Sunday, June 29, 2008
Happy anniversary
So I just made the mistake of moving out of my chair for a moment, and that seems to have touched off another round of sneezing. I don't know what it is that has touched off my allergies today--I was fine this morning, got out for a nice long bike ride, I would guess around 10 miles or so--but this afternoon and evening...woo. I did take advantage of the bad allergy day to go through a few of the old envelopes I wanted to post for sale. I figure if I'm already congested/draining more than all get out then it doesn't matter if I go poking about in a box full of musty old paper. :-D
Got a call this evening from Beth-Erin. She mentioned it has been 10 years since we met, and I'm like, wow, that's right...summer camp 1998. At age 25, 10 years seems like a long time to have been acquainted with someone. So Beth-Erin, happy anniversary. And Devon, you're next buddy. We're going to have to figure out something to do to mark that occasion.
Thinking about it, there isn't really anyone outside of my family and immediate family friends that I met 10 or more years ago that I really keep up with anymore. Ashley, I guess, when school's in session, but that's it. Yeah, I occasionally get a phone call or send an e-mail or something, but that's about it. And I don't think it's a case of those of us from the "old guard" disliking each other or anything...we all just kind of grew up and went on with our lives and here we are today. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da.
posted at 9:53 pm | permalink | 1 comment
Sunday, June 22, 2008
New Web site design
Last week I put a new design in place on my main Web site, Philosateleia. There's some stuff on the site that looks a bit weird right now--it's just going to take time to go through and bring all of the pages "up to code," so to speak. I think the site will look better if I ever have time to get all that done, though. I'm definitely aiming at directing people toward the popular portions of my site.
One interesting problem I encountered wasn't a huge problem, per se--just a "why's it doing that" annoyance that I ended up spending a couple of evenings working on. Basically, when I had this CSS in place:
div#content {background-color: #ffffff; border-left: solid 1px #e0e0e0; border-right: solid 1px #e0e0e0; margin: 1em auto 0em; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 20px; text-align: left; width: 760px}
div.promoArea {float: left; width: 232px}
div.promoArea h3 {border-bottom: solid 1px #e0e0e0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 1.5em; margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0.1em; text-align: right}
div.promoArea h3 a, div.promoArea h3 a:active, div.promoArea h3 a:hover, div.promoArea h3 a:link, div.promoArea h3 a:visited {color: #000000; text-decoration: none}
div.promoArea p {margin-bottom: 0em}
div#promoArea1 {padding-right: 15px}
div#promoArea2 {border-left: solid 1px #e0e0e0; border-right: solid 1px #e0e0e0; padding: 0px 15px}
div#promoArea3 {padding-left: 15px}
Firefox, Safari, and Opera were all happy as clams (which is a rather odd phrase). Internet Explorer 7 and 6, however, inserted a white "gap" below the three floated columns. This wasn't a huge deal in the overall scheme of things, but I wanted to know why.
Apparently IE gets confused if a div (perhaps any element, I haven't tested it) that is floated either left or right is the last element inside another div. In that case, IE apparently decides, oh, I must need a blank line here. Which it didn't. I didn't want a blank line there. So I went to experimenting, and here's what I finally came up with that worked:
div#content {border-left: solid 1px #e0e0e0; border-right: solid 1px #e0e0e0; margin: 1.5em auto; overflow: visible; padding: 0em 20px; text-align: left; width: 736px}
div.promoArea {width: 223px}
div.promoArea p {margin: 0em}
div.promoArea h3 {border-bottom: solid 1px #e0e0e0; font-size: 1.5em; padding-bottom: 0.1em; text-align: right}
div.promoArea h3 a {color: #000000; text-decoration: none}
div#promoArea1 {float: left}
div#promoArea2 {float: left; border-left: solid 1px #e0e0e0; border-right: solid 1px #e0e0e0; margin: 0em 15px; padding: 0px 15px}
div#promoArea3 {display: inline}
More convoluted than it should have had to be, methinks. div.promoArea3 is set to display:inline because Safari bumped that div down to the line under the floating divs if I set that div to display:table-cell. Meanwhile, Firefox didn't like display:inline unless I removed the margin and padding from that div--which I ultimately ended up doing, placing it on the div.promoArea2 instead since it results in the same visual appearance I was aiming for. So that puzzle was finally solved.
