Archive for February, 2008

MU version 1.3.3 has object cache issues

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

Seems the latest version is a wee bit broken in the cache area. It’s an older problem that was previously fixed, but soemhow slipped through again. It happens. Check the trac ticket here on the issue and the fix here.

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Original post by Andrea

The things we did yesterday.

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

Some days I get up and I feel like crap, but I force myself to Get Things Done and I mentally prep myself to get into the spirit of working hard on client projects. My brain is fuzzy sometimes, worse when tired, and I get easily distracted. (Hello there ADD.) Toss in the fact I’m looking after 3 kids and a husband and you have my day.

Over lunch, Ron had asked is we wanted the car to go to the library, which Sarah had been chomping at the bit for. Since earlier in the week we had discussed it (but not really) I wasn’t expecting to get the car. So we had a big rush to get two people dressed and everyone out the door in ten minutes flat.

I hate rushing. And I left the site I was working on up on the screen in multiple tabs.
Ron is finally moving offices, so it was our last chance to easily use the Florenceville library. Sarah and Meaghan had read pretty much every book in the YA section there and needed to get new books. We dropped books off, and headed on down to Hartland to check out that library. (We like to put books back at the proper library we got them at, and aren’t fond of inter-library loans because we like to browse the actual books). Funnily enough, Ron’s *new* office location is across from this library. Are we a lucky family or what?

Emma introduced herself to this librarian and got her to give a quick tour of the children’s department. I told the lady she’d see us often. She thinks Emma is awesome and Emma gave her *two* hugs. We left the library, loaded down with books, and found it started snowing again. Big fluffy fat move-set flakes. There was a two-man road crew across from us, filling a pothole in the street, heating up the pavement with a blowtorch. We got a pic from the car.

Road repair

Then we headed up the hill to the Dollar Store where Emma handed out hugs to two clerks, one of whom was absolutely entranced with Emma. We had a great conversation, and she thinks Emma is pretty special in her mission to spread love & kindness to everyone through hugs. She thinks we need more people like that.

Then I headed home, through transport traffic up and down hills and around curves over long and high bridges, trying not to miss my exit, while dodging the fat flakes still tumbling from the sky. It cleared up after a few minutes, I guess it stuck around long enough to make me nervous. We did find a large puddle on a small bridge we had to cross and slowed down, with a couple road crew guys just getting out of their truck. One of them gave us A Look, and I said to Sarah, “Gee, the nerve of us, wanting to drive on the road and all.”

I forgot to keep track of the time to see how much longer it would take Ron to get home, and if coming home for lunch would be worth it. Maybe just barely.

We got home and I had just enough time to wash my hair, check the site I was working on and save my latest changes, check email, put out fires, tweak the stove and rush out the door again to get Ron. He was leaving one office early to bring things down to the new office. It was long and boring and we had to lug boxes and wait for people to show up with security codes. So I again went down the road between Florenceville and Hartland for the second time that day. I also stopped in to the local school to drop off a flyer for a youth event I planned for this weekend, at the community club.

By the time we got home, I had barely an idea what I was going to cook for supper, but figured it out by the time I got in the door. Ron was anxiously awaiting a delivery and it showed up a half-hour late: his new small yard tractor. D Evening computer use is more reserved for Ron and anything we might have to work on together.
An eventful and busy day yesterday, much quieter one in store for today. I need to change my routine so I can establish a better working routine and get back into some exercise. It’s tough, it’s rough. I’ve been off the wagon for too long. But today I start all over again.


© Andrea for AtypicaLife dot net, 2008. |

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Original post by Andrea

New Books!

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Castle: Medieval Days and Knights (A Sabuda & Reinhart Pop-up Book)

We bought this book at the incredible price of FOUR DOLLARS. I have no iea why Amazon has it listed twice at two different prices - both hardcover. I literally stumbled across it while topping up an order using a gift card we got. This book is seriously awesome. A nice overview of the highlights of castle life with stunning pop-ups. The architecture of the pieces will keep adults occupied, while the detail given to the illustrations is just amazing. There’s even a miniature working catapult inside. Seriously! This book is so great, I would have paid full retail for it, so that’s saying something. You can see some pictures of Emma reading it here on Flickr.

We also bought The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World, over which Meaghan and I fell headlong into like with. It’s like your best girlfriend, dear to your heart, is giving you the advice you *must* know if you are to move up in the world. It’s an adorable book, well-suited for young ladies of historical leaning towards upstart young authoresses. More for entertainment than serious study, it’s lightheartedness doesn’t detract from the stalwart advice within.


© Andrea for AtypicaLife dot net, 2008. |

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Original post by Andrea

Kitchen drain re-do

Monday, February 18th, 2008

When we moved in, we quickly discovered there was a teensy bit of a leak uner the right-hand kitchen sink. Specifically, where the end of the basket screwed onto the rest of the drain pipes. One look at the setup and we knew it was not going to be a quick fix.

kitchen drains - before

So we deferred it till now and just used one side of the sink. The other side could still be used, but not if you put the plug in and filled it. Then it leaked. The picture above shows a total of thirteen fittings including six elbows, some of which are hard to see.

Ron made sure he had all he needed and only had to get a couple new fittings. The job took five hours with him counting down the last bit with Meaghan, so she could get the dishes done and go watch her tv show.

The final result:

Kitchen sink drain - after

It took some less because we didn’t hook the broken dishwasher back up, but it still would have been better than what was there. Now our strainer baskets are all shiny. Before, they were white plastic. (???) This time, we even managed to make the pipe level, although in the picture it’s a bit tilted as I was tired and in a hurry.

