Finds...

I'm feeling a zillion times better today then I did yesterday - it must be all the well wishes from everyone! Well, that and the ZPack. I went to the lab this morning to be turned in to a human pincushion - it seems that the nurse didn't want to believe me when I said I have no veins. None. She stuck me in both arms and then finally did the butterfly syringe in my hand that I suggested to start with. Good thing they only needed one tube of blood. I asked them to check my blood pressure again too - it was 142/92 today. No, not great - but a lot better than it was yesterday.

Since I'm feeling better, I'm cranking lots of things out and getting things done. That always makes me happy. I needed to stop and recognize some great finds though - they may not be new to you, but they are new to me...

:: Truck808 - Robert finally decided after SXSW that it was time to give in and start blogging! He is an awesome guy and I'm so glad I've met him in person; I can't say enough good things about him.
:: Plastic Fruit - I found Don thanks to Blogshares, and I've been hooked ever since. Fresh plastic fruit served with a side of sarcasm!
:: All About George - I didn't really meet George at SXSW, although I saw him in passing several times. He told a great story at Fray Cafe, and I knew then that I would be drawn to his writing. I was right - great thought provoking stuff!
:: Minor Third - Just because Jay is Erika's husband, there are a zillion other reasons to read his site - the key one being he is simply a funny guy!
:: Living Juicy - It's fun, it's juicy, it's life. And Sydney & I could probably pass ourselves off as sisters. Matter of fact, there is a story behind meeting Sydney...

Sydney posted to the H-Town Blogs list the day before SXSW that she was heading to Austin too. I e-mailed her and told her that she was welcome to meet up with us, hang out, go to lunch and dinner, etc. She said she had some things planned already, but she would let me know. On Saturday morning, I passed her on the corner on the way to the convention center. Problem is, she knew what I looked like - but I had no clue what she looked like! So here I am, half asleep, walking down a street in Austin, and I hear, "Christine?" I look around, and the only person nearby is someone I don't recognize at all. I paused. She said it again, then she added, "It's me, Sydney!" She joined us on the walk to the convention center, and we started chatting away as if we had known each other forever. She is absolutely adorable - and has the most gorgeous hair of any woman I know - and I just had that "instant click" feeling. An added bonus? She lives just outside of Houston, so I can see her year round!

Tivo Rocks!

It seems that Matt Haughey's Tivo feels the same way I do about war programs! HGTV has been getting quite a workout over here.

Sooooo Busted!

Remember the blackmailing Army Chaplain? Dude, he is like sooooo busted for his little Pool dip offered in return for baptism. Because really - bribery is the best way to bring people to God! [via Zuly]

Off to the Lab...

Back from my doctor's appointment, I stopped at home to run a map on mapquest to find a lab for my insurance near downtown. If I go to a LabOne lab, they cover it 100%.

Lab work? But isn't it just a simple upper respiratory infection? Well, yes, it is. But she agreed that some of my other symptoms and my past thyroid tests warranted another check, and add to that the fact that my blood pressure - which normally runs high at 140/100 to 130/90 - was 178/100 today. That could be thanks to the crud, but she's not taking chances. So I'm now armed with blood pressure meds (again - I haven't taken them in about 5 years though), migraine medicine (after last weeks migraine from hell), plus a Z-pack and a decongestant prescription. She won't let me take anything that is over the counter because of the blood pressure issue.

I get to go back in two weeks. Oh fun, oh joy - let the games begin!

Updated: Lab too busy; I was starving and they wanted to do fasting tests. I needed to eat, so I'm going there first thing in the morning. As for the symptoms - I basically ended up having two appointments in one. I am sure my bp is elevated because I'm sick, however with my family history I wanted it checked. They just took my pulse at first (??!?) and I asked that they take the bp too. Good thing I did...

For All the Other Reasons...

So I set up the RSS feed with comments the other day. Lisa, aka Unix Gal, the Schneider of the blog world (she can fix anything!), wrote last night about why she doesn't like it.

I love it for all of the opposite reasons. I am obsessed with keeping everything in NewzCrawler marked as "read". It's a challenge for me, and I zoom through posts trying to read them all. If your comments are constantly coming through as updates, I can't keep on top of that "read" status at all! Especially on sites like Lisa's or GeekGrrl that get a lot of comments. I left a comment about it earlier on Promo's site, because on a Monday, I don't want to see the 70 "I posted mine!" comments. I have to keep my NewzCrawler up to date!

On the other hand, if you have an interesting post that I commented on, I can flag it in NewzCrawler and come back later and see if other comments were made later. I can stay on top of the ones I'm interested in, ignoring the ones that I'm not - just like when I'm blog surfing, only faster. And my little obsessive issue is satisfied.

