» 2025.MARCH.1 - I like March because it brings the spring equinox, which is the first day of spring (March 20). And spring is the season of new beginnings.
Come the end of this month, I will have been here four years. I been living here downtown San Dayglo for nearly four years now.
It can take a while, you know, to adapt and adjust to a new environment, particularly if your new digs are very different from the old, and if your new living arrangement is very different.
But no matter how different things might be, you will have things figured out after four years. Even the fine details of life will be dialed in nicely after four years.
I came from the rural country and now I live in the heart of the big city. I came from a place of endless hills and now I live where it is very flat. I came from a deserty dry climate to live here in these balmy ocean breezes.
There I couldn't go anywhere without first calling for transportation (beause I was out in the middle of nowhere). While here I can go wherever I want without ever having to call for transportation (because I can either walk there or take the bus or jump on the trolley).
I could certainly continue along these lines because there are many more difference. But my point is simply to say that this place and my circumstances here are very different from that of my previous residence.
So I been feeling a sense of gratitude for how things turned out. I am digging the feeling of being delivered from the authority of darkness. Which sucked very badly, let me tell you.
Plus I also turned 10 years out on being a cancer survivor. The end of January I was 10 years out. Glad to have that far behind me. Talk about sucking very badly.
I quit all antidepressants shortly after arriving here. My meds guy had me come off them slowly .. so you don't experience what they call rebound depression. They titrate you off in a stairstep method over a number of months.
Coming off the Wellbutrin was hardest. By far. A week after stopping that script, I got so tired I felt like I was dying. There is one-week delay with that med. Both going on aand comiung off.
I was in love with Wellbutrin. Soon as I started taking them I said, "Oh, I like this. I like this a lot. Where have you been all my life?"
Not long after starting that med I called my meds guy and said, "Oh, I am liking this. I am liking this alot."
He said, "I thought you might."
It feels like you have the mental energy of drinking a cup of strong coffee. But without the jitterty side. Rather you are feeling at peace with the world. You are chilling emotionally but have mental energy and invigoration.
When you are feeling depressed, this means you have little energy or enthusiasm to do anything. I could go into great detail here about how Wellbutrin makes you feel. But my point is simply to say that this kind of buzz is right up my alley.
It made me feel like I was home again. Home after being away in a dark place during dark times. A very sucky place.
So sucky that you need help handling the suck overflowing from your bucket of shit. I am talking about the bucket of shit that you are able handle without starting to come apart at the seams.
This dream was so vivid and realistic that I felt like it must mean something. But what? It lingered with me long after I woke. So I was thinking about it for quite some time.
And since it came on the ides of March, which carries an ominous historical tone associated with misfortune and doom, the timing of the dream naturally gave me an uneasy feeling.
Since Jimmy Carter was a president, our 39th president, I felt like it had something to do with our country.
This dream came out of the blue. I hadn't been thinking about him before the dream. I hadn't been watching any documentaries about his life or anything like that.
»Long as Carter was Alive the Nation Would be Okay
From a purely intuition perspective I felt like, long as Jimmy Carter was still alive the nation would be okay. But after that all bets were off.
Though I couldn't explain this impression from any kind of logical or rational process. It was just a hunch or an intuition.
So I've been waiting for Jimmy Carter to die for more than a dozen years now. And a few days ago he finally died on December 29 at the ripe old age of 100.
To me the number 100 suggests completion. He was not 99. He was not 101. But rather he died an even 100 years of age. (Plus a couple months.)
All during this time I caught myself thinking "I wonder what's going to be happening in America when Carter dies."
Well we now know that Carter died after Trump has been elected for a second term, but before he gets sworn into office.
»What Happened to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment?
I find this especially foreboding because section 3 of the 14th Amendment clearly prohibits insurrectionists from holding office in our government.
But the Supreme court did away with that part of the Constitution.
If somebody places their hand on the bible and swears an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and then they turn around and violate that oath, then they probably shouldn't be allowed back into government.
It makes perfect sense, no? Heck, even a sixth grader could see the rationale in such a statute.
I also note where Paul wrote to Timothy saying that "The Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that..."
The word explicit is defined as being » Fully and clearly expressed; leaving nothing implied.
