Recent Pictures!!!
| www.flickr.com |
Click here to enlarge.
Live Video From The Second Fabulous Wireless Webcam!!!
Click here to enlarge.
8:59 AM
Career Alternatives
As most of you can hopefully see, the live webcam is now up and running! Yay!! If it isn't working for you, let me know because it is now set up right on our end and everyone I have talked to can see it. Right now it's pointed at the overflow from the pool into the spa.
I must admit that I am quite proud of our ability to figure the whole thing out. It is amazing how complicated these systems get. For example, did you know that your computer has thousands of "ports" which can be accessed and used for transmitting data over the internet and other private networks? And that the ports are generally assigned numbers that are used universally in the industry? Webcams for instance are, by default, assigned to port 80. So all you have to do is make sure that port 80 is open on your router, that your camera is configured on port 80 and that your java applet template code references that port. However, some ISPs specifically block port 80 to provide additional security. If so, all you have to do is reconfigure the settings on your router to reassign web traffic to the webcam to another port, then assign that port to the camera and again change the template code to properly reflect the new port. Of course you first have to make sure to assign a private LAN IP address to your camera (assuming it has its own server) and make sure to tell the router to feed any incoming requests to your public IP address on the new port to the camera's new port through its private IP address.
Did you get all that? We didn't. At least not at first. That, in a nutshell, is what has been plaguing us for the past almost a week. Can you believe all that technical mumbo jumbo? And I truly am not just making it up. That is exactly what we had to do to get the webcam to work. A week ago I could hardly remember what "ISP" stood for. Now we know how to assign private IP addresses, activate and reassign ports, and all sort of other now useless stuff. At least we know that if the whole law thing doesn't pan out we have a future in tech support for wireless networks.
But, in the end, I think it is worth it, because right now I can watch two birds hopping around our pool at home while working in my office. I think that is very cool.
Now that the webcam woes are behind us, I can refocus on learning Front Page to redo the site. My apologies to Dana for not incorporating her changes yet. Soon, very soon.
Meanwhile, Petey has a new nickname. He's now known as "Big Fat Petey". I weighed all the cats last night. (I know it sounds silly but Petey has been feeling heavier and heavier and we wanted to know what we are dealing with.) Turns out that Little Boy and Little Girl, who looked like giants when we first got Petey, are back to their "little" status. They each weigh 11.5 pounds while Petey and his rather oversized tummy are up to 13.5!! That's almost 20% more than the others! Hence the Big Fat Petey label. He really does have quite a tummy. We'll see about getting him on the webcam, but we're not sure he will fit.
That's about it from us. Hope all is well with everyone else.
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
1:07 PM
Apology
Hopefully all will be resolved soon and I will not only be able to give you live pictures but more witty and insightful posts.
In the meantime, try to be satisfied with my front gate.
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
7:06 PM
Happy Birthday Grandma!!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Monday, July 26, 2004
10:04 AM
Webcam Woes
But please check back. Take my word for it, the live webcam is very cool.
And in response to Dana's prior question: No we haven't started parking in the driveway just so you all have something to look at. Mark was actually playing ping pong on Saturday and, as you know, the "Stadium" is in the garage. But I hope you enjoyed staring at the Lexus for a day or so!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Saturday, July 24, 2004
11:00 AM
Wireless Webcam!!
Have a great day!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Friday, July 23, 2004
10:45 AM
I'm always amazed when I read about the old English estates (or estates in any country) that have their own chapels. Are the estates sooo big that it would just take too long to leave and go to church?? Or are the owners just too tired from managing and spending all that money to actually leave the grounds?
Well at least we too can now have our own chapel right in the Fabulous Yard, thanks, of course, to Ebay!
Inflatable Church
It even comes with an inflatable organ, altar, pulpit, pews, candles and a gold cross. All that could be yours for the discount price of $41,500. And luckily there are two available!! I don't know about you, but I find this concept fascinating. Unfortunately the bidding info can't be seen as it is limited to "qualified bidders" (do you think they run a sanity test as one of the qualifying factors?). I would love to know if anyone is actually bidding on this. Who wants to get married in an inflatable church??