Lisa makes some really great points, don't get me wrong. When I first set up my comment feed, I thought it was odd that it doesn't flag it as updated whenever a comment is left. Now that I've had a day or two to get used to it, I like it that way. (I can see it now - we are all going to end up with 80 different types of feeds!)

My Wish Came True!

Just the other day I said that I wished Philip Greenspun had a weblog. Now he does! I feel like my wish came true! (Where's the RSS feed though? Found: here.)

Find the Aggregator For You!

A great list of the various RSS News Readers (News Aggregators) out there that you can use - pick the one that is right for you! (I read about this first in NewzCrawler, of course.) [via The Shifted Librarian]

I think it's ironic though that Haiko doesn't have a valid RSS feed. Hmmm... especially when there are so many sites that offer them up for use with MT - all valid feeds.

Hippie Crap Saves the World...

You want to really annoy the conservative warmongering powers that be? Work your ass off to pump up the vibration. It's deeply personal. It's hard work. It means re-evaluating what you do and how you do it and how you treat others, the planet, what you buy and what you eat. It means learning. And it also means loving harder, more raw and real, minimal BS, minimal waste, figuring out true messy ugly slippery gorgeous divinity for yourself, on your own terms, and then sharing it with the world.

Not sure if I agree with this article, but the quotes in it are too priceless to keep to myself. [via MeFi]

Post #25000 at MetaFilter points out that the Republicans Want the Terror Law Made Permanent. I feel a cold chill right now, and it's not just because I'm sick. Go to MeFi for more links on the permanent Patriot Act. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has some great information on how it relates to Online Activities. Just something to think about.

I Surrender...

I'm giving in. My throat - on the outside, where the glands are - has hurt for weeks. I'm now going through another round of being congested, sneezing, low grade temp, and just generally feeling like crap. I'm sure that is allergies, since my car is covered with a haze of yellow dust, but the fact that my neck hurts worse is enough to make me scream. Well, actually it's enough to turn me in to a hypochondriac, diagnosing myself on WebMD.com. I've decided I have either a thyroid disorder or arthritis. (All my joints hurt when I move them.) I'm convinced that they won't have a cure, and I'll just have this really sore neck for the rest of my life. Meanwhile, the doctor won't believe me and he'll just think that I'm a hypochondriac.

Nah, I don't have issues about this sort of thing. Uh uh, not at all.

It is incredibly rare for me to take off time from work when I'm sick. But I don't have any looming deadlines today - I got those out of my way on Monday and Tuesday - so I think it's about time that I gave in, sucked it up, and went to the doctor. Now if only they can get me in...

Update: I called at 8am, they called back with a time at 8:10am, and I have an appointment at 11am. There was no point in driving in to work for an hour and a half, and when I called Sandy (our office manager) she agreed. So now I'm reading through my NewzCrawler and waiting until it's time to head on over there.

Just a Slight Issue...

Dive Into Mark was nice enough to offer up all of the templates that he uses in MT. Only one problem. If I try to visit his site, using Win98 and IE 6, it locks up my computer. Complete crash, and nothing but a hard boot will fix it. Yeah, just a slight issue with his new design.

I was having a similar problem with Kristine's site, but she has skins and so there was a template that I could use without any problems. Not an option with Dive Into Mark. Man, and I really want to look at those templates!

Just a note: This is the work computer. I don't have an option about the operating system. I use Win2000 at home; Win98 is not by choice.

Bye-Bye Domain...

*le sigh* My very first domain that I ever owned, Sudsalicious.com, has been snatched up by evil domain gobblers. I had issues earlier this year trying to get Network Solutions to let go of the domain and let me renew it through a different registrar. Of course, they wouldn't go for it, and I refused to pay $70 for two years. Then I blew it off thanks to the job hunt, starting work, etc. It's so sad to see my little baby gone like that - I registered it back in 1999, so I had it for 4 years. There are a lot of people and places that think my e-mail address is still at that domain. Oh well, my own fault for refusing to give in to Verisign's greedy ways.

Fortunately, I set up SudsaliciousBodyworks.com in December, when all of this started. At least there is some good in all of this!

Get A Word In...

Don't have the time, patience or desire to write a book all your own? Maybe you could help Dan Gillmor write his?

Next, I Save the World...

Know what I did a few weeks ago? I named a new blog software. Now I'm anxiously waiting for WordPress to be released. PHP, MySQL, and based on b2 but with so much more. It's the first blog software I've been willing to give a chance in a long time. Word on the street is that it will be out soon...

About the Test...