That sounds like he was 100% certain. He does not sound even a little uncertain there. This passage was taken from the Amplified translation (1965).
I noticed where it said they would be rendered » incapable of ethical functioning.
Is Trump capable of ethical functoning? Doesn't seem so.
»Watching Events Unfold from a Dispassionate Place
It's a fascinting time in which we live. Part of me is watching the events unfold from a removed, dispassionate perspective where I take in the progression without any type of connection or emotional response.
Here I am just a quiet observer removed from the events. This strikes me as odd because in real life, being an American, I am very much a part of what is going on. Of course my life will be affected by what happens to America. So I admit it doesn't really make sense.
It's sort of like the practice of meditation where you simply note and acknowledge the thoughts that come to your mind before letting them go.
One of the things I find fascinating is that none of this would be possible without the overwhelimh support of evangelicals for Trump.
»None of this Would be Possible Without the Overwhelming Support of Evangelicals
Polls found north of 80% of evangelicals supported Trump. This number is even higher than the evangelical support he had back in 2016.
So they can't say that they didn't know what they were getting into. They saw his first four years and said "Give me more of that."
This fascinates me. I was raised Catholic, but I like to attend different churches to see what they believe and how they interpret the scriptures.
All Christians have the same bible but they somehow manage to come away with very different doctrines.
I spent some time in evangelical churches because I could see that they actually knew what the scriptures taught. Catholics don't know what the scriptures actually say. They only know Catholic doctrine because that's all they're taught.
I am reminded here that it has been 400 years since slavery and oppression arrived in America. If you are familair with the scriptures, then you know how God works.
Server - VPS Advanced
RAM - 4.2 GB
Disk - 100 GB
CPU cores - 4
Costs an additional +$48/mo
They also have a plan called » VPS Advanced, CPU Optimized, which comes with 6 cores.
Server - VPS Advanced CPU Optimized
RAM - 4.2 GB
Disk - 100 GB
CPU cores - 6
Costs an additional +$58/mo
My current plan comes with 2 cores and 2 gigs of memory. That used to be plenty back in the day.
Speaking of the day, I wonder what time it is right now. I'm gonna go check real quick. Be right back.
Looks like it just turned into December. Winter is right around the corner. The solstice approaches.
One of the techs who was helping me said, "We highly recommend you upgrade your server to one of these options, which gives you 4 GB of RAM and 4 CPU cores. With this upgrade, overall performance will increase and you will no longer be facing load issues."
I started having problems soon as I upgraded the server's operating system to Alma 8. This was at the beginning of November. I think the newer O/S uses more resources.
Nobody told me this, but this has been my experience. And this is the way that technology tends to go in general. Newer software requires more powerful hardware. You know.
I had been using CentOS7 as the O/S since Sept 2020. Everything was working fine. (Heck, even the hacker liked it.) So it has been 4 years with that last O/S.
»Stay with CentOS 7 Even Though It Reached End-of-Life
They did not want me to upgrade. They wanted me to stay with CentOS 7, even though it had come to its end-of-life. It still worked great. With no security issues.
This OS upgrade to Alma 8 was the first time I have done what is called an "in-place upgrade." You don't have to move the site files to a physically different server.
In order to qualify for an in-place upgrade, you need to have both WHM/cPanel and also Acronis back-up installed. They do a pre-check and go through the server carefully to make sure there will be no issues during the in-place O/S upgrade.
I been using VPS servers now for many years. Here's a post from 2012 titled » Zippy New Dual-Westmere VPS for Xmas. And I was already on a VPS when I moved to WiredTree.
I was on basic shared hosting before that. I remember them telling me, "Dude, your site is using too many server resources. We have moved your ass to a stabilization server, where we put all the bad boys. You need to either upgrade or get the fuck out." That's when I was banished from shared hosting.
So I have done these O/S upgrades a number of times. There is always shit you need to work out. Always problems that need taking care of.
Anyway, they wanted me to stay with CentOS 7. They said, "Eventually you'll need to upgrade. But for now, let's just chill with CentOS 7 for a while. It's woking fine."
I chilled for a few months. But then I stated getting antsy because WHM/cPanel would no longer update for CentOS 7 because the O/S had reached its end-of-life. So I started complaining. I wanted to upgrade a new O/S that supported WHM/cPanel updates.
