Eccentric Flower:199909/Executive summary

That's what people in the corporate world call it when you do your concluding summation first. It's called an "executive summary," I always thought, because the executives read it and then act like they've read the entire document.

So, if you're an executive, or want to pretend you're one, here's the gist:

PROS
1. I got an award.
2. I had fun shopping.
3. I wrote a new Stay Tuned.

CONS
1. Unexpected CGI repairs today.
2. I got annoying mail from a stranger.

MISSION CHANGES
1. Writing about books postponed.
2. Photos added.

The mail probably shouldn't have annoyed me as much as it did, but too bad. It annoyed me so badly that I'm going to break protocol and quote it here without permission, errors and all:

I just came across you site and I just wanted to say I think it is sick that you are trying to capitalize on the Columbine High School shootings by calling yourself Columbine. Shame on you.

Grrrr. I replied:

I sure hope that's sarcasm, because I've been Columbine and have run [old domain] for nearly three years now, long before there was a high school shooting. In fact, when writing about the shootings in my journal, I always referred to them as the Littleton shootings; it is painful to me to have a name that has given me a lot of joy associated with such a dire event.

Do your homework before you snipe.

I don't expect a reply. And I shouldn't still be annoyed. But I am.

If you insult me, please research first. Thank you.

Moving to the other bad news, I had to change a lot of pixies on three websites today. The ISP apparently fidgeted with the servers early this morning. No problem there except for about five minutes of no response ... but when everything came back up, all of a sudden any pixies which created or changed files on the server - that is, all the important ones - were suddenly saving those files with the wrong permissions, so that no one could read them!

For example, after I used sfoglio to create the previous entry, it should have shown me the finished product. Instead it gave me a 403 - Forbidden. I didn't have the rights to see the page I'd just made.

I'd seen this problem once before and it went away. This time I realized I couldn't afford that - I've got three other journallers, the Nibelung users, and all the mouth organ regulars to think about. So I had to go into each program and make them explicitly set the file permissions each time a file was changed.

This was an hour I really didn't need to lose.

I still have no idea how a server change can affect default file permissions, but I've already overloaded your geekiness quota, so ignore the question.

Today I got paid - finally - too much month left at the end of the money - and this evening I went on a small shopping spree. I really wanted to buy a dress, but I have firmly prohibited the purchase of clothes I have literally have no place to wear. So I just looked.

I did buy two bags which come as close as I dare to the line between "bag" - like, book bag or courier bag - and "purse." I carry a courier-style bag, but I really use it as a purse (shh! don't tell). Just the next minuscule step on my gradual journey over into Forbidden Gender Territory.

I also bought the soundtrack to Dick and the new Dixie Chicks album, and I am here to tell you that the song "Sin Wagon" really is too good for my puny adjectives (which is why I've quoted some of it under the Cautious Nude over there).

I bought a book called The Way Things Never Were (it's about how life in the Fifties wasn't really as good as your grandfather says it was, and why), had some nice vanilla tea, and walked around quite a bit.

One other thing I bought - that I've been meaning to buy - was a Polaroid PopShots camera. The Stay Tuned column is about that, and Polaroid in general.

I'm done now with the things I most urgently wanted to write about over there, so don't expect another Stay Tuned for several days at least. I have other writing to do.

The silver lining is that you get a couple of photos to look at.

The Stay Tuned readers only get to see two sample pictures ... here, as a secret bonus, I have posted three others in addition.

The first one is my desk. On the journals list recently, there was a "what does your workspace look like" question. Well, here's mine. Seen: Mac (left), PC (right), CD player (black box), antiquated desk lamp. Not seen: Vast piles of unsorted paper and notes piled in stacks on the floor and all over the reference bookcase on the other side of the room.

Here's Inu, doing her best Pikachu imitation. The camera annoyed her, and she avoided all further pictures like a true pro.

Here's the other cat, seldom seen in these pages, looking a tad surly because I woke him up.

This is an extremely good picture of Marc; although it pains him to admit it, Nonelvis and I both agreed it was so, so he's stuck.

And here's Nonelvis. This is likewise a very good picture, although she says you can see the circles under her eyes. Well, she had a long day. The Institvte's web server crashed three times, for reasons that can only be attributed to gremlins.

No pictures of me this time. I couldn't get either of them to try using the camera.

And finally ... um ....
Well, I got that Diarist Award I was a finalist for.

My feelings about these awards are still mixed (and I won't go there again - I've said my piece), but not so mixed that I'm not flattered. So - if you're one of the people to blame - thank you.

On a mission to make something happen
Feel like Delilah lookin' for Samson
Do a little mattress dancin'
That's right I said mattress dancin'

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Need a little bit more
of what I've been missin'
I don't know where I'll be crashin'
But I'm arrivin' on a sin wagon

-"Sin Wagon,"
Dixie Chicks