My favorite kind of things to do are fixing computer emergencies I am totally not familiar with. Okay, really my favorite thing to do is build big systems but sometimes, it is fun to test your skills out being thrown into a problem you didn't really know anything about.

(e:enknot) was out sick today ;( and he normally controls the online directory but the SMTP server that handles the critical online messaging system was down.

I had to hijack the messages being sent and switch it from using the old smtp system to a escalating new communication system that Roswell purchased. It required connecting to an oracle database through odbc and then sending the hijacked messages as an XML service. I wrote a little logger to keep track of the lost messages while the old system was down.

Solving these kind of problems on the fly is kind of like solving those story with holes game you would play as a kid. Sometimes I wish I was just a contractor - I would be so much richer.

Mother's Day was a smash hit. We had a ton of food and ate outside. It was nice for my mom to not have to do anything. (e:terry) , (e:mike) and I worked so hard to get it all ready. And thanks to (e:matthew) who cleaned up in the house before having to go to his mom's.







Grilled Lobster is good, now I know.


Somehow I lost the picture of the buffalo burgers.

First time using the fancy crystal bowl. We decided to have a homage to my mothers multi meat meals by having every type of berry. This is a strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry fruit salad we served with marscopone.



My mother requested shrimp, we made it three different ways. It seriously took like 45 minutes to clean the all.

Gosh, I have so much to post about, I am starting to feel overwhelmed. The latest box from my mother includes all my journal entries for 1985. I have a years worth screaming to be let onto the internet. It is nice to know that I dreamed of being a computer specialist and thats what happened. Not everyone realizes their dreams I guess. Some of it is really funny.

Anyways, so before that can happen I have to post about nameless bitch's graduation and Mother's Day.

It started out with (e:lilho) dressing up nameless bitch

Missing Image ;(

Missing Image ;(

Unfortunately, the shoes she choose for her

Missing Image ;(

I can't believe how commercialized this stand makes graduating.


There was the sign with sangia on it. Imagine being the butt of everyones joke.



Someone lost their toupe in the parking lot.


Hot wrestler guys in the painting - does anyone know this painting


(e:lilho) was being her usual celebtritant (celebrity-debutant)







Then off to cozumel for cocktails and food.


I had the blue crab tacos.






We stopped by the new head shop on elmwood where squeeky wheel was. They tried to sell (e:lilho) a pair of sunglasses for $300. She talked them down to $200 despite the fact she was not buying them. It was all very sketchy. I mean who is to say they are real.




Ensuing Drunkness


I peeled lots more paint. Soon it will be painting time. I kind of love the pressure washer. I just wish that it would be 3500 psi instead of 2200 psi.

Tonight, after fixing some site stuff I might get my blog on. I think I have about 30 posts to make. My mother sent me these boxes of stuff from my child to early adulthood which are ripe with blogging potential. Included are all the love letter from the various girls, poems and papers from high school minus my relationship with (e:hodown) because I think we burned those during a fight. In addition to lets of other nicknacks.

Today is mother's day and (e:mike) and I are doing a barbeque for my mom here at our house. I will have pictures up later, if it turns out. We bought lots of fancy stuff to eat but unfortunately, neither of us are cooks - so lets home for the best.

Kunis To Go
If you haven't tried it yet, eat the Bento box at Kunis for lunch. It is only $8.



The Drain
I have off today and tomorrow and wanted to get a lot of house stuff done. I excavated this crazy hole in the wall where the access panel to ur tub should be. It seems as though someone put the tub in and then set the whole thing in concrete and metal so that you could never access the drain pipes again. I just don't get it.

The drain shut mechanism had fallen down the pipe. Seeing as there was no real way to disconnect it, I used an industrial strength vacuum to suck pressure up the pipe while sliding a metal stent into the pipe. Now the tub drains perfect, but really there has to be a better solution.

There is nothing better in life than my industrial vaccuum. I tried to search for a pic of it but couldn't find it, these are just my second tier vacuums (e:paul,32725) I will take pictures of it next week.

All the area you see was completely filled in with concrete and insulation and then bound by a rusty metal grate. I really don't understand it. Than god for sledge hammers and industrial vacuums. Don't worry this whole is just in a closet wall.













The Porch
I am stripping the paint off the porch and decided to go the route of power washer pressure gun. I got a gas powered 2200psi one for like $240. I figured it makes sense seeing as they were like $49.00 a day to rent and I am sure I would rent it many times to strip all kinds of things and to power wash for paint preparation.

I got a lot of the paint off the stairs with it, but it was too loud as I started at 8:30PM so at 9:00PM I stopped and will continue tomorrow. I am excited to finally get all the paint off the concrete so I can reseal and paint it properly with a darkish brown color to match the brick and brownstone.

Rollerblades
I tried to buy rollerblades. Seems like a no go. I went to Dick's in the Galleria and the only sizes they had in mens were 9 and 13. The 13s were okay but no what I was looking for exactly. I think a 12 would have been better. Then I tried sears - no luck. Eventually, I ended up going to target where they did have 11s - even if they did have 12s I wasn't buying them for $29.00. I feel that just like there has to be an upwards limit on how much you would spend on something, there also has to be a lower limit to insure quality and I wasn't getting the cheep ones only to have them break a week later. Anyone have an idea where to buy them?

City Life
I find it annoying that I cannot be naked in my backyard because of all the building around. I wish I could just put a big tent over it, but then it would essentially be part of the house.