The Overholt Overhaul

I’m thinking this blog needs an overhaul.  The categories have gotten a bit out of control.  Not to mention the tags, which are so cluttered I don’t even show them.  And I know there’s probably plenty of dead links.

WordPress.com has changed so much since I began blogging here, and being the social media-phobe that I am, I don’t take full advantage of all the goodies offered.  But perhaps it’s time to change all that.

I’m soon going to have lots more time on my hands.  Retirement is looming (as in NEXT WEEK!) and one of my goals is to do more blogging.  I’m not sure what the overhaul will entail.  Hopefully it’ll include much more activity from me, both in posting, responding and visiting other sites.

Let’s just hope I don’t get sidetracked with trying to find the perfect theme. 

Cozy Saturday

It’s been snowing all day, but has finally tapered off.  Good thing I have enough milk, bread and toilet paper!

Just kidding.  The temperature’s been warm enough that it hasn’t really stuck to anything other than the cars in the parking lot.  But it’s been a great excuse to stay indoors all day.  Not that I needed snow as an excuse to stay inside.

The day’s also been nice because I get to take reprieve from wrapping Christmas presents.  I set a schedule for wrapping and mailing packages and got the first one sent off last night.  I still can hardly believe it.  Accomplishing something on time is such an unusual feeling for the world’s greatest procrastinator.  But I’m bound and determined to get my Christmas gifts mailed in time this year!

Tomorrow’s schedule is to pack up the iPhone to return to AT&T.  (I’m still within my 30-day limit.)  Apparently I’m the only person in America who’s not thrilled with the iPhone.  But then, I can’t use it for the bulk of my waking hours, and when I can, I haven’t figured out how to do the I want to do.  I figure I’m better off just getting a pay-as-you-go phone.  I really does better suit my baby boomer and introvert tendencies to not be on the phone 24/7.

I’ve spent most of the day working on my Supernatural death tally table.  So many false starts, and it’s still not right.  Ugh.

Speaking of designs, I suppose it’s time to find a winter scene for my header, now that we’ve had our first snow of the season.

Updates you probably don’t care about

I’m still recuperating from straining my back… on Monday!  I think the reason it hasn’t healed is because I didn’t ice it at first.  So that’s what I’m doing this weekend.  It seems to be helping a little.  I just hope it’s better by this coming Monday.

I changed my mind about returning the iPhone and called FedEx this morning to see if I could cancel canceling it.  I could, but I had to go to the FedEx office to pick up the package.  It wasn’t too far away, so no big deal.  Boy, the place was busy.  Not long lines like at the post office, but there was a steady stram of people coming and going.

I haven’t set up the phone yet, tho.  Maybe tomorrow.

SoapNet is having a Cougar Town marathon this afternoon & evening.  (SoapNet is owned by ABC.)  I can’t believe this show is a hit.  First of all, Courtney Cox as a cougar??  Gimme a break.  Secondly, I find it a tad preposterous that all these young guys go gaga over her.  Then again, she does look like Courtney Cox.  And what do I know about men?  Not much, that’s for sure.  The show is kind of creepy.  And yet, here I am, still watching it.

I think the reason Cougar Town is a hit is because it’s on right after Modern Family.  I hadn’t watched Modern Family until Natalie told me Benjamin Bratt is going to be on it.  But I don’t remember exactly when that’s going to be.  Or did I miss it already?  Gosh, I hope not.

Oh, and NaBloPoMo has a consolation prize for those of us who didn’t make it all the way through November.  I think I’ll give it a try.  I have a week to gear up for it.

So much for polls

Thanks to all who voted (all 3 of you—yes, I voted, too).  But circumstances seem to be working against me.

I originally decided to go with the “Google phone,”  but after I’d filled out all the necessary information, I was told I’d have to go to a T-Mobile store to verify that I am me.   Apparently T-Mobile thinks I am shady.  I find that very hard to believe, since I’m pretty damn open on the Internet.  Maybe they just weren’t used to working with someone with a high credit score.

After waiting a day to cool down, I ordered an iPhone yesterday.  The AT&T website said it would arrive tomorrow (i.e., today) by FedEx.  I just went downstairs to collect my mail and found a FedEx delivery notice stuck to the mailbox.  The asshole delivery person didn’t even bother to see if I was home.   I called FedEx and was told it was to late to reschedule delivery today and that I’d have to wait until Monday.  I was so irritated, I cancelled the delivery and am having the phone sent back to AT&T.

Yes, I know I acted rashly.  Obviously, I’m having second thoughts about getting a smart phone.  There’s no guarantee I’d be able to use it in the cafeteria at work, and I might not be able to use it at all when my office moves to Ft Meade.  I’ve managed to survive without social web access at work so far.  Maybe it’s all for the best.

Here it is—the poll!

(I do have a preference, but I could might be swayed by popular opinion.)

Social media, baby-boomer style

The George Foreman grill I ordered from QVC on Sunday arrived today.  It’s still sitting in the box by the doorway.  I thought I ought to Twitter about it first.  [It's a joke. Get it?  It's more important to micro-blog about your life than live it.]

