melog-20110102.log

Well, I'm going to try a few resolutions this year. Like I said in my last log entry, this can either be a new beginning, or a count down of 365 days of more monotony.

I'll take a stab at making this a new beginning.

Here's what I'll try to improve this year:

Physical Health

Finances (was already working on this)

Reading More (was already working on this)

Be able to have a short, meaningful conversation in German with my friend in Germany

Correcting my poor sleep habits (BWAH-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!)

Improve work performance

Be a better husband and father

I believe I have a condition called delayed phase shift syndrome. I honestly believe it-- no joke. I am going to try a combat this.

So, I'm almost ready to go to bed for the night-- which is totally un-like me. I usually don't even start getting ready for bed until around midnight.

I plan to get up at 04:30 and start my exercise routine that I was doing a few years back. I lost about 30 pounds doing that. If I hadn't stopped, I'd kept it off and would be able to kick most people's ass by now.

Oh well . . .

I'd better sign off now. I've got my lunch made and ready to go. I've got my morning planned out, got the cloths for my kids laid out for school . . .

Now, all I have to do is actually get up in the morning.

I hope I don't keep hitting the snooze button.

Wish me luck.

Gute Nacht.

melog-20110101.log

well, it's a new year.

I liked 2010 better. Visually, it was easier on the eyes somehow.

Around our house, my nephew coined this year as "twen'y leben". Maybe it will catch on.

we had a really, stormy new years eve-- on over into about 02:00 new years morning. I'm just glad we didn't get washed away or blown away by tornadoes.

I feel a bit stupid sometimes when I find myself thinking up new year's resolutions. I've only kept one for any extended period in my life-- and that was to try and read more. I read a book a month two years ago. I've tried to continue the process. I haven't kept that same pace, but I do read more than I used to. I've gone from zero reading to at least squeezing in a few books a year.

But, I haven't been doing it all that long.

So, is new years a new beginning, or a signal that you're about to see 365 days of more monotony?

I think that's all up to each of us. And I guess that's what new year's resolutions are all about.

melog-20101230.log

I'm feeling a bit better. I think I'll make my way to work tomorrow.

It's just so strange not having an appetite.

My wife has seen all of the Doc Martin episodes. Now, she's hooked on Hotel Babylon.

I catch an episode here and there. I can watch an episode and then skip two seasons and catch up what happened in one episode. But, it's a catchy show. Rarely is the show laugh-out-loud funny, but it's generally amusing each time I see it.

We'll, I hear my nephew talking on the phone again. I just not realize that while he's really no bother, I didn't miss the extra chatter either.

I figured he had left a bit too soon after my wife told me about his transportation situation.

Anyhow, I need a shower. I've been laying around wallowing in my own belly ache. Maybe if I clean myself up, I'll feel a bit better.

melog-20101228.log

Today, I've felt very sick to my stomach. I didn't go to work today. I think I'll go to work tomorrow, though. Salty chips and Sierra Mist have been my diet today.

A few days ago, I got a letter from the county Circuity Clerk that for all practical purposes says:

You's a juror, bitch!

Well, I've gotta call that number first to see if I was actually selected. But if I don't show-- fines and possible imprisonment may ensue.

My nephew is back. He paid off his fines, but the car he has (the one that got him in all this trouble) has a lien against it. So basically, his dad bought him a someone else's "repo" car that has a tag from another car who's status is "stolen".

So, when my poor nephew tries to get the title of the car in his name, he discovers his dad bought him a car that belongs to someone else-- an angry bank.

So, that car can never be his. He's worked out getting another one and thinks he'll have it legally his and running by the end of the week.

I asked him who sold his dad that car-- he said that it was a friend of the family.

My response to that was, "Well, that guy isn't a friend of the family any longer! Find out who that dude was that sold your dad that car and make sure you never personally do business with him! You see him coming, you go the other way!"

Amazing how you can get Christmas presents for the kids and they are so, so happy.

Then, on the 26th-- they're bored silly! What's the point!?

Oh well, glad the gift giving stuff is over. I can do without all of that for now.

I like the lights, I like the songs, I like the well wishes-- but the gift exchange business-- I can really do without that. I never get a gift that I truly like without telling people what I want.

My wife gets me gifts out of our own money, with my knowledge-- so where's the surprise?

I'd rather just have a quiet evening with my family. And that's just what I got this year. It was nice.

Well, I'm signing off for now. My stomach is queasy.

melog-12252010.log

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

I'm sitting her listening to the wood in the fireplace crackle and pop.

I've been eating off of a piece of Belgium Chocolate hazelnut cheese cake all evening. That is one fine piece of confection, I must say. I mean . . . really fine.

Well, everyone has fallen asleep. My wife was supposed to wrap the presents, but she's knocked out. I suck at it, so . . . I really don't know what to do about it.

I'm highly content at this moment. I think sometimes this is really all I shoot for in life-- to have moments where I can sit back and watch my family be comfortable and safe.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

melog-20101223.log

well . . . i got a two in one special tonight (or today, depending on your perspective).

got the web server back up. but, i wasn't too worried about that.

the really goody was finding out that the web site i was using to help me set up ipv6 had OLD information in it. once i found that out, i found better sources and fixed the problem quite easily.

the little ".ip6.int" does *not* go at the end of your zone entry in the /etc/named.conf file. rather, you have ".ip6.arpa" at the end of the file. after that, everything made sense.

i'm really glad i spent some time a few months back reading a book called "code" by charles petzold. if it wasn't for spending some time with that book a while back, i think ipv6 would have really stomped the hell out of my brain!

i'm glad i started reading that book. nope, not finished with it, but what i have read has been invaluable towards my understanding the field in which i currently work.

well, gotta get some sleep. since i worked late, i can probably sleep in a bit. but, then again, i can get a little over time if i can prey myself from the bed.

i think i like sleep at bit more than money sometimes.

melog-20101222.log

today, i had the pleasure of wrapping my brain around ipv6. ip addresses will eventually start including hexadecimal conversions along with base 10 conversions of binary addresses.

so, we'll not only have addresses like this:

192.168.6.148

(i just pulled that example above out of my ass-- not an address of any one that I know)

but, also like this:

34FF:2704:39Af:4::128

(likewise, i just pulled this exampled out of my . . . ah, never mind . . . )

looks fun, doesn't it?

i'm trying to get my dns server at work to resolve this stuff. i've got the forward working. but, i'm missing something on the reverse.

but, i really need to be checking out an alert on a web server. it went down and i brought it back up. but now, a co-worker of mine wants to put the server in some sort of maintenance mode for a bit and bring it back up. i'm not sure what he's doing to it at the moment.

i'll have to call him in a bit, i guess.

good to know that the christmas gifts arrived. my wife has hid them from the kids.

i also got two children books written in german and english. i'll start working more on my foreign language. i played around with some chinese the other day, too. that's some hard stuff to read and say.

except pizza. pizza is easy to say. "bi - sa".

and "nee hao".

i get lost after that.

better stick with german for now.