1 Foot in the Grave

…My other foot should get. No doubt you’ve heard of “The Bucket List.” I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I understand the premise. Well, I don’t want to copy the title, but it is, in fact, a bucket list. But because my website’s name is “1 Foot in the Grave,” I figured a good and proper name for my bucket list would be “My Other Foot List.” Although I do have one foot in the grave because of this damned lung disease, my other foot is not ready yet. This is sorta what my other foot would like to do before I die.

This is born from a homework assignment my shrink gave me to do this week. I gotta mention now that during our first meeting, she said she didn’t give out homework assignments. I wonder if I should be concerned that she lied to me and saddled me with this project on only our 3rd meeting? Naw. My feeling is she knew it’s what I needed to do. I was doing nothing but complaining, rambling and being entirely discombobulated. There was no » Read the whole entry »

I believed in the black eye — “I would rather fight than switch” (the advertising slogan of Tereyton cigarettes) — but I finally quit almost 9 years ago. After smoking cigarettes for 35 years and pot for 20, I’m finally starting to get something back for it. Yeah, sure, I got the bad breath, the yellow teeth and stinky clothes a long time ago, but now the really good stuff is comin’ my way.

I get to take long, leisurely showers now… Not because I have the time or inclination, of course, but because I don’t have much choice. I get out of breath just washing my hair.

Friends and family wait on me hand and foot… Not because I am so dynamic and popular, but because I can no longer do some of the things I used to take for granted.

I got to spend a little time laying around in bed with these really cool wires attached to me after a heart attack, caused by a low level of oxygen saturation in my blood.

One of the best things of all is the really cool back pack I get to wear every day now. » Read the whole entry »

Not a whole lotta real pleasures in my life these days. I really love spending most of my time on this computer, building websites, working with graphics. I also enjoy a few television programs and occasionally I will watch Late Night with David Letterman. He has an irreverent sense of humor and usually gives me a good laugh or three. But the music has never been all that great for me. I don’t know who picks these groups, but some of them are down right repulsive. Whata ya gonna do but change the channel.

Tonight was QUITE different. Maroon5 and It Won’t Be Soon Before Long made the difference. I’ll admit that what initially prompted me to give a listen - or at least wait to see them walk on stage - was the very stylish album cover (us old folks still call ‘em albums - they’re CDs and even smaller an’ shinier than my old 45’s) - go ‘head, give it a click to see the larger version. I know, that’s a pretty weird reason to decide to listen to a group, but I’ve made flimsier decisions than that, ya know. So, the end of the show comes around (by the way, pretty stiff and boring Katie Holmes was and that was a lousy impersonation of Letterman that Frank Caliendo did) and the Maroon 5 were introduced. Right away I noticed it: no screaming. Really, you know what I’m talkin’ about. These guys were smooth. I was tappin’ away on my computer, ferget doin’ what, and I just had to stop. It was a very fresh and » Read the whole entry »

A couple of days ago, my new friend, Nancy, asked me how I posted pictures in my blog - the way the text was wrapped around the images instead of beginning at the bottom edge of the image. I’m glad she asked because it gives me an opportunity to show some of you one of the first things I learned about HTML and CSS.

The method is called a “float.” You would think it might be called a wrap, but no, I didn’t get to be on the naming committee. I’ll describe the method of doing this so that anyone coding an HTML page can do the same. You can use this method in any HTML document, it doesn’t have to be WordPress. There is a shortcut to this method for those using WordPress, so keep reading, I’ll get to it soon. » Read the whole entry »

“The Mad Modder” was a tag I picked up sometime in 2003. I was known as “Grump” for a long time - not an undeserved nick-name - and in ‘03, I was hanging out a lot in case modding forums. I built the computer you see in the picture (click it to see a larger version) and it impressed someone at CPU Magazine and it was featured in the October 2003 issue and I became the first “Mad Reader Mod.” Of course, the title was derived from my nick-name and a few people in the modding circles began calling me “the mad modder.” I even got the domain name, TheMadModder.com, which at one time had a pretty nice forum - another one of those things I had to give up when I got sick.

But that isn’t what this entry is about. I only mention my case modding because it has been the kind of thing I have enjoyed doing for many years. Oh, not just computer case modding, but modding just about everything. I used to build model cars when I was a kid - customized them and even got published in a model car mag back then. I’ve tried to modify cars, my homes, hell, I even modified the way I pack this damn oxygen tank around - but more on that later. What I am taking the long way around getting to is that I spent the biggest part of this day modifying this website. I just couldn’t leave well enough alone. » Read the whole entry »

Although I had planned for a long time to start a blog (I think I made my first effort in 1993 or 4), I had never decided on what script to use until just a couple days ago. I was actually looking for something that I could use for a Floor Pro Network so that my members could have their own blogs. I tried a couple things out and even settled on b2evolution. But when I installed that application and was faced with the configuration and other options, I gave WordPress another look.

The installation couldn’t have been much easier - it really does take less than 5 minutes. The options were impressive and simple to set up. I got a couple of plugins and installed a theme I liked and I was up and running. I especially like that it’s all valid code right outa the box. I’m anal about that. The theme I chose has a 1 pixel jog in the background that I can’t seem to fix. I made a comment to the designer on the WordPress Themes page, so I hope it gets resolved.

One thing I didn’t like about the theme » Read the whole entry »

I should consider myself lucky that I’ve made it through life this far. My childhood was filled with accidents and I prob’ly cheated death a few times. Broke several bones, or dislocated them. Pulled some hair-brained stunts and was involved in incidents that any one of them could have taken my life and the lives of others. One of my earliest memories, if not the first one, was the feeling - the fear really - of drowning in a huge snow bank.

That was in Alaska, where I was born an Army brat, and I had dived head first from the porch into the drift that settled in our front yard. The snow, stiff and crusty, held me firm and I couldn’t move. I panicked and screamed for help.

There’s no screaming now » Read the whole entry »