A Butterfly Blogs..

January 01, 2003

Today someone asked about finding counseling for a low~income couple. This was a post on a general message board so anyone could answer as appropriate. My own answer, while relatively short, does give what I think are a couple of decent places to start looking for counseling or support groups on topics such as anger management. These are two very brave, gutsy people for taking that first step that will help them live a happier, healthier life as the weight of whatever is affecting them is lifted.
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I read something today that was very appropriate for me and that I have just this second applied to my new brand new blog that I am setting up here. A webmaster REALLY has to sit down and take a look at what direction their new website will take as it evolves. Plan for the future. So I did just now. I only have a couple of blog bytes right now, but eventually there will be more. Attached to those will be the various posts and emails that I send out for all kinds of personal and professional business relationships. I figured I had better break it down into easily searchable segments or I was going to quickly have a HUMONGOUS mess going in just a couple of months' time. If You're wondering what I am talking about, I broke down my bits and pieces into months of the year. Seems silly right now, but I will truly appreciate my own forethought when January 01, 2004, rolls around in, oh, another year or so..

January 02, 2003

I saw where someone asked for input about how to concentrate while trying to take online classes. They had been laid off and were using tuition to pay for the classes. Their concern was that they were slowly losing interest in the classes. I typed to them, but basically I could only offer moral support. Sometimes, though, this can help as much as anything else because it helps let people know that they are not alone. :grin:

January 08, 2003

On my way back from Walmart today, I heard Trace Adkins' country music song, "Chrome". Now that I have seen the lyrics, somehow I think it's kind of me.
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I love co~inky~dinkies.. After I had just contemplated going with "Splash Designs" as the name for my new web design business, I found this in my Iwon horoscope: "The wall you have been stuck up against suddenly comes crumbling to the ground. Your newfound creativity at work feels like a new world being born around you. Take this opportunity to splash out in all directions, and leave the cleanup to those who like such details. You're in a hurry to keep up with the outer edges of an expanding world. Take as many people with you as your vehicle can hold." It also told me that someone wanted my body. <Giggle Blush!>

January 09, 2003

I have a new favorite asked question from a surfer out on the Web. They wanted to know if Internet Explorer could break. I still have tears rolling down my cheeks..
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I am not into hunting in any way, shape, or form, but I accidentally came across this ESPN hunting story about a supposed 5~point buck that turned out to be a doe.

January 10, 2003

No matter how hard I try, I am going to rename whatever I am working on at least 3 times before I am content. Case in point: Tonfusion Say .

January 11, 2003

Working again on (what else!), my webpages.. Keeps me off the streets.. LOL! I found this page of quotes I forgot I had been collecting occasionally. Have no place to put them so for now this is the only link to them. They're nothing special. Just things that hit me right when I happened across them.

January 14, 2003

Well, I've done it now! Went down to one of the local newspapers in this area, the Town-Courier (Ellijay, Georgia), and posted my first ad about my webdesign services. I've begun advertising what I will call my "Online Businesscard Package", $175.00 for one legal~sized page hosted for a year at the client's own domain name. I've talked to several other papers recently while trying to get up the nerve to do just this. This particular newspaper's employees were extremely nice and helpful. Thanks, ladies!

January 16, 2003

Spent the morning "battening the hatches" because of the snow and/or sleet expected later on in the afternoon. Tony C and his wife had dropped off a load of firewood for me yesterday. Got it all up on the porch just in time. Was done not 20 minutes before it started to sleet. Had about an inch of the pretty white stuff sitting on the lawn (where'd that word come from?) at the end of the day. Dogs could care less. LOL! Where's a kid when you need one?! I'm in the mood for a good snow fight! :grin:

January 17, 2003

Hmmm.. Another new day..
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It must have been man~bashing day from what I read in my Siglets.com email. One quote said, "I've learned that no matter how good a guy is, he'll eventually revert." The other quote, attributed to Edward Abbey, said, "When a man's best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem." I haven't quite figured that one out yet..

January 18, 2003

Spent ALL of today moving miscellaneous files around for the website I made about my 1958 Studebaker Transtar truck. I got tired of all the popups that seem to come up anymore when you visit that site. I know the site is free, but it had really gotten out of hand, 5 or 6 popups before the page would load. Now it's hosted over at Geocities. Still have popups, but at least they're a little bit more under control. Ah, the price of free.. :grin:

January 19, 2003

Today's project consisted of reworking the old Studebaker site so that it is still there since it is at the top of its search category. It now takes surfers over to the new site I created at Geocities. If THAT wasn't fun!! I've reworked, moved, deleted, and otherwise bumbled some 300+ Studebaker~related pages and images in the last 24 hours. OY VEY!
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Hee hee! Just got an email from my sister.. Debbie's got a da~ate! Debbie's got a da~ate!

January 20, 2003

Been trying to figure out accessibility issues today. Working with font's "em" size. Actually think I may already almost have it although I'm having a problem with the last line of every paragraph being offset. As soon as I figure that bug out, my sites will be switched to the "em" for the fonts anyway. This way, every time a surfer holds down the CTRL key and rolls their mouse wheel or goes to "View" (top of IE screen) then "Text Size", they will be able to size my content to one that is readable for them (as much as the computer allows anyway). Try it if you haven't done so before. You might normally keep it at the medium size, but isn't it nice to know that you have the option for webpages with teeny~tiny fonts? Bear in mind that you will still find pages (like mine for the time being) where the font size seems to be frozen. This is a result of the type of coding that is used. As I mentioned, mine should be "fixed" pretty soon. Hopefully this week!

