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      Saturday, April 01, 2017


otherstuff
01:27 PM - 04/01/2017

The topic: Well, it looks to be a decent day
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I picked out the paper for the cards I wanted to make a couple of days ago. Yesterday, I had planned on starting to cut it out, but Thursday night, the bed lost air.

On my side (it's one of those Nautilus Sleep Systems, the kind with air chambers and each side has control to change the firmness of the mattress; we've had it for a while and every once in a while the tubing slips off and air leaks out and the bed goes flat). There's a foam cover and zippers and it's a PITA to fix. Brian figures we really need new tubing. He requested surgical, so I got some over on Amazon. We don't need much. It should be here tomorrow, but he was able to get the old tubing to stay on.

But I couldn't sleep on it at all Thursday night, I was on that foam, which isn't really that thick and bottom out on the wood sheet that holds the mattress in place. I ended up on the sofa and a couple of the cats were on me all night and my legs/back would start to cramp up and the cats would have to move. Just a crappy night's sleep and I didn't get anything done yesterday. Besides the lack of sleep, it's allergy season and the pine pollen hits me pretty hard. I was doubly tired, couldn't get warm and spent the morning wrapped in a blanket. I started feeling human later in the day, but wasn't up to pulling the Cameos out.

One thing I was able to do was to score a lucky bag on Meh. They always have one on April first. I went back to the office about a quarter to nine, got the computer up and running and had my Fuku shortly after nine. Yay! More mystery crap!

When Brian re-aired the bed, he made my side firmer than I'm used to. I figured maybe my back wouldn't hurt so bad with a firmer bed, so I left it that way. I dunno if it worked or not, since I didn't want today to be wasted, I took a couple of Advil this morning.

After my shower, I started playing with the Cameo. One of the pieces I need is a sign and I thought I'd try using a Cameo's pen function to write the sentiment instead of a stamp. It took me a while to get it done. I used the third party pen holder and was sorely disappointed in the result. I tried a Sakura pen, but the ink was too thick for this application.

I checked online for some other ideas and saw this other pen holder. The official Silhouette pen holder.  I checked it out, decided maybe I should order one. With Amazon Prime it would be here on Monday, that would be okay. Imagine how happy I was to find I already bought it three years ago! I checked through my box of blades and there it was. It took a little finessing and three types of pens, but I finally got a result I was happy with. So happy, in fact, I bought two more of the pen holder kits so I can run them in all Cameos, should the need arise.

And now, I'm ready to start the entree. The rest of the day will be cutting.

Oh, and woot.com also had a mystery bag for April first. The Bag of Crap.  I scored one of those, too. Just what I need! Moar crap!

Brian's making tuna sandwiches right now. I'll be making lasagne for dinner.

DaNiece hasn't had a seizure in almost a week.

It's a beautiful sunny day and for the first time in months, I'm not in a weird mood.

I like that.

 

      Saturday, April 08, 2017


otherstuff
12:36 PM - 04/08/2017

The topic: Stuff that makes me crazy (this and that)
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So, it's been a week since my last entry. Life progresses at less than warp speed. Well, some of it anyway.

The pain in my lower back is slowly subsiding. That's good. Brian has been putting the TENS on me for most of the week and that may be what's helping immensely. I wish it was quicker, but I've been dealing with the pain for over a month now, so any improvement is welcome. Earlier this week as I sat at my desk, I was in tears because I was losing hope that it would ever get better. Advil helps, but I really don't want to live the rest of my life taking a couple of Advil every day.

Last Sunday I was able to get paper cut out for sixteen cards. I only planned on making three of each, I wanted extra in case of problems. I had two Cameos going all day. The problem was I pushed too hard and my upper back started giving me grief. The same place that has stopped me from making hundreds of cookies for the end of the year holidays. Just too hard to recover. And this pain, in addition to my lower back, butt and leg pain, was probably why I was in tears last week. I had so much to do and I could barely walk. Very frustrating. Thoughts flashed by "is this what the rest of my life will be like? This chronic pain? Nooooooo!"