Work has not been particularly fun the last couple of weeks. The new Web site (which is supposed to launch very soon) still has some functional issues, the causes of which my boss and I have been trying to identify. And it has been pretty discouraging because I have nary a clue where to even begin looking. I don't know ColdFusion, I've never claimed to know ColdFusion, and the programmers who originally wrote the code left virtually no comments to identify what the code does. So I'm going through, reading code I don't understand line-by-line and trying to figure out where the problems are originating. Not fun.
Today I took care of the summer supplement for The Philosateleian. I don't know how many people actually use the pages, but I think it's 17 now that have submitted their e-mail addresses to be contacted whenever I release a new supplement. I have big ideas for the site; it's just finding time to actually do something with those ideas. Also rounded up the stamps for a couple of outstanding trades, got those ready to go in the mail tomorrow.
We had a little bit of rain here this afternoon. It looked on radar like there was a thunderstorm south of here, but only light precipitation outside my apartment. Before the rain fell I went for a half-hour bike ride--thoroughly enjoyed it even if it was hot outside, and even if my legs may feel it tomorrow. It has been a while since I've been on my bike, but I want to get back into that. It's more interesting than just walking because the scenery can vary a bit more, and I think it's probably better for me because if I push myself a little bit it gets my heart rate up more than just walking does. And with sunset not until around 8:30 I should be able to do a bike ride each evening after work (except, of course, on evenings when I have to do laundry or run other errands).
Speaking of running errands, on Thursday evening that's what I did after work. I'd been putting it off, putting it off because I really didn't want to, but I finally bit the bullet. Went to the library to check out a book that may have helped inspire the next sermonette I deliver; we'll see how that comes together. Also went to the auto parts store to pick up a couple of quarts of oil, then went to the gas station and finally to the grocery store. By the time I got back to the apartment, unloaded the groceries and went for a short walk it was well after 8 p.m. Hard to get much else done when it's already that late.
I've begun listing a little bit of my excess philatelic material on the Delcampe.net auction site. It's a site geared toward collectibles (picture postcards, coins, stamps, etc.), but there are no listing fees. You only pay a commission if something sells. And that's the sort of setup I need with the generally low-value material I'm posting. No sales yet, but I haven't listed more than a couple of lots in a single day yet, either. One nice thing is you can set the auctions to automatically restart for items that don't receive any bids, so I'm thinking I'll do that and once I get a few more items listed probably link to my Delcampe storefront from my main Web site. Hey, if I can convert some of the stuff I have no interest in into cash, that would be great!
There's much I want to do, little time to do it. I sat down this evening to put together a rough outline for evenings that are not occupied. A set block of time for Bible study, X minutes for exercise, X minutes for correspondence, and so forth, just trying to come up with a template to help me make good use of my time. Without it I tend to not get as much done as I think I can, so we're going to see how it works to have things a little better defined.
Everything's getting more expensive. Not just gas, although that's the one that gets all the attention. Think about the prices of various items next time you shop for groceries. Last week I was thinking about it and most of the prices appear to be about 20% to 50% higher than they were say at the start of the year. It makes sense, of course--the people who transport the stuff to the grocery store are paying more for fuel, so naturally we're going to pay more for the goods. But what can you do, you know? I'm ever more thankful for the Kevy Chevy and the gas mileage it gets.
posted at 9:48 pm | permalink | 0 comments
Memorial Day Weekend Trip, part 2
(If you missed Memorial Day Weekend Trip, you may wish to read it first before continuing with this entry.)
So, let's see, where were we...ah yes. Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed off to Sabbath services in San Antonio, which is apparently a very happy place to attend church. Met a bunch of people, may actually remember a few names and a few faces. After services there was a big crowd of folks that went to lunch. At least I was seated next to Sarah and across from Sarah's grandmother and 9-year-old Ty. Good times.
