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Orange Crush
[Blogging Terror Alert System] [add me to your blogroll today]


Solonor and I have discovered a sinister terrorist plot brewing within the blog world, and it's time we brought it to your attention. There's only one way to stop these evildoers. You must blogroll me, if you aren't already.

Otherwise, you might as well be typing your entries in French...
posted at 01:14 PM | link--it | mail it | (16) shout it



Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone
 I'm temporarily breaking my self-imposed personal blogging silence because a lot of people I care about are in quite a bit of pain right now. I won't name names, but tears have been welling up in my eyes while going through my regular blog reads tonight. People that have been there with me to hold my hand and pass the Kleenex through my darkest hours are now facing much of the same pain themselves, some just in different forms. I want to grab a pint of Ben & Jerry's and a box of Girl Scout cookies and head on over. I want to pop open a bottle of wine with them whether we need it or not, just because we can (even though we wish we couldn't). Then throw on a lot of silly DVDs and sit up all night crying and laughing at the same time... But that's not really something you can do from hundreds, even thousands, of miles away.

I've been pretty absent from a lot of things in the last month -- friendships included. Please don't think I've forgotten about you or that I don't hurt right along with you. I had to retreat into myself for awhile and find some semblance of "center" again. I wouldn't be any good to any of us if I didn't. But every day finds me just a little bit better, a little bit stronger, and sometimes even a little bit happier. And I want to be there for you -- now and always. If you need me, and I forget to ask -- please let me know. And thank you for just being you. I pray for your strength, healing, and happiness daily.
-Robyn



You've got to give a little, take a little
And let your poor heart break a little
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love

You've got to laugh a little, cry a little
Until the clouds roll by a little
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love

As long as there's the two of us
We've got the world and all its charms
And when the world is through with us
We've got each other's arms

You've got to win a little, lose a little
Yes, and always have the blues a little
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love

That's the story of,
That's the glory of love...
posted at 01:57 AM | link--it | mail it | (12) shout it






Tell me who are the people in your neighborhood?
 I noticed the "BlogStreet Blog Neighborhoods" over at Christine's yesterday. Three guesses who my number one related blog is... It's rigged, I say! Rigged!
posted at 11:06 PM | link--it | mail it | (22) shout it



Not necessarily the news
  1. Ok. I give. Floridians now have to accept their offbeat reputation because of asstards like this. And this. And this. We have our own FARK tag. It's just not worth fighting it anymore... Oh yeah. And I'm really an Oklahoman. Seriously.
  2. And the before is better than the after exactly how?
  3. "Dude, Where's My Oxygen?" Yipes!
  4. Carmen Electra was dismissed from jury duty because the other jurors wouldn't stop asking her to make phone calls to their husbands and boyfriends. Nice.
  5. [Nelson voice] Ha ha! [/Nelson voice]
And now...your moment of zen...
posted at 06:29 PM | link--it | mail it | (5) shout it



@#$%^!
 Want to take bets how many times it takes me to bang my head on the keyboard this afternoon 'til I draw blood?
posted at 03:48 PM | link--it | mail it | (16) shout it



Potpourri for $200, Alex
 And there was much rejoicing... I have just successfully transferred the one domain I had left with Network Solutions (back when I was stupid enough to pay them for two years in advance) to another registrar. Hurrah!

If you see something acting funky with any of my secondary pages (like category archives), try resetting your skin. For some reason that seems to fix it. Please let me know if not...

Finally, in my quest to make it "Solonor Friday" around here and also bump up my minion status...the provider of my tiara has blogged about w.bloggar:


w.bloggar is a free application from Marcelo Cabral that tries to make writing blog posts as easy (or as hard) as using Microsoft Word.

The application sits between you and your blog publishing software. It provides a Word-like interface with all the little toolbar buttons for formating text and even has a spell-checker. w.bloggar is compatible with Blogger, b2, Nucleus, BigBlogTool, Blogworks XML, Blogalia, Drupal, and, of course, Movable Type.

