No, not to the "Institute for Basement Trolls", but to American Institute for Paralegal Studies (AIPS) for my first class, American Jurisprudence (AmJur).

I am currently scheduled to begin on September 6th, but since I am not paying for the full curriculum from the get go, I can be bumped from the course if there are too many people signed up. Remember, there are only 15 students per class.

I was able to manage a great deal with the fine folks of the Institute. Generally, if you aren't sure you want to go through the whole curriculum, you can sign up for the first course, AmJur, and then convert to the full curriculum within 3 weeks at no additional cost. Since I have a unique situation where The Wife and I are on vacation (Disney World) in October, and there are holidays in November/December, they are allowing me to pay for the first course now, and make a decision by December whether or not I would like to convert at NO additional charge.

In December, if I do convert, they do not teach, but I can take the 2 required self guided workshops that take approximately 10 hours each. I would then start the remaining curriculum in January. Therefore, this is a great opportunity for me to test the waters before jumping head first into them. If I decide that law is just not the thing I'm interested in when I grow up, we are only out the cost of the one course instead of the whole curriculum's tuition.

So, that's that. Now we are just waiting to see if I get in or not. I should know by this Friday if I will be bumped. Who knows, this just might make me a full-time "basement troll".

It was nice to relax most of the day yesterday, especially because I hate humidity as it really makes me uncomfortable and tired.

I was up until early this morning uploading half of the wine trail pictures from the camera to the computer, so that I could piece together a new Photos page. I decided to make the next 2 Photos page updates based on vineyard, not on the days we traveled. Additionally, I will make a 3rd page afterward that contains a few pictures from the remaining 4 vineyards.

Lastly, I thought I'd post here a picture of The Wife standing on the balcony of the first vineyard we visited last week. This also happens to be the vineyard on the new Photos page. Yes, the page is now updated!

Yes, it's true there is an update this week.

Yes, it's true it occurred on the Feature page.

Yes, it's true it also was the typical Birthdays on the Recordings page.

Yes, it's true the old Feature page and the past two weeks of the Journal have been archived.

Yes, it's true there might even be more pages updated this week once the camera disc is uploaded.

...from the Connecticut Wine Trail (some pics and info soon to come).

Have a good weekend, but don't end up like this picture.

Today I took the time to get the Birthdays up on the Recordings page for this week.

Also, I thought I'd toss out that I'm still hemming and hawing about school. As Erando mentioned to me on the phone the other day, I guess at 42, I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up. However, it looks like I will probably take that American Jurisprudence course to at least check out law as an idea. We'll all know for sure by the weekend.

Oh, and Katie. . .

I'm so sorry about no update this week, there was trouble on the server and stupidity in TheBackofMyMind.

The Wife and I were on a full boar cleaning process in the upstairs hallway, hall closet, and bathroom on Saturday afternoon. A fan, a vacuum and lots of lights were not the best combo for our breaker box. We lost power. Unfortunately, the box is not labeled correctly, so I needed to shut down everything running on power in the house. Once I figured out which breaker switch went to which area of the house, I reset the kitchen clocks and proceeded to the basement to restart all the computers.

All the computers came right up. I decided to make sure the web site was visible. I opened my browser and saw nothing. Bah! I checked my Windows Explorer to check if I was still connected to the server. NOPE! NOTHING! BAH! Being in the middle of the cleaning process, I decided to leave everything as it was until I could spend time figuring out the problems.

Once finished with the cleaning, we got cleaned up and went out to have some sushi, a beer and bring home chinese food. We ended up watching a movie (Star Wars II: Attack Of The Clones) while eating. As usual, I stayed up to tinker with the PC while The Wife went to "Zzzzzzzz" land. I was up until 4:30am trying everything I could think of from messing with the config files to checking if my ISP changed my IP address.

Then at 10am, I was back at the computer pluggin' away again. I called Talam, but he was at work. I told his wife I'd call back around 5pm. In the meantime, more fiddling with everything (modem, config files, router, etc). A-ha! In the router setup I found the problem. It was forwarding all web site queries to my computer's IP address and not the server's IP address. A simple change and voila! TheBackofMyMind is up and running again.

Not even 30 minutes later I called Talam's wife, Erando again. I told her, "I'm just calling to make sure you didn't go back to sleep again". haha I reflected on the simplicity of the solution and my stupidity to locate it with her. Then we talked aimlessly about cats, dogs, school, etc. and that I would probably not be calling back for Talam later.

It was time to get back to the computer. I still couldn't see the server from my PC, so I couldn't update the page. I agonized for most the day looking for a solution. I finally called Talam again at 6 or so and we did exactly what we did when I first set up the server. Lots of guessing, searching, befuddlement and than it struck us to check my firewall and make sure that I was allowing the server as a trusted site. I knew I was, cause everything was fine before I shut down yesterday. Um, nope. When I restarted the server, I had to reset the IP address. I set the last number to 110. Well, the firewall was trusting 120, not 110. Doh! Another simple change and all is working fine again.

