Category Archives: Web Schtuff

7 Quick Takes: Clearing out My Links Cache

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

A serious uff-da! In #5 of last week’s Quick Takes, I completely blanked on having met Kym in 2011. This is why I crowdsourced stuff last week — I’m lacking the brain power and memory to do this well! Sorry, Kym.

— 2 —

Ulcer. For those who don’t normally read this blog, I ended up in Urgent Care last Saturday afternoon with stomach pain, nausea, and some other unpleasant symptoms. After an equally unpleasant exam, I was put on omeprazole (because giving me Dexilant would be wrong even if it is what works) and told to get in with my PA to get a referral to a G-I specialist. I was also given a list of foods to avoid. My PA ordered blood, various other labs, and an abdominal ultrasound as well as giving me a referral to a G-I specialist. All but the ultrasound have been done (the ultrasound will be August 18th and I’ll be having to go 12 hours without food or water which is not making me happy) so, God willing, I’ll have some preliminary results in a couple days.

— 3 —

So you’re, like, Catholic, right? I’m Episcopalian and apparently, autocorrect can’t spell it. Some of these suggestions are pretty funny, especially the one about cotillions because Episcopalians have tended to be the richer people on the mainline Christian spectrum.

— 4 —

Secret Catholics in Jamestown?!?!?!?!? Apparently, one of the bodies dug up was buried with a reliquary. Considering that a number of settlers fled England due to religious persecution, it makes total sense that one (or many) was a crypto-Catholic. The Anglican church is also very similar in terms of worship to the Roman Catholic Church so someone who was privately Catholic could hide in plain sight. That’s not to say that Jamestown wasn’t anti-Catholic; but it was not any worse than it would have been to stay on the other side of the Atlantic.

— 5 —

For those who attend book signings… A couple days ago, Twitter had the hashtag #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter and some very well-known authors weighed in. I recommend reading it.

— 6 —

A Giant at a Dodgers game. There has been some good-natured teasing going on between my husband, my priest, and me over our plans to attend Episcopal Dodgers Night in September. For you not familiar with baseball, I’m a San Francisco Giants fan and the Dodgers are our hated enemies. However, I have never been to a professional sporting match and I love baseball, so we’re going. My priest suggested wearing my Giants socks and I’m going to be sourcing a pair of those. (I’ll also be wearing black.)

— 7 —

Agnostic or atheist? Neil of Godless in Dixie has a wonderful YouTube video that explains it. Go check it out!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Crowdsourced Content

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

What I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Daniel is off school for the next month and now that we’re back from my parents’ house, I’ve got him pretty much all day. My mother-in-law has stepped up and helped *A LOT* this week because I’m fighting stomach issues (which is meaning that I’m feeling more run down than usual and am napping a lot) but today, I had him pretty much all day so writing this post with insightful Quick Takes was just not going to happen.

So… I decided to take a page from Kelly of This Ain’t The Lyceum and crowdsource some content. I had three people give me questions that I’ll answer (and I’ll put one person’s two part question into two Quick Takes) and then I’ll give you two things I saw online that amused me. Sound like a plan?

— 2 —

From Kelly of This Ain’t The Lyceum: Your feelings on Klondike bars? Absolutely neutral. I don’t think I’ve eaten one in years so I honestly can’t say what I would or wouldn’t do for one.

— 3 —

From Beth Anne of Beth Anne’s Best: In honor of your 15 years of blogging, what site did you start blogging on? I started out hand-coding a web journal on Peacefulwaters.Org, my own domain, in July 2000 and used Microsoft Front Page to generate some of it. (I’ve been doing website stuff for 18 years so this wasn’t that weird.)

— 4 —

From Beth Anne of Beth Anne’s Best: What sites have you used over the years? This is actually the second part of the question and I split it up because her question could honestly have been a post of its own. I did the hand-coding for a year and then did Livejournal for a bit, tried Grey Matter a few times, used Moveable Type for a few months, and then switched to WordPress’ predecessor b2. I fully switched over to WordPress in 2004.

::Meditatio:: itself has existed in pretty much unbroken form since 2003 when I switched to b2 and has been hosted on Grace-Filled.Net since 2005. I’ve imported all of the hand-coded stuff, the Livejournal entries, and one of the Grey Matter sections. I still need to import about 6 months or so of Grey Matter and Moveable Type which unfortunately has to be done by hand and it requires a working CD-ROM… which I currently do not have. (Laptops don’t like falling on hardwood floors. It’s under warranty but that would involve sending it to HP for weeks at a time.)

— 5 —

From Jen (@Jentoinfinity): How many people have you met IRL from blogging? You can name them if you want or just a number. This is kind of a weird question because I’ve known some of my blogging friends since before they had blogs, as in the case of my BFF Rebecca who was my maid-of honor, is Daniel’s godmother, and whom I have known for 20+ years. As far as fellow people I’ve met because of my blog, I’d say 3? I met Ellen of Stranger in a Strange Land in 2002, Dawn of ladydusk in 2003, and Chris of Father Christopher (and formerly of SomethingUnderstood.Org) in 2004.

