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[Masterpiece]

Blog Thread 5: The blog, the whole blog and nothing but the blog, so help me Jephzibah?

[Welu]

Wait, I'm a day early for Friday the 13th. Whoops.

Starting this one now while the last one has a few days of inactivity.

[jwhouk]

Had we gotten to the post limit already?

[Pilchard123]

There isn't a limit, per se, but IIRC pwh said that the forum software goes funny if the number of pages gets too high.

[pwhodges]

Nothing obvious happens, but performance implications become much more marked at something around that size.  So it's not critical so much as good practice.  The other forum I'm active on uses a limit corresponding to a mere 40 of our pages, but I think that's over cautious.

[Welu]

The standard seems to be between 90 - 100 based on other thread remakes.

[jwhouk]

Hockey related forum does it only at 1k posts, so there's that.

[Masterpiece]

Since the blog thread is overflowing, can I make a new blog thread?

Blog Thread 5: The blog, the whole blog and nothing but the blog, so help me Jephzibah?

silently sobs

[Grognard]

I haven't blogged regularly in months.
it has been hard to try and get back in the groove.



!phrasing!

[pwhodges]

silently sobs

Better now?

(Welu, I hope you don't mind!  We have to cosset our poor delicate souls.)

[The Seldom Killer]

Since the blog thread is overflowing, can I make a new blog thread?

Blog Thread 5: The blog, the whole blog and nothing but the blog, so help me Jephzibah?

silently sobs

OK, I totally get where your coming from and I hope we can find a way to move past this together. However, and I hope you will treat this with the gravitas this deserves, can I borrow your TARDIS. I may have made a small mistake that umm... Look, it's better for everyone if I correct it.

[Masterpiece]

I wasn't able to quote and quoting wasn't possible without adding a date. I just entered a random number.

[The Seldom Killer]

OK, but I'm watching you. If I see you swanning about in a bow tie we're going to have words.

[Welu]

I apologise, Masterpiece. *petpet*

[Aziraphale]

I haven't blogged regularly in months.
it has been hard to try and get back in the groove.



!phrasing!

Months? I have two that I've been neglecting, one for about four years and one for two (though as soon as I find the time, I have a list of stuff a mile long to write about). And I'm thinking of starting a third. Why do I do these things to myself?

[Masterpiece]

silently sobs

Better now?

Only now saw what you did. It helps.

[ankhtahr]

I just ordered one of these:


Don't judge me.

[Welu]

silently sobs

Better now?

(Welu, I hope you don't mind!  We have to cosset our poor delicate souls.)

I hadn't actually realised what was done at first.

[pwhodges]

Obviously I am not sufficiently superstitious to be worried by Friday the Thirteenth.  But Microsoft certainly seemed to be trying to make me so:  We've just had two successive Fri/13s, and on both occasions I have been besieged with problems caused by faulty updates issued by MS earlier that week.

Get them right Microsoft!!

[Masterpiece]

I am in Berlin. As always, it is as awesome and similarly scary as I remember.

I bought my sister a MacBook Pro. I feel like a sellout.

This message is coming from Tapatalk inside my phone!

[pwhodges]

Just spent a couple of hours of my evening uninstalling the MS update KB3002657 from a bundle of servers to correct problems with authentication affecting VPNs, RDP, remote file shares, and more.

Like the similarly disruptive Outlook issue in last month's updates (which I was able to patch with a firewall rule), this is fall-out from the recent breaking of SSL protocols and ciphers and patches to disable them.  The title of this account gives the picture:

https://www.pickysysadmin.ca/2015/03/11/kb3002657-breaks-everything/

[Grognard]

one of the few times I'm happy to work on a Gov't network.
99% of MS bullshit fail updates just DONT make it through to us.

[osaka]

Today, a man that has shaped a great part of my life from the other side of the radio transmitter has died. Jazz historian and radio speaker, Juan Claudio Cifuentes (or "Cifu" as he liked to be called) died at the age of 74.

Which was surprising because he aired his show last night.

May he be with the jazz legends, wherever he may be.

[Thrillho]

He is listening to some live Coltrane/Davis interplay as we speak.

[osaka]

Indeed he is.

[Aimless]

Three bedrooms? Wonderful plans??

(click to show/hide)

BABIES???

No babies! Not quite yet! But that comment made us both so warm and fuzzy inside no, wonderful plans inspired by apartmenttherapy.com and my long list of ideas for renovation, decoration, furniture-making etc... and, for the ginger, plans involving seeds and dirt and an army of clay pots.

