Saturday, November 24, 2001
Working on my "other" sites. I finally got a round tuit. "Around to it," that is. (Only Derek catches those "round tuit" jokes.) I'm updating Okinawa.com and Okinawa.ws after neglecting it for several months -- since July, to be exact. Richie did a great job with the November 2001 edition of the Uchina Pop Culture e-Zine -- which he actually submitted back in October. (Aye carumba.) Blame the webmaster, ooh, that slacker.
I want to redesign Okinawa.com, but there's so much content there that the task is somewhat overwhelming. It's sorely in need of a redesign though... it's looked that way since Y2K. Jeepers! Almost two years without a redesign, no wonder it looks so lame. Well, I'm mustering the motivation right now. I'm almost motivated enough to start on the task tonight. (Actually, I've been working on some graphics already...)
What does that mean for NaNoWriMo? Who knows. Probably that it'll get strewn by the wayside while I tackle this behemoth of a task. We'll see...
posted by Donna, 11/24/2001 09:31:30 PM
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Friday, November 23, 2001
Motivated, yet unmotivated. I've discovered the glorious applications of CSS. With the help of WebMonkey, I've acquired some new skills. I'm really motivated to do web stuff right now.
However, exactly 7 days away from the NaNoWriMo deadline, I'm feeling particularly unmotivated to work on my novel with less than 7,000 words from the finish line. I should just buckle down and get it done already. Somehow, knowing that my novel will still be nowhere near its completion by the 50,000th word is somewhat unsettling. What's even worse is that I don't think I'll even be attempting to edit it in the future. I'd be more excited at the prospect of penning a completely new story in 7 days, rather than limping along with the one I'm currently working on. (Okay, that's a little unrealistic.)
Perhaps this is exactly why I have a dozen or more novels started -- and ZERO completed. *sigh*
posted by Donna, 11/23/2001 07:12:24 PM
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this about sums it up.
posted by Donna, 11/23/2001 06:51:16 PM
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Site news. If you want to find out what the heck I'm doing with the site in terms of design, check out the site news section to read my commentaries.
posted by Donna, 11/23/2001 06:30:48 PM
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Fixed. The Blog Archives are fixed and now the frame should be "scalable" for you high-res visitors. If you have any problems with the design, please drop me a line.
posted by Donna, 11/23/2001 10:01:57 AM
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Somehow Blogger ate my archives. I'll have to try to resolve that tomorrow. I did what they told me to do in their FAQ's, but no dice. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
posted by Donna, 11/23/2001 12:34:59 AM
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Derek, my bug tester. Derek is the best. Every time I post a new layout, he's there testing it for compatibility with other screen resolutions and various different browsers. Of course, I create for 800x600 running Internet Explorer -- because that's what I use. (According to my stats, that's what most of you are running, too... although a good number of you are running your res a little higher at 1024 x 768.) As I told Derek, I guess I'm selfish like that. I need to be more aware of how my page looks on other computers out there. *sigh* Oh well... that's all the work I'm going to do on my page for tonight.
I finally posted a Bio page with my entire life story and some photos for those of you who are curious.
Thanks for the feedback that you all have been sending! I appreciate your comments and especially the well-wishes for my health! For now, oyasumi!
posted by Donna, 11/23/2001 12:08:28 AM
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Thursday, November 22, 2001
Well, now I've got 4 different layout schemes going on at the same time in my site. When I have more time I will need to work on bringing some semblance of order and continuity to champuru.com. For now, let me know what you think of the newly redesigned front page.
posted by Donna, 11/22/2001 08:50:52 PM
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I'm about to break my Blog... so if you see some weirdness going on, it's because I'm in the middle of a fever-induced mania which has somehow motivated me to redesign my site.
posted by Donna, 11/22/2001 06:58:06 PM
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Just as I feared, my cold is now in full swing. Fever, stuffy head, achy body, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and scratchy throat -- not to mention the bouts of dizziness and cold/hot flashes. I had to cop out of Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws' house tonight due to my ailing health, much to my dismay because dinner with the in-laws is ALWAYS awesome. However, in this condition, it's questionable whether I'd be able to taste anything anyway.
