Joan’s Jewels

Well, there you have it.

• I’m a Geek. It’s Science

For some reason, or maybe reasons, we just couldn’t seem to get our act together for Christmas this year. We bought the tree two weeks later than we usually did, and then let it sit in the garage, still in the netting, for several days. No cookies had been baked, no presents bought or wrapped, no cards addressed…it was as if Christmas was going to come and go without any of the things that usually make it a holiday.

And then this weekend, it suddenly appeared! The tree was put up, the plans for a family get-together were made, the recipes printed and the signs began appearing all over the place–it was finally Christmas at our house. Perhaps it’s been the constant cycle of economic downturns, and upturns, and then down again, or seemingly endless wars that have devastated so many lives, both here and abroad, or the disgraceful posturing of our elected leaders on the healthcare reform debate while people die every day in this country from lack of that very care…whatever it might have been, either publicly or privately, the cares and worries of the entire year are being set aside for a few days.

We need Christmas this year–we as a family, we as a country, and whether it’s Christmas or Hanukkah or some other mid-winter celebration, we need that break from the serious side of life. On this, the winter solstice, the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year, I plan to spend the rest of the week preparing for a Christmas that we can remember as a haven of peace and joy in the midst of all the turmoil, whether it be here at home or in a land far away. My wish is that for a moment, even if only for a moment, we allow ourselves to feel the peace and joy that is Christmas.

• Map Of London 1868, By Edward Weller, F.R.G.S.

An incredibly detailed picture of the London of the 19th century!

I woke up early yesterday morning to find that my blog had been swept up, along with thousands of others, in a hacking spree. Great. Not that it did them any good…but I still took all the precautions–backed up everything, downloaded and installed a fresh copy of WordPress (which already included the security upgrade–those folks are FAST!), reinstalled…and spent over an hour on the phone with tech support at my hosting provider trying to sort out a database issue. Not exactly what I would call a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Oh, and by the way, RenaldoEberthart70…you suck, dude.

Here are a couple of links that offer solutions:

• WordPress Blog PermaLinks Hacked

• WordPress Permalink & Rss problems

(Via xkcd.)

I’ve procrastinated long enough! There’s a inbox full of paper mail to wade through, and an even fuller email box to sift through as well–over 150 emails that I’ve flagged to follow up on in some way (read, explore, reply, etc.). I definitely have my work cut out for me…and it is a gorgeous spring day here in Austin, so I’ll have to balance my inside work with a few equally neglected outside chores. Enough with the chatter already, time to pull on my climbing gear and get going!