The Time Sink

Monday? There was a Monday? Oh... Yeah... It seems I spent the evening geeking out with Mr. Cecil of Chez We're Hosed working with tcl and python and Java and all sorts of occult daemons of the Linux persuasion getting the chicken entrails to line up in such a fashion as to satisfy the ETP servers that we were indeed worthy supplicants to request the release, through various Scripting processes (how appropriate </snark>), of all the text and all the photos from the year I spent under their palm fronds until I determined to release myself from the free bondage of UserLand and return to my roots (and root).

Yep, though the magic of Cecil's scripts and packages I managed to pull all of the posts from my old, old (in Internet years) ETP site down locally in a format that should be suitable for importing into an MT or WP CMS. Initially I wasn't too caring about the old stuff, but I found some memories in there I wouldn't mind having in years to come. ...and a pic or two that may have some fun meanings to the boys.

...and as 'exercises to the student' go, this one was just all sorts of fun. I enjoy working my way through things and I have just enough time in on Xenix and AIX boxes from the days when I handled connectivity issues at my workplace to have a chance at being helpful instead of just saying, "it doesn't work". Tech stuff: I ran things under Fedora Core 4, Python 2.4, and the Java Runtime Environment 1.05.05. YMMV, "objects in the mirror" and the usual stuff apply; but if you're old school EditThisPage you still have a day to pull your stuff off before the servers go dark (or charge you if that's what they choose to do).

Busy days here (boring though they might be to my lovely sister; she really needs her own blog to be able to give and take properly); there will be posts, but I'm needed to make darned sure I get some sleep and that takes me away from this space some days...

It's Friday coming up in just a little bit? Really? Oh, yeah... I'm so ready to have a break from the majority of the schedule and just be able to chill for a bit. ...and work on any of the three projects I have started (that would be current ones, not forgotten ones <g>).

I think there's something to be said for making it through a somewhat frustrating week, coming home to a darned decent meal (meaning one the kids didn't like) and then falling asleep in the recliner with a cat on your lap and missing a debacle of a football game on national TV.

Of course that leads to debates of whether the team should even show up for the bowl game they've already been invited to. ...but it also allows for an hour or two of late night chat with the oldest, something he and I don't get to do very much of but something we're getting better at as we reweave the web of interaction between parent and teen.

It also allows for some nice free association that already has three stanzas written down and my mind matching up pictures to them, even if I have to go find them somewhere...

Oh, nothing much. ...slept in, made coffee, took a photo walk, bladed, cleaned outside, made brunch, napped, watched football, worked here a bit, mostly just tried to relax.

General philosophy 101: the process of balancing that which has to be done with that which needs to be done, discounted by what you wish you could do, multiplied by the number of members in the family, factoring in things like work and taken to the n^th power of Christmas time. Man, maybe I should give that one to Daniel to see if he can express it as a equation, seein's how he's taking algebra this year...

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"Any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke, "Technology and the Future"

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