In bloggy news, I've had an odd week. I was expecting to be in charge of many difficult patients and instead I'm in charge of a very small number of patients only one of which is complicated (medically speaking), freeing up a great deal of time and energy. Even so I am constantly tired because I've been going to bed late again. We're feeling v good but stressed out about moving, upcoming trip etc. But still there's an odd kind of peace... spring feels like it's gonna be good, and summer even better. I am expecting to get confirmation for a new job this week and I also learned just recently that I'll get to attend a national neurology conference that our clinic is arranging ie. I get a week off for it and I don't have to pay. I won't get to attend one day (unfortunately one of the most interesting days, but I'm not eligible) but it's really really nice and I'm v happy about it <3

[pwhodges]

Babies can be an endless source of amusement, if you're lucky.  A friend sent me this in an email yesterday (about his four-month-old child):

Yes, all is well. Little Martha has started swimming lessons already and managed to sleep through the first two in their entirety! Subsequently she has made better progress once waking up for the lessons.

[The Seldom Killer]

I've been having a pretty good weekend. Yesterday I went to the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival which is always great fun and really inspiring. Today I went out cycling and had the first "good" ride since early winter. I came home and after lunch spent some time mooching in the garden with my wife making it generally a bit better. It got neglected last year and this year we want it to be accessible and bit nicer.

Alas I've rather marred the weekend. Yesterday I got a bit frustrated with our old over and ended up punching it in the clock. Today it doesn't work at all. It seems the only problem I've solved is not needing to buy a new oven. Fuck.

[Metope]

My boyfriend left today. It sucks every time one of us has to leave, but at least this time I know that next time we'll see each other it'll be forever. I just want to buy that one way ticket now, but I'm not supposed to do it until I have my passport back with the visa in it, so I'll have to wait until it gets here. It was sent from the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm late last week, so it'll be here soon. I think I've decided on a date too: August 3rd. Until then I'll keep working my stupid job every week.

[Loki]

August 3rd? That's when I moved to Germany!

[Metope]

Woo moving day! Where did you move from? I guess I just assumed you were German.

[Loki]

The country of polar bears, vodka and balalaikas.

[Metope]

I did not know that! You learn something new every day.

[cesium133]

So it's two weeks until I move to Wisconsin, and I'm making my final plans for how to actually get there, but I'm not sure my old beater of a '93 Taurus can actually make it. I'm planning on replacing the car after I get to Wisconsin, but I don't want to do it right now in case I need the money I would be spending on a down payment. So, my choices, as far as I can see, are:

1) Put everything in the car, drive the car there, and take the risk of getting stuck in cornfields in Iowa with no cell phone reception.
2) Get rid of the car somehow, rent a car, drive that to Wisconsin, drop it off, and then get by without a car until I can get a new one. (Added cost due to the one-way car rental: ~ $500)
3) Rent a U-Haul and tow my car there (Added cost due to the U-Haul: ~ $750)

In terms of money, choice 1 is the clear one (plus I'm probably being overly pessimistic about my current car), though it doesn't exactly give me peace of mind. Choice 2 has the disadvantage of not being able to use my car after I get there. Choice 3 is the most expensive, but at least I wouldn't be taking the risk of getting stuck somewhere and I'd still have my car after I get there.

I feel like I'm playing Oregon Trail again. 

[Pilchard123]

The country of polar bears, vodka and balalaikas.

Be***um?

[jwhouk]

So it's two weeks until I move to Wisconsin, and I'm making my final plans for how to actually get there, but I'm not sure my old beater of a '93 Taurus can actually make it. I'm planning on replacing the car after I get to Wisconsin, but I don't want to do it right now in case I need the money I would be spending on a down payment. So, my choices, as far as I can see, are:

1) Put everything in the car, drive the car there, and take the risk of getting stuck in cornfields in Iowa with no cell phone reception.
2) Get rid of the car somehow, rent a car, drive that to Wisconsin, drop it off, and then get by without a car until I can get a new one. (Added cost due to the one-way car rental: ~ $500)
3) Rent a U-Haul and tow my car there (Added cost due to the U-Haul: ~ $750)

In terms of money, choice 1 is the clear one (plus I'm probably being overly pessimistic about my current car), though it doesn't exactly give me peace of mind. Choice 2 has the disadvantage of not being able to use my car after I get there. Choice 3 is the most expensive, but at least I wouldn't be taking the risk of getting stuck somewhere and I'd still have my car after I get there.

