Am I trying to be all things to everyone (or every Blog?)

I just can't stop my self can I - there I was yesterday saying about how I feel that I have too many Blogs.

And this morning

Here I am, not only trying to sign up for another Blog (Big Blog Tool - but apparently its not taking anyone else on at the moment) but I have also downloaded MovableType (apologies if I've got the name slightly wrong) to add to my own site.
I am the process of trying to rebuild my own site (one of those "learning curve" things - first one was OK fro a first go - but I want something a little better), trying to make things a little better, a little easier.

If I'm not careful there will soon be more things for me to do than there are hours in the day.

I think the reason I'm tinkering is two fold:
1: I'm on leave, the Kids are able to look after themselves to some extent and there is little to house work wise at the moment.
and
2: I'm feeling a little ill - and I'M BORED

Pain and Discomfort

As I have posted before - I have bad problems with my Sinus's.

The last few days have been bad from that point of view. I know that , in the scheme of things, my pain is actually pretty insignificant, but it is a major inconvenience to me.

The last two days have been hard work.Although I have been wearing my SunGlasses to cut down the amount of light, my eyes feel like they are being pushed out of my head from the back. My cheeks , if anything ,are even worse. It feels as though someone is "pumping up" my face, and the pressure is pushing away at the skin and bone under my eyes. And then there is the headache. sometimes you daren't move for fear of making the pain worse. When you move, pressure increases, your head starts to pound, the Sinus's also start to pound.

Two operations later, and things are little better, if you can actually use the word better. I used to worry about getting the occasional snotty cold. Now I worry, if anyone gets a cold, and infection, a sniffle. I then wonder if,this time, i'll be lucky and not get what someone else has got.

As I have said before, it's not life threatening, it's inconvenience, it's painful, and in someways it is pitiful.

What Am I doing?

What Am I doing?. That is a very good question considering that I'm not really sure what I'm doing at the best of times - LOL

The reason for the question?

I have just been reading some of our fellow bloggers entries, and one lad in particular was commenting on the fact that he actually makes entries on several Blog sites, making mention of his recent "conversion" to Xanga.

Well, in the past couple of weeks I have started to try several different blog sites, but strangely I always tend to stick to two or three main ones (Xanga, Blogger and Webcrimson), and oddly enough, two of them I pay for.

The problem that I have created for myself ? - I now think that I am trying to spread myself to thin, so to speak. Am I trying to put the same information onto to many sources. I have to be honest - Ujournal is starting to grow on me, but the others - I don't really know. Maybe I'll just keep a few of them going along side my main ones for now and then make a decision in the near future if I want to lose a few (but if you believe my beloved - I'll never let go of anything once I've got it).

Will let you know what goes and when

God Bless


Any Comments? Email me or my site Guestbook

My other Blogs? My Xanga Site, My Personal Blogger Site, My Webcrimson Blog and my Ujournal Blog

Saturday, December 28, 2002
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Postings by e-mail

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Dear fellow Xangers (if that is the word), and for that matter, fellow bloggers of all flavours.

As I have said previously, I have been trying out various methods for typing up my blog entries offline. Blogger, Ujournal and Blurty have either their own, or a third party "Poster" program (apologies if that is the wrong term - but it will do for now). Xanga and Blogger also have an e-mail system ( although I have well and truly kicked the blogger version of this into touch since I found w,blogger - this is a lot easier to use). The xanga system, however, appears to work a treat for the main part.

However a little help would be much appreciated - I can't, however hard I try , get pictures to transfer via the e-mail system to my postings

Any Suggestions :

Please click on this link and let me know. Any help or a pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated

What a Bind!!!

It has been several weeks, in fact I think it is now well over a month , since we had the major problems with the computer, and we had to reload Windows XP.

In all that time I have just realized that we haven't actual synchronization the PDA's that I , and "She who must be obeyed", have. I have a Visor and Cathy has a Psion Revo. My synch program will not work, although the shortcuts and everything else is still there ( and it did work before BOO BOO day) as neither will psywin 2 for for the revo ( and that also worked)

Just to be on the safe side I am, whilst writing this entry, downloading the up to date versions of both programs. Will let you know how things go.

But it is a real bind having to spend another hour or so , by the time i've finished, doing what should be a 5 - 10 minute job. But, I suppose ,that's life

What a Bind!!!

It has been several weeks, in fact I think it is now well over a month , since we had the major problems with the computer, and we had to reload Windows XP.

