This entry is to allow people to comment on essays at my Web site (those that do not have their own entry here).
You can still comment if you don't have an account with LJ. Just pick Anonymous (It would be nice if you put a name in your comment, but you don't have to).
If you comment, please mention the name of the essay you read. You may leave additional comments for other essays you read on my site.

*blows the dust off this journal*
*waves away the airborne particles*
*coughs*
Excuse me.

Well, what has happened since my last update? How long ago was that? It seems like ages. LJ has been one of the things I've neglected lately.
June 11... Hmm...
I went to North Carolina for the UMVIM Connect rally, where I ran the slide decks for the plenary sessions and presented a workshop during one of the breakout times (the topic was: proper slide deck design). That went well, and it was very nice weather up there.
The next week, I went to Destin for a couple of days with my mom.
Since then, I guess I've been working mostly on driving around to visit the more than 50 churches in my town. So far, I think I've made contact at about 15 of them. But I've made a call list and prepared a call log so that I can call the rest.
Oh, and I've been working on that couch I've mentioned to some of you. Here's a picture:
( Cut because it moves )
So, I've been doing some software development lately. I had two programs that I needed that I couldn't find anywhere, so I ended up having to write my own applications. I don't want to get into Web development, but I wrote them both as CGI programs. I like CGI. I can write the programs like console programs, yet have a GUI interface through the HTML. I have a hard time wrapping my head around GUI programming, because it's all based on events, and I like to set things up in hierarchical menu structures, like the programs we used to use before we knew of such things as windows, icons, menus, and pointers. One of my favorite games in the BBS era was TradeWars2002. It had that kind of text-menu interface: Sector #486 (#) warp to sector, (p)ort (?) Help [20 turns remaining]: or something like that.
Life was simpler in computer programs back then. :)
Anyway, the status of my goals:
WIFE: I haven't found any likely prospects. I'm trying to get out more among people and make some new friends, to expand the number of people who know me and might possibly know someone who could be her.
CAREER: No bites yet. Just nibbles. I've posted a total of two church Web sites, along with my own business page, and one of those two wants to hire me to update the page. The information won't likely change often, so that won't bring a lot of money in, but it'd be something. I'm going to talk to the pastor this week about the page and see whether she hires me or not. I figure most churches I've given my card to will have to have a board/council meeting before they invite me to talk to them about possibly doing their sites, if they want Web work done, so I'm trying to be patient. I need to find more ways to get my name out there.
NOVEL: Still waiting for someone to return a proofread copy so I can post it on LuLu or Wowio.
DEGREE: Completed. Expensive piece of paper.

I'm feeling pretty good. I need to sleep more than I am.
My lips are clear.

Here's a secret: FVYLGFHDSNDROABEVDHEFGRDQPMH.
(Not really a secret)

Here is the status of my major goals:

WIFE - I'm not sure how things are going here. My friend Ruth introduced me to a young lady with whom I've been messaging back and forth. I'm thinking about going to a singles event tomorrow night. I know a fair number of people, but I don't know anyone who really stands out as definite potential rather than unknown possibility.

DEGREE - I'm done with all my assignments. I walk the stage on Saturday. Assuming all is well, I am done with my degree.

CAREER - I launched my church's Web site this morning. Yesterday, I got my occupational license for this year, and tonight, I'm going to try to get the LLC paperwork squared away. I've made a list of people I need to contact to propose doing their Web sites. I have put together a tentative business plan. I need to put together some more samples and presentations so that I will be prepared to discuss the possibilities with pastors and other church contacts. I need to get contracts put together and find out about sales tax and the like. There are many, many hoops to jump through. I went to the bank today and got information about a business checking account I think I'll use. So, there is much to do. I'm going to spend a few weeks trying to drum up business, and then I'll decide whether I need to take a part-time job to pay the student loan payments until the business takes off. But this is what I've decided to do, and God told me I should decide what to do and He'd help me. If this is His will, He'll open the doors for me. If not, He'll shut the doors and open others. I plan to do Web design for a while and then start branching out into other areas of stewardship consulting. God will take care of all my needs.