See that last post? The "Testing" post? It really, truly, was a test. However, I will work on granting access to restricted posts for those that have requested it tonight - just wanted to let everyone know that you're not missing out on anything right now. In the future, should there be a need for a restricted post (I sense one coming on soon), you will be all set!

On a positive note - the reason for the restricted post was to test my RSS feed out. If you are using a news reader, you see the first few "teaser" sentences of the post, but I put the juicy stuff in the extended entry part normally - and so far in NewzCrawler & NetNewsWire, that works perfectly. To get to that part, you need access or the password. Exactly how it's supposed to work. Yeah!

More good news? I've got tickets to tomorrow night's Astros game, in the sweet seats! Section 321, Row 5, Seats 5-8. Click on the little 321 section, you can see the view of the field from my seats. They are courtesy of one of the partners at the firm. I can't WAIT! I love baseball games!

Testing - Nothing to See Here...

Just wondering what happens to restricted posts when I post them. Can people see the extended part in their news reader?

Just For You...

Mad props to Jennifer for sharing her RSS Template Code! I didn't want to share my extended posts for the rare time I do a "restricted access" post, but I haven't stopped long enough to figure out another workaround to get a feed going with comments. Now I have one! Just for you, the last 15 posts with comments.

I haven't really tested it yet, so if you see any bugs, let me know. It does validate, so that's good news. You can grab the code for yourself here, and it is just a simple copy and paste to get it working!

I've decided to leave my default feed without comments, but this one will be available too for anyone that wants to use it! All because I loooooove you!

Ordered to Pimp...

Benhen, Loquacious Of Blog needs 2000 hits so that he will have 50,000 hits for his blog's 1 year anniversary. Do the guy a favor and click the link, pimp the link and spread the love. (My Blogwhore tendencies never die...)

Finally, An Explanation...

I suspect that only people that have visited Germany can appreciate this explanation of German Toilets as much as I do. I always wondered why the toilets were so strange there. And I've learned a new word - Sitzpinkel! [via Anil]

By the way - Blogs Save Lives. Really, it's true. Read the story, you'll understand.

We Have a Winner!

Ding, ding, ding! We have a WINNER! PromoGuy left the 10,000 comment on this site earlier today! It's taken years to get to that point of 10,000 comments. Whoo hoo! Congratulations to Promo! Not sure what your prize is, but I feel like there should be one. I know! I could finally do the Monday Mission on a Monday for a change! I'll work on that tonight!

Just What the Blogosphere Needed...

The Anti-Photobloggies! Their time has arrived. Matt describes them as, "You are not the Bloggies. You are not the freakin' Anti-bloggies. You are not your khaki background. You are not the Photobloggies. You are the all singing, all dancing, BLOG award of the world!!!" And then the Antiphotobloggies and I would laugh evilly. It's APB for short. It's the antithesis of the Photobloggies, with an emphasis on the absurd. It's what happens when you have too much time on your hands. It's nutritious and delicious, like a cheese sandwich.

Nominate! And then spread the word...

I Remember the First Time...

I remember the first time I read Travels with Samantha. I was still fairly new to the Internet and all that it could offer. It had to be back in 1996 or 1997, and I fell in love with Philip Greenspun's photography. It was part of my drive to put up a website, and part of my inspiration to want to share my photos online. When working on a website and really wanting to use one of his photographs, I wrote to him - I figured he would say no. Instead he generously said yes, and shared his talent with me. It has always stuck with me, and I still feel that is how the web should work. People should ask - and other people should say yes.

I still find myself sucked in to reading "Travels with Samantha" every time I come across it, and every time it takes my breath away, even 6 or 7 years later. Philip had dinner Saturday night with Dave Winer, and it was Dave's post that lead me back to Philip's site tonight. Philip shared his thoughts on blogs today. My thoughts? I would love to see a blog written by Philip, especially if there were photographs...

Who were your early inspirations? What got you online? What made you stay?

Grab Your Geek Flag...

Grab your Geek flag and wave it high and proud - sign up for the Webgeek 0lympics! You know you want to ... all the cool kids are! Geek On!

Perplexed...

I look at my traffic and it seems to be rising. I look at my comments - and they are empty. I look at other sites and within seconds of a post going live, there are comments. I think about the fact that I read the blogs of the latest commenters before I read anything else. And without comments ... I don't know what to do.

I loooooove it when people leave comments. I have never bashed people that leave comments, never picked fights because I disagree with what they said. Matter of fact, I'm rather proud of how "flame-war free" this site has been for over a year if not longer. I've never had to ban comment trolls because I very rarely have them and they don't normally return after the first time.