In all that time I have just realized that we haven't actual synchronization the PDA's that I , and "She who must be obeyed", have. I have a Visor and Cathy has a Psion Revo. My synch program will not work, although the shortcuts and everything else is still there ( and it did work before BOO BOO day) as neither will psywin 2 for for the revo ( and that also worked)

Just to be on the safe side I am, whilst writing this entry, downloading the up to date versions of both programs. Will let you know how things go.

But it is a real bind having to spend another hour or so , by the time i've finished, doing what should be a 5 - 10 minute job. But, I suppose ,that's life

The Hound Of The Baskervilles

You just might get the impression that all I do is watch television ( and sometimes you wouldn't be far wrong)

Last night (Boxing Day) was the first showing of the BBC's latest version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles"
I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan for many years, although I have always been a little unhappy with the common portrayal of Dr John Watson as a somewhat bumbling idiot - to Holmes's cool and calculating , almost heart less, Detective.

I know, to some extent, that this is a Hollywood type invention - I have seen the Holmes films of the late 40's with Basil Rathbone as Holmes.

I was happier with the Granada TV's portrayal of Holmes and Watson - with Watson more of a Friend and biographer than a bumbling moron.

As you can also guess, I have seen many versions of the Baskerville story - but last night's was defiantly one of the best.

Firstly, many apologies to anyone not of the UK, this film was aired on the BBC.
The film was grim - because it was set on the grim, desolate Moors . The villain, Stapleford, was aptly and smoothly played by Richard E Grant.
Holmes was shown to be the defective genius by Richard Roxburgh.

But the real star for me was Ian Hart. He played John Watson in a manner you could well believe. An ex Indian Army Doctor, who is equally friendly towards, and then frustrated by, the man he has chosen as his friend. Not the bumbling fool of the old films, but heroic, with a small H, caring and resourceful when he need be. I for one , enjoyed this version.

So It's the Bit in the middle!

So here we are, sitting in the middle, between Christmas and New Years. I always find this time of year, some how, hard work. It as though it’s almost between something and nothing, as though the world is waiting for something to happen, something to be finished.

We have been to the relatives, although my brother in law is coming up for the weekend today, we have been over nice to everyone for several days now (although we are nice to everyone anyway are we not), but yet?

Something feels as thought it is missing, something has not been completed.

And yet, to me at least, New Year is not really anything that special. It does mean the end of something, and hopefully the start of something better, but listening to the news, reading the papers and the like, you have to wonder whether things will really change for the world at all.

So as I sit here, typing quietly to myself at the start of a dull and damp Friday between Christmases, I always wait and wish for a better year for all, including myself.

But as I sit here waiting for the family to awake and dive into the end of year sales for yet another new TV (Liam’s old TV in his room has failed, major style, over Christmas ? which is a shame as he can’t use his new Play Station), I feel that mankind will not let me down, and this year will be very little different from what has happened across the world last year, maybe even worse in some respects.

Maybe I’m being a bit ?fatalist? about what will happen next year, maybe it’s the mid Christmas depression that I always seem to get at this point in the celebrations (I do always feel better about things on New Years Day), perhaps I’m being a ?Realist? ? having seen these past 38 years what happens after New Year, what History has to say about Mankind.

Maybe this WILL be different? ? I really do hope so

God Bless

Dave Smith

New Toys Part2?

Dear Log (and to all of you looking in - you are most welcome)

As you can see by my previous post today - I am trying various offline methods of creating posts for my various logs.
I have sometimes found it hard to carry information from one blog to another as they all have slightly different facilities depending on whether they are paid for, freebies or what ever.

Anyway, I am now trying to offline my Xanga log (Daves Personal Xanga Site) and it would appear that one way to do this is via an e-mail system.

I'm going to give this a go and I will let you know how things go.


God Bless

Dave

A New Toy to play with?

Hi all, hope you are all well.

Just goes to show I have nothing better to do at Christmas. Whilst the Kids where playing with thier new toys, and I was waiting for Cathy to come home from the hosptial after her Chrsitams Day Shift, I started searching round for other Blog sites and tools, using the search function on the Google and Yahoo tool bars you can get for Internet Explorer.

Well it's frightening what you can find - I found several other blog sites, which I may concider using in the future (I still think that I will stick to Xanga, Blogger and WebCrimson .