I did get a Twitter account.  Actually I got 2.  One for me and one for Sci Fi Chicks.  But I don’t want to be on it at work, and at home there are other things I want to do.  Maybe when my new netbook and wireless router come, I’ll start Twittering from the living room sofa.

I’d been reading about FriendFeed, which supposedly aggragates all your social media into one place.  So I got an account and set it up for Twitter, Facebook and LiveJournal.  But the only updates I’m getting are from me.  This afternoon I spent a little time trying to add some of my friends’ feeds, but apparently the friend has to have a FriendFeed account to follow.  What the hell good is an aggragator if it doesn’t aggragate??? I want to read all my social media updates in one place, I don’t want to bombard my friends with yet another service to sign up for.

Stoopid social media.

The air conditioning is on!

And it’s like 55 degrees and raining outside.  Don’t it always happen that way?  Well, at least I’m sleeping well.

I survived Fashion Day on QVC.  The few times I tuned in, there was nothing of interest.  However, I did end up buying a netbook computer from HSN.   It was on sale, so the kitties decided to get it for me for Mother’s Day with my tax refund.  It’s tiny.  And pink.    I also picked up a wireless router.

Just think, I’ll be able to watch Supernatural and write about it at the same time.  Maybe I can Twitter about it.  Ha!  Actually, I’ll need to get used to the keyboard first.  Plus, I really don’t like anything interfering with my Supernatural watching (except maybe a glass of wine & my Supernatural drinking game).  Especially since we’re on the last 2 episodes of the season and I’m sure they’ll be intense.  Kripke is evil that way.  I have a feeling it’s going to be another long summer.  Perhaps I can while away the months by working on the Unofficial Season 3 Companion.  It’s just too bad that season 3 wasn’t all that great.

I set up a Facebook account for Sci Fi Chicks.  When I entered my high school’s name, it popped up in 3 letters, “Gli.”  That’s Glidden-Ralston Community School.  And I immediately found 3 classmates.  That’s ⅓ of the class.  That may not seem like a lot, but remember, we’re all over 50.  Now I have to go about setting the darned thing up.

Which be at a later time.  The netbook would come in handy right now.  I could be sitting on the sofa with an ice pack on my back, healing.  (Which reminds me, time for more Motrin.)  Instead, I’m monkeying around on the internet, sitting on the world’s worst “computer chair.”

Too much information!

I really don’t understand social media.  I got a Facebook account (profile name gailanno—I think).  There was a lot of info to digest, and then they went and changed their layout.  Now I’m lost.  And I got a Twitter account (again, gailanno: this username I know for sure).  Who the hell has time to be online every single minute of every single day?  Don’t these people have to buy groceries?  Or go to the dentist?  I guess they use their cell phones to text this stuff when away from the computer.

So I’m trying to learn more about how best to use social media for my purposes (which is mainly to promote Sci Fi Chicks).

Every day when I check my RSS feed, Mashable has dozens of new posts to sort through.  And they’re l–o–n–g.  How can I check out all the features in a post of “100 Great Resources for Design Inspiration?”  Or “100+ More [!!] Wiki Tools & Resources?”  Who has time for that?  People who do web development for a full-time job?  Certainly not poor schmucks like me.   And what’s the purpose of “48 People Who Aren’t Lance Armstrong?”   Holy cripes!  How am I supposed to keep up with all that?

This week is Facebook Week at Mashable (or maybe I’m so far behind, it was last week).  I want to read all the posts, but try not to take the time during the day.  But when I get home, I have so many other online things to do, I totally forget about the RSS feed, Mashable and Facebook.

Enough already!

iPod success!

Yes, I’m going to discuss my obsession with Legend of the Seeker again.  I promise this will be the last post about it for awhile.

I didn’t become obsessed with the series until about the 8th episode.  Which means I’d erased all the episodes that had been on my DVR.  And since it’s months until the DVDs come out, and I am not a patient person, I bought a season pass from iTunes.  But, how was I to watch the episodes on my television?  You cannot make DVDs from iTunes movies.  (Which seems weird considering you can burn CDs all day long.)

I checked the iPod user manuals and sure enough, there is a way.  I bough a $50 cable from Apple and even paid $10 for 2-day shipping.  I hooked up the iPod to the tv and… nada.    So I rechecked the manuals. I had purchased the wrong cable.  The cable I bought works with the iPod classic 6th generation and connects from the “dock connector” to the component inputs on the tv.  I have an iPod classic 5.5 gen.  Its cable connects from earplug port to the composite inputs of the tv.

But Apple doesn’t sell that cable anymore.  So I went to Amazon to see what I could find.  The cable is available from several “2nd hand” retailers, so I ordered one.  It cost me a whopping $.94.  Yes, that’s 94 cents.  The cable arrived earlier this week.  I hooked the iPod to the tv, and… nada.  That night (lying in bed) I realized I forgot to change the iPod’s video settings to “video out.”  Next morning, I tried it, and got my video!  Yay!  But no sound.  Boo.

So, last night I gave it one more go.  Turns out I have to bring the iPod’s volume all the way up to max.  But, I got to watch Legend of the Seeker‘s 2-hour pilot in widescreen!  I’m so happy.

Moral of the story?  Fourth time’s a charm.