Related to this, I think one of the stranger things that has happened was standing in the receiving line at a church in Ponoka, Alberta where Jon was interviewing for an associate pastor position in 2009 and having someone come up to me and tell me that they love my blog. It turns out that they were talking about my Blogathon site but it gave me a shock for a few days because I keep pretty quiet about my real name on here.

**UPDATE** I also met Kym back in 2011. Sorry for missing you in my count!

— 6 —

Something for which I really respect Sen. Lindsey Graham. So some of you might have seen the news about this yesterday:

This was Senator Graham’s response:

Stay classy, Senator!

— 7 —

Finally, some lovely music. Here’s one of my favorite videos from The Piano Guys:

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

15th Blogiversary

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Wow. As of today (July 20th), I have been blogging for 15 years. When I started, I was a 20 year old college student who was in a long distance relationship with a seminary student doing chaplaincy in Oregon. In the last 15 years, this is what has happened:

-married that seminary student and have been a pastor’s wife for 13 years
-lived in 4 different states
-learned to drive
-had a kid and almost died in childbirth
-lost a gallbladder
-went from being an uber-opinionated 20 year old to a more mellow 35 year old
-graduated from college and did a year of grad school

I’ll be excited to see what the next 15 years hold!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: May 10, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY May 10, 2015

Outside my window… dark. I’m blogging late yet again. It was in the 80’s today though it has cooled down to the 60’s at this time of night.

I am thinking… about how to deal with my troll who has followed my husband on Twitter in an attempt to get information about me.

I am thankful… for the opportunity to see a good friend of mine from high school yesterday. I also got to finally meet his wife and 13 month old daughter.

In the kitchen… some sushi from Trader Joe’s.

I am wearing… light grey v-neck and capri sweats.

I am praying for… a call for Jon, relief from my neck/back issues, and for assorted other things.

I am going… in for bloodwork and a x-ray tomorrow morning. Whee!

I am wondering… how to make the fly in my room go away. I kind of wish that Freya was in a hunting mood, even if it meant her leaping on my head.

I am reading… Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck. I’m caught up on Donna Andrews’ work and also read/finished Fatally Frosted by Jessica Beck. I started reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and put it down in order to get it on my NOOK as something to read when I finish all of Jessica Beck’s work.

I am hoping… to upgrade my NOOK with any birthday money I get that isn’t going to bills.

I am looking forward to… the wi-fi getting fixed so I don’t have to stand in the kitchen to get a signal in order to post this entry.

I am hearing… Jon’s CPAP machine. (I managed to kill the fly by closing my laptop on it.)

Crocheting… Daniel’s big boy blankie and the amigurumi stuffed animal from last week.

Around the house… everyone is asleep except me.

One of my favorite things… working wi-fi. *sighs* #FirstWorldProblems

A few plans for the rest of the week: bloodwork/x-ray tomorrow, PT and errands on Tuesday, Bible study on Wednesday, and heading up to San Jose on Friday to be with my family for the communal birthday weekend.

A peek into my day… Freya sitting on the piano and getting it furry.

Miss Freya on the piano getting it furry

Post Script…

For my 35th birthday on May 19th, I’m walking a 5K to raise money for preeclampsia research and awareness. If you’d like to sponsor me, click here.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: The No Wi-Fi Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

The Internet situation. OK… technically we *do* have wi-fi but the signal is really bad at the bedroom end of the house right now for whatever reason and I’m having to head back to the kitchen in order to post this entry and to send email. Given how little sleep I’ve gotten over the last few nights and the amount of email I need to write, this is a bit irritating. I’m looking forward to Sunday when my father-in-law can install the new modem and I can do things like blog while waiting out Daniel falling asleep in his own room.

— 2 —

Vaccine Take #1. This past week, we got an email from my Daniel’s pediatrics practice saying that they will not be accepting any new patients who are not willing to vaccinate their kids. Any current parents of patients who are not adequately vaccinated have been told to work with their pediatrician on a plan to immunize their kids. This is a pretty diverse practice with at least one of the pediatricians being somewhat open to homeopathy and some alternative forms of medicine so I have a feeling that there are going to be a number of medical offices that adopt a similar policy.

Obviously, there are going to be exceptions to the rule such as cancer patients, kids who have had transplants, etc. and I think one of the deciding factors is that we’re close enough to Anaheim (where Disney is located) that people are 1-2 degrees of separation removed from one of the measles patients from the outbreaks earlier this year. (One of the pediatricians has privileges at two hospitals in Orange County, including CHOC where all the “interesting” cases get sent.) LA County has also seen some deaths of kids from pertussis (whooping cough) so I think the doctors are just not taking any chances.

— 3 —

Vaccine Take #2. One of the annoying things about the Internet is that people can post complete and utter lies and misinformation with no impunity and some of them even create names for the sites that sound like they’re actually legit. (Example: Vaccine Liberation Army.) My recommendation is that you look at whatever studies/papers/articles they cite in their original forms rather than taking the site’s word for it. At the very least, the abstract of the study/paper/article is online and you can see what it actually says. I give this advice not only for the sites like Vaccine Liberation Army but also for any other sites including the CDC. Two other reputable sites are the AAP Immunization site and the Vaccine Education Center site from CHOP.

