virtualDavis

Back at it again after an intermission. Still not convinced that this is the perfect solution, but see plenty who are using it well. Just wish I could figure out how to properly redesign my template to seamlessly match my website, but so far close will have to be good enough. In any event, back to hosting this on Blogger.com rather than on my own server. And for now, just making certain that I have an easy way to post during my upcoming return to China (Sept. 15-29) in the event that I have limited ability to publish on the main site. A safety net then…

A quick blip, then off to bed. Much news. Plenty. Busier than a hive full of bumblebees. But nicer.

First of all, snowed like hell this weekend. Two feet of fluffy white stuff in about 24 hours. They’d told us we’d miss the snow. Or it would miss us. Then they said 1″-4″ which they later upgraded to 4″-6″ but we got slam-oed anyway, meteorologists be damned! And now we’ve enjoyed two splendid sunshine-y days. Snow’s intact. Air’s cold. The world’s a beautiful, happy place. For now.

In other good news, got the first every ShipStore.com Beacon out on Sunday. Pretty impressive response too. Hoping it continues to be more positive than negative feedback, though both kinds will help us figure out what we need to improve upon. And eBay auction numero uno for the Psion Revo™ is wrapped up. Sold as well or better than I had hoped, and payment has been quickly wrapped up. Now it’s my turn to ship out the goods. And several more auctions wrapping up soon… Good night, world.

Another absolutely sublime morning. I awoke in the midst of a snowstorm, as if someone had upended a vast container full of the lightest, whitest down. As I drank my tea and set up some more eBay auctions, the snow ceased and the sun burst out. Almost an hour later, the ground is covered in fluffy white snow and the sky is blue. This magnificent weather reminds me of my winters in the Southwest. It would snow hard and fast, then the clouds would vanish, leaving a magnificent day to play in the snow and sun…

So today I’ve worked on getting some software listed. It’s funny, as I finally get around to listing all of the things that I’ve unpacked from Paris and no longer need, I’m getting more and more motivated to really “clean house”. There’s just so much I need to get rid of, and eBay may just be the perfect virtual-yard-sale-venue for me to do it. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. I’m getting the hang of listing, doing it all in HTML to avoid using the rather rudimentary template eBay provides. But it still is not such a quick process. Actually, the listing is pretty quick, but the content creation takes some time. Perhaps just a bit more dull to do it for software, but some of the future items will be more fun to write about, I imagine.

So what’re the latest listings? Four software programs:

• Encyclopédie Hachette des Vins de France 2000 Multimedia CD-Rom
• Universal Translator Standard Edition CD-Rom for PC
• Easy Language 17 Language Edition PC/MAC Compatible CD-ROM
• Teacher’s Toolbox Deluxe by AbleSoft PC/MAC Compatible CD-ROM

Okay. Enough procrastination. Back to work on the newsletter, then out to enjoy the splendid day.

First snowfall of the year! Not much stuck on the ground now, but for a couple of hours it was a whirling white blizzard outside. Of course it came at exactly the same time that I need to drive into Elizabethtown for my vehicle inspection. Good opportunity to test out the Subaru AWD and the verdict is… She’s a beaut! Hauled me through the slippery roads in time to dump the car and head out for a blustery 3.5 mile run.

Then home again to discovery that we won’t be riding today. Too slippery for the horses despite the fact that snow has stopped falling and is already mostly melted.

Other news: Email Forward of the Day. Like most every other soul existing in cyber universe, I detest email forwards, chain letters, etc. But every once in a while a really nifty one comes along. Today was one of those days. Actually a double header, but I’ll only post the one funny stab at Uncle Sam. Who knows where these things are born. If I knew the author’s name, I’d credit her (him?) but I don’t so I won’t.

Here goes: “The U.S. government announced today that it is changing its emblem to a condom because it more clearly reflects the government’s political stance. A condom stands up to inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you’re being screwed. It just doesn’t get more accurate than that.” Yowzer!