They offered the upgrade options of both Alma 8 and Rocky 8. Either one would've worked fine. Rocky is made by the same folks who made CentOS, which is based on Rad Hat.
Red Hat is not a free O/S like CentOS, Rocky and Alma. You gotta pay for Red Hat. And it ain't cheap.
I threatened to leave. I threatened to move the site to a different web hosting provider. (Something I have also done a number of times over the years.)
They said, "Okay. We'll go ahead upgrade you." I am adlibbing here a bit for drama points. But this was definitely the gist of the haps.
»Things Usually Work Best When You Follow the Advice of Experts
Dude, I am normally good at listening to the advice of professionals. They know what they are doing. They are the experts. You will be in good hands. You'll be fine following their advice. I know this.
For example, when my doctors, or when my oncologists, recomended I do something, I did it.
You know, Steve Jobs, he went against the advice of his doctors when he got cancer. He thought he was smarter than them. Steve Jobs is dead now. Walter Isaacson knows what I am talking about. Listen to the experts. This is sound advice.
They are human. They can make mistakes, sure. But you and me, we will always make more. Because we don't know as much as the experts do.
This point has been impressed upon me of late. Which is probably why I am going into such detail here. I learned my lesson. (Again.)
After the upgrade to Alma 8, the forum died because the version of YaBB that I use is not compatible with the new version of Perl that comes with Alma 8.
Also, the Moveable Type weblog software no longer works. And Six Apart no longer offers a free downloadable version. Now you have to pay $500 a year for a Moveable Type license.
The web pages that have already been created are still viewable and good to go. But I can no longer edit them in the program. Nor can I create any new pages using that software. I can't use it at all. (Movable Type is also a Perl-based program.)
So I have run a into a number of glitches as you can tell. I have a number a possible options to resolve these glitches. But it will still take me some time to work out my strategy.
And I can't really do shit until I first get the server running more stably. Every time I try to do anything that stresses the server, it shits itself and reboots. No fun.
And I don't like to have to keep contacting support for help. You just want shit to be working smoothly again.
I been working with VPS servers for long anough now that I have a decent idea of how to use them. It's a very cool technology. Very powerful. But you always run into new shit that puts you back on the steeper slopes of the learning curve.
I been learning lots of shit this past month .. let me tell you, Jack.
Back when I first upgraded to VPS, I was paying $44/mo with WiredTree. They were excellent. But they sold the business to Liquid Web, who I am now with.
Zack, the guy who owned WiredTree, he originally came from Liquid Web before starting his own hosting company. So it was an understandable move.
Sometimes you would call for support, and Zach would answer. He sometimes sat in and worked as a support tech himself. The owner of the company. And sometimes he was there late at night, too.
I liked talking to him. He was very interesting. I respected him.
Dude, if I owned the company, I would not be working a shift on the support desk. You hear me.
His whole staff kicked much ass. They were wizards. And some were super-wizards. I learned a lot from them. And they were very patient with me and all my questions.
Anyway, this is the stuff I've been thinking lately. Heck, I've even had disc usage warnings. I think my current plan comes with 40 gigs of space. I never had disc usage warnings before upgrading to Alma 8.
Back when I was with Zack at WiredTree, I was paying $44/mo for the server. And they promised to never raise your rate, unless you upgraded your resources.
But now, your average entry-level VPS is double that. Sure, I have seen the attractive teaser rates that companies will publish in big, bold print. But they only last a few months. Reading the tiny fine print you find out that they all normalize at about $90 a month. (You might need to get out your magnifying glass.)
There are a handful of big-name web-hosting providers out there, based in different parts of the country. And all their prices are comparable. You get what you pay for.
I think my first VPS came with 256 KB memory. Definitely no more than 512. Ah, the good ol' days.
Oh yeah, here's an entry from 2008 where I had 384 KB (256 + 128 upgrade).
So that's what I been up to of late.
You know, there are not many sites that have been on the web for 25 years. It has been quite the journey.
» 2024.NOVEMBER.15 - The problem with the forum not loading is that the version of the script I currently have installed is not compatible with the new version of Perl that comes with the new server operating system I recently upgraded to earlier this month. (Alma 8)
» Need to Install a New Version of the Forum Script
The forum runs off a Perl script.