One of the "tool types" I found were several offline editors ( and I'm using one to type this) . This one is from W.Blogger, although there were several other sites that hda similar functions (Blurty.com - but this is also a corresponding Blog site in it's own right)

The only one that I now need an offliner for is the Xanga site - but I think that you can still do this from your e-mail account (I've tried the same or simialr system on Blogger and it came up with some odd results)

Will let you know how I got on

God bless

Dave

Merry Christmas Everyone

25/12/2002 09.22 AM
Wednesday, December 25, 2002

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Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Good line for a song that - LOL

I am sat here on Christmas Morning (it's just gone 09.00 UK time). I've been sat here for around 2 hours (I seem to automatically wake up at between 6.30 and 07.00 - that's the time I get up for work)

We opened most of the presents last night so that Cathy could see the family presents being opened ( She is a nurse at the local Hospital - and she is at work this A.M.)

I still really can't get used to a quiet Christmas Morning. When the kids were younger, they did what young kids do. They used to wake up at 04.00 / 05.00 in the morning, scream everyone awake and the like. But not now.

As I type, Laura (my baby - NOT) has been awake for about 3/4 of an hour, and is playing with her new talking Doll (along with the doll from last Christmas and the one from her birthday) - they are all "asleep" at the moment (the new doll "talks" as does one of the others - but luckily we don't have the right batteries for this one), whilst my lad, the trainee "Kevin" (that's a teenager in training for those who haven't seen the Harry Enfield Show). He stayed up to watch "The Mummy" film on the TV, and like most teenagers (or near teenagers) they stay up late (or try) and then they get up late (or try) - but seeing as things are not happening until later in the day - we'll leave him be for now.

Normally I like a steady start to the day (no rush - no worries) , but somehow it doesn't seem right to have a quiet Christmas Day.



I hope you all have a Peaceful Day

God Bless

DAve

Tuesday, December 24, 2002


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Ghost's at Christmas

Dear Log - and to all of you looking in you are most welcome

That'll teach me to make a prediction - LOL. I'll see you after Christmas, what a laugh.

The reason for this entry. As I have said before, I have more than a passing interest in a UK program - Living TV's Most Haunted program

Although I would be the first to admit - and I have done - I suspect that the likes of ghost's, sprites or what ever you would like to call them probably exist. And although I have encountered soon strange places in my job, I can never, hand on heart, say that that I have come across a "proper" ghost.

Anyway, back to the main story. As I have reported before I watched the "Live" Ghost hunt at Dudley Castle. Well this last Sunday was a "Most Haunted at Christmas" from Dover Castle.

All I can say, I felt this was even more convincing than the the last program. I realize, as I have also said before, that this is firstly TV entertainment, but even for that.

I quite enjoyed the bit where Yvette got , what I thought, was the biggest personal shock of the night - how would you like a "Ghost" whispering in your ear ( even the sceptical Professor heard something when they returned to that same room later on). I am always impressed ( although I'm still not sure how he does it) with Derek Acorah's "conversations" and descriptions of the spirit's that appear in front of him. If he seriously doesn't know the history and/or the stories of the places he goes to - you have to wonder how he gets his information (I still don't "believe" enough to take the spirit guide scenario onboard just yet). But with the support of local and national historians, and various other experts - the evidence is certainly mounting that Derek defiantly has some sort of talent.

I didn't intend to watch all the program - but in the end I saw it finish (although I did miss a big chunk out the middle because of "They think it's all over" coming on on the BBC).

As I said last time - you do have to wonder if there is "something else" be it Ghost's , Spirit's or what ever.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Sunday, December 22, 2002
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What's Happened this Week

Dear Log ( and to all looking in your most welcome)

With Christmas only a few days away as I type this

we seem to have everything ready for the Christmas Holidays (I hope).We also can have a rest today (I wish) as Liam, my eldest, as he is not playing football today.

After most of the Family recovering from (and to some extent we still are) the first virus's of the Winter, my work week has been both exciting and frustrating in equal measure.

As I have said previously, I went on a training course for BT's new Home Computing Product and this last week has been absolutely manic. After some initial issues earlier in the week with missing keys to the security lockers that store the kit for us to supply and fit, the later part of the week has been very hard work, but equally very satisfying. I know these kind people have paid to have us fit their computer, but it is still very pleasing to see their happy faces when we have set the whole thing up for them and they can then actually get onto the computer and use it.

Friday night - and it was a works night out(not mine, but Ward16 where my wife is The Deputy Ward Sister). I'll be honest, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go or not, be it turned out to be a brilliant night. Good food, a fair Cabaret turn, and then a disco. BRILL BRILL BRILL.

My eldest, Liam, and I suspect englishjuls, was very happy with the Liverpool result mid week - beating Villa 3 - 2. Mind you they are still going to have to get sorted if they are going to make a better attempt at winning the UK Football Premiership.