So here is your chance - the comments are as wide open as always - tell me, why you don't normally leave any comments behind?

Just Not The Same...

Oh. My. God. There is an Army Chaplain from Houston that is hoarding his little 500 gallon pool of pristine clean bathing water and using it to bribe soldiers to baptized. Yes, "It's simple. They want water. I have it, as long as they agree to get baptized," he said.

Because, you know, if you force them to be baptized to get a bath, that's just like volunteering to do it because you believe.

I wonder - if you agree to it once, do you get to come back for repeat baths in the future? As long as you continue to profess that you believe? Or is it a one-time only deal?

Next he is considering hordeing the food to lure the soldiers in. For some reason I can't stop rolling my eyes. [via Dori]

One More "Clock" to Change...

I hate Daylight Saving Time! Oh, wait, I said that already. Ok, well now I need to change my times at Blogrolling too! M was nice enough to write out instructions on how to change the time there too. I'm updating mine - have you done yours?

Just Out of It...

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel really out of it? I've been there since Thursday. I had a horrid migraine Thursday night, one that hurt so bad I had to turn the air conditioner down so it was cold, turn off all the lights, put an ice pack on my neck and sleep.

Friday was better, and while I wasn't as social and spunky as I would have liked to be on Friday night, at least the migraine didn't return.

I had a headache most of the day yesterday, and this feeling of being out of it settled in. Excedrin is my friend. Alegria was wonderful - I really enjoyed it. My favorite part of any circus are the acts like the trapeze, the high bars, the things like that - so to see them set to such beautiful music in a setting so close was incredible. I loved it. I thought the second half seemed a little short, and when looking through the program today I see that there is normally a "Strong Man" act - and there wasn't yesterday. Doesn't matter - all the aerial acts made up for it for me. Afterwards we decided to go to Josephine's in downtown - I knew there wouldn't be a wait like there would be at restaurants close to home, and I love their food. It was a really nice dinner and a good way to cap off the day. Then Jason & I went up to my office so I could pick up a note I forgot on Friday and he could see the view of downtown from 34 floors up. He agreed with me - it is a great view.

Today we kick off Daylight Saving Time. I hate Daylight Saving. It messes with my sleep patterns (that is, when I can sleep) for days. Justs leave my days alone! Ugh. It's icky outside, raining and gray. Jason is resting on the couch with his casts propped up on pillows, and I am editing photos. I haven't added any new ones to Pixelog since Wednesday, thanks to the migraine and then not being home long enough to do it. There will be more there later today.

I have heard and seen some really crazy things on TV this weekend. Yesterday on CNN there was a blurb on the botton of the screen that read, "Iraqi government terrorist ties confirmed, America safer than at the start of the war." It made me laugh. I feel like there is a large propoganda machine out there that is trying to shove information down my throat to force me to be pro-war. "Look! Look! We proved that they knew the terrorists! Now we are making you safe! Don't you feel better?" No, I don't. How did I turn in to such a skeptic? I laughed even harder when they were showing the weather forecast on the news last night - we are already having highs in the 80s, but there is going to be another "cold snap" where we have highs in the 60s for a day or two, then back up in the 70s. The weatherman said, "It's almost autumn-like!" No! No! No, it's called Spring! It's almost spring-like, although those 80s are summer to parts of the nation! It was just a reminder that the days of 97 degree temperatures aren't far off.

Every time I type "just" I end up typing "justs". I've been doing that for days. I wonder why. But now I'm just rambling ... like I said, I feel really out of it.

Adding to My List...

Oooooh... look! Another RSS Aggregator (news reader for RSS) - SharpReader! I looks like it's worth checking out, although I have everything set up in NewzCrawler so I'm probably not going to switch. Oh! That reminds me ... I need to work on that comment feed like I told Lisa I would. [via Phil Ringnalda]

Fondue-bee-doo-bee-dooooo, Part III...

Midnight has come and gone, and it is officially Mike's birthday! Go wish him well if you have a moment.

We had delicious fondue tonight - everyone loved both of the cheese fondues. We didn't make the fruit one, even though I had all the ingredients - it was a smaller gathering then normal, so we simply had too much! I also went with sausage browned on the stove instead of the meat fondue. Of course the chocolate fondue was yummy and a big hit! So all in all it went well, we had plenty of fondue pots, and we have a ton of ingredients left over so we will be fondue'ing again soon! M? Nicole? Anyone else? You guys coming down to Houston for fondue? Maybe I should beg Sydney to make a road trip around the beltway to try it! I have enough left over for several batches actually!

Thank you again to everyone for their advice, tips and recipes. Most of all - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MIKE!