Anyway, that was the low spot and things have been getting better since.

Thursday morning, I was able to unbox a couple of "drawer beds' for the cats and get them put together (they look like drawers, except with legs). With those boxes out of the living room, I started to move the cat trees around. Only four of the old ones had made the cut, the rest are gone. One of the four is out on the patio now. Three were still okay.  Need cleaning and a little bit of trimming, but had been situated so that the cats couldn't really get a grip on scratching them.

The living room is more open now. I like it. The cats like the cat trees. So, that's pretty cool. The drawers I put in the garage on the bench under the window. It took a couple of days before anyone would go near them, but this morning Rocky and Spot each had a drawer and were fast asleep in it.

14110205

I've been working on card assembly and so far, I was able to get three of two of the designs put together and all four of a third. This morning I started on the last set and the crazy started.

I started making piles of each piece. Four in a pile.

This card has eight different leaves. I had cut out four of each, which would give me thirty-two. I was short one. Just one. One stinking leaf. No idea what happened. May have fallen on the floor and gotten swept up. Stuck to another piece of paper. It's just gone. Need to cut another.

Then there was the piece I'd made with flocked stock. I vaguely remember taking the pieces from the sheet when done, but had forgotten one split (that flocked stuff is weird to work with). So, there was another piece that needed to be done. I mean, I had to do it. Only two pieces preventing that fourth card? I just couldn't let it go.

I found the leftover paper from the leaves and the flocked piece. I started with the flocked. I figured I'd cut out three, just in case. The came out beautifully. Except.

Except I have to cut this stock from the back, because flock. I neglected to mirror the image. I figured there was enough of the paper left to cut another set of three from this piece. And I tried cutting from the flocked side of the card. Mistake. Huge mistake. Messy. Not cut all the way through. Clogged blade housing. That flocking is kind of messy.

I knew I should have at least one more piece of this color flocked stock, so I found it and cut three more pieces out, properly oriented and from the back. Success!

Then on to the leaf. I looked at the file. There is one big piece and the eight leaves. I notice that there are lines in the leaves. Hmmm. Interesting. I wonder if they cut? And what they'd look like?

I got rid the big piece and the seven I didn't need and saved the one. I checked to see if those inner lines would cut. Hey, it looks like the would! Cool. So, instead of doing just the one leaf, I did all thirty-two. Two ways. With just the outside and with the outside and the inner lines. Sixty-four leaves. And I liked them with the lines, not that they're really obvious, but when turned at the right angle, you can see the lines. I like it. I'll use those.

All pieces are now cut and ready for assemble.

I use an old Cutterbee cutting knife. My first one broke and I'd gotten a replacement since I had replacement blades. No longer "Cutterbee", but EK Tools. It came with five extra blades. Should last a while. Well, I checked on a set of replacement blades this morning. Guess what? Not in stock. Anywhere that I usually buy my supples. That sucks.

Then I looked for the refill bottle of Shimmer spray that I heart so much (yeah, I know I made my own, but it doesn't spray right; I think it's a bottle thing). The bottles are two ounces. I check on the Shimmer spray that comes in the spray bottle. Two ounces. And two bucks cheaper. Really? The same amount of spray, a better bottle and it's cheaper?

That kind of thing makes me crazy.

I got some more little pop dots (I heart those things).  There was one flavor that was pretty cheap, an add-on. But it would take over a month to get here. Uh, nope. Deleted from the order. Why is it "Prime" and takes a month to ship? Makes me crazy.

Anyway, things are quiet here, not really a lot going on.

(Just looking a a leaf with lines...I wonder if I could do the McGill thing on them and make them curve like real leaves?)

Well, that's it for now, I have some testing to do....

Update: The McGilled leaf, with a little ink on the edge of the leaf? Looks awesome. Thirty-one to go.

