Saturday January 25, 2003

Web issues, Friday Five

More trouble with various web programs: After the evil time I had with Movable Type, I decided that I should stay with Blogger and just add a commenting system. I tried several progs. The ones that relied on someone else's server were always slow or down, and they had too many ads. The ones that I had to install on my own server did not work. I finally decided to use Enetation, which is also now down. My question is, does the internet just hate me, or what? Am I the only one whose web services always poop out? This feels a lot like being stuck in traffic for an hour with a kid making faces in the car next to me. Agravating.

At least Blogger is still working (though I shouldn't jinx myself by saying that). So I will blog blog blog, because that is what agravated college dorks (who are stuck all day working at a computer lab) do. Hmmm. I haven't done the Friday Five in a while. It's Saturday, but who cares. I've never actually done it on Friday anyway.

1. What is one thing you don't like about your body?

Must I name only one? Yeesh that's hard. Okay, I will avoid the obvious, and go with something most people don't really notice. My eyes. They are two different sizes. I'm not kidding. One is bigger than the other, or at least opens up more than the other. People don't realize this until I tell them, then they get freaked out staring at my weirdo eyes. But I notice, and I don't like it.

2. What are two things you love about your body?

I like my hair. I know I need a haircut (badly), and it's been several months since I bothered to mind the gap (my roots are much less red than the rest of my hair), but I really like my hair, my bone-straight hippy hair. The second thing? My eyebrows. They're the one part of my anatomy that I've consistently worked on in the last year.

3. What are three things you want to change about your home?

That massive map of Croatia my dad hangs in the living room has to go. It takes up the entire wall, and is just plain ugly. One must not be gaudy in order to be patriotic (someone please tell the folks who wear stars-and-stripes biker shorts). If I could I would also make a separate room just for my mom's shrines, to liberate the rest of the house. My home is a sea full of plastic Mary's, holy cards, figurines, medals, scapulars, crucifixes, framed pictures of Pope John Paull II. It's very overwhelming and slightly distracting. And I usually don't bring friends home unless I know they really love me. The third thing would have to be the basement carpet. It's an orangy-reddish-brown holdover from decades past. It needs to be cremated.

4. What are four books you want to read this year?

+ A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis.
+ The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric.
+ Downsize This! by Michael Moore.
+ What Are We To Do? by David Yount.

5. What are five promises you have kept to yourself?

Work my you-know-what off and get an A in Research Methods, learn to forgive people who have done something to me, finish the still-life painting over winter break, read The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, and stop drinking. I've broken more promises than I've kept (way more promises), but I think I've done a pretty good job with these five. So far, at least.

I think I should start on reading my books as soon as I get my Sensation and Perception paper done. Reading always makes me feel better, which I really need when crappy days (like the last two) creep up on me. By the way, a huge thanks to Courtney for keeping me in your prayers. You are awesome. And Fabulous. And wonderful. Also, a huge thanks to my hostees who don't take off without telling me. It's all about respect, and you guys rock.