So if you hate the Blogger interface...or just want to be a lazy American with any of the other software...there you go.   UPDATE: Bushtit Dot Com has a great w.bloggar review!
posted at 12:50 PM | link--it | mail it | (5) shout it



And dat ain't cool fool 'cuz its Friday!
 Jen asked for new blog reads...so here are a few from me!

  1. Airbag (love this design)
  2. The Blog O' the Blurf! (yes, Blurf!)
  3. Sunidesus Speaks (bonus points for header-graphic creativity)
  4. I'm saying (formerly "every little day")
  5. a kitchen in brabant (because I said so, that's why)
In case that's not enough (do I look like the white pages to you?) -- go here. Last but certainly not least, don't forget to worship Solonor today. Do it for the children.
posted at 01:25 AM | link--it | mail it | (10) shout it






A big reason I get up every day
posted at 11:38 PM | link--it | mail it | (15) shout it



No extraneous comments. No questions. No compliments.
 A comment Tara made the other day inspired me to actually make a real '403 error page' right quick. So just in case you're ever lucky enough to get your IP blocked, here's what you'll see. (See here for more info on IP banning.)
posted at 09:22 PM | link--it | mail it | (15) shout it



Hey alright! If I get by, it’s mine!
 I couldn't figure out why Claire was suddenly growling and doing that half-bark "urf!" thing, running back and forth between windows...'til it dawned on me... "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addiction had just come on my station. Silly doggie. Addiction's for kids.

UPDATE: Todd reminded me that this site always sets her off, too. So of course, we went there. We're so evil...
posted at 06:47 PM | link--it | mail it | (1) shout it



Through the looking glass
 Here's another great link I found at Dawn's -- hopefully one day I'll actually have the time to sit down and read all of the advice there. It's full of different forums for Canon Digital Photography users. (Here's the specific G3 forum for me, and the G2 forum for several of my friends.) And from the G3 forum, an interesting comparison of G2 and G3 shots....
posted at 05:36 PM | link--it | mail it | (2) shout it



Walking on sunshine
 I have a new wallpaper up over in the sidebar. The photo was taken (along with 15 others) in the small nature preserve behind our house.
posted at 03:32 PM | link--it | mail it | (3) shout it



The one that makes me scream, she said
 A few site tips and tricks of note...some new, some not...

  1. Individual link "click tracker" script
  2. Oldie but a goodie...how to prevent your site from being Googled
  3. Combined form for MT and Bloglet subscriptions
  4. Kristine's wonderful MT Plugin Directory
  5. How to ban IPs from viewing your site
  6. Too many good tips to list here -- just visit Mandarin Design Daily for enough goodies to keep you occupied for days
  7. Put Trackback on your main blog page as well (if they're using auto-discovery)
Don't worry. The above tips and tricks will not be on the final exam.
posted at 12:44 PM | link--it | mail it | (8) shout it



Bitter Sweet Symphony
 'Cuz it's a bittersweet symphony this life...
Trying to make ends meet, you're a slave to the money then you die.
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down...
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.
No change, I can't change, I can't change, I can't change,
But I'm here in my mold, I am here in my mold.
But I'm a million different people from one day to the next...
I can't change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Well I never pray,
But tonight I'm on my knees, yeah.
I need to hear some sounds that recognise the pain in me, yeah.
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now.
But the airwaves are clean and there's nobody singing to me now.

No change, I can't change, I can't change, I can't change,
but I'm here in my mold, I am here in my mold.
And I'm a million different people from one day to the next
I can't change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

(Well have you ever been down?)
(I can't change, I can't change...)

'Cuz it's a bittersweet symphony this life.
Trying to make ends meet, trying to find some money then you die.
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down...
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.
You know I can't change, I can't change, I can't change,
But I'm here in my mold, I am here in my mold.
And I'm a million different people from one day to the next.
I can't change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

(I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down)
(I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down)
(It's just sex and violence, melody and silence)
(Been down)
(Have you ever been down?)
(Have you ever been down?)