      Monday, April 17, 2017


otherstuff
01:49 PM - 04/17/2017

The topic: This and that
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My back is slowly recovering. It's still stiff and sore in the morning, but not nearly as bad as it was. The more the day drags on, the better it gets.

I got the cards all finished and sent out last Monday. I guess the "do not bend" notes on the envelopes slowed delivery by a couple of days. I'll have to keep that in mind.

I got my seeds planted for my veggie garden yesterday. Three kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of peppers. Chives. Catnip and lavender. There was enough room left over that I ordered some corn seeds. Fingers crossed.

The avocado trees are loaded with baby fruits. Pretty nice. I'm sure a majority of them will fall off before maturity, but this year both trees have fruit. And there are still some little blossoms on both, which is pretty cool.

I've taken photos, need to get them sorted and cropped and uploaded.

Too much work right now, I think I'll take a nap instead. lol!

      Wednesday, April 26, 2017


geekstuff
01:29 PM - 04/26/2017

The topic: Some people are just not cut out for business
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A couple of weeks ago, I notice I'm not getting email. I have all of my email sent to one address and it's forwarded to gmail. This has happened in the past, no big deal.

I check their facebook page. No updates. So, I call customer service. The guy didn't even answer the phone with the name of the company.  Just "hello?" 

I tell him I'm not getting email. "Oh, yeah, I'm the new owner and we're going to make it so much better! Different control panel, lots of new things. We're in the process of moving everything to new servers, faster servers, more secure servers."

Yeah, well good for you. About my email?

He got it fixed. But somewhere along the line, the server that all of the SQL files were on (it's a technical thing) was corrupted. All of the stuff from my store, gone. My store, gone. No database at all. He asks me if I had a backup. Uh, I don't think so. I wondered why there was no backup on his end of what had been on that server. My data wasn't the only thing on it.

He sent me login information for this new fantastic super duper control panel as well as the FTP logins so I could move files. Except he sent me someone else's information. Nice, huh? He didn't believe me, he had to check it out for himself. Oh, yeah, let me send you the new info.

Once I got the correct login information, I checked it out. Are you f*cking serious? All that I could do was set up FTP accounts, email accounts and SQL databases. I couldn't set directory privacy. There was no file manager. I couldn't add domains (remember, I have three on that server, in the plan I have, I can do this). I couldn't make subdomains. (Look up at the URL of this page. See where "journal" is before lisaviolet.com? That's a subdomain. It looks nicer than http://www.lisaviolet.com/journal .) Compared to what I have (check out the demo), my analogy to Brian was I leased this great Ferrari, a convertible, top of the line, with every option you could imagine.

I go out to the garage one morning to find a Yugo where my Ferrari had been. This replacement has no sound system, the windows are hand cranked. I call the leasing company. "Yeah, I bought out the other leasing company and have exchanged what you had for something even better!"

No. No, you didn't

He complained about how long it took to compress my data. It was my stat trackers, they've been online since 2000. Some of them for sites that were no longer around. I told him he could delete certain ones.

During our Disney meet years, I made DVDs of each meet. Added music to the slideshows, had videos taken during the stay. And I got this great idea to put them on the web for the folks that attended the meets. Everybody already had gotten the disks, I just thought it would be nice to have them online. Took me days to get it all done.

I didn't want them on Youtube. A privacy thing. So, I have them in their own directory that is privacy protected.

I couldn't protect them. This was very important. This new fantastic super duper control panel didn't give me that option. I emailed him about it. Multiple times. No answer. I messed with it myself. No luck. There are these things called "paths" and it's like an address of where something is. You've got the root, you've got this, you've got that and it all gets very confusing if you don't this on a regular basis, which I don't. I kept getting a 500 error message. My old cPanel showed me what the paths were. The new one does not.  So, I figured, screw it. I'll just move the whole damned thing to another domain.