NOVEL - I have made no progress on this. I am still waiting for my proofers to finish reading through the PDF versions I sent them. If you are one of the recipients of this file, please get done with it as soon as possible. I am counting on you! :)

I covet your prayers. Thank you. God bless you all.

http://skreyola.livejournal.com/268380.html

I covet your responses to this entry from way back when.
Trust me, I'm not poking anyone or feeling ill toward anyone about this. I totally understand how life can grab you by the collar and whisk away a whole semester. You may have noticed I'm not around LJ much, these days. So I'm not mad at anyone, even if you gave me a time and missed it. I feel you have done me no wrong. Life is like this.
But I'm still eager to learn the answers to my questions, so if any of you reading this have time now, or in the future, please take a look at the earlier entry and leave me a comment.
In short, it basically says this:

• Right or wrong, I wonder if there is material value to some (certainly not all) of the entries I've written in my LJ over the past six years.


• Writing is work, and it's fair to be paid for work, and someone might benefit from something I've written.


• I have the means to produce writing on a fairly consistent basis, provided the motivation to do so (someone cares that I write entries rather than not write entries).


• I am considering a collection of my best writings.


• I don't know what are the best ones, so please tell me. I don't know if this idea is totally off-base, so if you think it's stupid/conceited/pointless, tell me that.

By the by, does anyone have a suggestion for the best means of publishing something like this?

As I have these goals, I thought it prudent to look at what has happened in each of these areas.

WIFE - I have been too busy to do much on this front. My Sunday School teacher suggests that I get involved in activities at Blue Lake. I think this is a good idea. It will take some time before I can do anything in practice on this suggestion, but I will keep it filed as something to do. One of my classmates said she would talk to a girl friend of hers to see if she might be interested in meeting me. My mom said a friend of hers has moved into the area and said she will be keeping an eye out for a potential wife for me. It's nice to hear that people will be looking to help me out on this, particularly since I believe I have time to have a girlfriend exploring the potential for marriage, but I don't really have time to be looking myself.
DEGREE - I try not to think too much about this. It's all I can do to keep up with the things I have to do in each next-few-days, but so far, so good.
CAREER - I've secured permission to work on my church's Web site. In fact, I'm going later today to a meeting on that topic. I've made some efforts to talk to other area churches, but I haven't gotten much done on that score because of my tight schedule at school.
NOVEL - No progress. I sent my novel in PDF to some of my friends a little while back. If you are one of them, you can help me immensely by proofing/reading it as quickly as possible. I'm not being impatient, so don't feel I'm trying to hurry you. Just get it done as you are able. Accuracy is more important than speed; just don't dilly-dally. ;)

So, that's the status report.

Worrying is worthless.
I spent the whole year worrying, and nothing I worried about happened. It's not even as though there were things I worried about and because of the forethought was able to prevent. The things I worried about didn't happen. And God took care of me. I'm sure there are many things I'm not even aware of that could have happened that God prevented.
But going back to the things I worried about that didn't happen, I can say this. All the worrying has done in this year is rob me of joy and sleep and make me feel older.
I should not worry. Jesus said, "Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Therefore, that is, since God watches over the grass of the field and the birds of the air, and since we are worth much more than these things, Jesus is saying, don't borrow troubles from tomorrow. You'll have to cross the bridge when you come to it, and there's enough bad stuff in today for today. The bad thing about borrowing trouble from tomorrow is that tomorrow will forget you borrowed from it and pay you what the day demands even though you got an advance, so by worrying ahead of time, we must face our worries again if they do come to pass. And if they don't come to pass, we've worked ourselves into a tizzie for nothing at all.
Don't worry. God loves you, and God takes care of his children.

