Month: July 2011

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Well, That was fun!

I answered an invitation from a friend to Join Google+ today.

It looks like a pretty neat service and I figured what the heck?

<Sigh>

As it turns out the privacy settings on some elements of the service are MORE than touchy.

To Googles credit, they warned that changes here could ripple across all my Google accounts. After all was said and done… about 1/2 the photos linked in the blog were gone. Oooops!

I just finished relinking everything (I think) and the exercise was a good one for me.

On the one hand I can’t beat the simple convenience of this blog. It’s free, it’s easy to work with and has a decent enough tool set that I can actually create a blog entry from my phone.

On the other side of the coin, is the issue of privacy. While I intend for photos to be linked to the blog, I don’t necessarily want those photos to be sitting in an “Album” that’s accessible out of context to my friends, associates, business contacts, Mother, etc.

Just looking at the photos in an album like that… well it looks like you’re one SICK puppy! (The fact that I am notwithstanding!)

This has made me wonder if I can create a Web / Blog Site on my local system that I can publish to the web without actually having to upload text & images to servers out on the web.

If I maintained the files on my local storage platform I’d have a slightly better chance of making sure that my stuff, remained my stuff.

It’s an interesting line of thought.  Perhaps another project for me to work on in the future.

In the mean time I’m going to be using a much more logical method to make entries and post photographs. Just in the event that I choose to move the blog to another location in the future.

I would like to make the blog far more “picture rich” using my own photos.  However, since some of those photos I’d like to be able to sell or publish down the road I’ve been reluctant to just place them here in the public domain with no control at all.

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Was chatting with a new acquaintance

The conversation inspired me to write this

Tired warrior,

Join me in the quiet moonlit pools,
Bathe in their cool still waters.
Let the blood, dust, and memories wash away like bad dreams vanishing in dawns light.

Tonight behind these walls, I am your protector
You’re my duty, responsibility and pleasure
Rest your head on my chest.

Listen to the calm symphony of my body.
Let the sound of my breath blot out the noises of the world.
Let the beating of my heart soothe the restlessness of yours.

Rest easy, Rest well.
Sleep a deep dreamless sleep here in my arms.
Peace is yours here beside me.

I’m no poet, but he seemed to appreciate it

It made me wonder how many of our men and women come home to empty places, empty homes, new apartments, lives interrupted?.

Just when these people need human contact the most are they left to fend for themselves?

It cannot be easy to downshift from a life or death razors edge existence to civilian life where the most dangerous thing you face is a hangnail.

For a number of years I’ve been a supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project.

Since the conversation with with my new acquaintance I’ve wondered if there was something more I could do. I’m going to look into it.

At the very least, for those of you that know Soldiers returning to civilian life, Give them a big heartfelt hug. It can’t hurt and you may just make someones day.

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Why is it that Nobody does their job right anymore?

Took the car out to Palm Springs today.

It was 111º out there.

When I got ready to go, guess what? The A/C in the car FAILED.

Last service I paid the dealership to do a routine maintenance on the A/C since it didn’t seem like the system was blowing as cold as it used to. Makes sense, the unit hadn’t been serviced ever i figured a little freon or whatever they use now and we’d be good to go.

The service cost me $350.00. So what I found out today is that I PAID $350.00 to initiate the failure of my A/C!

It’s a damn good thing I couldn’t get to the dealer today… I’d have had several choice words!

However, it’s probably better that I’ve got a couple of days to cool down (so to speak). Better to be professional than walk in like a nuclear bomb.

I’m just annoyed that every other week I’m driving to the dealership instead of driving my car to places that I’d like to go.

On the plus side… perhaps if enough is replaced now… by the time I’m completely out of warranty I might just have a reliable vehicle.

Funny, I’m not usually such an optimist.