— 4 —

Just when we got drought-tolerant in California. We got some rain last night — not enough to help significantly but we did get some. My parents were spreading the bark over the lawn they removed and had to stop because it was raining so hard and there was thunder and lightning. (My dad’s comment is that they were “drowning in irony”.) It also did something to the phone systems at my church because they’re down today and our vicar had to put up her cell phone number as the main contact number for everything until further notice.

— 5 —

Promoting truthiness in South Carolina schools. Stephen Colbert just announced he would fund every existing grant request for South Carolina teachers on the Donors Choose website. I know some teachers in that state and what he is doing is huge. (By the way, Donors Choose is a *fabulous* organization and their thank-you notes are freaking amazing.) If I didn’t already love Stephen Colbert before, I think I totally would now.

— 6 —

In other shocking news… I was at a follow-up appointment with my new physician assistant and she was looking over my vitals and decided to take my blood pressure again. Apparently, it was really low and she is of the opinion that I need to stop my blood pressure meds temporarily because I might not need them. Considering the screaming hissy fit I threw 3 1/2 years ago when I was put on them by one of my doctors in northern California, I’m pretty happy because it’s one less pill in my pill box.

— 7 —

Speaking of blood pressure… Elevated blood pressure is one of the warning signs of preeclampsia. I’m walking a 5K on my 35th birthday in a week and a half to raise money and awareness of the other warning signs. Want to sponsor me? Click here.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

#FiveFaves: Miscellanea (XXXIII)

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#5Faves

One

WordPress. I never cease being thankful for the ability to choose that all comments from an unapproved email address go into moderation. It saves me from soooooooo much spam and so many trolling attempts.

Two

UC Davis MIND Institute. This is where we took Daniel for developmental pediatrics appointments and where they told me that if I wasn’t having the ADOS done the next week, they’d be administering it themselves. They were started by some families of autistic kids who wanted to help the community by finding out more about autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. If you want the latest research on autism, it’s a good place to start. Their website is here.

Three

Doctors offices that send the paperwork to you before you see them. Bonus points are awarded if they email it to you along with driving directions. As much as I really wanted to go to bed and stop having to be a responsible adult tonight when I got home from choir, it was a lot easier to fill out all the info while having a Coke and not having to corral my kid while doing it.

Four

The new S’mores Frappucino at $tarbux. I tried it yesterday and loved it. I had to force myself to go with my usual order at $tarbux today (venti water with extra ice) instead of having another one because I knew I’d be going out to dinner tonight and wanted to conserve my calories for that.

Five

Jon putting Daniel back to bed instead of me. My wee bairn is climbing into bed with us around midnight or 1 a.m. and usually I’m the one who has to put him back in his own bed and get him back to sleep in it. Last night, Jon took care of that so I could sleep. Tonight, he fell asleep in Daniel’s bed so I might have my own bed tonight. *crosses fingers*

Go love up Rachel and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: May 5, 2015

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I did this last night and then WordPress ate it… twice! We’ll try again now.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY May 5, 2015

Outside my window… gray. It’s making it really hard to get up and start my day.

I am thinking… about going back to sleep… and fighting that thought.

I am thankful… for Jon getting Daniel off to school this morning after I turned my alarm off in my sleep.

In the kitchen… just microwaved some beef stroganoff from Trader Joe’s.

I am wearing… black v-neck shirt and jeans.

I am praying for… a call for Jon, relief from the wrist/hand pain, discernment in where to go for a few friends in their marriages, and for the usual special intentions.

I am going… to Target and Trader Joe’s later with my mother-in-law.

I am wondering… how best to deal with a troll situation.

I am reading… The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews. I finished Some Like It Hawk! and The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by her this last week as well as reading Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck, whose books might become a new series for me to read obsessively.

I am hoping… the new router arrives soon so I can actually do things like check my email without having to be in a specific part of the house. (The main router is being catty and a new one is on the way.)

I am looking forward to… seeing my family in a couple weeks.

I am hearing… Daniel’s LeapPad.

Crocheting… Daniel’s big boy blankie and the amigurumi baby shower present for the friend.

Around the house… I have the washer going and I’m pretty sure there are other robots or machines working.

One of my favorite things… murder mysteries — both reading and writing them.

A few plans for the rest of the week: errands today, Bible study and doctor’s appointment on Wednesday, Daniel’s peds opthalmology appointment on Thursday, cleaning our crap out of the storage unit at some point, and whatever else comes up.

A peek into my day… This is in honor of Star Wars Day yesterday. I also didn’t know that Icelandic Lutherans were a cult. 😉

Post Script… I’m doing a 5K walk to raise money for preeclampsia awareness and research on my 35th birthday which is May 19th. If you’d like to sponsor me, details are at http://promisewalk.org/insteadofatattoo.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.