I was extra tired last night, so I did what I sometimes do when extra tired. I didn't read on where I was but flipped over to the psalms or the proverbs. Last night, it was proverbs. In Chapter 13, I ran into a very familiar verse: "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." (v12)
Now, I'd always thought of this verse, when I tried to apply it to my life, in relation to my future wife. But I was thinking last night that it could relate to my writing.
Certainly, my heart has been sick, for fear looms up on me, especially death without having done much for the Kingdom. I had been thinking of hope deferred in the search for my wife, but what of my writing? Has not that been deferred? Have I not delayed in bringing its publication to pass? And is not that a means of furthering the Kingdom? Is this delayed hope the cause of my heart-sickness?
I do not know, but I think it right I should focus my energies on these four goals now and forward; 1, to publish my first novel, 2, to help churches put forward a sincere, professional, and elegant face, 3, to get out among people to increase my exposure to potential mates, and 4, to finish my degree. But above all, to follow God's will. For I am chasing a tree of life.
Verse 19 says desire accomplished is sweet to the soul. I would taste that sweetness continually in seeking God's will and blessing others. Let it be so, O Lord. Let it be so.

So ... I've been very busy. Life has been hectic. And I've been frustrated with not doing anything meaningful outside of my college courses.
I want to do things for God's glory. I want to feel that I'm spending my time wisely.
And having no money to do things like feed and clothe people, the things I do need to have virtually no cost.
Which means that I want to write. I feel I have stories to tell that others should read.
But I'm faced with a dilemma.
It's the false starts.
I need to write.
I can't.
Or rather, I can, but in order to write, I need to get started, and that's where I'm running up against a brick wall and failing to make progress. I need to restart my writing habit, like rebooting a computer that has locked up.
The last story in which I was able to write easily and well was the Great Movers. I can make some progress in that, I'm confident, but I can't finish it by myself. It was started as a collaboration, and it must continue as a collaboration. There are parts of it I lack the proper understanding to write. So, if I'm going to write in that, I want to find a co-author who can fill in the political scenes I am unable to write at this time.
The other option would be to start something new, or work in earnest on another of my many story ideas ... but I don't know what story is right to work on right now.
This is my current situation.
Please pray for me.

I have a list of topics I want to write about, but I don't seem to get around to it. Anyway, a few updates:
I've completed rewriting TLOC:SWL1 (Seeking What's Lost, Book 1). I need to find a few people who have spare time who can proof the book for me before I work on getting it actually published. They'll need to look for errors and tell me of places where things aren't formatted the way they are everywhere else. The proofers will, of course, be mentioned in the acknowledgements when the book is published.

I've been busy on the crochet front. I finished the scarf, added fringe to it, and started another scarf immediately. This time, I did it lengthwise and taught myself (using my bed blanket as a guide) how to do chevrons. When I finished that, I made what ended up being a potholder (or cold-dish trivet... If the yarn is synthetic, it might be bad to use it for hot things) because I put a little loop handle on it, hehe. I've made a total of three little squares that could be coasters or maybe quilt squares; I haven't decided yet. I've also made a little bookmark. I started to make another bookmark, but it seems to be too heavy, so I turned it into a bracelet.
So, I have a growing pile of crocheted items. I have not yet decided what I will do with any of them, except that i think they might make good Christmas presents.

Using my newfound skill in making chevrons, I am making a baby blanket of multicolored yarn. I think this will keep me busy for a little longer than the other projects.

I saw an ad the other day for an LG machine that plays BluRay and HD-DVD. This is what I expected. Format wars aren't what they used to be. Now consumers don't have to choose. They just wait until the multiplayers come out, and they have access to both. As for me, I'm fine with the plain old DVD format. Every time the compression and resolution takes another step forward, the shiny factor is nice, but every time there's a step forward, glitches become more obvious and more annoying than they were with the technology before.
With analog, a little bit of transmission noise meant a little static. With HD, a little transmission noise means large blocks of screen artifact, or freezing, etc. Compression is impressive, folks, but it's still lossy.
Well, anyway, have a great week. God bless you all!