Song Credit: The Verve
posted at 01:43 AM | link--it | mail it | (2) shout it






Please don't make me wash the sheets
 Yet another great moment in SNL history brought to you by my bored ass and the number 6.
posted at 11:25 PM | link--it | mail it | (2) shout it



Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?
 If you missed Jason on yesterday's "Call For Help", and the screencaps just aren't enough ... Call For Help Central now has a video clip of the entire interview online. Learn new and amazing facts about Jason such as "you are like literally a back-end genius". Stump your coworkers! Amaze your friends! And don't forget kiddies -- Jason has slept in this very room. Group tours are available upon request.
posted at 08:01 PM | link--it | mail it | (8) shout it



Celebrity Digest, condensed version
 Oh woe is thee...to be a celebrity...

  1. Rap veteran Lil' Kim, 27, has launched a war of words against rising star Eve, 23. Warning Eve that she's still on top in the hip-hop world, Lil' Kim raps, "Even being No. 2 your chances are slim/'Cause when God made Adam he should have made Kim. So keep ya tacky ways, go back to the stripper days/As long as I'm around, you gonna bow down."

  2. To promote Maid In Manhattan, J-Lo recently dragged her entire entourage (rumored to be 20-35 people) to Britain where the gang checked into several luxury suites at London's posh Metropolitan hotel. The hotel management was -- of course -- presented with a very long list of demands which included Cristal champagne in her suite, white curtains, white linen, white lilies, humidifiers and pricey Diptique candles. Jen flew into a rage when she overheard hotel staff saying that she'd been checked into the same room used by P. Diddy the last time he was there. She said there was no way she'd stay in the same room as her ex and demanded that all of her baggage and chotckies be moved into another suite as far away from the one used by Mr. Diddy. Soon after throwing the fit at the hotel, J-Lo greeted fans outside and claimed: "I started out in the Bronx, I know what it's like to get on the train everyday, work 9-5 and have dreams and aspirations. I definitely see a lot of me in the character."

  3. Rumors spread that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's three-year marriage is in fragile condition... The Friends star has told her friends, "This is the last thing I need, my husband spending lots of time alone filming with her [Nicole Kidman]." Not that she's a hussy or anything, but it has been stated -- more than once -- that award-winning Kidman has a habit of hooking up with her co-stars.

  4. Michael Jackson wears a prosthetic nose and once paid $150,000 for a 'voodoo curse' to kill director Steven Spielberg despite being deep in debt. Vanity Fair also reports that Jackson bleaches his skin white because he does not like being black. The 44-year-old singer sometimes refers to black people as 'spabooks'. (Read more at eonline.com.)

    Comedian Robin Williams claims that the superstar doesn't have a leg to stand on [in racism claims against the Sony record label]. Insisting that the 44-year-old Neverland inhabitant can't be racially discriminated against, Williams explained, "Michael Jackson's standing outside Sony with a sign claiming racism. I said, 'Honey, you gotta pick a race first. All of a sudden you're a black man, then you're Diana Ross, now you're Audrey Hepburn.' Then he's got the little beard going on. He's like Lord of The Rings, the entire cast. Michael's about to jump species!"

  5. Gwyneth Paltrow recently experienced Colin Farrell's not-so-smooth ways when he stopped by the star-studded eatery, wearing "the tightest jeans on planet Earth" and making his moves. While Paltrow tried to avoid making eye contact, Colin came up and complimented her on her work. But when she thanked him and continued chatting with her friends, he butted in again and asked for her number.

    "Oh, I'm sorry. I can't remember my cell number. It's a new phone," said Gwyn politely. "Well, why don't you just turn the phone on and the number will pop right up," he insisted. Again, Paltrow tried to give him a hint by saying her battery was dead. Our dear dense Colin then asked Paltrow where she was staying, and if he could call her there. "Oh, I'm staying with a friend and she doesn't really like me to pass out her number." After being dumbfounded that his passes were not being received well, the star finally walked away...
So much vanity. So little time.
posted at 07:10 PM | link--it | mail it | (4) shout it



Unqualified applicants need not apply
 So I see someone at CNN watched Seinfeld...

spongeworthy.jpg
posted at 11:12 AM | link--it | mail it | (9) shout it



Test patterns
 Want in on a little secret? For the past several weeks I've been working on a redesign of "Wholly Matrimony!" to coincide with a server move, which will better allow for guest authors and extra input. It's a major move for me, because WM! has been on the very same server since it was born in March of 1998. And the current design has been around since 2000.