I feel like I'm playing Oregon Trail again. 

Also keep in mind this week is going to see one last winter storm come through, so things are gonna be messy, esp. if you drive up along the Military Ridge on 151.

[cesium133]

That should hopefully be out of the way by April 3, though, right?

[jwhouk]

Long range forecasts aren't very reliable 'round here lol.

I had it snow on the day that I moved up here to North Central Wisconsin - on May 1st. 

Good luck on your drive, whatever you choose. And if you cross the Wapsinicon River, take a picture for me.

[cesium133]

After thinking about it some more (and doing a bunch of calculations), I'm leaning toward option 3. I think I'd rather spend the money to avoid the risk of getting stuck somewhere. Plus it'll be a whole lot easier to fit my stuff in a U-Haul than in my car.

Long range forecasts aren't very reliable 'round here lol.

I had it snow on the day that I moved up here to North Central Wisconsin - on May 1st. 

Good luck on your drive, whatever you choose. And if you cross the Wapsinicon River, take a picture for me.

I'm planning on taking US-151 into Madison. I don't know the geography of the area well enough to know if that'll cross the river.

The full route is I-35 from Oklahoma to Des Moines, IA, then I-80, I-380, US-30, and finally US-151. With some more complications potentially added to avoid rush hour in Kansas City.

[jwhouk]

You'll cross it just outside of Cedar Rapids on 151.

The countryside down in SW Wisconsin is beautiful. My mom's mom's family hailed from Mineral Point.

[cesium133]

Ah, okay. I found it on the map. Near Anamosa, Iowa. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

[Grognard]

another option: take it to a reputable mechanic.  Insist youre on a tight, tight budget and ask him to check out the car for anything that would leave you stranded.  ask him to make it as reliable as can be.
budget: $250

items that be covered by that much: Belts, Hoses, Brakes, ignition, tires.

He should be able to give you a solid diagnostic and estimate.

the hard part is finding a reputable local mechanic.

[Loki]

The country of polar bears, vodka and balalaikas.

Be***um?

I have never seen a polar bear in Belgium, tyvm.

[Active Madness]

As someone who is somewhat lactose intolerant and can't handle much fat, eating a whole tub of icecream was a terrible idea. Awesome, yet terrible.

So totally worth the agony.

[Masterpiece]

It's weird, the first time in a very long while, I've reached the end of the month and I have absolutely no financial worries. My rent I paid for in advance, which relieved the main burden, but even then, my bank account shows a balance normally occurring at mid-month, and I have two significant paychecks incoming before I'd normally run out of that money. Feels totally weird, like any moment some random thing will happen and I'll have to pay my soul. Also, it's causing me to make impulse purchases. Case of Strawberry Cider I've wanted for years but couldn't because I hadn't moved my fridge into my room yet? Yes please.

At least I'm not buying game conso- THANKS FOR THAT WONDERFUL IDEA, BRAIN.

[ankhtahr]

Heh. I hope I can finally mention my financial troubles to my father. I'll visit my father again tomorrow and will be back after the weekend. I currently owe my flatmate around 400€, and have about 300€ of open bills. I'll receive around 250€ somewhere around Friday.

Thing is, my father was supposed to give me 440€ as security deposit gor my flat, around half a year ago. Due to some miscommunication and because I failed to ask for it, my father hasn't paid yet.


In more happy news: I totally look forward to the ninth of April. 

[cesium133]

another option: take it to a reputable mechanic.  Insist youre on a tight, tight budget and ask him to check out the car for anything that would leave you stranded.  ask him to make it as reliable as can be.
budget: $250

items that be covered by that much: Belts, Hoses, Brakes, ignition, tires.

He should be able to give you a solid diagnostic and estimate.

the hard part is finding a reputable local mechanic.

I have an appointment to get it checked out on Saturday. I'm still tempted to go with option 3 (the U-Haul truck), though, since I'm going to have to buy furniture for my new apartment (my old one was furnished, so I don't already have any), and the truck would be useful for getting the furniture there.

[Pilchard123]

At least I'm not buying game conso- THANKS FOR THAT WONDERFUL IDEA, BRAIN.

If you want to get some games, the current Humble Bundle looks good. I already had Eufloria and Shadowrun Returns, both of which I would say make it worthwhile on their own, though Eufloria is not everyone's cup of tea.

[Masterpiece]

The thing is, the games I want are console exclusives.

[Masterpiece]

In more happy news: I totally look forward to the ninth of April. 

Weird coincidence. I do too! :3