[Edit: added picture of pile]

This week for the paper, I covered the SGA Senate meeting. I'm not pleased with how I did. I forgot some important questions and didn't do a good job of managing my time over the weekend.
Still, I am not totally displeased with the weekend. I got some cleaning done, and I got a small amount of much-needed rest.
My lip has broken out again.
I asked my mom to teach me how to crochet. She showed me the basic stitch this afternoon. I've already done about four rows, and I'm liking it more than knitting, which I started to learn a while back, but I don't know what I've done four rows on. It may be a doll blanket. It may be a cape. Who knows? We'll find out when I finish, or when I've done more on it, I guess.
Tonight, my church had a healing service. I went, and some of my church family prayed over me. I want to be more faithful, to be peaceful and unworried. I need to do a better job of taking care of myself, walking and sleeping more. I'm down to 180, which is a healthy weight for me. With exercise, though, I'm probably going to need to eat more often. Please pray for me, that I don't pick up the burdens I've laid at Jesus' feet.
Please pray also that I make some new local friends. I love my online friends dearly, but with the distance, it's just not the same. A man needs people to do things with.
Part of why I haven't been on LJ much is that I've been out of the house doing things. I just wish I could be doing things with friends and not just people who are only "people from school" to me. It would be nice to do things other than homework, too.
Speaking of homework, it looks like I'm going to have to end my Sunday early. Because I spent Friday and Saturday doing news and such instead of what I should normally be doing on Friday and Saturday, I need to get some reading done for tomorrow's early class, and I won't have time in the morning. :(
Oh, well. Have a great week, everyone!

This journal is now over six years old. It started on Sept. 2, 2001.
  Over the past several months, I've been thinking about the value of my journal. What I mean by that is not that I'm wondering what use it has but that I'm wondering what might be the material value of the things I've written.
  I realize that this will seem to some as a conceited or mercenary thing to wonder, but I do wonder it, reasonable or unreasonable as it may be. And having wondered, I must ask the questions I have, so that if, perchance, someone else has the answer, I might be edified. Right or wrong, I have wondered these things.
  I don't want to waste my time producing things that have so little value to others that nobody would be willing to pay for their production. And the production of these essays and other entries does consume an appreciable amount of time, i.e., it does fit the criteria of being work. And the worker is worthy of his hire. I realize that many of the things I have written in this journal have had a positive effect on someone's life. I know because I have had people comment saying that it is so. Writing is work, and it might be possible for me to be paid for this work, and some of the things I've written have been of benefit to someone.
  Not recently, but earlier in the year, I set and met a goal for myself of posting at least one entry every day for a whole month. While not all of the entries have been good entries, I have managed to post one real entry every day for the space of a whole month. I reason that being able to produce one entry every day for a month (and having at the end of the month more than one topic awaiting expansion into an entry) means that I could write a daily column for some entity in exchange for a monetary benefit. I have the means to produce writing on a consistent basis, if I have a motivation to do so.
  Having decided that it seems not unreasonable that I might receive some compensation for my works, I am left with the question of how to do this. I have not been approached by anyone wishing to publish my work in their publication, so I don't plan to look for the daily column outlet. And I'm not in any way suggesting that I am thinking of starting a commercial commentary site. I am not seeking to transform what I do here on my journal into a paycheck. I am not going friends-only and locking out people who don't wish to pay for my rantings, quite apart from the fact that I could by no means do that on LiveJournal. No, I think the best route for me, if it be that my writings here have any material value, is to publish a compilation of the best of my writings. I am considering a collection of my best writings.
  I am not the person to decide what the cream of my crop is. After all, as the author of these writings, I am probably likely to consider them in a better light than anyone else, being dissatisfied with very few of the serious entries. Because of this, I need outside opinions. I need your help. Please tell me about your favorite entries I've written. Please tell me if there is any entry that would improve your chances of buying a collection if you saw it within a book in the store. Please tell me which entries you think should be in a paperback collection.
  Please tell me whether you think I am completely misguided in thinking that there is material value to the things I've written here in my journal over the past six years.
Those who help with this will receive a mention on the acknowledgments page of the book.