Everytime there is an O/S upgrade to a new full number, there are always things that need to be worked out. This upgrade was no exception.
The good news is that the latest version of YaBB is indeed compatible with the version of Perl I now have. Folks are running the latest release version of YaBB (2.6) with the same version of Perl I have.
But, instead of just installing a brand new board, I want to try to retain all the old posts and members and items from the current board. There are zillions of informative posts there.
But not being able to access the current board makes the process of "converting" a little trickier.
You get rusty at things when you haven't done them for a while. So I been dusting off the techie brain cells. I've upgraded the forum software many times. It's coming back to me.
I still have some items that I need to iron out first, and I'm in no big hurry. I'll post another message here when things are ready to go. Maybe another week or so. We'll see. I have some personal things I need to take care of, too.
And I been getting messages from old timers saying things like, "Hey. I was just visiting your site to get your puttanesca recipe when I noticed that you just posted a new message. First in 5 years."
Even though I haven't posted anything new here on the homepage, I still posted plenty of entries in the weblog during that time.
» Solved the 'Mixed Content' Issue Preventing Styles from Loading for the Weblog Pages
On a more successful note, I identified the source(s) of the problem with the 'mixed content' errors I was getting that were preventing the styles for the Moveable Type weblog pages from loading.
These mixed content errors can be identified by pressing F12 in Chrome, which brings up the console for the developer tools. All content over an insecure connection is blocked.
It's still the exact same CSS file (stylesheet). The only thing that changes is the type of connection that transfers it to your browser.
There are still some mixed content errors blocking things, but I don't care about them. I only cared about the styles not loading.
It wasn't a major issue because all the text and images were still loading fine. But the pages just didn't look pretty without their styling.
The mixed content problem is due to recent upgrades in browsers refusing to load both secure (https) and non-secure (http) content for the same page, over the same connection.
I'm glad I managed to idenify the source of the problem. But now, this means that I need to go back and manually edit all those pages.
It's a very quick process to edit a page. Only takes 10 secs to paste in a small block of code into the head section that tells the page to load the styles over a secure connection (https).
The older pages are obviousy less relevant. And I'm in no big hurry. But I been working on it here-n-there.
» What a Head-Spinning Trip Down Memory Lane This has Been
So far I've done everything from now all the way back to the beginning of 2016.
Man, what a trip this has been, seeing all those old titles. They are triggering old memories.
There have been some good memories triggered and some not-so-good ones. You know. I have been in some tough places over the years. Some nasty, challenging predicaments. I have been trick-fucked plenty of times.
» Super Vivid Realistic Dreams that Stick with You Long After You Wake
Also been having some super vivid dreams lately. Not sure if the triggering of these old memories is the reason why.
But these are the kind of dreams where you wake and can still feel and see and remember everything in great, vivid detail. Some of it wild shit, too. Lots of it wild. And there's always other people involved, too. Feels like it means something. Though I'm not sure what.
I worked with a dude at SONGS who said that every time he ate sushi (at the place in San Clemente off Pico) he had the most vivid and realistic dreams. He speculated it might be due to the burdock root they used in their handrolls.
I have started eating a sheet of roasted seaweed every day or so for its iodine content because I don't use iodized salt, and because seaweed is the best natural source of iodine. Each sheet contains about 40% of the recommended daily allowance.
These are the same sheets that they use at sushi bars. So maybe this has something to do with these super-vivid dreams I been having lately.
And everybody knows the prophet Joel said"Your old men will dream dreams," which will precede the coming of the "great and terrible day of the Lord" that Peter referenced on the day of Pentecost.
I don't have a therapist anymore. But if I did, I'd be curious about what he might think about these dreams. These ultra vivid dreams that stick with you long after you wake.
They just seem so real and life-like.
I used to date a girl who'd ask me every morning, "Tell me your dreams." Then she'd say, "You have great dreams."
Did you see the moon? Tonight is the full moon. I went for walk down to the harbor yesterday shortly before sunset. And it had already risen over the city to the east, looking like a perfectly illuminated disc, still lower than some of the taller buildings.
» 2024.NOVEMBER.8 - Hello. The server operating system has recently been updated to Alma 8, which comes with a new version of Perl that is not compatible with the current version of the forum software (YaBB) which uses a Perl script.