If I don't have a chance to post anything else before Christmas Day

Have A Merry and Peaceful Christmas

Any Comments? E-Mail Me or leave a message on our Site Guestbook - God Bless

Xanga Lifetime and Made Up Bands

Xanga Lifetime and Made Up Bands

I apologize to anyone in the US - but I suspect that maybe you have the same, or similar, type programs to us.

Over the last year or two we have had to suffer a continuous run of "Create a Popstar" type programs. And the latest have been the BBC's Fame Academy and the ITV's Popstars - the rivals.

Before we go on I have to admit I don't dislike the likes of Gareth Gates and Will Young, both have in actuality brought out a couple of good tunes , and at the minute I quite like Daniel Bedingfield and Elton John & Blue. It's been along time since I "out and out" supported a group - Abba, The Human League, Ultravox and the like when I was a youngster (and anyone who knows - that really will age me - LOL)

But this year ......

Some people will buy anything. The winner of the Fame Academy ( and also the two losers on the night) do have some talent - although it remains to see how they translate into a "Public" act - we will have to see in the new year.

But the bands from Pop Star the rivals - I'm sorry to say I think they are both awful. The boy band, "One true Voice", the song is bland and boring. There is nothing new here at all.They sound the same as a hundred and one other boy bands - and the song adds nothing.

The Girls - they are a 100% better than the boys - but I'm sad to say they have the looks - but that is it. The song is OK, but to me it doesn't sound finished. It's rough round the edges.

Finally - and this could be seen as serious creeping (and it is )

I have finally taken the ultimate step and signed up for a life subscription for the Xanga Blog site. I only comment on things as I find them, and since having signed up for the premium account, and now the life time subscription, all I can say is that the whole thing has been worth every penny (or should I say cent) that I have paid for the subscription. I wonder if Blogger has a lifetime membership scheme?

Kazaa - that's Enough!!

Kazaa - that's Enough!!

Hi all - hope you are all well?

The reason for this moan is somewhat personal, but also some what of a warning.

Firstly it must be pointed out that, if I had not got a reasonable virus guard in place (Norton Anti Virus 2003 in my case) I would probably not be even be able to enter this post, or at worse, the post would several paragraphs longer saying how I had valiantly struggled to recover a sick computer from a virulent infection.

I know this is picking on Kazaa - because that is my program of choice, but from what I have heard the same situation is creeping into to many of the file sharing networks.

I have , in the past few weeks, downloaded several items via kazaa only to have a ONE HUNDRED PER CENT return of virus's and/or associated un required "goodies".

Before I go any further, I will not get in to any conversions over the "why's and where fore's" of using these programs, but they are there, for now, and I did use them.

But not any more - one virus in a while is an occupational hazard of using the Internet , e-mail, downloads and the like. But every time I have used the system - a virus. I'm sorry but I don't think that I can take that sort of a risk just for the occasional MP3.

Once in a while .......!!!

Welcome to My Weekly Log - Part 2

What really happened this week

Welcome to part two -and what really happened this week. It has been, for our house at least, a fairly normal week.

Firstly - I am in sympathy with my lad and englishjuls - Liverpool are making a right "pigs ear" of what they are doing at the moment - I hope things pick up this afternoon when they play Sunderland

Sunday - Liam played Football for the Park Tigers U12's - they lost 2-1 , but it was good match overall for the Tigers, and, as this is their first season playing 11 a-side, they are getting better game by game.

Monday - Back to work/School - so really there is not a lot to say

Tuesday - We all went out tonight to Tigers Football Christmas Party. This is the third one of these we have been to - and they are always a good Kids Party at this time of Year (and we won a raffle prize and Liam came away with a good football and football shirt from pass the parcel)

Wednesday /Thursday - These were days of several First's. After a bit of a bog up on Wednesday, Thursday was the day I fitted my first BT home Computer - and the job also went very well for "a first go". It was also the first time I have ever come across a TV Winner. I know this is a bit of a strange thing to say - but most programs these days seem to have a phone in competition - and then you get then announcement "Well Done Mrs Blogs of Dunstable - you have won .......". Well I don't know about you, but up until Thursday I did start to wonder if some of these people where "Real People". Well now I've actually met one. The lady had won the GMTV/BT Home Computing competition - and a nicer person it would be hard to find - a well deserving winner.