My first story will appear in tomorrow's campus paper. School is under way. Last week was a little hectic, with the news story and all. This week is about to start being hectic, with this week's story event happening on Friday.
I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but that's how it goes with the schedule I have.
I've been meaning to write entries here for a while, real entries-- not just passalongs and surveys, but that hasn't happened.
I'm still not doing a good job of getting enough sleep.
But it's two weeks into the semester, and I guess I'm doing okay. I don't know how I'm going to get through all the reading I have to do this semester on top of all the work for the newspaper. I started with a bit of a buffer, but I don't know how long that will last, and I'm not sure it's helping, because I read the early stuff so long ago I hardly remember it.
The first day of classes, I borrowed Anna Karenina on cassette from the school library. I've been listening from the point where I had reached in the paper copy. I've now reached the third part of the book. Sadly, I am more interested in Levin and Kitty than I am in the title character. Still, I am enjoying the book, and it distracts me from the length of my journey.
Anyway, I've been looking over some logs from last year. Mostly, I was combing them for questions that were good to ask in getting to know someone. But it is interesting to see some of the topics I discussed with people last year. I think I was much more in tune with current events last year.
I have a hard time following current events because people tend to want to put deep value onto everything they observe. It's good to care about things, even deeply or passionately, but looking at every event as being of epic proportions is like jumping at every sound. It'll be hard for anything to sneak up on you, but in a short time, the adrenaline will do more damage to you than the dangers you feared. I find my life is a lot calmer when I wait to hear things by word of mouth. A lot fewer Chicken Little stories reach me that way than when I pay attention to the media.
That's an ironic point of view, I know, from someone who is studying journalism. But I think it shows that journalists needs to be more selective about describing trends. If we say something is heading a certain way, we might cause the likelihood to shift in that direction. We are stewards of truth, so we need to be sure we are saying things we can verify and not things that are conjectural.
I also think the public would like to see more good news. We don't focus enough on good things that happen.

I'll probably pick up five or ten copies of the paper tomorrow. :)

I'm writing a scene that takes place in August of 2001 (I asked recently what you remembered from this time), and I figure the conversation at dinner would turn to things in the news. Please tell me what you remember about the following items, particularly if you remember discussing them in 2001. I want to know what you remember, so please don't look anything up before commenting.
Gary Condit
Chandra Levy
lobbying for an online sales tax
pictures one of Jupiter's moons
Slobodan
Mike Tyson being accused of sexual assault
Korey Stringer
A lawsuit involving a toaster pastry fire
faith-based social services groups and federal money

Thanks in advance.

What events do you remember from the first half of the year 2001? What kinds of things were you talking about with your friends, relatives, or co-workers in August 2001? I'm particularly interested in things you remember from the latter part of August.

I would greatly appreciate if you would ask your friends about this, as well. :)

[Edit: I'm asking about major events, things you remember being in the news before Aug. 25. Thank you for the information.]

There are many large publishing houses that will look at your summary of the novel you've written and make a decision on whether to publish it, and the author can make no significant difference in whether that happens. The publishing company takes on all the risk and gives the author some percentage of the profits.
There are many demand presses that will take your novel and print it sight unseen, and the author pays all the costs and reaps all of the profits (calculated based on the author's point of view).
There are some publishing companies that offer some plans in between these, but the options are limited.
If I were running a publishing house, I would offer a variable plan. The author chooses what percentage of the publishing cost he or she will cover, and that percentage is the percentage the author gets back in royalties from sales profits. The author is in complete control of the royalty percentage. At the end of the author paying all the costs, the author directs what marketing efforts are undertaken to promote the book, since the author is paying the costs and the publishing house is only providing the connections and manpower (for which the author is paying). At the end of the publishing house paying all the costs, the choice of whether to publish the work is heavily with the house, like a traditional publishing model, but if the publishing house pays all the costs, the author gets 0% of the royalties, but this is beneficial for new authors, since they will get the promotion the publishing house gives, and the next time they seek to publish a book, they have a previous publication to mention. But books on this end of the spectrum are not chosen based on a 10-page summary. The books are read all the way through by someone who works for the publishing house, so that great books will not be overlooked because a complicated story couldn't be squished into 1% or less of its full length. This end of the spectrum also gets editing levels chosen by the publishing house.
In this way, the amount of risk the author takes is equal to the percentage of the royalty the author makes. The publishing house can print more high-quality books and make a healthy profit from helping new talent enter the field.
The reputation of the publishing house could be solidified with different imprints for different levels on the scale of whose risk is involved in publishing the novels.