» Forum Not Working After Upgrading to New Server Operating System
I was talking to techs at my web hosting provider about the possibility of installing an older version of Perl, but they advise against it due to the security issues it would introduce.
But I'm not really sure exactly what is causing the problem, which is an "Internal Server Error'. Could be anything.
I am going to look into other options, into newer options for a forum. Right now I am researching what is required to get and instsall a SSL certificate and turning the site into a secure server (https, not http). Stay turned.
In other news, I am healthy, currently living downtown San Diego. Been down here 3½ years now. I've become quite the city boy, where the sound of police sirens blend seamlessly into background.
Completely off all the antidepressants. Going for brisk walks down to the harbor a few times a week.
May even join a health club and start pumping iron again, since the membership comes with the health care coverage I have. There is a participating club right around the corner. A nice one. I've already called them to see what's up.
Sometimes I walk down to the park down the street and run a few laps around it. That always makes me feel good. It's the size of a city block. Folks mainly walk their dogs there. I run slowly and take a breather between each lap.
Starting to get chilly at night. Every year I play a little game where I see how long I can go until I have to shut the bedroom window at night. My goal is to make it to Dec 1st, but I never make it that far.
Been playing this game ever since I first arrived in SoCal many years ago, where I would leave the bedroom window open about a foot at night for fresh air. But once the nights get cold enough, then I cave and shut the window before going to bed.
So far, it's still open. But it's starting to get cold at night. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold out.
Biggest health concern I have is probably the anemia. My red blood cell count and my hemoglobin are both low. Like, all the time.
They have been low ever since the chemo 10 years ago.
My hemoglobin is just a tad below spec. While my red blood cell count at last labs was not even close. Almost a full point below spec.
But my doctors are not concerned. No. Long as the readings remain stable, which they do, then they see no reason for concern.
They say this is a known side-effect of chemo. That's when I started having trouble keeping up my red blood cell count.
Chemo wrecks your blood. At least, the kind I had did. I had 3 chemo sessions over the course of 6 weeks.
Anemia makes you tired. Makes you feel like your ass is dragging. You fatique more easily. And if you push it and get over-tired, then it takes longer for you to recover.
But I don't mind it much because I'm just glad to be alive. Anemia is better than death. Much better. That's what I always say.
You need iron to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin transports oxygen. It takes your body a month to make new hemoglobin.
Whenever I supplement with Florix iron I feel significantly better, both physically and mentally. Takes about 90 mins. Then I feel more relaxed. More settled. More myself.
The stuff is not cheap, though at $27.50 for a small 250 ml bottle. So I don't get it all the time. And I only do half the recommended dose, which is 10 mls twice daily. I only do the morning shot. Then la la la all day long.
At 10 mls, a 250 ml bottle will last 25 days. They tell you to use the bottle within 4 weeks of opening because no preservatives.
Other than that, my blood looks great. The med school girl interning at my doctor's office said, "We never see labs this good."
Been having problems with hackers getting on the server. In the process of getting some powerful security software packages installed in the next few days. May even get back to doing some writing after that.
Okay, the security packages have been installed and scans run. It found/identified thousands of infected files. An order is currently in the queue to take care of the infected files. Professionals who know what they are doing.
» Styles for Moveable Type Weblog Pages Not Loading Due to 'Mixed Content' Issue
Speaking of writing, the styles for the Moveable Type weblog entries are not loading due to changes introduced to browsers recently. So the pages don't look as pretty as tney did before. But all the text and images are still there.
Of course, I have thoughts about Trump getting re-elected. But now is not the time to go there.
It will be interesting and telling to see where he takes the nation. Seems like the end of the world can't be far off. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm usually not.
Isaac Newton, perhaps the geatest mathematician ever in the history of planet Earth, predicted in 1704 that the end of the world was coming in 2060.
Buckle up and strap in for a wild ride on the fascist rollercoaster. Such rides never end well. Check your history books.
This has all the signs and indications for the end of the world, no?
Just imagine where the nation might be right now if Hillary and the evil DNC hadn't rigged the 2016 nomination process against Bernie.
2025.MARCH.1 - I like March because it brings the spring equinox, which is the first day of spring (March 20). And spring is the season of new beginnings.