If you want some more amusement, click on the link about this seller's other items. If you don't want the church, feel free to bid on the 727 or the Millionaire who will come give a motivational speech for you.
Ah the joy that is Ebay!!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
3:02 PM
I'm not a huge makeup junkie. I do use it, but not obsessively. If I can skip it, like on the weekends, I usually do. But I'm also not militantly anti-makeup and acknowledge that, in general, it makes me look better.
The bane of my makeup-wearing existence, however, is lipstick. Maybe it's the fact that I inherited the skinny lips that seem to plague much of our family. Maybe it's just that I feel like a clown when I have it on (actually, I know I look like a clown with it most of the time. And maybe even without it.). I've searched and searched for the perfect color, texture, brand, etc., all to no avail. I'll find what I think is the perfect color only to hate it a week or so later. Lipstick and I don't mix. And yet every time I'm near any sort of a makeup counter I'll stop and spend a huge chunk of time looking at lipstick and invariably buying the next potential perfect lipstick (only to hate it a week later). It's like my Holy Grail - the perfect shade that isn't too pink, too orange, too brown or too goopy. I suspect I'll never find it, but what's a girl to do? I must keep the hope alive. And I'm sure the cosmetics companies thank me for single-handedly keeping their businesses afloat.
The good news, or so I thought, was that I recently found one that I like quite a bit (from my new favorite store - Target - nonetheless). It's actually a sheer glossy color in a pinkish brown. Admittedly, it is a bit goopy, but the color is good so I have to forgive a little goop. Color me excited. So I actually started using it almost daily. I felt like an actual girl for once. Then I noticed something.
Every time I would put in on, it smelled funny. Not bad funny, actually good funny. Sort of like a tootsie roll. I was a bit stumped, but carried on with my new favorite lipstick. Still smelled a bit sweet but there are certainly worse things. Then I noticed that it actually had a taste too - again sort of chocolatey (after all, one of the fundamental problems with lipstick is that it comes off, usually when you eat or drink, so you can't help but taste it). When applying it one day, I took a look at the tube and noticed for the first time the words "With Flavor". Whaaat?? And the shade is called "Sheerly Cocoa". Apparently it is actually chocolate flavored. Seriously.
Why in the world do they flavor the lipstick? Was I shopping in the teen section where maybe such a thing would make a bit more sense? (After all, when you are a teen is when they try to rope you into the lifelong commitment to makeup. They need some sort of hook to make us do all that work. Why not chocolate?) I looked even closer at the tube - it doesn't look like it is targeted at a particularly young audience. Isn't the goal to keep it on your lips as long as possible, not to eat it off as a snack when you get hungry? Is it supposed to be appealing to those who might be kissing you? Maybe it's a snack for them? I'm even more stumped now. And I can hardly bring myself to use it for fear or inviting unwanted advances from really hungry people. I just don't get the crossover. I feel like I'm in the famous "It's a floor wax and a dessert topping!" skit from Saturday Night Live. It's a lipgloss and a flavorful snack!!
I do still wear it from time to time, but I still find it strange that it is flavored. At least I know that in the event of a major disaster (or just when I get hungry some afternoon), I am covered. If all else fails, I can always use it to make s'mores. It would go nicely with the stale graham crackers and marshmallows.
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
11:24 AM
Now that the webcam has been up and running for a few days, we've realized a couple of things.
1. Our front gate and driveway are fundamentally boring. You all have seen it now. You know what I mean. The picture looks about the same all the time (except at night when it's black - even more boring if possible). But we are working on adding a wireless cam so we can get more interesting shots. Until then, we are limited by the very short cord on the current cam. Sorry.
2. Notwithstanding how boring the front is, we both feel compelled to check it constantly. I think we just want to be at home and that's the closest we can get while at work. I love to check things out at home. Can't help myself.
In response to Lois' question: We have a 3-day log of all pictures on our hard drive. But I don't have the pics accessible to website visitors yet. Still working on that as well.