And in final news, twenty five visitors to my eBay auction. Ce-le-bra-tion Time, come on! Bidding has totally stalled out after the first one. Hmmm… Obviously I need to be patient to see what’s going to happen. Excited to watch this play out, but sure would enjoy having some competitive bidding. I’ll keep you posted.

Still haven’t been able to get the Blogger.com upgrade to work so that I can begin adding pictures here. Not sure what the ongoing problem is, but my brother’s had some good luck getting hold of support. Maybe technicolor images will start appearing soon. Hang in there, I’m working on it.

So the first step toward lightening the load has begun. A small step, to be sure, but a step nonetheless. My first eBay auction is now underway. An old-ish camera and a lens set that maximizes its utility will soon pass from my ownership to another. Feeling my way. Always difficult to separate oneself from one’s possessions, but my return from Europe and the inevitable winnowing of goods as I turn a Paris home and a Rome home into one small Adirondack home will mean sucking it up and spreading my possessions around. Not certain yet how I’ll proceed, but at first I just want to get a feel for this exciting eBay marketplace. Once I’m a bit more seasoned, I may try to list several items at once. For now, slow and steady. A single bid on the camera so far. Will be curious how many more before it is sold. No reserve, so will probably sell low, despite the value.

On other fronts, had a glorious sunny weekend. Lake Champlain icy blue and rough. The air crisp. Went for a lunch hike up Coon Mtn. with brother, MHD, MHD’s sister, MHD’s nephews. And cocktails and dinner with friends on Saturday evening. A great four mile jog that was more effortless than expected. Writing well again, rewriting early chapters of a novel that one-day-some-day may be completed and forgotten so that I can move on to another. Funny world. A happy, exciting time. Received a wonderful link from a friend who used to live in Rome when I did. You must take a look. If you are at acquainted with Italy, with living in Italy, you will appreciate the humor. I’ve watched and then re-watched, showing my brother as an excuse. Life is good when we remember to laugh. Over and out.

Back in the Adirondacks. Life is good. Though rainy and foggy like my last entry. A nice weekend though. And end of week. Balmy in NYC. A couple of magnificent runs in Central Park. Another in Montclair. On Thursday we went to a splendid evening at the New York Philharmonic. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, Piano Concerto No. 3 and Symphony No. 5 with Lorin Maazel conducting and Gianluca Cascioli tickling the ivories. Though somehow that expression seems to better fit Fats Domino…

Bought a car on eBay in the hopes that it will solve the mobility, mpg, affordability equation. Time will tell. It’s a cute little Subaru Outback Sport. Green. 30+ mpg and AWD so I’m pretty optimistic. Off to take a two night Defensive Driving Course tomorrow so that my points will be reduced after the speeding ticket in Colorado this summer. Insurance company zing-ed me for that. That and the fact that I’ve been out of the US for several years and not insured. Aaargh. Apparently they’ll drop my rates in six months, but only if I remember to ask them. You better bet I’ll remember!

Going on a full week of good writing sessions. Editing first half dozen chapters of the never-ending-novel in the hopes that I can sustain this focus and manage to continue to prioritize it. Send positive vibes my way. Oh, and my shipment from Paris finally arrived, so I’ve spent two days trying to unpack and find places for all this stuff, wondering which things to keep and which to trot out for eBay-ers to consider for their collections. Need to lighten the load. Hoping that eBay might serve as a good matchmaker. Updates to follow.

Another pea soup day in NYC. A super productive 16 hr. day yesterday seems to have prompted a backlash today. A little too much procrastination, but what better time to update the blog?!?!