January 21, 2003

<Giggle!> I'm a published poet! An email I received from CodeAmber.org had an unusual look to its expanded header. Upon researching it, I came across the Habeas site. They have an interesting concept about stamping emails as safe. Whether or not their idea catches on will tell over time.

January 22, 2003

Well, my very first ad should be in the paper today. I know it will take time. Even Bill Gates had to start out somewhere. :wink:

January 23, 2003

Been up since 5 and had no idea how wonderfully white the world became this morning! I had heard something ticking on the window but just thought it was rain. NOT! Opened my back door to a flurry of little wings and hundreds of little dirty birdie foot~prints all over the back porch. Time to toss some more seed..
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Woohoo!! Just under 100 pending emails in my inbox for the first time in 2 years! (We won't talk about the other 500 sitting off to the side in the other folders.. ugh!) Found this link still in my emailbox for some reason. I had received a newsletter from ZDNet about the same time a LOT of folks over at AskEarth.com were fighting this "worm". Those who help where they can by answering questions were suffering right along with them, too. It just seems like every time users get a handle on the garbage, someone out there makes the garbage just a little dirtier..

January 28, 2003

Going through the gas like crazy the last couple of months. Checked for leaks and everything, but can't figure out what is going on. Where's Hank Hill when you need him?! PS.. Check out that page if you have time just for the sake of seeing an example of one site's method of navigation. I'm surprised to see what many would call a poorly~designed navigation system on a webpage for an organization as big as FOX. If a surfer doesn't accidentally drag their cursor over the characters and see the pointer change to a hand (signaling a pending link), the surfer wouldn't know the faces actually hide links to more information. I say, I say, "Hmmmmm! Verrry interesting!"

January 29, 2003

Answered a question today about metric and English conversions on measurements. Does anyone else out there remember when we had this stuff toss down our little throats because it was going to be the way of the world when we were old f*rts (like our teachers)? And then, for me, that always brings to mind how they spent what seemed like forever teaching us 3~letter abbreviations for states and how to skip spaces (no commas) when adding the state and zip code on an envelope. And then, and then.. THAT juicy, totally useless little tidbit brings to mind that I really need to get back to "work"..

January 30, 2003

Aaaaaaaaaah! Total freakout.. lol (Laugh Out Loud)!! Don't know why but I just googled my Butterfly Bytes. It's there! Giggle.. It wasn't yesterday, and I just submitted 2 days ago knowing full well it would be 2 months before I'd make it to the Internet search engines. I really wasn't necessarily ready just this second. I mean to make this work so I want all my bytes, bits, blogs, and biscellaneous in order if anyone happens to peek in on what I'm doing. Too late now.. lol! Hi, all!
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Well, another poor son~a~ma~gun's computer got nabbed by a porn site. This question is almost a daily occurrence over at AskEarth.com. My own normal suggestion is for users in this predicament to visit TrendMicro.com and run their free online anti~virus scan. Follow that up with a download and running of the free anti-spyware, anti-adware, anti-malware program, Ad-Aware at Lavasoft. Follow that up by going to your "Internet Options" through "Tools" at the top of your Internet Explorer window. There you will find several options for cleaning up your recent surfing history, cookies, and cache. Usually after suggesting this cleanup, I never hear back from users so I'm not sure if it worked completely. I'm sure the user is embarrassed enough that they don't show their face any more than is absolutely necessary. <Giggle!>
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This'll teach me not to look over my Programmer's Heaven newsletter. I suggested a poll to them two weeks ago, and it's already been run, tallied, and archived. I get no credit for this one, but there it is, by gosh and golly! Cool beans.. So.. Anyway.. I am currently creating in XHTML 1.0. What HTML standard do YOU use for designing websites?

January 31, 2003

"Der Spring is sprung,
Der grass is riz..
I wunder where dem boidies is..

Der little boids is on der wings..
Ain't that obsoid!
Der little wings is on der boids!!"

Ok, so it isn't quite Spring yet, but just try telling that to the big fat squirrel and the red~tailed hawk that are playing a hot and heavy game of hide~and~seek in my back yard right now. :grin:
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I've gone and done it! Waiting to see if I can reserve the business name of Butterfly Bytes.. We'll see what happens. I hated that part where they said they would send me my confirmation number or the rejection. UGH!
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Woohoo!! FOX NASCAR commercial.. Boogity, boogity, boogity!! Go, #6! Shhh.. Don't tell anyone, but I got what had to be the last Mark Martin HotWheels Racing diecast at Walmart tonight. It is a Pa~fizer Pickup Truck. A man after my own heart. If I didn't know better, I'd say that someone had buried it so they could come back later and get it because I found it back down and underneath some completely unrelated cars. Doesn't sound like anything I would ever do.. <Walks away whistling innocently>
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CUTE site in my Cool Site of the Day email. Check out BackyardJungle.org where kids can share online with other kids about things they find in their own backyards.