I've posted a new scene at Skreyola_writes.

The first scene has been posted over at Skreyola_writes.

I've recently finished listening to an unabridged recording of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It has kept me company on my commute to classes.
I think it was about the time Faramir let Frodo go that I realized something about the movies in comparison to the books, and that realization was confirmed in the Return of the King.
Peter Jackson's movies don't tell Tolkein's story. They tell a story based on the same framework, in a smaller world, with completely different characters. Gandalf is less patient and kind, Faramir is weaker, Aragorn is not as sure of himself and less of a leader, Frodo is weaker and more wavering, and Smeagol is more sympathetic and less scheming and less sensible.
They are both interesting and enjoyable stories, but in different ways. Perhaps that is merely a function of the nature of film, but they are certainly not the same story, in the same world, or with the same characters.
I enjoyed listening to Tolkein's version very much. I recommend the trilogy highly, whether you read it or listen to it.

I saw the Science of Sleep today. I knew beforehand that it would be either very, very good or very, very bad. There would be no middle ground. It was the latter. It was like watching a train wreck, but I kept hoping it would turn a corner and suddenly become good.
It didn't.
The idea was interesting, and it had some good moments, but the scenes from the preview were the best part. The sad thing about this movie is that all the raw materials of a good film were present. It just never went beyond the exuberance of an abstract artist trying to explain his work to someone who does not see any of what the artist was trying to convey.
And it's not from lack of understanding, because I kept grasping the points in the movie, but they never coalesced into anything meaningful.
It reminds me of a Family Guy episode wherein Lois and Peter enter a talent show, and they get high for inspiration, and they think they sang beautifully. But what really happened was that their experience of reality was not accurate, and no one could understand their incoherent gibberish.

I've begun a fund to pay for publishing my first novel. I decided it was time to start socking away a little bit when I have it instead of waiting until I have $4000 to make a print run. I might change direction and just buy a business license and start selling the books on CD to raise the print run costs, but I don't know what I will end up doing, except that I want to get a book published before I graduate.