I emailed him again and told him not to bother with it. I'd move that domain, as well as Bennydakat.com (old java games, it was Benny's game room). I haven't heard from him since (the last time he sent anything was Sunday night). I got the movies up and running and privacy protected in less time than it took him to get back to me.

Well, yesterday, I found what looked to be like that database on my computer. I checked the dates and it looks like it's the one I need. I emailed him about it yesterday and since I hadn't heard back,  I guess it's just not that big of a deal to him. So, I'm in the process of moving that domain as well.

Monday I looked for the invoice to see when I last paid. It was 2015 and it was for two years. So, I'd have to pay again in November. Where I moved it is cheaper and there is 24/7 support. They don't go days without responding.

This new owner shouldn't have started doing anything until it was completely set up. He should have notified the current clients that there was a new owner and explain about the new control panel. He should have done a lot of things that he didn't do. And as frustrated as I am, imagine the people who make their living from their website. Everything gone.

I'd be so pissed.

This afternoon, I changed the DNS records on Godaddy. I got my new email forwarder set up, Google email settings changed, so there's smooth sailing for email. Nothing of mine will point to that other company.

Yeah, I don't doubt this guy loses a lot of business. I've been with that host for over fifteen years and I know he lost mine.

14110118


otherstuff
04:01 PM - 04/26/2017

The topic: Website problems were an eye opener
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I had no idea it had been so long since I'd done any upkeep on the store. The html catalog pages were dated 2008. Which means I hadn't added any stock since then.

The only thing I'd sold in years was catnip. Then I ran out after Brian moved his workshop home and he commandeered my catnip growing area for gardening tools.  He needed the shop for work.

I got to wondering why I quit making jewelry. I have thousands of dollars in supplies. I really liked making things. Why did I quit? After thinking about it, I remembered that one morning I woke up and my right thumb hurt. It hurt a lot. I couldn't move it at all. I asked the chiropractor about it and he said I'd jammed it.

I don't think so. And I couldn't do much of anything because anything I tried, movement brought on that horrible pain. So, I quit making jewelry.

My thumb took as long time to heal. Then my mom died. Then Brian moved his shop home. Then he shut down that business and started another one where he was home all the time. I had to adjust. And I just never got back into it.

Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed it.

As much as I enjoy making cards and paper projects. I've had folks ask about me selling cards.

And I think once the store is up and running, I'll start making stuff again. Do something constructive with my time instead of playing Candy Crush Saga.

And maybe make a few tunas while I'm at it.


otherstuff
04:14 PM - 04/26/2017

The topic: Commercials that have me wondering what the hell?
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The Infiniti ad where the guy gets in his car, good looking, clean cut, then is seen driving down the road, nodding his head to the music, and you can hear the lyrics...."I'm the baddest man alive" and then he stops in front of a building and bunch of young girls are walking up to the car yelling "hi, dad!" and the music is turned off.

I just find it creepy.

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      Friday, April 28, 2017


catstuff
03:51 PM - 04/28/2017

The topic: Been worried about Skippy
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Every couple of years, Skip loses a lot of weight. This is one of those years. Skip has FIV.

Monday morning, I called the vet to get him in. They didn't have any open appointments until today. Or, I could just bring him in as a drop off on Tuesday.

Monday, I pulled out all the food stops. Gave him hard treats (he likes those). Gave him tuna. He ate some. Gave him more treats. He ate more. More tuna. He ate.

I did this all day long.

Tuesday morning, by eight in the morning, I caught him at a feeder five times. I called the vet's office to let them know I wouldn't be bringing him in. He was eating again. He ate Hills's A/D. 

And each day, he's back to eating more.  Yesterday, I heard a cat crying outside. I checked it out, it was him. I brought the A/D out to him and he ate over half the can.

And the lizard he had caught had a chance to run away and get safe. I think he's feeling better.

 

skipper    catstuff   

      Saturday, April 29, 2017


catstuff
07:51 AM - 04/29/2017

The topic: A smile
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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

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