So, what is the update for the week? NOTHING, NADA, ZIPPO. I am not even archiving last week's Journal. I want to remember my stupidity for a week as a reminder to not let it happen again. I'm even going to write out notes for what to check, in case this ever happens again. I wish you all a better week than I had in a 24 hour span. :)

Thank God It's Friday and I'm not near this scene! They look violent.     ;)

I laughed so damn hard when I read the following, I had to post it here. Enjoy it, but don't be eating or drinking when you read this, something just might come out your nose when finished.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actual dialog of a fired WordPerfect Customer Support employee

WP CUSTOMER SUPPORT EMPLOYEE:
"Ridge Hall computer assistant; may I help you?"

CUSTOMER:
"Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."

"What sort of trouble?"

"Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away."

"Went away?"

"They disappeared."

"Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type."

"Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?"

"How do I tell?"

"Can you see the C:\ prompt on the screen?"

"What's a sea-prompt?"

"Never mind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?"

"There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I type."

"Does your monitor have a power indicator?"

"What's a monitor?"

"It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?"

"I don't know."

"Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?"

......"Yes, I think so."

"Great! Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall."

......"Yes, it is."

"When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?"

"No."

"Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable."

......"Okay, here it is."

"Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer."

"I can't reach."

"Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?"

"No."

"Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?"

"Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle-it's because it's dark."

"Dark?"

"Yes-the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window."

"Well, turn on the office light then."

"I can't."

"No? Why not?"

"Because there's a power outage."

"A power... A power outage? Aha! Okay, we've got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?"

"Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."

"Good! Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from."

"Really? Is it that bad?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it is."

"Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?"

"Tell them you're too stupid to own a computer."

Well now, Dustie the Cat and I managed to stay dry yesterday and not float away. That's a good thing.

The Wife got home early yesterday, so we had time to cook a nice dinner. That's a good thing.

I had a long conversation with The Mother yesterday about all sorts of topics to catch up on life. That's a good thing.

Dustie the Cat stood atop the stairs whining ONLY once during the day yesterday (another cat was outside calling to her). That's a good thing.

I might have found a decent class to take next month to determine whether or not I pursue another career. That's a good thing.

My dragon in Pogo games turned 71 (out of 200) years old yesterday. That's a good thing.

The Wife has this morning off from work until about 3pm. That's a good thing.

EverQuest II is another day closer to release. That's a good thing.

Things here are still happy and healthy for all three of us. That is a good thing.

Things here are very very wet today.

I'm going to try and stay dry, but might have to write a note and put it in a bottle and set it afloat.

Just a simple update this week.

Journal, Recordings (Birthdays), Links, and the obvious archiving of the last Journal page.

Even fuzzy kittens enjoy a visit to the petting zoo. Have a great weekend!

Argh!, my body is so wrecked today. Let me give you a little background.

About 3 years ago, we had this bat that started to enjoy coming into the house through the master bedroom window while we slept. On two separate occasions I had to try and get it out of the house without injuring it or myself. Obviously, we weren't very thrilled with it's presence, so we stopped opening that particular window. The following year, the landlord came by and rigged the screen tight enough that the bat couldn't get inside anymore. This year, apparently the bat is back because I have noticed bat guano on this little ledge outside the master bedroom window and on the wood deck/balcony below.

Now some information about the place we rent to round out the background information. We live on one end of a tri-plex. From the front it looks like a 2 story place. Due to the hill and the basement, from the back it looks like a 3 story place. In the back, the basement has a sliding glass door that leads to a wood deck. Directly above, is the first floor living room that has a sliding glass door that leads to a wood deck/balcony. And, directly above that, is the second floor master bedroom that has the now secured window.

So, why all this information? Well, I have noticed bat guano on the window ledge as I mentioned above. I also, noticed lots of it on the deck outside the living room. Dustie the Cat really enjoys going out on the deck in the summer, as do we. The guano has been swept off the deck a couple times only to reappear, so we stopped going out on the deck. It's been about 2 months now. I thought maybe the bat has left and that I should clean the deck.

On Saturday we bought from Home Depot, this scrubber brush that can be attached to a broom handle. Yesterday, I scrubbed down the deck outside the living room. Not just to remove the bat guano, but also years of green and black crud that has caked itself onto the wood from water and pollen dripping from the trees above during the seasons over the years. Two hours, four buckets of hot soapy water, and countless buckets of water to rinse the deck later (we don't have a hose or an outdoor spigot that I could use), it looks pretty damn nice. Now my body is extremely sore (wrecked) from the laborious job. Yeah, yeah, I need to do some exercise. Ready for the bad news?

The bat isn't gone, as there was more guano on the deck this morning. Now I need to look up how to deter the bat from hanging out near our window without hurting it or making it leave the yard. You see, we want it around to eat the summer insects. So, that's what I need to do now.

Oh, and here's a little news flash before I start using Google ... We noticed several baby tomatoes and jalapeño peppers on the plants in our Porch Garden!

I forgot to mention that I was pulled over yesterday.