Once lunch concluded, Sarah and I headed to Matt and Sara's (a young couple in the San Antonio congregation) house to visit for a while, after which we all went to get ice cream and then go bowling. The girls suggested girls vs. guys, which I never like because it seems like I'm always on the losing team. Someone made the comment that I was the only common factor in all of those situations! ;-). We had fun, though. I think the high score of the evening was a 111. We took a self-portrait afterward (good thing I have long arms).
It was pretty late when Sarah and I got back to the house; we sat up talking for a little bit but not long. On Sunday we got up somewhat early (for a Sunday, at least) and headed off to the grocery store to buy ingredients for pecan pie. While we were in Floresville proper, we also went to see Floresville's giant peanut. Now things are supposed to be bigger in Texas, but c'mon...if you've ever seen the giant peanut off I-75 near Ashburn in South Georgia, you know how a giant peanut's supposed to look!
The pecan pie making was a success, though we may not have cooked it long enough--it was more pecan cobbler than pecan pie in that it had to be scooped out of the pan. Was pretty tasty, though, so I can't complain. We also gave bike riding a try but quickly tired due to the heat. And it was hot in Texas Memorial Day weekend, which I shall reference again later on.
Also on Sunday we watched "Cars" (which I'd seen in the theater, a rare occurence for me), but Sarah had not seen. Also watched old home videos, which I greatly enjoyed.
Monday got off a pleasantly relaxed start. Mr. T fixed breakfast tacos. Apparently that's the big thing in Texas, having tacos for breakfast, but instead of loading them down with ground beef and sour cream and guacamole and such the contents are eggs and potatoes and so forth. Tasty.
As it approached noon we went to a miniature golf place on the way in to San Antonio. It was once again very hot; we took a water break after the first nine holes. Sarah's parents were on one team, Sarah and me on the other, and her parents won. After the game we drove on into San Antonio and got a bite to eat before heading to the airport, where we said our goodbyes and I went to wait on my flight to Dallas, where I was to connect to my flight to Jacksonville.
Shortly before we landed in Dallas, one of the flight attendants came on the intercom and was giving out connecting gate information, and said we'd be arriving at Terminal such and such. It turned out we arrived at a terminal on the opposite side of the airport. Apparently someone on the ground decided they needed our aircraft for a flight to El Paso that was supposed to leave 10 minutes before we landed. However, apparently whoever made the decision to have us pull up to that particular terminal didn't tell the ground crew--or the ground crew had to hot foot it across the complex, because we ended up just having to sit a few dozen yards from the terminal for 15 minutes or so waiting for the ground crew to arrive and pull us on up.
At that point I was thinking, okay, I'm going to have to boogie to get to the other terminal, but I should be okay. So I get off the plane and see my flight to Jacksonville has been pushed back by about 10 minutes. So I'm like, okay, that's cool. So I go to get a snack. And when I come back, I see my flight to Jacksonville has been pushed back another 10 minutes.
Keep in mind my flight back to Jacksonville wasn't supposed to arrive in Jacksonville until well after midnight even if it had left Dallas on time. We ultimately got back before 12:30 a.m., though so it wasn't too bad.
Once they finally got a plane ready for us and everybody boarded, we were taxiing toward the runway. The lead flight attendant--a black lady probably in her 50's or 60's--came on the intercom and was giving the standard information about flight speed and how high we'd be flying at and all of that, and she ended with the weather conditions..."and in Jacksonville it's partly cloudy and 67 degrees, hallelujah!" That got a nice chuckle out of us passengers. I'm guessing she must have been stuck in Texas all weekend, because once again, it was hot.
The flight back was uneventful, but I was seated on the left side of the aircraft and got treated to a nice lightning show far to our north. I don't know how far to our north, but we were flying under clear skies, so it had to be a long way off. I tried taking some video with my camera, but of course the lightning flashes don't show up as more than brief blips of light so I won't bother posting that here.
