I'm sure no one was losing sleep over this, but I figured I'd let people know.  If you've been keeping track at all of the Seti@home numbers on the right of this blog, you'd have seen that my progress has essentially stopped and my recent credit has plummeted.  Being off the internet will do that.  I'm sorta on the internet now, in a very limited way, so the numbers should improve eventually.  Unfortunately, there was some kind of technical glitch at the Seti@home headquarters, and they've temporarily shut down. 

Yeah, even I wasn't real worried about it, but I haven't posted in a few days and I figured I needed more posts that weren't simply saying that I was still alive.

Just for the record, I am.  Still alive, I mean.

Anyway, I've been keeping busy.  The end of the year usually means me pulling out my New Year's Resolution List/To-Do List and trying desperately to catch up and finish anything and everything I can.  And so I have.  In that way, the internet thing has been a bit of a boon.

Anyway, hope to have better news soon.

 - Jim

Just a short note, I'm not dead.  I'm mostly offline for the immediate forseeable future.  That may change eventually, but probably not for a while.  In the meantime, I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, regardless of whether I'm online to wish it again.

Take care,
Jim

At the risk of sounding bitter, it's not like I don't try.  I'm not all that far away from making things right, but there you go.  Five hundred dollars would fix the immediate.  So close, yet so not close.

Ah well.  Nothing I can do about it now.

- Jim

So, I was walking in to the use the computer and I hit my toe on a large plastic file box.  I have 10 toes, and the only one I seem to hit is the injured one.  Well, it's damaged again, though not as badly as it originally was, I think.  Anyway, it's been twenty-two hours or something, so it is a real injury though.  Dammit.

Circumstances have become more imminent, so I will be taking a break from the internet for a while.  No worries, unless you read my name in the paper, I suppose.  I imagine I'll kill myself eventually, even if I do it one toe injury at a time.  But really, I don't feel any signs of approaching mortality, so I think I'm good.

Take care,

- Jim

I had a headache yesterday and while I wanted to let people know what was going on, I wonder if I did it right.  Rereading my last post, it seems to be suggesting something I didn't mean to suggest.

My Aunt is doing better.  She's not 100% yet.  At her age, recovery will take a while.  Still, she will recover.  It's just a process that needs to take place. 

As far as me leaving the internet, well, it's not a decision I've made, but rather circumstances beyond my control.  That's not entirely accurate, but it's accurate enough.  Consequences of a choice I made really.  To be honest, it wasn't much of a choice, but there's a price to be paid nonetheless. 

Now that I've had time to think about it, I probably won't ever abandon this blog.  Well, not completely anyway.  I've limited its goals and restrained its growth, but it still does serve a purpose.  It'll be around as long as Google allows blogs I guess.  I don't imagine I'll ever spend the time to move it though.  So, don't worry.  It's not anything dramatic like that.

Anyway, until next time,

- Jim

Not much has been happening in my life.  Working on stuff when I can and that's about it.  I didn't want anyone to think I died or anything.  Oh, the enforced absence from the internet is still imminent, but I have no ideas about when or how long.  It will be what it will be, I guess.

My Aunt is doing better though.  The road to recovery is still a process, but it seems this race is pretty much run.

- Jim      

Nothing major, but I finished the Harry Potter series.  I've given the last book away to my Sister's family.  Technically, I own the fifth one still, because I owned two copies of that book.

As I said, it was nothing major.  I'm still working on what I called the "Phase IV" goals that will finish up the year.  Basically, I picked a handful of stuff from the other goal lists and combined them with catch-up stuff.  It's slower going than I thought, but as always I hope I'll be able to improve my pace.

- Jim

The last I heard, they were releasing my Aunt from the hospital.  I don't know any more details than that really.  She'll be tired though and she's got people looking in on her, so not hearing anything is probably good news.

- Jim

The family dog, Ruby passed away this morning.  Dying is often a horrible process and I'm not going to describe it here, but her passing was easier than it could have been but harder than we wished it to be.  That is partially my fault.  I convinced them not to put her to sleep nearly a month ago.

As may be expected, the family is pretty sad.  This dog, along with another who had passed away a couple years ago, got my Sister through some tough times with cancer and the deaths of my Brother and my Mother.

- Jim

My Aunt went back in the hospital.  It's not that her condition is much worse, but that it's not getting any better.  As I said before, she probably shouldn't have left so soon before, but that's what she wanted.

The dog is almost certainly dying now.  The hope that existed before is fading.  Sigh.

And... I will likely be taking an enforced break from the internet shortly.  Life consequences and all that. 

