September 27, 2005
by dhoytt
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Trying To Catch Up With House Chores & Projects

Getting things rounded into shape including the body and house.
I’m getting the tile slate laid out that I’m placing in the kitchen. I started the cuts so that I can have the cuts done really get busy after mixing the mortar. I really wanted to find out what techniques I needed to use for the cut using the saw I bought. Well good thing that I did that after 3 cuts of the same length the guide on the saw broke! I returned that saw went to another store and picked up a saw that is sturdier and has less moving parts and those that move are designed better. This is why I like doing these types of projects you learn not only the obvious but what too look for in tools for instance.
A lot of people are scared to do something they have never done before. I have never understood this. How can you say you are learning and accomplished if you are afraid of learning something new. So many people are scared to look like they don’t know what they are doing they refuse to learn new things. I’m not just talking about learning things at a trivial level where you don’t pick up the nuances. I mean diving in and learning the theory and then executing it to see if your theories of a great way of doing something really works or is a bunch of crap. I don’t understand that narrow and confining behavior. You don’t have to try everything but try something new sometimes!
Anyway the slate is tougher to work with than normal tile especially cutting the 16″ x 16″. I do think putting the tile down will be easier after the cuts are made than dealing with the 12″ x 12″ pieces. I noticed that while working with the slate pieces you also have to be very wary of easily chipping the edges.
Anyway doing the tile floors and trying to keep up with the regular maintenance like the pool and moving things out of the house and trying to get a garage sale or something together. Oh well maybe next week.

September 15, 2005
by dhoytt
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Easing Back into My Workouts

I am getting back into my workouts now. Yesterday I hit the track at the local high school Natomas High and ran a disciplined but slow 3 miles. The main thing was that I completed it the 3 miles and felt ok doing it, never mind it took about 25 minutes! That time will come down a lot once I get in some type of shape and be around my normal times. Tonight or actually 9-14-2005 I also hit the weights for the first time in a while. I of course completed most of my leg routines reps but my upper body was a bit stiff.
After a few more workouts the flexibility will come back and then I can start pushing myself with more weight. The funny thing is that first getting back in there working out just getting set up with your routine takes a while and makes the work out that much more longer if you try to do all of your sets, even with lower weights and less reps. I have been working out in some fashion my whole life (some periods of time not as hard) so I always chuckle at how long I take between reps when I have been away from the workouts even for a few weeks. Then a few weeks later the same workout with more weight and higher reps you do in less than half the time!
Anyway its a start after this little sickness but I don’t think I will be able to run the Chevy’s 12k run, maybe I will just do the 5k this year. I know I will finish it but I like to have a certain base pace entering a run and I will not have that by the time the Chevy’s run rolls around. I will have to shoot for some other runs in the fall.

September 8, 2005
by dhoytt
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Been Sick But Getting Better

Had some parasite from something that I ingested but I’m feeling better now. Still not feeling myself but I feel better and would be really ok if I could get a good sleep.
I keep breaking out into cold sweats leaving my bed and pillows soaked with sweat the past several nights. I think it’s the medicines they gave me.
I actually think I felt better with the parasite!
The past few weeks I have been doubled over in pain and without an appetite and gone almost a week without eating solid food. When I do eat solid food my appetite is still not very much but it’s getting slightly better each day.
Now if I can move on to my workouts the way I like them nice and intense I will be very happy!

September 3, 2005
by dhoytt
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StyleCatcher Question??

I’m trying to find out what configuration file I don’t have set correctly to make StyleCatcher work correctly. I just upgraded to 3.2 that went fine and StyleCatcher seemed to go fine but…
I installed the plugin and everything seemed to go fine. I adjusted the “mt-static” root and “theme” directory by going to System Overview -> Plugins -> Show Settings.
I then clicked style catcher chose my template and it said applied successfully. I then viewed my blog site and the styles were blank. Yet it said it successfully applied them.
After playing around and checking what if any files did change I looked in my “styles-site.css” and it was pointing to my “mt-static” root directory for “base-weblog.css” and my “mt-static//theme-forest_green/theme-forest_green.css” file. Neither of course was there.
I re-loaded the templates using StyleCatcher chose “Forest Green” clicked on “show details” clicked on the theme-forest_green.css” file downloaded it and ftp’d it to my webserver.
I moved “base-weblog.css” into “mt-static” root then manually created the paths shown in my “styles-site.css” file and I was able to see the new theme.
How do I avoid this manual process?

September 3, 2005
by dhoytt
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Udpgraded To MT 3.2 Playing With StyleCatcher

I have upgraded to Movabletype 3.2 blog software on my Linux webserver. I am also trying the new StyleCatcher plugin so I will be changing blog styles back and forth for a while so bear with me as I tweak the site. This is going to be on an intermittent basis as I have other tasks to do non-computer and computer related.

September 2, 2005
by dhoytt
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Hurricane Katrina Response Shame

I started off earlier this week thinking the U.S. will show the rest of the world what a quick and positive response to a disaster is. After hours of watching the same information I realized that people are doing nothing except using this disaster as a photo opportunity.
I think this under scores our Era unfortunately everyone projects images that mean nothing and very little gets done. Words are everything but execution and action is poor. People are rewarded not for actions or ability but because they sounded politically correct and patriotic. We elect people who make us feel good not people who get things done. This is from the local to the presidential office.
One more point I would like to make is that also to blame are past broadcasts of storms. You have preening reporters in tropical storms to different categories of hurricanes over the past few years using the same conviction, cliché’s for all level of storms. There was never any information on what the different categories mean. People just figured hey another reporter or politician is trying to make a career on this storm. That could be the reason some people never left.