It was I guess about 1:30 a.m. before I finally got back to my apartment, and then I had to be at work at 8 that morning. But I think I made the most of the time I had off work, and I had a great time and enjoyed my visit. And I believe that wraps up the story of the Texas trip.
posted at 9:13 pm | permalink | 1 comment
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
But wait, you say--even if you discount how incredible it would be for someone to survive trapped that long after an earthquake, it has been less than 40 days since the earthquake struck! So does this screenshot just taken of FOXNews.com mean FOX and the AP are predicting the future? Actually, no...it's not quite so glamorous as that. Apparently nobody bothered to proofread the front page caption, as the story itself makes clear it was 50 hours--not days. There's a little bit of a difference.
50 days, for what it's worth, equal 1200 hours.
Also, don't forget to see this past Sunday's Pearls Before Swine. You'll have to click the 6/15 link once you're at that page.
Okay, this time I'm actually off to bed. Goodnight.
posted at 10:15 pm | permalink | 1 comment
Memorial Day Weekend Trip
Yeah, now that we're halfway to the next major holiday I'm finally writing about the last one. Work has been crazy busy lately and my evenings have been full, too. I'm going to have to talk to somebody about my schedule. Just whom that would be I do not know, but this is ridiculous. But I digress, let's continue.
On the Friday before Memorial Day I got up shortly after 3 a.m., got a shower and headed to the airport to catch my 6 a.m. flight. Turns out I live only half an hour from the airport, not 45 minutes, but I didn't know that since I'd never made the drive at 4 a.m. before. Got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, found a spot in the economy lot ($6/day, not a great deal more than the off-site private lots and I was a lot closer to the terminal), and had plenty of time to wait before my flight.
Apparently at 4:30 or 5 on a Friday morning, CNN runs CNN International. But not news programming, oh no. All that seemed to be on there when I was sitting in the airport was sports hosted by some guy with a British accent. I say sports; other than a brief mention of an NBA playoff game or two and a feature piece on Indian cricket, there was nothing other than soccer (or football, as it's called overseas). I don't understand much more about that game now than I did before my exposure to the TV, but oh well.
Flight from Jacksonville to Dallas (where I changed planes) was uneventful. Flight from Dallas to San Antonio was also uneventful, but somehow we arrived 10 minutes early (who would have guessed, huh?). Sarah greeted me and we waited for my suitcase. I avoided baggage fees because I a) had purchased my ticket before the airline implemented baggage fees and b) packed my second piece of luggage (suit bag) inside of my suitcase. Now that's using the old noggin' right there. At any rate, once my suitcase finally emerged on the conveyor belt, it was off to downtown San Antonio for a bit of sightseeing with Sarah and her parents.
Sarah and I rode one of the tourist-y river barge things. We saw ducklings.
San Antonio's river is home to other avian life-forms and their associated lifeways. Our barge driver actually stopped the boat to rescue this waterlogged pigeon.
The pigeon rode on the boat with us for the rest of the tour, making no effort to fly away. I presumed it was still drying out, but there were some rumblings that perhaps the pigeon was planted to give our boat driver a chance to "save the day" (and earn bigger tips).
After the boat ride we went to Schilo's, a German delicatessen which makes its own root beer. It had a nice flavor to it, just a touch on the sugary side (kind of like an A&W). To my mind it could use some more carbonation, but overall it was very acceptable.
After lunch we toured around San Antonio, seeing a couple of the missions and other landmarks Mr. T knew about. Then it was back to their house for a couple of hours before dinner with Sarah's great aunt and other relations (her great aunt's husband, one of their sons and his wife and two daughters, and another aunt). The son made barbequed beef brisket...yum. That was some good stuff. It was late when we got back to the T's place and I bedded down on the couch.
And speaking of late, it's getting kind of late right now. To be continued.
posted at 10:02 pm | permalink | 0 comments
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Unfortunate timing
I don't know how far in advance grocery stores have to prepare their sales papers, but I bet somebody's wishing this section from the back of Winn-Dixie's current circular hadn't run this week:
Again, I'm sure these things are printed well in advance, but I'm nevertheless amused.
Have been terribly busy of late with work and all of that, so journal, stamp collection and Web sites have been on the back burner. Lots of ideas, no time to explore them. But stay tuned, maybe one of these days I'll have time to write more.
posted at 8:35 pm | permalink | 1 comment
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