OK, I admit it...

I've been distracted. I'd like to say it's been by some noble cause, some form of making the world, or someone else, or myself better - but it hasn't really. Yeah, there's been some of that. I'd certainly put parenting in the noble cause box, along with trying to be a decent husband. I'm also happy to place the noble cause label on teaching and being involved with church.

Yet, still, my garage is a before picture for some reality show about cleaning and organizing, my yard looks like it should be on the cover of Trailer Home Monthly, and there are plenty of other items on the To Do list destined for the same demise.

I blame it all on facebook.

The first step, I'm told, in breaking an addiction is admitting you have one. I guess I'm not ready to break this one yet. I'm handling it. I haven't started neglecting my hygine - nevermind the afternoon showers, I'm on summer vacation. I don't have too many plates of half eaten food and half drank containers piled up around me - mine are all eaten and all drank thank you very much. But, the truth of the matter is, my friends have to check my facebook status to know what I'm up to, and my family only gets to see us through our facebook photo albums.

Maybe I'll start blogging again. Heaven knows, my wife and kids give me enough reason to. Until then, the summer of change is underway! Organize. Prioritize. Clean. Garage. Bonus Room. Yard. Weight. Doctor Appointments. Dentist Appointments. New Classroom. Budget. Taxes. Family. Friends. Trips.

And there's not much time left!

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Participate

I've set up a sister site to my blog for the purpose of adding a little interactivity. Blogger recently rolled out a voting feature, among others, and I thought I'd give it a try. Now it's your turn, give it a try.

For future reference, there's also a link to the right that'll take you there.
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Pigeon Holes

As part of the switch to Blogger's latest effort, I've included 'Labels' as a navigational tool - it also helps me to generalize and pigeon hole my posts into neat (or not so neat) little boxes.

I'm using a simple (I hope) work around to include them (I hope) in the navigation box to the right, and you can also click on the labels at the bottom of a post to get a page with posts that share that label. More to come, I'm sure.

I'm glad Blogger has finally caught on to something that other Blog publishing applications have been doing for a while.

Switch-a-roo

Alright already, I've switched to the new, non beta, not old, Blogger. As it's early on in the metamorphosis, I see only a few new things (which I like, thank you - kinda like an old pair of sneakers with new shoe laces). It's not, what you'd call, a speed demon, but neither is my connection.

I'm not too keen on the idea that it's attached to my Google account, attached to my GMail account. Sorry Blogger boys and Google girls - it's just not an account I use much. Sure, I have my personalized Google search page, and I'm enjoying the Google Calendar from time to time, but I've just never jumped on the GMail band wagon.

So, enough said for now - I'll pass judgement later. For now, it's back to trying to get everyone in our house well at the same time, finish Christmas shopping before New Years and scratch items off the old Honey-Do list before heading back to school. I'm nothing if not ambitious.

ps - ohhh... I do like the new spell checker... ;-)

Silence is golden...

I can't believe that so much time has gone since I last posted. Actually, I can, because I can read the dates just like you can, but in some ways it feels like I'm climbing back on my childhood Schwinn again after not riding since I was 12. Perhaps a bit wobbly, but you know I'll be trying a wheelie as soon as I can.

Some intersting things have happened since my last post - besides the agony and bliss of teaching that I'll use as my excuse for being silent for so long.

First, I was honored to receive a feedback note from one of our US soldiers on my Freedom is not Free post. It's amazing that he or she would take the time, let alone say thank you. It reminded me that we owe them a debt and that words really do have meaning.

Secondly, I've been contacted by a local newspaper reporter about the blog. Something besides the lack of recent action must have caught her eye. I've attempted to answer some of her questions and she'll be following up with more tomorrow and writing the story soon. I'm sure I'm only part of her story, but even that isn't so bad for not having writen anything in such a long time. More on the story as I know it.

Two shots in the arm like that should not go to waste. I can't promise anything, especially anything of substantial value to be read, but I will try to free myself up to make it worth your while to come back. Until then, I leave you at best with hopeful anticipation. Hey, it's the best I can do OK?

Photo Blogging

Just installed Bloggers partner application Hello for instant photo additions to the my blog. Really a nice, easy to use application - and it's free. Don't expect to see a ton here necessarily, as I'm already pushing limits on my space allotment - but once I improve that situation, you might be seeing more of the world through my eyes.

Fresh Face

In an attempt to breathe a bit of fresh air into my blog, I've changed its look. I went with one of bloggers new templates rather than tweak my old look to the degree I was looking to tweak it. Once I backed up my old blog, I chose which template I could live with for now and then set the blogger wheels in motion. Right now, half of my blog is showing up in the new style, a quarter is showing up in the old style and another quarter is MIA. I'm wishing now I had the time to tweak the old style because this is more work than I'd hoped for. Thank you blogger.

I have, however, managed to get my lovely wife to set-up her very own blog. She's one of the funniest people I know, and most who know her wouldn't believe me. I hope even some of her humor comes through her postings. Here-to-fore, she hasn't really gotten the whole blogging thing but recently began reading my blog and it didn't take much of a push to get her to sign-up.