But tonight I finally put in for a domain transfer/renewal, and now I just have to sit back and wait for that to take place (and also change all of the secondary pages to the new design as I can). If you want a sneak-peek at the brand spankin' new logo/design, go here. It's not quite done...but close enough I can finally take an extra breath or two...
posted at 01:36 AM | link--it | mail it | (11) shout it






More Mardi, more party
 What are the odds? Todd and I have been watching the NOLA cams off and on all evening, and we happened to capture this shot. We're...everywhere you want to be.
posted at 11:24 PM | link--it | mail it | (7) shout it



Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better
 Jody passed along this link -- now everyone can have their very own cabana boy! But unfortunately with outfit choices like these, I'm not so sure these cabana boys play for the right team...
posted at 10:21 PM | link--it | mail it | (9) shout it



You got me straight trippin' boo
 I swear to all that's holy...every bad American pop ballad in the last 20 years...the ones you prayed night and day would just go away and get off the airwaves...well you can find them all on tonight's American Idol wildcard show. Well, except for "I Will Always Love You". Oh god. I just invoked it, didn't I?
posted at 08:31 PM | link--it | mail it | (10) shout it



It's a nice day for a white wedding
 The March 2003 wedding "Dress of the Month" is now online!
posted at 06:22 PM | link--it | mail it | (2) shout it



May we see your photos please?
 Others can do it better...but I did it anyway... A dozen screencaps of Jason on today's "Call For Help"! (Editor's note: Please notice the color of Chris's shirt.)

UPDATE: Call For Help Central has a video clip of Chris and Roger from today's show.
posted at 04:23 PM | link--it | mail it | (9) shout it



I'm gonna be on tel-e-vision
 For those of you sitting around doing nothing this afternoon -- don't forget that Jason (of blogrolling.com fame) is going to be on this afternoon's "Call For Help". (The show airs at 3 p.m. EST, and repeats at 9 a.m. EST tomorrow.) It's a good thing Tech TV isn't Disney-owned! Heh.
posted at 02:35 PM | link--it | mail it | (7) shout it



You're the margarine of evil
[Happy Mardi Gras] I hate it when I lose something I really want on eBay -- but man it feels good to start the day by going in and sniping someone in the last 15 seconds for something you've watched for over a week (and kept getting outbid so you gave up to wait for the kill instead)! Yeah, I'm evil like that. And it's mine now.

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! Make sure to watch the live webcams down in N'awlins! Laissez les bon temps rouléz...

posted at 09:13 AM | link--it | mail it | (9) shout it



The Divine Miss M
 Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger,
An endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower,
And you its only seed

It's the heart, afraid of breaking,
That never learns to dance
It's the dream, afraid of waking,
That never takes a chance
It's the one who won't be taken,
Who cannot seem to give
And the soul, afraid of dyin',
That never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely,
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love,
In the spring becomes...
The rose

Song credit: Bette Midler



I feel like such an ass. I know most people understand our February was far from normal, but I've had a folder full of e-mail sitting there un-replied to for over two weeks now. And it just keeps getting added to daily. I swear, I'm not intentionally trying to be slow -- and I'm definitely not ignoring anyone. I'm just being pulled in a million directions right now -- physically and emotionally. Needless to say, it's the wrong time to ask for any favors for awhile. I think it's time to re-accept applications for a cabana boy/secretary again...who's in?
posted at 01:39 AM | link--it | mail it | (15) shout it



Designing women
 My time schedule has been like swiss cheese for weeks now with life and health. My brain just isn't firing on all cylinders yet. But I've had a few designs launch for Sekimori since early February, so here they all are -- the most recent officially goes live tomorrow:

