dear isobel

I love Codesort, don’t get me wrong. In fact, Codesort and FanUpdate are my two favorite scripts, right behind Enthusiast. The world is a better place with those running around, so believe me, I’m thrilled about them.

Unfortunately, Codesort 2.0 is giving me some problems with using it across three domains. I run fanlistings on scott-clifton.com and robinpatrick.net in addition to those on much-ado.org. All three use the same Enth installation, so it shouldn’t be any issue to use the same Codesort and FanUpdate. FanUpdate is working like a charm. Codesort, however, is being extremely cranky and not allowing the codes to actually show. Grr. I’ve got a post in at Codegrrl and an email to the script creator. Hopefully I’ll get it squared.

In another news, I finally dug out my genealogy files and started getting back into them. My grandmother advised me to take a month off. I was only able to put it away for about three weeks. But still — an excellent attempt on my part. I’m going through them to make sure that they’re all current and organized before going back at it. I think I’m going to make another trip to Trenton later this week. Don’t worry, I won’t use my regular blog for my genealogy talk. I opened a new blog — dearisobel.org/family — just for that purpose.

It looks like one of my pet projects is finally getting off the ground — Crimson Glass Reviews. I’m looking forward to collaborating with some of people that have volunteered to help review General Hospital fan fictions. It’ll be great to wade through the deep level of…questionable quality stories out there and help direct people to the good stuff.

1. Pay off my five credit cards. If I get a decent job, this might actually be a reality.  I need to pay them off and I think I might cancel all but the oldest. I know that if you cancel your oldest credit card, it messes with the credit history, but does anyone know if it counts against you if close the more recent ones?

2. Design my own Wordpress Theme. This one I’d like to accomplish in January. I’d like to convert Crimson Glass to WP. I’d also like to have a bit more freedom with this site. I also hate using other people’s layouts and themes. I don’t know — I just don’t enjoy it. I like creating my own things.

3. Finish a few older fan fictions. I have a bunch of old stories for General Hospital that haven’t been updated for a while and I’d just like to finish some. Top of my list are Shadows (started in 2003), Mad World (2004) and Come On Eileen (2006).

4. Become more comfortable with PHP/MySQL. I’m not saying I think I could become capable of writing anything complicated, but I’d like to be able to do simplistic things.

5. Complete transfer to Arts Institute of Philadelphia. I really want to start next Fall, and I think I might be able to swing it. I’ll be 24 by that time, and finally eligible for financial aid. I know it means another four years of school, but I’ve taken a really hard look at the curriculum for Web Design and Interactive Media. I know we’ll probably go over things I already know, but it looks like we’ll delve into more.

Well, the holidays were all right, if you ignore the family drama that seemed to find itself in the middle of every conversation. My cousin came over and she and my aunt were arguing about whatever (as my uncle Gus said, “about the sun rising, the sun setting”) and I guess everyone’s really worried about Danielle, because she’s working her ass off and her boyfriend isn’t working — he got laid off the same time I lost my job–and Danielle’s eating diet pills like candy and drinking a lot. She looked like shit on Christmas, so I don’t know what’s going to happen there.

And the drama just got worse from there. My mother didn’t want to go to my father’s sister-in-law because she doesn’t like her. (Dude, my uncle is dead and his four-year-old daughter who is growing up without him should be everyone’s priority, but apparently the adults in my family are babies themselves). My aunt Bea decided to get into everyone’s business (shocker) and started in about Meg, my brother’s girlfriend who pretty much lives with us. She said Meg was rude and not saying hi, and I flipped on her. Of course Meg isn’t going to say anything — every time she opens her mouth, my aunt says something rude, inapproriate and it’s always about something that’s not of her business–which is exactly what I told her. Oh what fun.

So, yes, the holidays were okay in most respects but I could really do without the teen-style drama. I can watch Gossip Girl for that and at least get cute guys in the mix.

I headed out today to return and exchange stuff that didn’t fit and hit the bookstore for yet another script book. It’s another PHP/MySQL book, but it’s set up differently than PHP and MySQL for Dummies so I hope between the two, I can start to grasp the language better than I had before. I thought about picking up one of the CSS books, but I figure I’ll save that. I’m passable at CSS, enough at least for my own satisfaction right now so I really want to concentrate on PHP/MySQL. You get tired of trying to find scripts to do what you want your site to do. It’d be so much easier to just write it myself so I know I’ll get what I need.

I should head to bed — have to get up early and clean out my room so my father can put together my new desk (with tons of shelving and storage, whee!) and bring up the mattress I got for Christmas. My room’s going to look fabulous when it’s done, I’m so excited.

I can’t believe how fast 2007 went and how much happened this year. I was both hired and fired from a really well-paying job, my mom got her first job as a permanent teacher since graduating five years ago and my parents finally got back on their feet financially. We were never that badly off, but they never could get ahead, even when my brother and I gave them money for bills and treated for dinner as often as we could. That’s finally past us, so I’m glad for that.

We’re heading to my grandmother’s for Christmas Eve. We eat dinner, open presents and spend some time together. We started it the Christmas before my uncle died so it’s a good tradition for us to have because Uncle Gary loved Christmas and always went all out for my grandmother’s present so she will always need as much family around her as possible these days.

My aunt’s coming up for Christmas Day. Joy of joys. We get along so much better when she stays in Baltimore. She’s mad at my mother for spending so much time with my father’s mother instead of her own sister, but due, Aunt Bea does live a few states away. Gas is expensive.

We managed to get through Thanksgiving without any drama. *crosses fingers* Let’s hope we can do the same now. Read more »