I guess it's been a while since I updated. Here's what has been happening.
My lips appear to be healthy again. They've been clear for a couple of days.
I've been doing homework. Yeah. It's starting up again. I had some reading, and I've knocked that out. I had an assignment from my Magazine writing class to bring a copy of my favorite magazine, "and if you don't have one, go to Barnes and Noble and pick one," so since I don't really read magazines, and since my favorite magazine is vintage Mad, which doesn't have articles, per se (which is what we'll be discussing), I went to Books-A-Million! and spent twenty minutes scowling at their selection of magazines. I wasn't scowling at the limits or the contents... just scowling because I don't really have a magazine I read. I'm getting started in HO railroading, so I picked up a copy of Model Railroader 2007 special issue, which I will claim as my favorite magazine, for at least the next week. With that out of the way, and my chapters read for tomorrow's class, I'm ready to go.
I'll drop in to the campus paper after class and probably proof stories for a good long while. I have my copy of the Stylebook in my backpack, so I should be good to go on that front. I'm nervous about this. I'm always nervous about going to work, because even though I should have no trouble with the work, I'm afraid of messing up.
Speaking of reading, I've been doing some. I'm into the third section of the third book of Return of the Native, and the story is starting to move at a good pace. Older books tend to start more slowly, but I think they're worth it when you get into them. It's an intimidating thing, though, because some books don't really go well after the slow start, and by then it's too late. You've read half of the book and are sick of it. But getting back to the book I am reading, it's very good. The story is shaping up nicely, and the things abridgers might remove are thoughtful and well-written. I'm glad I started reading it. However, I'm anxious to get back into Anna Karenina.
And speaking of good stories, I saw a great movie tonight. It's called Akeelah and the Bee. This movie is well-done. It's cute, heart-warming, and funny, but it's also serious, gritty, and poignant. The ending is great, not what you would expect in a movie that is heading where this one heads in the middle third. I recommend it.
I've also seen:
A Prairie Home Companion - A fun movie, especially if you listen to the radio show. Many familiar characters, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone who's not a fan of the broadcasts.
Mozart and the Whale - A very well-crafted story. I was disappointed in the level of bad language, though. I saw a bit of myself in the characters, and you probably could, too. In truth, we face similar struggles to those faced by the characters in this movie.
Mission: Impossible III - Just what you'd expect. Worth the price of admission. Rather gut-wrenching in places. But a thrilling ride.
And speaking of stories, I have some I'd like to tell through images. If any of you would be interested in drawing for a comic strip, please let me know. I don't have any plans that would bring in any money, but I have over 80 strips worth of scripts, and it'll be good practice. Plus, if we do somehow make money, I'll be happy to split it 50-50 (or 40-60, if you prefer).
Tomorrow, I want to drop by the local paper. I've been thinking about trying to sell some of my essays for publication. Do newspapers do that anymore? Or would any of you like to publish essays I wrote?
I guess that's enough for this update. God bless you all!

Stolen from welfy:
"Finnish artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen collected the pet peeves and angst-ridden pleas of people in Helsinki and then composed this choral work around the list of complaints."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATXV3DzKv68&mode
Take a look. It's pretty, and you just might relate to some of the lyrics. The music when they're talking about ringtones is eerily familiar, and the part with the guy on the loudspeaker is very funny. Give it a listen. :)

I found this while looking at some old entries:
"Perhaps God was telling me that if I want to tell His stories and speak His message, I can't get upset when I hear no response.
Besides, just because I don't see something doesn't mean it's not there."
I think that's right, and I think I need to work on being more self-sufficient in my writing habits. I want to write, but I struggle with writing because it often seems as though no one is waiting for me to finish. I need to work on that.

3 days!

Over the last couple of days, I pulled out my desktop machine again and tried to reinstall Linux on it. I don't know what the problem is with that machine, because I've had intermittent trouble with it ever since I bought it. Mostly, I've had installation troubles where the CD-ROM drive will not always detect or stay connected. I'm inclined to think it's a hardware issue, because I've tried a few distros without firm success.
I once had Debian stable running fine on it. Before that, I installed Ubuntu without a hitch. But aside of those two, I've had trouble with every installation I've tried, including one for Windows ME. This frustrates me, because I don't have a lot of money, and I talked to Linux people before I bought the pieces for this machine.
I'm going to have to leave it unfixed until I get home, where I'll be able to install repeatedly and systematically to find the combination of which CD drive to use (IDE or SATA), which BIOS mode to use (Enhanced or Compatibility, with some suboptions), and which distribution and CD (which will almost have to be Debian testing, but I might need to make a new install disk). I can do that here, except that at home I can do it without rushing.
The other thing would be to check each of the parts... or to start fresh with a new machine, but that would mean either preparing the machine for sale or just taking a loss on some or all of the parts.

I need to find someone to pay me for essays. If anyone has some ideas for places I should submit things, If you think a magazine, newspaper, or website would benefit from my writings, you should let them know about them. Actually, you should let people know about things whenever you see they could benefit from being connected to them.