another blog account bites the dust...

On 2/24/11, I got the following email:

Dear MyBlogLog Customer,

You have been identified as a customer of Yahoo! MyBlogLog. We will officially discontinue Yahoo! MyBlogLog effective May 24, 2011. Your agreement with Yahoo!, to the extent that it applies to the Yahoo! MyBlogLog, will terminate on May 24, 2011.

After May 24, 2011 your credit card will no longer be charged for premium services on MyBlogLog. We will refund you the unused portion of your subscription, if any. The refund will appear as a credit via the billing method we have on file for you. To make sure that your billing information is correct and up to date, visit https://billing.yahoo.com.

Questions?
If you have questions about these changes, please visit the Yahoo! MyBlogLog help pages.

We thank you for being a customer on Yahoo! MyBlogLog.

Sincerely,
The Yahoo! MyBlogLog Team

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I was linked to this for various networking reasons though I barely used it directly, however there has come a time to say goodbye to yet another blog, group of online contacts, and a decent networking resource. I enjoyed having it while it was available and enjoyed gaining new acquaintances, too. It seems a shame that Yahoo, has been slowly removing a lot of resources over the years and it gives me pause to wonder if the Microsoft merger had any influence on these actions. Regardless of cause, I am reminded that nothing lasts forever...

digital transition...

I recall this supposed to be taking full effect quite a while ago, but instead it seems a lot of parties have broken the transition into smaller steps which always seems to leave me a step behind. With everything that has been happening to me in the past, it's not much of a surprise that I am not completely ready for it, yet it seems I must catch up to some extent before it's too late. I received notice in the mail from Comcast that March third is my cutoff point to acquire free equipment to fully adapt to the new digital transition. I still have yet to unpack my new tv and hook up various other new equipment to make sure that I have everything I already need. I didn't want to needlessly acquire anything I didn't need. Of course my latest setbacks have been my mother getting sick so frequently this month as well as my root canal, but I am trying to make things ready, including assembling an a/v center and wall mount for my new tv. This also means removing the old tv cabinet that has sat in the same place for about 40 years or so as well as the dead tv within. I look forward to seeing things finished. I have a lot to set up and several consoles I have yet to use and enjoy for the first time. I think this is one change in my life that I can be happy about...

back-words... recent poems...

If you have been following my blog from the beginning, you will be familiar with the heading "back-words," which is my little play on words indicating writings from the past. Previous writings can come from various sources, such as blogs, notebooks, as well as randomly found articles on which to scribble.
Today's back-words is an assortment of writings I came across in a small memo book I've been keeping for important reminders, temporary record keeping, as well as random thoughts and drawings. The book is starting to get a little worn and pages are coming loose so I thought I might as well remove some pertinent pages to transcribe over here. I hope you enjoy this small collection...


There are questions
that I cannot yet answer
which are deep in meaning
and require fuzzy logic
for finding an answer,
however these questions
easily and quickly
take a backseat
in my mind
when I am with you.
I can find security
in knowledge
and the truth of things,
but I find comfort in you.
Easily, in the name of love,
these issues that I endlessly ponder
can wait for another time,
and often have.

-----

please forgive my tooty
which may not have been very fruity,
or maybe it was
and that's the problem.
all i did was
lift my booty
and out it came: poot, poot, pooty.
i lift my booty
so it's nice and loud.
i squeeze really hard
so it'll come out proud.
then i can walk a away
knowing it's strong
and i feel better
all day long hoping that
the gas i passed
will last and last.
sharing a good vibration
is only part of the sensation...

*note: this was inspired by my uncle's brand of humor and was created for him.

-----

shall we take a chance?
let's go out and dance.
the summer is full of romance.
i don't care if we can't stay out late.
maybe it's destiny or fate.
this moment is another chance
for our souls to be together.

-----

i stand at the threshold
of a new life.
as always,
it is just the beginning
so the future isn't clear
and how to get to my goal
is precarious.
nonetheless,
i will try
and do what i can

-----

so many tales told
of love saving one's life,
winning one's affection,
and of course
feeling love which isn't returned.
i'd do anything
for love,
anything...

-----

sometimes i feel jealous
of joyous lyrics
because they sound great,
but i've never been able
to write like that.
i don't write much
once i am swept away.

-----

pastimes no more-
we used to sit on the floor
and listen to music
and dance in silence
just because we were happy.
we used to eat outside
under trees and giant parasols
when the weather was fair
and the food was handmade.
we used to wear simple clothes
decorated with colorful threads
and simple beads.
we used to dream
and let our minds wander,
yet all this has changed
over the years.
what happened?

familar pain...

I just recently had a root canal. I lost count after my tenth. I know when I need a root canal by the specific kind of pain and I also know hoe to combat the pain down to a science so that I can handle unforeseen delays in desired dental visits. I also have a favorite endodontist at this point, having had a few perform this routine. It's never a walk in the park, but at least I know how to reduce my suffering in such a situation- before, during, and after.
When I deal with a needing a root canal, I become unable to function as I normally would. I cannot think straight and I sleep more than usual. Obviously, you just saw a break in my blog flow and probably wondered what specifically might be wrong this time. Now you know...

birthday haiku...

I wrote a little haiku for a friend of mine because it was his birthday today. I thought I would post it here as well for posterity sake. I hope you enjoy it, too.

another year here
your friends want to see you smile
a milestone is made

valentine's day...

What other topic would I have for today? Wait, scratch that; it could have been anything, really... I was looking for some good information to talk about, but decided in the end I would simply redirect you to Wiki for the details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day They had plenty that I was not aware of as well as plenty that I already knew. My particular interest grew in the "Similar days honoring love" section, particularly Japan. If you hadn't realized by now, I enjoy learning about Japanese culture. So with that I bid everyone a happy Valentine's Day...

masterful escapees...