Glad to see that the October 18th entry on my homepage is once again making the successful link to two spirit-lifting, buttock-waggling audio and visual treats. If you haven’t visited yet, seize the momentum before inertia or techno-gremlins interfere. For a while they weren’t loading and the main site they derive from (see the entry for details) was offline or maxing-out its bandwidth or, well, or something else… A new link today, for a different flavor of soul raising, was discovered by my mother and forwarded. Visit Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming or just go to the Oremus Hymnal homepage and search for one of your own. I’m no goddie, but this is cool, no? And, before slipping back into the ether, check out DanWinckler.com for another blogger who’s managed a pretty slick interface for the curious voyeur. Apparently he’s a friend of Beth, the woman behind The North Carolina Experiment and The Study of Design. Of primary interest is his video blog, an idea that appeals to me and that I’ve tried to figure out an easy way to experiment with. So far, no dice. The downloads are slow and I can’t find a reasonably efficient way to upload, update, present, etc.

A few experiments that are online, but which remain painfully slow for visitors to access are The Pompidou Fountain, Les Halles Juggler, and Les Halles Musicians. Well, how’s that for a link-heavy blog? Cheers!

Greetings from Urumqi, China. The clearest morning since I arrived in Beijing several days ago, due partly I suppose to a diminished smog level in this northwestern city. Will be heading off to Turpan (Turfan) today and then back to Urumqi on Saturday, Beijing on Sunday night. Some super photos this morning of the sunrise, but you’ll have to wait. Sorry. More when I return.

Just received this forward which claims to be the result of a bunch of six year olds’ attempts to complete some standard maxims. Pretty funny. Proverbial wisdom & humor!

A first grade teacher collected well-known proverbs. She gave each child in her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It’s hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are first graders… 6-year-olds, because the last one is classic!

1. Better to be safe than… punch a 5th grader.

2. Strike while the… bug is close.

3.  It’s always darkest before… Daylight Saving Time.

4. Never underestimate the power of… termites.

5. You can lead a horse to water but… how?

6. Don’t bite the hand that… looks dirty.

7. No news is… impossible.

8. A miss is as good as a… Mr.

9. You can’t teach an old dog new… math.

10. If you lie down with dogs, you’ll… stink in the morning.

11. Love all, trust… me.

12.  The pen is mightier than the… pigs.

13. An idle mind is… the best way to relax.

14. Where there’s smoke there’s… pollution.

15. Happy the bride who… gets all the presents.

16. A penny saved is… not much.

17. Two’s company, three’s… the Musketeers.

18. Don’t put off till tomorrow what… you put on to go to bed.

19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and… you have to blow your nose.

20. There are none so blind as… Stevie Wonder.

21. Children should be seen and not… spanked or grounded.

22. If at first you don’t succeed… get new batteries.

23. You get out of something only what you… see in the picture on the box.

24. When the blind leadeth the blind… get out of the way.

And the favorite:

25. Better late than… pregnant!!!!

I’m sooo with you, email forwards are a drag. Except when they aren’t!

I just received one that added some overdue levity to my day. It allegedly represents real classified advertisements. Thought it was worth sharing.

Free Yorkshire Terrier: 8 years old. Hateful little dog. Bites.

Free puppies: 1/2 Cockerspaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor’s dog.

FREE PUPPIES: Part German Shepherd, part stupid dog.

GERMAN SHEPHERD 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German. Free.

FOUND: Dirty white dog. Looks like a rat… Been out awhile… Better be a reward.

1 MAN, 7 WOMAN HOT TUB –$850/offer

SNOW BLOWER FOR SALE: only used on snowy days.

COWS, CALVES: Never bred…also 1 gay bull for sale.

NORDIC TRACK $300 hardly used, call Chubby.

HUMMERS: Largest selection ever. “If it’s in stock, we have it!”

GEORGIA PEACHES: California grown – 89 cents lb.

NICE PARACHUTE: never opened – used once.

Joining nudist colony! Must sell washer & dryer $300.

Alzheimer’s Center prepares for an affair to remember.

OPEN HOUSE: Body Shapers Toning Salon. Free coffee & donuts.

FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000.00 or best offer. No longer needed. Got married last month. ****Wife knows everything.****