OK, here's the deal, folks:

Late last week, I downloaded some files that my computer kept saying were "Critical Windows Updates for XP".  I figured they wouldn't do much, but since we have a high-speed connection here in the States I couldn't imagine how it could hurt.  Oh, if only.  One of the files was corrupted, and for technical reasons which I neither understand nor care about, I was no longer able to get my computer to run.  I called Compaq, and the guy ran me through what to do, several times, and it never worked, and so he said I could either wait for them to send me some disk which might fix it (maybe) or I could run my Quick Restore disks which would, of course, eliminate everything I had downloaded or saved or whatever.  I had backed up the computer a couple of weeks before, so I opted for that.

But.  I had saved everything (or close) that I'd written for Hyperbole in the last several months, though I hadn't saved the template for this site or some other software.  Stupidly, I add.  I also stupidly didn't save my emails or an address book that had been updated since January.  So that makes me a fucking idiot.  At least I had all of our pictures and my writing and such.

Everything came together pretty well, excluding a couple of annoying email issues and some other crap.  But there was some problem with Userland (the software supplier for Salon blogs) and it took several days to get that straightened out.  Then, today, when they sent me the passwords I needed, I hooked it all up to discover that Hyperbole has been wiped out.  Hell yeah!

This is mostly bad, but it has inspired me to do some reworking of the site, and to get off of my lazy ass to learn some HTML so I can do some things I've been wanting to do.  So there will be some changes here in the next several days.  Or weeks, really, because Doug is coming to visit tomorrow and then we leave next Monday for Dubai.  But I'll get it together. 

I like this simple look for the site now--incidentally, the name of the template is "simplicity".

I'll also use this opportunity to repost some things that I've written in an embarrassing attempt to get more attention.  I'll just post things I particularly like.  Feel free to ignore if you've read them before.

God, there's a lot going on to write about.  I will try and write over the next several days, but it will be busy for a while.  But tomorrow I'll do as much as I can.

Thanks for patience for those still hanging around.

11:22:44 PM    comment []