The Wife and I were on our way home from having lunch at a sushi bar. I looked in my rearview mirror and there he was with lights a blazin'. Obviously at first I was a bit pissed off because The Wife and I have immaculate driving records right now. There is not a blemish on them. Anyway, I pulled over, but the area is a busy back road, so the cop used his loud speaker to ask that I turn around and turn into the preceding street. It was no problem for me to do that and I did as he asked without delay.

Once I had arrived at the location that he wanted, I got my license out, turned the engine off, lowered my window, and waited for him to approach. He let me know that I was doing 16 mph over the speed limit in a school zone and asked if I knew that there were still activities taking place there. I let him know that I was aware of that. He asked what the emergency was. I decided to be absolutely honest with him. Hell, he was either going to cite me or give me a warning, no need to bullshit him. I told him there was no emergency, and that we were just on our way back home from lunch. I told him we were carrying on a conversation and I was simply not paying attention to what I was doing. I had absolutely no clue what speed I was driving and I had no excuse to offer him. He asked for the registration and like a dumb shit I started handing him my insurance card. He pointed that out (um, not that I was a dumb shit, I leave that to The Wife) and I provided the correct document. He explained that I sure would be paying attention if I had hit and killed a kid, then he walked back to his car.

The Wife and I sat there talking about the fact that I might have to pay a citation and take a defensive driving course to have the points removed from my record, if he cited me. Just as we were discussing how long it was taking and that I was about to get a ticket, he got out of his car and was approaching mine. I could see in my side mirror that he only had my registration card and license in his hand. He reached my car again and handed me back my documents. He told me that I really need to keep my attention on my driving and keep my speed down. He said that he's heard that judges have fined people in that particular area 300 to 500 dollars for violations of speed. However, since I was a resident of the area, he'd let me go with this warning. I obviously thanked him and he went back to his car.

I looked at The Wife and smiled, started the vehicle, turned on the AC, and began to make a U-turn. As I finished the turn, I realized I hadn't put my seat belt back on. So, I started to do that and The Wife told me that was a good idea (remember, The Wife is authorized to call me a dumb shit). I waved to the cop as I proceeded to do every little thing I could remember about proper driving, from turn signals, to stopping before the white line.

I am so glad that I wasn't cited, but now I probably have a warning in their local computers, so if I'm pulled over again anytime soon, they can simply cite me cause I have already received a warning. Still, all is good.




Yeah, I know, that title was stolen from SNL. But, I really didn't want to think up another lame-ass title this morning. So, deal with it.

This week I have updated the Images page with some photos of McLaughlin Vineyard. It's one of the places we visited to date on the Connecticut Wine Trail as mentioned in the Feature page.

I also did the usual updating of the Birthdays on the Recordings page, archiving of the Journal (as you can see), and removed a link from the Links page.

I removed the link to the EQII guild I had joined, and recently left. Yes, I know, the game hasn't even begun yet. That doesn't mean that I can't spend some time meeting new friends with a similar interest and try to locate a guild to spend my EQII career in. In case you'd like to go check out that guild, I will be keeping the link on this page for a final week. And since it resides here, it'll be forever kept within the archives beginning next week. Hmmm, I know somebody that sure could learn to take on that kind of a practice, ARCHIVING, but let's not open that can of worms (to use a folksy metaphor).

With that, enjoy your own worms, er, I mean, enjoy the second week of August.

TGIF

/rant on
This weather in a word SUCKS.

I can't even breathe when I go upstairs in this place we live. I have slept on the couch 2 nights in a row due to this situation. I want a home with central air instead of a window ac units. I don't want to have to run a dehumidifier in the basement because I am worried about my belongings. I just want to live in a comfortable place, not a palace.

Of course now we are expecting rain for a couple of days due to this. And, it's summer damn it. We aren't supposed to have rain every week, or even every other weeks for that matter.

Oh well, no sense in complaining about it. It's not likely to change just because I dislike it. So, I guess I'll end this post.
/rant off

I just love when the mail arrives. Especially when I know that I am going to receive a package in the near future.

I finally got those CDs I mentioned last week, and today I received my EverQuest II Starter Kit. I have already done some tinkering with the character creation disc and you can see what I created.

Here's is an image of the high elf (left) and the gnome (right) that I created as a test. I'm not too sure yet which I'll be playing. I think I am now leaning toward the high elf again.

Anyway, I just got off topic, but who cares. The only time I'm not thrilled about the mail is when the bills arrive. It's not because of receiving the bills as much as having to take the time to actually pay them that bothers me.

Well, bills, correspondence, CDs, DVDs, games, packages of all shapes and sizes, I say bring 'em rain, snow, sleet, sunshine, I don't care, just keep 'em coming.

It's Sunday, it's August, and here's this weeks update...

There is a new Feature on the Connecticut Wine Trail that The Wife and I are touring. The old Feature page has been archived, so has last weeks Journal. This Weeks Birthdays have been updated on the Recordings page. So, that's it. I hope you have a great week and a fantastic last month of summer!