Some people are animal lovers and some aren't. I used to not understand this, but over the years I am slowly beginning to see some reasons why some animals would not be liked very much. My mother is an animal lover and has had various pets over the years. I also like animals, but slowly I see myself appreciating animals more which are in the wild or owned by other people. I dig my dog, but even he can get under my skin from time to time. It also doesn't help that I think I have been developing minor allergies to animals such as birds and little critters, which brings me to the subject to which my title refers.

My mother has a couple tiny hamsters. They are teeny tiny and very cute. I doubt they weigh an ounce, soaking wet. These little escape artists manage to get out of their cage and adventure the world known as our home. It's never noticed and we can't tell how they get out because there are no signs of where or how they departed from their cage. Worse yet, they can and have disappeared for days at a time until they are found quite by accident. Even more astounding is the fact that there were previous pet hamsters that escape and were never found again- and they were bigger! How do they do it? Houdini would be in awe. I certainly am. Time will only tell what will happen to our current escapees...

get well soon...

My uncle was been ill recently with a lighter version of what my mother had. So once he was on the mend and could laugh without fear, I sent him a little email that would gratify his sense of humor (by the way, Raul is pronounced rah-ool for added effectiveness of this joke):

Hey Sparky,
This is Ralph from Raul's Hork Emporium. Your chunks came up today during our meeting and we have them on backorder. By the way, the usual brand has been discontinued so we hope that you will accept Barf brand chunks, instead. As soon as those Barf chunks come out, we will give them to you directly. As a consolation for not being able to receive the usual brand, Raul's is prepared to offer a fine porcelain product of your preference. You have a choice between porcelain pedestals and telephones. We can even program the porcelain telephone with a speed dial so you can reach Raul directly for consultation and additional services. We wish we could offer more, but our supplier has come down with dysentery after a ceremonial bathing in the Ganges River with his cow. Fortunately, the cow is fine. Thank you and we hope you will order our Barf chunks again and again.
Regards,
Ralph Yakman

P.S. Remember to keep in mind our catchy motto: if it's gonna be anything it's gonna be Raul or nothin!

sorry, friends and sorry friends...

Two things have been on my mind lately concerning friendships that I have and no longer have. The first is that maybe I am not always the best friend I can possibly be, but then again who is. We are all only human and make mistakes. The second is that some people cannot maintain a friendship and hurt someone as a result of their choices. As I go on, you will understand how one is different from the other and while one is somewhat forgivable, the other seems less so.

When I make a friend, I will be casual in my attitude because I choose to let myself be comfortable in their presence, while I can also be very polite for other people (who usually are much younger or older than I am) and I will do my best to communicate with them so long as I am not bogged down by depression or whatever. When there are long spaces of time between communication, I try to initiate a conversation whenever I feel good about things and I will apologize for not talking sooner. If someone initiates a conversation with me, then I make sure to reply as quickly as possible; I don't want someone feeling ignored or disliked.

Sometimes life gets wonky and people get even wonkier. Some folks can't handle that, which is fine, but they should say so instead of arbitrarily ignoring messages and so forth; that is rude and hurtful. Some folks may need a little space to deal with things, but they shouldn't just ignore those who try to reach them as that is also rude. When times get hard, leave a metaphorical "out to lunch" sign so that others realize you are not a supreme oxygen thief.

I have not always been the most communicative or stable friend around and I apologize to all my friends for being that way. Hopefully they are the forgiving sort. Some have not, which has in the long run made some good friendships and/or relationships go sour. I do my best when I can and apologize when I haven't. I think it's the fair thing to do. When people don't do that, it is frustrating and annoying. This is a main reason why I employ the three strikes policy. After the third screw-up or failed attempt to make things right, I walk away. I cannot perpetually spend my life subjecting myself to those who ignore or hurt me (and never seek forgiveness). I have to have at least an ounce of pride and protect myself from such behaviors when and where I see fit. Hopefully I have made that choice correctly when I have done as such...

i am packrat...

Yes, I admit it. I am a packrat and come from a line of packrats (among other things). I save sentimental stuff as well as the useful stuff that everyone else should also be saving, but among this sentimental stuff is a lot of garbage and every so many years I need to go and sift through it all and see what still holds any interest to me and throw away (gasp!) what doesn't.
Some people collect stamps or wine labels, while others have fascinations in other fields. Mine is probably music, but that's not what I am about to get into today. I was inspired from wine label collecting to keep some of my favorite limited edition bottles and cans. Some of you may recall that in 2006, Coca-Cola released a limited edition beverage called Blak, which was essentially a fusion of Coke and coffee. I happened to love this drink and yet I only ever obtained a single 4-pack due to availability problems. I thought it was great and I thought it would be great if I fused it further with Kahlua (yes, drooling is permitted). Unfortunately, this product was never resumed and I wish it had been. Recently I was scouring through my, uhm, keepsakes (I'm really trying not to sound like Golem referring to his Precious) and found that I had kept the only 4-pack I ever had, complete with paperboard holder. Curious to see if I could find any news about a resurgence of this drink, I started Googling and discovered that it was still gone and that only individuals were selling anything related. I saw some official Coke Blak glass tumblers, an empty sleeve, empty bottles, and full bottles that were still sealed. Yuck, someone is probably going to get ill if they try to drink that because drinks expire after time and when they get even older they start to separate. I've seen a lot of beverages go bad and I wonder if these sellers even know the potential harm in what they are doing. Yes, I would love some, but not a single five-year-old 8 fluid oz. bottle for $15 or more. That's insane...