Speaking of which, Dana has again revamped our site layout, which I will implement as soon as I can tear myself away from watching the webcam. Thanks Dana!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Sunday, July 18, 2004
1:38 PM
Yes, as you can see, we have our webcam up and running. I'm still tinkering with the code, but the picture should update every couple of hours. We are working on getting a wireless webcam so we can show the back yard, roses, Moster Zucchini, etc., but for now, you get to see the gate into our courtyard (and our very exciting driveway).
Maybe we'll even get brave enough to be in the picture at some point.
If the webcam causes any problems with your system, please let me know!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
4:36 PM
Warning: Another reality TV post!!
(OK, now that I scared away the 80% of our readers, most of whom hate reality TV, I can proceed.)
Did anyone else catch Outback Jack last night? Granted it was highly entertaining watching the high maintenance girls get their butts kicked by the butch ones in an obstacle course. But nonetheless I have a complaint (shocking!!).
Isn't the entire premise of the show that these prima donnas are dropped into the outback to compete for Buff Manly Outback Guy (aka "Jack")?? Seems pretty clear to me.
If so, then why was it that Jack was crying, not once, but at least twice during last night's show. Crying. Really. Lots. I also must note that not only was he crying, but, for once, it didn't look like any of the girls cried at all. Not a problem. Jack cried enough for all of them. I think that even the women were a bit flummoxed by Jack's embarrassing behavior.
What's up with that? Is this now "Super Sensitive Jack"? "Crybaby Jack"? "Quiche Eating Jack"? I knew it was too good to last. If I was those women, I'd start scouring the outback for a new dude.
In case any of you non-watchers are still reading, last night, they brought in 5 super buff women to compete with the Queens of High Maintenance in an obstacle course. And I mean super buff. I don't think any of them were under 5' 10" and they all were things like stuntwomen, body builders, etc. Those were some scary women (though very fit). If the Buff Chicks won, then one of the Girly Girls had to be sent home and replaced with a buff one. Naturally, the Girly Girls lost (though not as badly as we expected) and Jack had to choose one to get rid of. And he was none too happy about it. He cried. And cried. Boo hoo. Poor widdle baby Jack.
What was there to be upset about? Is it a big mystery that he has to, one by one, get rid of the girls? One had to go anyway. Did he think the show was going to set him up with his own personal harem? (Perhaps he needs all those women to dry all his tears.) If he hasn't yet caught on to this fundamental feature of the show, then he is not only a crybaby but should be called "Out To Lunch Jack".
Then, he made the godawful mistake of keeping the extremely neurotic Maria. We seriously thought she was going to chew her fingers down to stumps during the elimination process. She was way to wiggy. She has "Stalker" written all over her. He'd better stay hidden in the outback if he doesn't pick her in the end.
Finally, at the end, they announced that their next trek is into the city of Perth where they will get to go shopping. Much squealing ensued. Too much. I love to shop as much as the next girl, but I seriously think squealing should be reserved for truly momentous occasions. Like winning a Pulitzer or Nobel Prize (though I doubt those winners squeal much). Shopping is definitely not squealworthy. Given that these women are still breaking out new clothes each episode, why is shopping needed?
That, in a nutshell, was Outback Jack, the man who tried to singlehandedly irrigate Australia with his tears.
Carry on.
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Monday, July 12, 2004
3:04 PM
Yes, that is the sign that I think I need to put up on the gate to our yard. I don't have a dog to warn intruders about, but I think our zucchini plant might be an even bigger threat than any dog. If not now, soon. It really is taking over the vegetable garden and probably won't be contained there. Don't believe me?
The Zucchini That Ate Dana Point:
In order to put things into perspective, the stepping stones you see near the plant are 16" squares. Gives you an idea how big the plant is. I tried to put Petey in the picture in front of the zucchini to give you a better idea of the size, but the zucchini Monster grabbed him and tried to eat him. Luckily Petey and I fought off the monster, but needless to say Petey will never eat zucchini again. (Ok, I'm exaggerating a little - the plant didn't grab Petey. I wouldn't even take him outside for fear of him getting dirty, getting fleas, running away, etc. But I didn't lie about the zucchini - Petey will not eat it.)