I'll probably be eating a bowl of instant ramen for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Don't feel too sorry for me, we had Thanksgiving lunch with my family -- so I was able to eat my fair share of turkey and all the fixin's!
Nevertheless, I'm still thankful because I know Hubby will come through and bring me home some leftover dessert when he gets home.
posted by Donna, 11/22/2001 05:23:26 PM
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I am 61% ADDICTED TO THE INTERNET.
I am pretty addicted, but there is hope. I think I'm just well connected to the internet and technology, but it's really a start of a drug-like addiction. I must act now! Unplug this computer!
Take the INTERNET-ADDICT Test at Fuali.com!
Bah...
posted by Donna, 11/22/2001 05:00:46 PM
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Happy Thanksgiving! Take some time to make a list of the things that you are thankful for this year. We all have blessings that we can count, so take a moment to remember yours.
I am thankful:
... for the blessings that God has freely given us and the things that I sometimes take for granted: life, health, roof over my head, food on the table, clothes on my back and most of all, my salvation.
... for the freedoms that I enjoy and for the men & women who gave their lives to protect those freedoms.
... for a husband that loves me and cherishes me despite all my quirky ways.
... for my family (immediate, in-laws, and extended) and that they are all in good health and good spirits.
... for all of the relationships that truly bless my life.
... that both Hubby and I are gainfully employed despite the shaky economy.
These are just a few things that I'm praising God for today. There's so much more that can be said, but I'll let you go so that you can tend to your list of blessings.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
posted by Donna, 11/22/2001 10:26:49 AM
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001
I feel it coming... I feel a redesign of this site coming on. Geez, this particular design didn't last very long before I felt it getting old. It's only been a couple of months and I'm already ready to throw it on the scrap heap.
Well, there are a few techniques that I've been reading up on that I'd like to incorporate into the new design. Perhaps if I decide to throw my NaNoWriMo (quanity, not quality) novel in the recycle bin, then I'll have more time to do the redesign. Hmm... I guess I have to decide what my priorities are and whether I still feel that NaNoWriMo is still worth doing even though we're not even going to get an official word count verification for all of our hard work.
... but it's just 7,000 more words to pump out.
Decisions, decisions...
posted by Donna, 11/21/2001 11:28:27 PM
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Feels like a Friday... Thanksgiving Eve and I have a lot to be thankful for. For one thing, it's a 4-day weekend for me. I arbitrarily took Friday off to prolong my holiday festivities.
NaNoWriMoNoMore? I had intentions of writing more for the NaNoWriMo project, but somehow after the realization that there won't be any word count verifications, my motivation has fizzled a little. You can read April's entry on the subject -- I pretty much echo her sentiments, although I'm not sure if I'm ready to scrap 43,050 words just yet though... (Although maybe I should -- it's quite horrible, actually.)
I think I'm succumbing to this cold. I've been on the verge for several days now and up until now, I've been doing a pretty good job of holding it back with Echinacea, Cold Busters from Jamba Juice, steaming cups of decaffeinated Green Tea and servings of Chicken Pho (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup). I'm feeling that telltale fuzziness in the head (no, that's not normal!), runny nose, and sore throat. Woe is me! I hope that I can hold it back at least one more day so that I can at least taste the Thanksgiving feasts in store for me tomorrow!
Arnold came home with 3 mosquito bites from Hana, Maui. That's exactly what we were afraid of. "Mosquito bite" and "Hana, Maui" in the same sentence usually spells trouble with the recent outbreaks of Dengue Fever in that area. We took the proper precautions, or so we thought, and covered ourselves with mosquito repellent. I wore a long sleeved shirt and long pants, while Arnold took his chances with a short-sleeved polo shirt. Apparently, he must've missed a spot when he was smearing all that insect repellent on his arms because the 3 mosquito bites that he acquired were all in the same area. We are hoping and praying that those mosquitos weren't of the infected Aedes variety! Symptoms don't show up for at least 5 to 6 days after you are bitten by an infected mosquito, so I guess he'll be on the alert until then.