August 2, 2005
by dhoytt
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L.A. Dodgers Game Trip

I have been a big fan of the L.A. Dodgers since I was really young. Sunday 7-31-2005 I went to L.A. with my brother 2 neices and my one of my nieces friends.
Here are some pictures from the game (click on image for full view) :

Me and my brother

Niece, niece’s friend & brother

Niece

Stadium shot of Players.

Dodger Stadium Hills

Camcorder Game Shot

Camcorder Another Game Shot

Another Game Shot From Camcorder Before They Told Me To Turn off Cammcorder During Game Action.

July 25, 2005
by dhoytt
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BDFL Fantasy Football League on Yahoo Set!!

We have a fantasy football league that I am the commissioner of and it is set up now with 10 team managers and Yahoos Fantasy Football Plus League format. This league has highly customized settings. We also have a weekly payout bonus and a championship payout.
Most of the people in the league have played in it in years past with one exception and I played with him in another fantasy football league last year.
Like I said this league has highly customized settings that insure that you cannot have somebody just sit still with the team that they drafted and win! You have to actually be active and manage your team.
The superstars play a big part in the league but if you do not do your research every week and get some lesser stars and fill in players you will not win! With the bye weeks and a limited bench no one can stock up and expect not to make any moves and win!
Her are some of the settings:
Roster Positions: QB, QB, WR, WR, RB, RB, TE, W/T, W/R, K, K, D, D, D, DB, DB, DB, DL, DL, DL, BN, BN, BN, BN
Stat Categories: Completions (1)
Passing Yards (50 yards per point)
Passing Touchdowns (6)
Interceptions (-2)
Rushing Yards (20 yards per point)
Rushing Touchdowns (6)
Reception Yards (20 yards per point)
Reception Touchdowns (6)
Return Yards (20 yards per point)
Return Touchdowns (6)
2-Point Conversions (2)
Fumbles Lost (-2)
Offensive Fumble Return TD (6)
Field Goals 0-19 Yards (3)
Field Goals 20-29 Yards (3)
Field Goals 30-39 Yards (3)
Field Goals 40-49 Yards (4)
Field Goals 50+ Yards (5)
Point After Attempt Made (1)
Tackle Solo (1)
Tackle Assist (.5)
Sack (3)
Interception (2)
Fumble Force (2)
Fumble Recovery (2)
Touchdown (6)
Safety (2)
Pass Defended (1)
Block Kick (2)
Fractional Points: Yes
Negative Points: Yes

July 24, 2005
by dhoytt
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Oak Trees Growing

Good news on the new trees that I planted a few weeks ago. The trees are actually growing new leaves and limbs I noticed yesterday. I was more than a little concerned since the trees were dropped off before I was ready to plant them. I planted to spec as provided by the Sacramento tree foundation and fertilized the soil and watered regularly and kept the weeds out of the 4 foot diameter area I gut 16” deep and the tress appear to be doing ok now.
Today I also filled in the holes where my pine trees were located and seeded those areas as well as the rest of my lawn. I also put down some additional lawn fertilizer.
The trees are oak, one is a Bur Oak and the other is a Valley oak a native of the Sacramento Valley area.

July 18, 2005
by dhoytt
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New Primary Computer System & Work Outs

My system I built with the new AMD 64 bit 3200 processor is now my primary system after transferring all of the relevant gigs of data from my 3.2 Intel system. As I said before not only is the CPU fast but the 39160 Adaptec card with the 5 10k rpm SCSI drives this system really cooks! I also have over .5tb’s of capacity on this system, so that will hold for a bit.
Once again after a cold spell with my work outs I am trying to get back into it with the 100 degree weather we have been having this has not been great timing. I normally love the hot temperatures but when you are a bit out of shape and have to get some long runs in that means getting up in time and not going to bed late so you can get up and beat the heat.
I know I can get in shape really quickly which is probably a bad thing since I tend to let it go sometimes knowing I can take the slight pain and discomfort when I do my burn work outs for a few weeks. I never let myself get so far out of shape that I don’t know what it takes to get back on track but man when you are in the middle of only your second 6 mile run back to back days in months it still hurts!!
I have to qualify what I consider being in shape. Having the energy to get up do a minimum of stretching after work and hitting a six mile run at a pace where you are almost skipping is my version of being in shape! I’m far from that now, hell I can make six miles or even more but not with the pace I want. Being able to do it easily every day of the week easily is also a key.
On top endurance and stamina, flexibility and strength are the other keys to what I call being in shape. I rarely weigh myself but I know my body well enough to approximate my weight pretty well. The important thing about being in shape is the energy that’s how you should measure progress, everything else (weight loss, tone etc…) will fall in place. You will always have a fast weight loss when you start any regiment in the first week or two, that’s the easy part. What you do after that is where you earn it which is why weight loss is not the most important thing to gauge progress.
Time for me to start getting ready for bed after staying up so late the past few nights working on different items.