And apparently, the Zucchini Monster has scared the other plants in the yard. For example, the banana plant at the other end of that side yard has suddenly taken off and may be a monster itself:
Bananarama:
You can see it reaches over the wall now. And its leaves and stalk are huge. I personally think the banana plant is just afraid of being gobbled up by the zucchini and he's preparing his defenses.
Here's another banana pic that puts it into better perspective:
You can see the other much smaller banana to the left. And our grape vines. Just think if I actually had bananas and grapes. How cool would that be? Connor would be so proud!
Meanwhile, here is a shot of the also huge sunflower:
.
The thing is well over six feet tall. Again, pure fear seems to be driving these plants to excel. I'm just not sure if they are more afraid of the zucchini or me and my camera.
Finally, given how much I rant and rave about my rose obsession, I thought I'd adopt the "A picture is worth a thousand words" approach:
(No comments about the bug please!)
Just think how many words I just saved!!
I hope to have more pics of Baby Phillip soon. I can't imagine what that family could possibly be doing that they don't spend all their time sending me pictures to post. Enjoy that baby!!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Friday, July 09, 2004
12:51 PM
Yes, today is a momentous date - the one year anniversary of our blog. I honestly didn't think I would keep up the posts for a year. Who knew?!?
In honor of this major event, I thought I would make a list of my top 10 blog topics during the past year. I posted links to examples in case you want to take a little trip down memory lane with me.
1. Family events. For example, Alex's Graduation, Baby Phillip and Family Visits. By far the best.
2. Naturally, the Fabulous Yard. Like here and here. Still love the Fabulous Yard. Intend to spend as much time as possible in it this weekend.
3. Travel, such as trips to Moorea, Mexico, and St. Louis (interesting mixture I think). I'll add pics from London and Spain when we get back in September.
4. The cats, usually Petey. And their attempts to overthrow us humans. Luckily a balance seems to have been achieved. Or maybe we have just been beaten into submission. Whatever.
5. Lexus Lunacy. I must admit that notwithstanding my vents about the Lexus, we have made friends.
6. Crazy Squirrel Antics.
7. The Banana Plants OK, I admittedly need to update more regularly on this front. Maybe this weekend. But I will say that Connor is quite happy with my banana progress. And that's good enough for me.
8. The Baby Birds and More Baby Birds. I must admit that I am glad that that poor mama bird finally got a break from having all those babies! And I'm still upset that Barb didn't use either Eileen or Peg as names.
9. Reality TV like The Apprentice and Outback Jack. I know that some readers can't stand reality TV. To each his/her own. But I submit that they just haven't watched enough.
10. Kitchen fun like the Beautiful Apple Pie and Amazing Chili (aka What in the World is in Our Pantry??).
All in all it has been a fun blogging year. I actually very much enjoyed my review of the posts from the last year more than expected. Feel free to name your own favorite posts from the past year. (Runners up include My Crazy Scale Antics and Traffic From Hell).
Now we'll have to see how long I keep it up.
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Thursday, July 08, 2004
8:32 AM
Sorry for the delay in posts, but it's been a bit busy of late.
By far the most important news is that Nicole had the baby on Monday morning. He was born at 9:48 a.m. July 5, weighed in at 8 lbs and 1/2 oz., and is 19.5 inches long.
Mom, Phillip and the rest of the family are all doing well. Nicole and the baby go home later today.
Here are a couple of pics:
What a cutie!!
Congratulations to Nicole, Mark, Hannah, Kristin, Tim and Jeff!! And most of all to baby Phillip!!
Everyone please join us in wishing them all well!
0 comment(s) so far!
Click Here to Read or Post a Comment
Friday, July 02, 2004
1:01 PM
Once upon a time there was a blanket. It looked like an ordinary blanket. Worked like an ordinary blanket. But it was a very very wiley blanket. Who knew? I assure you we didn't, but Petey has shown us the error of our ways.