It'll be her chance to get out some of those thoughts that ravage through her brain. I know I'll be reading...

The More Things Change...

It seems like Blogger has been striving to make changes to its service lately... some for the good, and some for the, well, less elegant.

Case in point, the newest interface is clunky, in my opinion (maybe I just need to get used to it) - yet they've added comments. I was just able to find my way around everything added last time, and now I've got to do it all over again.

Hey, if you ask me, it wasn't broke. No need to reinvent the wheel just to add features - which I can only hope work. For example, I really liked having everything (posts, edit area, calendar, etc.) all under one window. I know, how about a 'blogger classic' interface option with the new features installed..

Blogger, if you're listening... you may be loosing me to greener pastures.

That little tiny thing...

As I was poking around blogger yesterday, I read up a bit on the ATOM feature of blogs, and it turns out I have one. It'll allow you to read my blog along with others through a 'site feed'.

The link you'll want to cut and paste into your ATOM feeder is: http://home.teleport.com/~graphex/existimationis/atom.xml

You can read more about this feature yourself here.

Trust me...

OK, you're going to have to trust me here. I had a nice little tirade going about my agreement with John Stossel's commentary from tonight's 20/20 about idiots and their greedy lawyers suing fast food restaurants for making them fat. 'Nuff said.

And about that famous and foolish Kobe Bryant who has too much fame and money and too little brains and self-control. Imbecile. 'Nuff said.

And about my shopping experience at Lowes, where a 70+ year old man started things out wonderfully but his 99 co-workers couldn't bother themselves to show me where a couple of things were rather than just tell me. Basically, the first gentleman could run the place by himself and it'd be a better store.

Finally, I should hurry up and out grow this curmudgeon stage - and blogger should get their publishing engine working so my posts make it up. Then we'd all be happy!

Whims of Technology

"A trout in the pot is better than a salmon in the sea." Irish Proverb

Okay, now that you can see my blog, you can see that I'm still having a difficult time getting it to look the way I want it to. Look, I'm not an idiot, I fair reasonably well in the land of technology, yet it is what it is - technology - and thereby subject to the whims of itself. Sometimes it works, sometimes you're left to wish it would.

For the meanwhile, I'll lay off my friends at Blogger and go on my merry way, until I get frustrated at.... wait, I think I may have neglected to... hmmmmm...

No Noise to be Heard

"If you lie down with dogs you 'll rise with fleas." Irish Proverb

Seems as though my blog doesn't really exist. It exists, but can't been published. So if a blog is cut down on the web, but no one is there to see it, does it make any noise?

I hear that Blogger is a good service... I read that Blogger is a good service... which reminds me, 'good' and 'service' are relatively subjective terms aren't they?

First Post

"A good beginning is half the work." Irish Proverb
"Every dog is brave on his own doorstep." Irish Proverb


It's only fitting that I begin this blog with two Irish Proverbs as today celebrates St. Patrick's Day. I know many could care less, and that it's not really even a bona fide holiday or celebration in Ireland, but I enjoy it. If nothing else, it's an excuse to look like I've put some planning into my wardrobe. I like that I feel a connection to my heritage.

As for this blog, I have no idea what will come of it. Novelty? Diversion? Time suck? I have no plan or purpose. I stayed up late last night watching TechTV and heard, again, about blogging. Seems easy enough. Seems geeky enough. Might as well try it. I highly doubt that I'll 'over do it' so don't look for twice a day postings - or anything close.

I chose existimationis (ex-is-ti-mat-i-o-nis) partly because it sounded cool. It's latin meaning is what I'd hope for this blog (as if I were hoping for anything): [the opinion that a man (specifically: me) has , judgement; the opinion that others have of a man (specifically: me)], esp. morally, [reputation, good name, honor, character] (specifically: of me).

Like most people, I have opinions. Also like most people, I'm not really known for standing bravely by them and shouting my opinions from the roof-tops. I probably fear reprisal or discomfort in being wrong, but its probably because I'm far too used to sitting on the fence and not committing. I'm finding that comfortable feeling no longer acceptable, viable, or responsible. There's value in it for sure, in that I can see both sides of an issue - but with that, comes a lack of zealousness or passion.

Maybe I'm just getting old.

If you're reading this and still choose to read on, it'll become no secret that I'm a recovering perfectionist (my wife says, "recovering?") who too frequently falls of the wagon. I'm a one time semi-liberal turned compasionate-conservative who asserts his political party as 'Independent'. I'm a renaissance man without enough time. I've owned a guitar for a couple of years now but haven't learned how to play it. I'm a born and bread Mac man who spends most of his time on a PC. I'm a 'Controller'/'Lion' and 'Supporter'/'Golden Retriever', but I have strong 'Analyzer'/'Beaver' tendencies.

God, my wife, my daughter, my family, my friends, and my work are all important to me.

I'm a creative. I'm a teacher. I'm a Christian.

But don't discount what I have to say just because of that.