I noticed an odd thing after the cable modem was in place: I could load webpages lightning fast...just as I expected...but I could not load the homepage for my new ISP. So I sent an e mail asking for help; they replied saying I should be able to load the page in any browser..and they had no information on Firefox, which is my default browser, so I should ask someone familiar with Firefox about the issue. So, off to the support forums I went. I posted there and got the help I needed, and now the page loads perfectly. The settings for my QuickTime plug-in needed tweaking. Sometimes, being tenacious can be a pain, but I find it pays off more often than not.

The cable technician finnally did arrive. Our phone had been disconnected by the time he tried to call to say he was on the way, and Jay had to call to say we were waiting for him. It didn't take very long to get everything set up, and it's working great. We now have features on our phone for free that we used to have to pay extra for, plus a lot of other cool services that are included in the package...for less than we were paying before. It's a win-win situation; I'll take those anytime I can get them.

Today! We're getting a package deal from our cable company that will save about $100 per month on telephone, cable, and internet access bills. We've had our cable back for six months, and there was an ad for the package, so Jay called and set it up to be installed after we discussed it. Competition is a wonderful thing.

I'm up earler than usual...not entirely by choice. Let's just say I had medication for breakfast. You don't want the details.

I did some preliminary work on my recipes blog (kitchen classics) last night. At least the misadventure has pushed me to create a folder for the recipes instead of having them scattered. Organization is a good thing. When I've got it done, I will put the link back in the sidebar; I haven't yet decided what to do about the Firefox one. I may or may not resurrect it (does anyone read it?) Besides, most of those tips have come from other sources, and I've just pulled them together. Still, it may be worth doing. Food for thought. I was amazed how panicked I felt when I thought I'd lost this blog. I've gone from "I'm never going to have a blog. Who needs them?" to "I'm never going to be without a blog." It's right up there on the must-have list with internet access.

I've tried to make a link for this site on my blog....
For just about as long as I've been tinkering with the template, and I haven't been able to get it to work as a link...so here's another route. This is a site where some of my friends hang out. You may or may not agree with them, but it is a fun site. The name of the site is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and has a history behind it that I won't go into here.

Here's a list of software I've recently installed, in no particular order:

w.bloggar
Stick
AutoPlay Repair
Bubbler
TweakUI
NoteTab Pro (re-install)
KeePass
Celestia
AlleyCode
InTouch
Pretty Good Solitaire
FlashPaste
Crimson Editor
Simply Safe Backup 2005
E-Sword
Irfanview
WindowBlinds
FileZilla
Ultra Hal Text-to-Speech Reader
I need to burn some files to CD's soon...

Yesterday I mentioned I had e mailed the creators of NoteTab Pro about a support issue. I got a response today, and the problem has been successfully resolved. (The help files were missing from the program.) What I needed to do was to re-install the software. The e mail I received contained clear and helpful instructions for doing so, and everything is back to normal. I consider the support to be excellent. This is a versatile text editor for all kinds of tasks, and I use it multiple times per day. I would not want to be without it, any more than I ever want to be without AlleyCode, Filezilla, Firefox or a number of other favorites. I'm a very loyal user, and I don't hesitate to recognize the quality of support, good or bad. I tend to delete software for which the support is indifferent or bad; who has time or the desire to use software for which there is poor (or no) support? Certainly not moi.

I've even burned the application's exe file to a cd for safekeeping, so now I can reinstall when necessary. No more worrying about hard drive crashes/upgrade issues nuking my file...(I know, I know...I also back up my other files!)

I did spend some time working on my web page, but WebBuilder is turning out not to be as easy to use at it appeared it would at first glance...so I don't know if I'm going to work on it more now or not. I tend to become easily frustrated, since I can clearly "see" how I want the page to look in my mind...and yet, it's not so simple to get there. So I get impatient. You should see my bookmarks lists...they are massive, because I collect so many on a daily basis for later reference. Seems like I'm just determined to remain a packrat, one way or another! I'd like to do some baking today, since I didn't get to it yesterday.

I had to get some help from our unit timekeeper to figure out my time and leave this week. Good news is, I'll have 20 hours of leave built up by the end of this week; not so good news is I had one hour of Leave without pay...sigh. I think my most recent bout of bronchitis is responsible for most of that.

Today really is much better than yesterday. For one thing, I did get my banana bread (two loaves) baked first thing. I had to use the bananas before they got too ripe. I dislike black bananas intensely.

I decided for now to shelve Webbuilder. So I went looking for other software that I can use to create webpages. I found Alleycode. It's a silly sounding name, but it does work well. I particularly like being able to actually edit the code, nd the Synchroview feature is handy because I can watch the page develop, step by step. Webbuilder would enter anything I typed, but I couldn't edit if I made mistakes. Plus, Alleycode has a full tutorial and much better help documentation. I completed most of the turotial, and successfully reproduced the example page. Which reminds me, I e mailed Fookes software last night about an issue I'm having with NoteTab Pro. I suppose I won't have a response until sometime this week.

I also got into "my" site at f2o using FileZilla. That in itself was gratifying, since I have zero experience with most of this currently. And none of it costs a cent!!! I've found tutorials, scads of resources and lots of utilities online.

I even had a good chat with Lauren on the phone this morning; she called as I was about to finish the batter for the bread. Dylan even said "hi", although mostly he just smiled, according to Lauren. Her reply when I asked if she and Dylan wanted to come over and have some of the bread was, "save me some!" That's partly why I made two...but there are no guarantees.

It promises to be a stormy night here...welcome to spring. We've been under severe weather advisories/alerts all day. I've finished work, and the weekend is going to be educational, to say the least. I am going to do some coding for my own website...which should fill up a lot of tomorrow. So much to learn!

I'm also going to work on Bubbler just for fun. My sister and I may collaborate on a website; it's a topic under discussion currently.

I've decided not to have Dylan over this weekend, so it will be easier to focus on these plans; it's not fair to him to try to do it when he's here.

I'm also going to bake, probably banana bread.

Jay had a meeting yesterday with his attorney to prepare for his Social Security hearing next week. I went along for moral support, and he said I was a help to him during the appointment. I hope so.

Lauren took Dylan to his pediatrician today for a checkup. He's been a lot more cranky than normal, and he is not usually cranky at all. Turns out, he's cutting some jaw teeth. No wonder he's out of sorts. He also had to have five shots. Poor little guy. He held up really well for the first three, but by the last two, he was crying. Lauren held him and comforted him, and she was really wonderful with him. She also played with him before the doctor came into the exam room. (all of this is per Grampy's account; Grammy had to stay at home and work.

Lauren told me that when the doctor finished, she didn't want to agitate Dylan further by trying to re-dress him, so when they arrived here, he was only wearing his diaper. By then, his smile was firmly back in place. He is so well bonded to his mother, and it's a joy to see. I'm glad she is sensitive to his needs.

I told her I was proud of her for the way she is caring for him. She seemed genuinely puzzeled, but I just think she needed to hear me say I'm proud of her. And it's true. She is a good mommy. Dylan is very happy when he's with her.