- Jim

The family dog may be on her way out.  She hasn't eaten in several days and has been very sick.  There is always hope though.  Anyway, it's an emotional time for the family.

- Jim

There's really nothing new to add.  Aunt is still home, but still recovering.  That process will take a while, I'm afraid.  Still, it's better than the alternative.

As for me, I'm nearly done with the Harry Potter series.  I suppose I could have finished it sooner, but I had other smaller chores that needed my attention as well and I did my best not to neglect them.  My toe is still messed up.  You know how that goes.  Hindsight again, but I should have gone to get it checked out before.  I don't think it's any more injured than it was before - it's not like it's green or falling off or anything, it's just not healing straight.  I'm doing my best to stay off it, but I don't think I'm doing enough. 

Oh yeah, the writing is continuing.  I'm not spending all day every day on it, but it's coming along slowly.  I don't figure I'll be able to devote my full time to it until after the end of the year.  Still, that might be for the best.  These smaller sessions allow me to fill gaps and holes, to work on background stuff, and flesh out ideas.  The world of the book will never, ever be complete, but as it can be the framework for something bigger than just a single book, I want to make sure that framework is complete at least.

Things are finally coming together there, I think. 

- Jim

My Aunt is home, though weak and tired.  It's probably the right call, but I wonder if they rushed it.  In any case, she's mostly resting, or should be.  She is hopefully resting.

So far, so good.

- Jim

If all goes well, my Aunt should be leaving the hospital shortly.  If all goes well, she'll recover quickly once she's at home. 

Because most of the increase of my social activities were because of this incident/crisis, I'll be decreasing my activities back to where they were before.  I don't mind being available to help when things like this happen, but I need to get back to work.

Good luck, I continue to post when I can,

- Jim

The good news is that the cause of the problems for my Aunt is relatively easy to fix.  The bad news is that it caused such extreme consequences.  She's doing better, but still not out of the hospital.  She hopes to get out very soon, and I understand the sentiment.  I'm not sure what to expect in that regard. 

Again, high hopes,

- Jim

Alas, I spoke too soon.  My Aunt has had a bit of a setback.  It's not as bad as it could be, but it's certainly not good, especially at her age.  They're working on the problem now, but it will take time to determine the results.

High hopes,

- Jim

I am within just a few pages of finishing the sixth Harry Potter book.  I'm still working on the whole backlog thing, but it's going.  I had to slow down for a few days when my Aunt went in the hospital.  Admittedly, I didn't do anything more than change my sleep schedule, but it allows me to sit by the phone and ease the worries of others.

Yeah, it's kinda pathetic, if you think about it.  Still, it's the least I could do.

Anyway, my Aunt is doing better, though she's still there.  They're running tests and will decide how they want to proceed in a few days.

- Jim

There's not much to talk about, but I figured I'd post before anyone think I died or something.  Everything is pretty close to normal.  I'm still working on the Harry Potter books mostly, though like always I'm ever dabbling in a dozen other things as well.  I want to know everything, read everything, see everything, blah blah blah.  It keeps me busy though.  Downtime is hard for me.

I am still waffling about the toe.  On the one hand, it's a broken toe.  I can't imagine the doctors doing anything if I went to see them and medical care costs money.  On the other, it still hurts like hell.  It's been... what, a month?  More?  It seems like forever, but that might just be because it's the middle of the night and I haven't slept well.  Invariably as I climb into bed I brush my toe against something and it kills me.  It's not like I'm abusing it really, but the toe doesn't think so.

In the meantime, I'm doing some strengthening exercises, but I'm mostly on hold for anything else until the toe situation resolves itself.  Again, I don't want anyone to think I was out running marathons even before the toe thing.  I'm just trying to make it to the end of the block before the knee gives out.  Yeh, it's that bad.  Pathetic. 

Actually, on bad days it's worse than that, but I've dwelt on the knee enough.  Suffice to say, my dreams of becoming a ballerina are over.  Heh.  I'm kidding. 

Well, can't think of anything else. 

- Jim

I had to put the air conditioner back in.  Though my room gets cool at times, it's still hot enough during the day to make the temperature in here above 80° F.  My comfort is important, but not nearly as important as my computers.  Besides, I sleep better with the air on.

I doubt anyone checks as much as me, but if you've noticed my Seti@home numbers dropping, it's not my fault.  Apparently my newer computer wasn't getting all the work it could have because of a problem with the Seti@home servers.  Blah blah, problem was eventually fixed.  Incidentally, that probably increased the temperature in here by another five degrees or so just from that.

Anyway, still reading, toe still broken, blah blah blah. 

Take care of yourselves,

- Jim

- Jim