E-mail down

I’ve been using e-mail on a regular basis since about 1993. I realized today what an essential part of my life it is. Because of a credit card mix-up, the regular payment to my hosting company for this domain got canceled. Admittedly, the mix-up was my fault (I neglected to update them on the new expiration date of my card). Anyway… because of that, my domain was essentially shut off all day today. It was then I found out how frustrating it is to not have access to my e-mail. It’s amazing how we can take technology for granted.

As you can see, my domain is back in business. However, I know e-mails I should have received have been lost in the cyberspace abyss. If any of you reading this sent me an e-mail today, you might want to send it again to make sure I got it.

O Brother

This weekend I saw the movie O Brother, Where Are Thou? for the first time. It’s a comedy set in the depression era south. The story is based on Homer’s Odyssey (yes, there is even a cyclops and sirens). It was a real hoot. George Clooney did a great job as Ulysses Everett McGill (the lead character). My favorite thing about the film is the soundtrack, filled with old-time country gems. Rent this one if you haven’t seen it yet. Then go get the CD.

Northern Lights 2

It must be Aurora season. Last night for the second time in nine days, I saw the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, this time I was closer to the Milwaukee metro area, so the display was subdued quite a bit by city lights, but there were definite streaks of red and green visible from my house. In case you missed it, the SpaceWeather.com site has some spectacular pictures of last night’s display in their Aurora Gallery.

Northern Lights

Last night I was outside around midnight, and saw the Aurora Borealis. Words cannot describe what an amazing sight that is. It was the second time in my life I’ve seen the Northern Lights. Although they didn’t fill up as much of the sky as the first time I saw them, last night’s aurora did have more brilliant color (streaks of deep red) than my first aurora experience. To learn more about auroras and when you might see them, visit SpaceWeather.com.

Three Jonathans

This weekend I got an e-mail from a Jonathan Bloy who lives in England. He was searching for the Bloy name and found this site. Last year I got an e-mail from another Jonathan Bloy who lives in New Zealand. That makes three so far. I wonder… How many more of us are out there?

Sign Talker

It’s great to have something to get your mind off the events of the day. Right now my diversion of choice is the book Sign-Talker by James Alexander Thom. It’s a fictional account of George Drouillard, a Native American / French-Canadian man, and his adventures while he was the guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition. Definitely a recommended read for fans of historical fiction.

Look Mom

Look Mom, I’ve got a weblog!

A few days ago I started playing around with Greymatter. So far I’m impressed. It allows you to have online journal software right on your own server, which means you have complete control over how it works. Much better than signing up for one of those blog services (in my humble opinion). Oh, and the best part is, Greymatter is free!

Watch this space for more journal entries.