Well, time to try and get some rest and sleep off this cold... Sometimes if I can get 10-12 hours of sleep at the onset of the cold, I can will it to go away. Oyasumi!
posted by Donna, 11/21/2001 11:20:56 PM
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Monday, November 19, 2001
Hana, Maui. Off to Hana, Maui tomorrow. Recently, people have been associating "Hana" with "Dengue Fever" instead of things like "Hasegawa General Store" or "long, windy road that makes me carsick." We'll see how we fare tomorrow. As for me, I'll be covered in copious amounts of insect repellent to ward off those nasty Dengue-carrying mosquitos. Hopefully, I can get some nice photo ops along the way. Last time Hubby and I drove there several years ago, I remember it being very scenic. More Maui moments to come...
posted by Donna, 11/19/2001 08:41:34 PM
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Invisible. Sometimes it's just better to go incognito.
posted by Donna, 11/19/2001 08:38:15 PM
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Sunday, November 18, 2001
Word Count. NaNoWriMo word count as of Sunday, November 18, 2001: Total = 43,050. Goal is 50,000 by the end of the month. 7,000 more words shouldn't be a problem, but I know that I won't be able to end the story in 7,000 words or less.
I have reconciled within myself that it's okay to write like crap. This is merely a brainstorming project. Quantity, not quality. It's truly not fit for human consumption and won't be until I do some MAJOR editing. I have missing scenes that I have yet to work out and dialog that truly sucks. It's full of cliches and overused phrases -- but that's okay. Quantity, not quality. This epiphany has helped me to write without inhibition, without feeling the need to edit the thing to death before moving on to the next chapter. Let it flow...
posted by Donna, 11/18/2001 10:06:17 PM
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Leonid Meteor Shower. At 11:30 pm last night, Hubby and I awoke and dragged ourselves out of bed. Dressing in our warm clothes and toting a small blanket, we drove about twenty-five miles out to the North Shore of Oahu to Mokuleia Beach to view the Leonid meteor showers that were predicted for this weekend.
Cars were parked along the street at the end of the road, fronting Mokuleia Beach. People were sitting on top of the roofs of vans and the hoods of cars, everyone's attention focused on the skies, eagerly awaiting the next spectacle. We parked and spread the blanket out on the hood of my car and lay down beside each other, gazing heavenward. I have never seen the stars look so bright. The sky was clear and unobstructed by clouds. The area was dark, except for the occasional passing car whose headlights pierced the darkness and seemed to make the stars disappear.
It wasn't long before we saw the first one, a meteor sweeping across the sky with a tail of light following behind it. As quickly as it came, it disappeared. Oohs and ahhs came from those that witnessed it. For the next hour, Hubby and I would quietly point out each one that we saw, hoping the other caught a glimpse of it, too. Varying in size and brightness, the meteors streaked acrossed the sky and shooting stars seemed to fall out of the heavens, leaving their place of glory. It was a wonderous sight, one that I have never beheld.
Although I am a great admirer of the evening sky, I never took the time to really enjoy it. Before this, I had never even seen a shooting star. It was exciting for me to see and I felt like a giddy child each time a meteor would soar across the sky. I noted the constellations, most prominent of them, the Big Dipper. I mused that it would be wonderful to fall asleep, looking at the stars above as your celestial ceiling.
When the clouds rolled in, most of the cars left. We stayed for a few more minutes, but decided that, we too, would call it a night. As we drove home on the long stretches of road from the North Shore, we caught a glimpse of few more meteors. It was a perfect night and a blessed experience to see such a wonder of nature.
Thank you, Lord, for your beautiful creation. We are truly blessed.
posted by Donna, 11/18/2001 09:27:51 AM
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