  1. Porphyrogenitus -- I just tweaked his pre-existing graphics. The logo is almost done. (Still needs to be spliced.)
  2. diablogger -- the client did the animation, I did the rest. He'll be changing out the animation frequently, so pay attention.
  3. Commentariat -- pretty cut and dry. He knew what he wanted before he found us. (Update: Link seems to be disabled for the time being. It was working as of this entry.)
  4. drbradley.com -- you may have already seen Craig comment around here. I did the splash page, patient site, Craig's weblog, and I'm wrapping the family blog this week. (The Maggie Story site was already there.) It's not too often I have a client request non-traditional font names and color schemes, so that's been nice. Some graphics subject to change...but I'm very proud of what we've both put together so far.
Every single one of the above -- plus the three I have wrapping in the next week or so -- all deserve gold stars for their patience. Thanks again everyone!
posted at 01:16 AM | link--it | mail it | (5) shout it






Some material may not be suitable for children Robyn
 Reason 9,457 why I love my husband: He's watching Black Hawk Down while I'm back in the computer room working on a site design. And Todd knows just when to call me in for the "hottie" scenes (Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom, and Jeremy Piven in the same movie...pant...) and when to tell me to avoid the guts and gore. I'm such a lucky girl!
posted at 08:43 PM | link--it | mail it | (7) shout it



You like me...you really, really like me!
 I was a little too preoccupied with other things last month to even do any campaigning, but it appears tampatantrum.com has won the "nudist with a cause" category of the Nude Weblog Awards. I'd like to thank all the lovely ladies (and gents) that made it possible, as well as all of you who voted for this site! We'll be making the charity event an annual thing, so stay tuned and check back this October!
posted at 05:16 PM | link--it | mail it | (7) shout it



Better late than...
 Oops -- it looks like I missed a "buh-bye February" submission. Anyone else out there?


[february quake] [crinkle had a bad february]


UPDATE: Also added, "Crinkle Had a Bad February".
posted at 12:48 PM | link--it | mail it | (0) shout it



Better living through chemistry?
[better living]

Does it bother anyone else out there that the same people who make our aspirin also make our pesticides and fertilizers? I'm just sayin'... Hope someone doesn't 'accidentally' mix up the sugar and salt shakers one day!
posted at 12:18 PM | link--it | mail it | (7) shout it






She wants to lead the glamorous life
 Just a quick note to anyone who thinks living on disability is "easy", or those who do so are lazy and enjoy mooching off the government... By March 1st (yesterday), anything I earned for the rest of the year at my previous employment would have vanished into thin air. In other words, my full-year's income on SSDI equals just two month's salary at my previous employer. Yeah, I'm livin' the high life. Wanna make somethin' of it? If you have such a problem with those who "mooch off society" -- I challenge you to put your money where your mouth is, give a little back yourself, and join me in Creative Finances 101 by donating the rest of your salary for 2003 to charity. -Robyn

Oh and by the way, I still get to pay taxes on 80% of my current SSDI income.
posted at 12:10 PM | link--it | mail it | (0) shout it



The daily show
This weekend, March 1st and 2nd, I would like to show Marvelous March our appreciation for coming. I would like for everyone to post on their blog one thing that makes them happy this weekend, be it a blogger, pancakes on Saturday morning or birds chirping outside. Secondly, I would like a picture of something that made you smile. -- "anything but ordinary"

[jon stewart]


First of all, I'm happy that my husband is back home with me again. We've been apart less than five times in our almost-seven year marriage (although we spent almost all of our engagement with me working in Philadelphia and Todd in grad school in Oklahoma). And we hadn't been apart a single night since January of 2000. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, but that's certainly not a theory I want to put to the test again any time soon.

And that's where the picture of "something that made me smile" comes in... I found out early last night that "The Daily Show" host and comedian Jon Stewart was going to be doing a one-evening show in downtown Tampa Saturday night, so I snagged last-minute tickets online to surprise Todd. I figured with the month we'd just survived, we could use an evening full of laughter. We've been fans since his days on MTV, and Jon Stewart and I even share the same birthday (November 28th). We had a blast! It was really nice to just hold hands and laugh together again. Now we're about to curl up and watch "Trading Spaces" reruns...

Happy weekend -- and MARCH -- everyone!
posted at 12:17 AM | link--it | mail it | (13) shout it