Random

One of those random thought posts today.

I’m developing a real skill at putting in my contacts. You have to keep your hands clean, have a dry cloth that doesn’t shed, and look straight at the finger while inserting. haha  It sounds corny but when I look away, I almost always screw up getting into my eye. It ends up folded over my finger. I’ve also learned that if your eyes feel cruddy or irritated in anyway, it is best to skip putting in contacts till they feel more normal.

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I broke my Z3 while I was down in L.A. I was 2 days past my jump date when it happened too. [1]I’m on the Tmobile Jump! plan, which lets me upgrade every 6 months  I really loved the battery life on the Z3. The not being able to root it as easily as other devices didn’t bother me as much because the battery was so good.  Since all the signs are pointing that Tmo may not actually bring Lollipop to the Z3f, I opted to go back to Samsung and get the S6. I’ve always liked the S-series with Sammy, the S6 is no different. Sadly, it has a much poorer battery life than the Z3. It’s even a tiny bit worse than the S5. I guess I got spoiled on the Z3 because my expectations are very high now.‘

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In a bit of scandalous news, I’m inching closer to being debt-free again! I decided to sell the land my dad left me to one of my nephews. This way it will stay in the family and go to good use. I’ll never live there again and I got a pretty decent price for it. I’m working on a few loos ends but if everything goes well, I’ll be debt-free in a matter of months. Ironically, a big chunk of my debt came from getting some of the legal problems surrounding my dad’s will sorted out. If you’ve ever crawled out from under a large amount of debt, you’ll know how awesome it is! More to come later on this little tidbit of news.

References

References
↑1 I’m on the Tmobile Jump! plan, which lets me upgrade every 6 months

Error

Has anyone else noticed a decline in the overall quality of news as of late? I seem to be noticing more and more that traditional publications (online and off) are just getting sloppy.

I keep up with a variety of news and tech sites. Almost every day I read or see gross incompetence glaring errors in published articles. Be it, the title is inappropriately devoid of punctuation, random typos, or flat out bad reporting, it is more and more common. Part of me wonders if the encroachment of blo​gging and other non-traditional platforms are the reason. Maybe the traditional media outlets feel pressured to get news out quickly and catching errors is an afterthought. That would at least explain the punctuation and typos. However, it does not explain the bad reporting.

A couple of my favorite news sites for all things Android are just going from bad to worse lately. One site posted a review between the S6 and the M9 based solely on the specs. No actual hands on review, just the specs. And the author admitted as much it the article. Sadly, his review was just flat out wrong. Specs can be impressive but anyone who has owned multiple smartphones can tell you higher specs doesn’t always mean better. Said site seems to be getting worse in this area. I’m to the point of just removing it from my news feed.

The other site posted a link, retracted it, changed a few facts and the title, and then pushed it out again. [1]I do this one a lot in error so can relate I guess they forgot that their RSS feed pushes out notifications. I opt for the ‘full text’ option on RSS updates so I had a birds-eye view of the corrections. At least the updated article had corrected several errors and inaccuracies. I emailed the author politely to let him know and he acted like I was being a dick! I mean, how dare I point out his stupid mistake so he can avoid it in the future?

I’ll be the first to admit my writing style is not perfect. I use a lot of deliberate slang and colloquialisms in my writing style. I am not trying to be overly critical as much as point out the declining accuracy in the written text. I tend to overlook the casual error but if I am being completely honest, I tend to not trust articles that are so poorly written. If you can’t be bothered to proof-read your work, how am I supposed to trust the content?

References

References
↑1 I do this one a lot in error so can relate

Deep

Someone asked me the other day, “why I don’t talk about deep subjects like I used to.”  Well, I guess the answer is I grew up. lol

My blog started all those years ago as a coping mechanism. It turned into a path to enlightenment. And it worked! I confronted, challenged, and defeated many of my childhood insecurities and failings. I put them in their proper place in my id and moved on with life. Don’t get me wrong, I still have some but they aren’t the overwhelming plague they used to be.

I got a good birds-eye view of some of my old writings while I was merging the old and new blog together. I always like reading my past rants. It’s almost like reading a different person in some ways. It brings perspective to  where I am now compared to where I was.

Anyway, I’m sure there are still a few “deep” subjects left in me. hehehe  If one surfaces, I’ll be sure to put it all out there. Ironically, for someone who didn’t feel very moral, I find these days I tend to comment more on the failing morals of society at large. There’s a kick to the rubber pants if there ever was one.

Doofus

Get up early

Get Cooper fed/watered/walked

Go to gym to do cardio

Come home with enough to get ready for work

Arrive at work minus your badge/access card

Rush home on lunch break to get said card

Realize what a doofus you are because the the access card was tucked into your jacket pocket. Said jacket, you’ve had with you every step of the way.

Grace

Striking a pose
Striking a pose

And just when you thought you’d seen enough posts dedicated to the Cooper Pooper, here’s another one.

Ain’t he just adorbs in this pic? So regal, so graceful, so elegant…NOT! Don’t let that smile fool you. He is the farting-ist, smelly bulldog you could ever meet! Even with a very strict diet, he routinely stinks up the place. heehee

Otherwise, he doing quite well these days. It doesn’t even seem like it’s been 3 years since I rescued him (and he me). He is coming up on his 6th birthday in May.