Friday - This, for me at least, is where the week breaks down. Liam has been ill for a few days with something either brought in from school, or more likely "grown" by his sister ( she was off last week with the same). Well Friday afternoon was a little difficult towards the end of the shift ( all I can say, it was a good job the the local telephone exchange was just round the corner)

Saturday - Have taken my Mum into Hospital to have one of her cataract removed - and boy do they work quick these days. When my Gran had the same done a number of years ago - she was in Hospital for a few days and the like. These days however - I took my Mum in at Eight and she was out again by Dinner. Behind this is me - doing quite a few "100 m" sprints - Thanks Son. I spent most of the afternoon "nodding off" - which is what I tend to do when I'm not to well

Today - done this blog and the rest - well that will be for next week

Welcome to My Weekly Log - Part 1

Don't get me wrong, I am going to try to make a log entry on, shall we say, a more periodic basis. But as things are going at the minute, once a week seems to be the average for the last few weeks. This basically being that there really not enough going on at the minute to male anymore entries.

As I have discussed before, when I first started working "The Blogs", I tried quite a few, of which the following I still use:

- There is Xanga

- Blogger

and

- Webcrimson

(click on the button and you will head that way if you are interested in the individual "controlling" service and they all do free services)

I did try a few others - but these have since gone by the wayside, although, to be honest I'm thinking of sending the webcrimson one the same way. (I don't really make full use of it at the moment - but we'll see).

Although Xanga include a subscription service with your account (I think - I paid to have the enhanced service - well worth it if that's what you wish to do) you can also "add" a subscription service to either your webcrimson and/or Blogger accounts( and some others if read the "blurb") by using the following service:

- Bloglet (again if you are interested - please click on the button).

To be honest I have yet to integrate the script this service generates into all my accounts, but it does seem to work, and I will tell you for why.

I was looking at a Blog - "the Homeless Guy" ( this was featured in the Webuser Magazine and both are well worth a look)

and as part of his blog he uses this service for fellow bloggers to subscribe to his site - so I click on the link and thought that I would give it a go.

I have spilt todays posting into two - so you can have the choice of which bit to read and it also stops me blathering on to long on one subject - see you in part 2

What Happened Next!!

Saturday, December 07, 2002

Hi all - hope you are all OK.

Isn't it funny how life goes sometimes.

The day after posting a "not a lot happens to me - even at this time of year " type entry - something did happen.

When I came home from work on Wednesday night there were the usual amount of letters (3/4 of which were rubbish - as usual) and a parcel from the book club, a Titan Graphic Novel - "Judge Dredd - and the Cursed Earth".

In the letters, however was a card from Parcel Force - you know the sort "we have left your parcel with a neighbour/in the garage/under a bench/out in the rain getting soaked through".

Anyway that particular neighbour was out at that point, and both myself and my wife were sat there wondering what it could be?

What had we forgotten we had ordered?

Anyway - about an hour later Harry came round with one of the biggest parcels I had seen in a very long time . There were two BIG padded envelopes and two boxes tapped together into a big single parcel.

The confusion grew. Was this really for us? Apparently. (The give a away being my name - handwritten- across an A4 sheets attached to one of the Padded envelopes).

Had I ordered something on the Internet-by accident? Don't think so.

So we opened it. There were SIXTEEN models from the James Bond Ultimate Collection - and then we found the letter.

A Couple of months ago I had entered a Competition - you know the sort " Please answer the "difficult question" (which my son Liam knew the answer - Big James Bond freak) - send in the coupon and then , normally , never hear anything again".

But not this time - we had won the competition - we had won the set. What an early Christmas Present. Normally, the biggest thing we had ever won was either a Tenner on the lottery, or a box of chocolates for a painting I did as a kid. But this was something else.

Good or what

Doesn't time fly?

I have just realised that it has been a week since I placed an entry in this log.

This last week, as you can probably guess, has been quiet and somewhat uneventful. Even the slow and steady build up to Christmas seems to have mainly gone by without a whimper

Yesterday, on my day off, myself and my wife went "Christmas Shopping". With it being early in the month, I had just worked out the bills - so , for once, we knew what money we had to play with.

But as we went round, and even brought some new "bangles and baubles" for the Christmas tree (when we get it the damn thing put up), but still - "It doesn't feel like Christmas".

I don't know why I feel like this - at work we were having a discussion on the fact that a lot of people feel "fed-up" at the minute. I may have something to do with the fact that if we have more than 3 days without getting wet, we think Summers come back.

Every year, it gets a little more difficult to get into the "Christmas Spirit". I don't know why?.

Is it the older you get, the more "Scrooge" like you get - I hope not.Come Christmas Eve, I know that we will go to the Children's Christmas Service at the local Church - my little girl loves it (and so does my near teenage son). I look forward to the look on their faces on Christmas Morning (especially that of the trainee cynic that is my son). But at the minute !!! - it just feels like any other day.