In Ron’s version, he used 2 elbows, a trap and 2 45 degree angles. The bend and pip between the two drains is all one piece and came in a kit.

As a side note, ABS plastic pipe and the ABS glue is an interesting science experiment.


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Original post by Andrea

Everything you type on the internet is out there soemwhere

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

I was poking aroudn online and just go see what I found. Messages from me as early as November, 1994. I kept writing about my 2 year old, and there was one notation where she was using a quilt in a frame as a trampoline. I think I finally remember which quilt, and no, it’s still not finished.

I was mildly disturbed to find out my typing has not improved. But I’m still adorable.


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Original post by Andrea

It’s been how long since I blogged?

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

Yeah, it’s been that kind of week. I twittered some though. Mostly I worked, or tried to stay awake. I don’t know what was going on with that. I could not be alert during the day and could not sleep very well at night.

The circut board came for our stove on the very day we were going to buy another one. We’re still going to get the other one, but now we can wait another pay cycle. We found out some interesting stuff about this stove, but I’ll let Ron tell it.

I cleaned. I changed one of the blankets over the living room windows to a white one, so we could see. I miss the sun! The thing is about throwing blankets over windows to keep the cold out, is it also blocks a lot of light.

I rearranged the office. I did this today, actually. It was clean and mostly de-cluttered so it was optimum time. Now we don’t look so squished in here, just by rearranging things.

Tonight Ron is taking apart the drain under the sink. It’s had a leak since we got here, just from one side and only when you fill it with water. There will be pictures forthcoming, but imagine this: a double sink and a dishwasher hookup. Got the picture in your head? Good. Now imagine using THIRTEEN fittings to hook the drain all up.

Work-wise I am moving along. There’s tons of it out there, that’s for sure. I’ve been installing, upgrading, designing, consulting over the phone, fixing blown-up blogs, troubleshooting and answering a pile of emails. Not to mention the pile I have yet to answer. At least I’m down to around 60 or so just from this month.

There hasn’t been much funny going on with the kids or Ron this week either. I know! I’m boring myself. We didn’t really do anything for V-Day as the previous three we weren’t together for, so we just basked in the glow of being here. We did do a little shopping that night and Emma hugged a random teenage girl out on a date.

I haven’t even hardly taken any decent pictures this week, but I’ll update Flickr anyway. The snowbanks are huge. One of our neighbours came by with his big tractor and did our driveway because he coudln’t stand to see Ron out there shoveling. of course, he also got one of ourpotted rosebushes that didn’t get moved before it was frozen to the pavement, so that was interesting.


© Andrea for AtypicaLife dot net, 2008. |

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Original post by Andrea

The things you can do with MU

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

For a couple weeks now, I’ve had an idea brewing in the back of my head. It came from seeing a whole pile of ugly MU-based sites, and occasionally a very nice well-designed one, or one with an incredibly innovative use. I thought it might benefit the community as a whole to showcase a really well-done site once a week.

Sound good? I have some in mind already, but feel free to leave suggestions.

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Original post by drmike

Breaking news: winter in Canada involves SNOW

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

So, it’s winter.

It’s February.

I am in Canada.

Thus, you may correctly deduce there is snow on the ground. There is, in fact, massive amounts of frozen white chunks of semi-solid but occasionally fluffy bits out there. Not just flakes fallen from the sky, but piles heaved, areas blown over and drifts everywhere, leaving wavy sculptures by the roadside and heavenly swirls on the surface. I do not expect to see my lawn until June, and if you’ve ever been here, that’s not much of an exaggeration.

I mean, I *like* snow, don’t get me wrong. It’s pretty. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it, and I have to admit: I’m not the one who shovels it. Also, we can build fun stuff with it like forts and snow people that had unfortunate accidents. We can shovel it against the house to help bank it and keep the cold out. (well, not *me* shovel, but you know what, or who I meant)

But seriously, this is crazy.

Can't get out the front door still

If at some point we disappear, come dig me out, okay? Bring a large tractor, and possibly an empty dump truck. There’s nowhere else to put this stuff. Seriously, a plow came down this morning to try and skim some off the sides of the road. He didn’t know where to put the extra either.


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Original post by Andrea

The living room is clean

Monday, February 11th, 2008

Not that the job being down is in itself a reason to blog, but it left me wondering a few things.

How can we get so much stuff *in* there?
Why does all the dirt then collect itself on me?
Why don’t I do it more often?

Oh yeah, it’s exhausting, dusty (I’m allergic), makes me feel like crap, and gets me cranky.

But at least this time my abdomen did not hurt and I wanted to clean up. Maybe I’m finally “better”.

I’m sure there’s another point I wanted to make when I started this post, but I’ve since forgotten it. Meanwhile, the study - the room next to the living room - is an absolute disaster area. Since it’s holding the stuff that doesn’t belong in the lviing room. Oh yeah, now I remember! Does it strike anyone else that a large part of cleaning up is just shuffling items from one end of the house to the other?


© Andrea for AtypicaLife dot net, 2008. |

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Original post by Andrea

I impress the neighbours

Sunday, February 10th, 2008

We stoped in to the post office the other day, after running errands. Sarah disengaged the key from my ring and went inside. I grabbed the almost empty can of pepsi from the driver’s side cup holder, my shopping-day treat, and lifted it skyward to free the last mouthful. From the corner of my eye, I caught a neighbour coming up the other side of the building and turned my head.

The pepsi, leaving the can finally, continued on its gravitational flow, disregarding my slight head movement, and solidy planted itself - the last heavenly caffienated mouthful - right in my left nostril.

Figures.


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Original post by Andrea