I’ve mentioned several times my concerns about his future health. Bullies are prone to health problems, but being white makes Cooper even more so. So far he is still doing well. [1]Bullies that are over-bred can die sometimes as early as 6 Other than his ever present sensitive skin, he has only shown small signs of developing arthritis. It seems minor and does not need medication as of yet.

Since he loves being under the covers anytime he is allowed in the bed, I’ve taken to throwing one of his blankets over him at night before he goes to bed. He looks so cute all tucked-in in. And make no mistake, he loves it.

I’m starting a new vitamin/supplement regimen for him soon. He already eats really healthy, but I am hoping to be as proactive as possible. I want my Pooper to have as much quality of life as quantity as he moves into his “golden years.”

References

References
↑1 Bullies that are over-bred can die sometimes as early as 6

Crunchy

Ever leave contact lenses out in the air for more than an hour? They turn into tiny brittle discs of plastic. They crumple under any but the lightest touches. hehe

I took a pair out the other day and sat them on the coffee table. I’d had them in all day and it was time. Normally, I discard them but I was gaming and left them. I had completely forgotten about them when I found the little discs later. It took me a few minutes to realize what I was seeing.

It was kinda creepy. Only because of the idea of these things having been in my eyes just a couple hours previous. I even had a dream that night that they dried up inside my eyes and I was running around with crispy eyeballs. lol

I should have taken a picture. It would have been cool to share. I wonder if they would have reshaped themselves if I had put them back in water? Hmmmmm?

Fit

I’m still struggling to get back into a consistent gym schedule. I just can’t seem to find the motivation I used to have. hehe I’ve gained a few pounds but overall I’m just squishy vs being over-weight.

I guess being in a relationship will do that to ya. It isn’t that I feel I don’t need to workout anymore so much as I just seem not to prioritize it like I used to. Being on a 4-day 10-hour schedule didn’t work very well for me last time I did it so I’m sure being on said shift now isn’t helping. But that is a bit of a cop-out. lol If it was important to me, I’d make it happen. I still go at least once a week, it is the consistency that is the struggle.

The irony is anytime I go to the gym, I immediately miss all the things about it that I like. I’ve just gotten complacent and content. Said duo are turning out to be a powerful combo to overcome.

Yet, I keep trying. I’ll eventually find my groove again. It may not be as intense as it was in the past but I know eventually my desire will override the complacency.

Leave

It is probably a good thing I am not a parent (of a human child). I can barely Cooper Smilestand to leave Cooper alone when I go on trips, I’m not sure I’d be able to with a kid.

We’re traveling to LA this weekend and I’m already sad that I have to leave him behind? I haven’t even left yet!  Granted, he is in good hands w/his Uncle Carl, but that isn’t the point. We would take him but our hosts already have a dog and I’d hate to cause them undue problems if they didn’t get along.

We went for a nice walk today and played on the floor for awhile. He got all his wrinkles (and ears) freshly cleaned so he wont’t be a burden to his Uncle. He is currently passed out from his walk and will probably not even notice I’m gone for awhile. lol We’re back on Monday so I’m not even gone that long. I’d probably be one of ‘those fathers‘ if I had a kid. hehehe

I’m headed to pick up Shawn from the airport and we are driving down to LA to see his two besties.

Blank

Turning-Broken-Links-to-Your-Site-into-Powerful-LinksApparently, I broke something while adding all my security protections. When I update my blog by email now, the title comes across but the post is blank. I’m tinkering with it to see what it is. If you are subscriber the posts are there, just the summary in the email is blank. The RSS feed is usually unaffected.

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On a tangent, someone asked me the other day what ISP I used. I use Lunarpages.com They are a small host and I use one their shared hosting packages. They give you a lot of control over your account; however, you’re kinda on your own for support. Don’t get me wrong, they do offer tech support but on shared hosting accounts it is limited. If it is something critical, like an outage, they are available 24/7, but for day to day stuff it is 8-5 hours or email only. They offer more robust packages but they obviously cost more.

Having been at this for 11 years now, I’m all about keeping my costs down. I dont advertise on le blog and all the cotst to maintain it comes out of my own pocket. You can see where a bitch likes things on the cheap! heehee

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On yet another tangent, I discovered a plugin that allows you to directly grab pictures from your Google Drive account. I use Google to backup all my photos on my phone. Everything gets sent to a private folder. That part is awesome. The process of trying to convert said image to a link or import it into my blog is often very tedious. Now I have a plugin that connects directly to my drive and I can import pics directly. It removes about 2 steps in the process.  Who knew?

PSA: Retailers

​Here is a PSA to retailers. I get it that you want to maintain contact w/your new and existing clients who shop your websites. It is awesome that you wish to maintain a connection to your shoppers.

What is not awesome is when you bombard your perspective new clients with daily and weekly emails trying to sell your wares. Even worse, when I unsubscribe from your emails, you continue to send them with a message, “oh it might take days or weeks to unsubscribe.” You ain’t fooling no one.

And when you tell me, “we do not sell or give away your email”, you are a liar! I know because I routinely use fake email accounts with your business name @ my domain. Since I have a catch-all account for emails randomly sent to anything @ mydomain I can see how many times you sell my data.

/rant