We have a blanket on our bed. Nicole and family gave it to us (Thanks!!). We love the blanket. Its fuzzy and brown and very soft. The first problem is that the cats love it even more than us. They have commandeered the blanket as theirs and love to sleep on it whenever it's available. They will even share it with each other (but not us) if they absolutely have to . More often though they battle over who gets the blanket. They pounce on each other in hopes of scaring the current blanket-hog away. It usually works, but the pouncer usually becomes the pouncee in very short order and the cycle repeats endlessly (or maybe it just seems endless because it usually happens in the middle of the night). If you are crazy enough to actually try to use the blanket (silly you), you are assured of having all three cats laying on you within about a nanosecond.
I guess I should just come to grips with the fact that it's their blanket, not ours. But I refuse. I refuse to give up the blanket. It's a matter of principle (no, I'm not sure what that principle is). So I use it as often as I can bring myself to shoo a very happy and sleepy looking cat (or cats) off of it. Or when I want some quality time with three cats laying on me.
Given all the cat use it gets, the blanket gets washed a lot. In fact, I just washed it a few days ago. And immediately put the clean and warm-from-the-dryer blanket back on the foot of the bed. Instant cat magnet. They can sense warm laundry from a mile away. And if it's their blanket, they seem to magically appear beside the dryer while I'm taking it out (if only I could train them to fold laundry). Needless to say the cats have been in blanket heaven the past few days with the new, clean, even fuzzier than usual blanket. Happy cats at our house.
Last night, when we went to bed, Petey had claimed the throne that is the Blanket. All hail Petey. He was very proud and happy. Until . . .
Until he realized that the blanket is possessed. Or at least very very wiley. First he tried to exorcise it by digging on it a bit. No luck. Then he chewed on it. Nope. Then he walked away, turned around, and, after tricking the blanket into thinking he had left, leaped on it. Still wiley. Shockingly wiley. Escalation was needed. Next step was to grab a bit of the blanket in his mouth and give it a good shaking (the "kitty shake" that anyone with a cat recognizes). Well apparently it needed a lot of shaking because he proceeded to shake the heck out of that thing while gripping it in his front paws and rabbit kicking it with his back legs. I was starting to feel sorry for the blanket.
During this process he naturally managed to take the blanket that had been neatly folded at the end of the bed and turn it into something that looked about 3 times its normal size and which completely blocked our view of the TV. So much for the flat tidy blanket. Now it was a messy crumpled nest with teeth marks throughout. It was at this point, naturally, that Petey decided that he was done. Not sure if he thought he had won or lost, but he left. And left me to deal with the now messy blanket.
Luckily, it does appear that Petey won as there were no more blanket hi-jinx last night. Maybe it really did just need a good beating from Petey.
I think Nicole has similar blankets at her house. I guess I should warn her about them.
07/2003
08/2003
09/2003
10/2003
11/2003
12/2003
01/2004
02/2004
03/2004
04/2004
05/2004
06/2004
07/2004
08/2004
09/2004
10/2004
11/2004
12/2004
01/2005
02/2005
03/2005
04/2005
05/2005
06/2005
07/2005
08/2005
09/2005
11/2005
12/2005
01/2006
02/2006
03/2006
04/2006
05/2006
09/2006
01/2008
02/2008
03/2008
Current Posts
Recent Posts:
08/2003
09/2003
10/2003
11/2003
12/2003
01/2004
02/2004
03/2004
04/2004
05/2004
06/2004
07/2004
08/2004
09/2004
10/2004
11/2004
12/2004
01/2005
02/2005
03/2005
04/2005
05/2005
06/2005
07/2005
08/2005
09/2005
11/2005
12/2005
01/2006
02/2006
03/2006
04/2006
05/2006
09/2006
01/2008
02/2008
03/2008
Current Posts
Balsamic Chicken Recipe
Frappé
Welcome Back!!
Work in Process
Bananacam
Bananarama
Yes, We Have LOTS of Bananas!!
The Three Stooges
Thing You Can't Learn From Food TV
New Job, Day 22
Frappé
Welcome Back!!
Work in Process
Bananacam
Bananarama
Yes, We Have LOTS of Bananas!!
The Three Stooges
Thing You Can't Learn From Food TV
New Job, Day 22
