Well, now that all my web sites are on a new server, I guess it’s time for me to chain myself to my desk and get them all redesigned.  The new server has some nice blog software that I plan to put to use, so at some point, SYNS will be moving in-house.

In the mean time, my folk’s site, LaddsDarkHorses.com needs a serious face lift.  It was written long before I learned about standards compliance and CSS layouts (ala CSSZenGarden). It also needs a good deal of programming and database work since new features were added with duct-tape programming.

Also, Light-Spark needs to be converted into a more professional looking site for contract work, etc., especially since all the branding marks on sites I’ve done point to what is now my personal site. Not very attractive to folks who might actually want to pay me to do a site.

So *sigh* I guess I have to give up some gaming time and get some real work done.

BAH!

The Federal Marriage amendment is coming. Read it! Learn what it means! Then, exercise your freedom and contact your representatives in congress. Tell them how much it means to you that they support (or not, if that’s your ilk) this amendment.

This site has plenty of good information about the amendment, the reasons behind it, and the effects it will have.

That which one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.

Ronald Reagan

That which one generation embraces, the next generation will cram down the throat of your elementary school children.

Yours Truly

During my lunch time surf, I ran across this link. The page is titled, “DAILY REASON TO DISPATCH BUSH”. As I read the 72 “days”, each one left me cheering more and more for “Gee-Dub”. I sent the following email to the author of the site.

Thanks so much for compiling this compelling list. These jewels of information have renewed my steadfast faith in George W and his administration. I’ve linked to your list from my personal blog and will encourage all of my fellow conservatives to do the same.

Of course many of your entries are indictments of FBI and Homeland Security personnel and policies that have nothing to do with the President, but I suppose guilt by association is allowed when you’re campaigning for hate. Hitler and the KKK sure got a lot accomplished that way.

You also site numerous budget cuts to federal programs. Apparently you’ve not done enough budgeting to know that cuts are sometimes necessary to achieve priority missions. You know, little things like economy boosting tax cuts and new technology to keep our soldiers safe.

Isn’t ironic how all the things you hate about Bush make me and tens of millions of other Americans love him all the more?

God bless you and keep up the good work,

Trint Ladd
www.jesuslovesyouanyway.com

Go and see for yourself: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/bush/

I have returned from the Microsoft Brain Washing… I mean… Training. Actually, the class was great. Dave (my boss) and I learned a lot and are excited for Microsoft to release the next version of the .NET development environment. (The current version produces nasty, non-complient, HTML code. Version 2005 promises to be better.) But for now, we’re back to plain old ASP.

It’s nice to be back in the office. I really do like this job.

Tammy got her hard cast off last week. She’s now in a air cast which allows her to take it off. Finally, she can take a real shower. (You have NO idea how much that means to her.) She’s still on crutches and not supposed to put weight on the foot for another couple of weeks. But being able to air it out, itch it at will, and shave makes her much happier. The most amazing thing, as you can clearly see, is that her foot and ankle are remarkablly swollen. This picture was taken as soon as she got home from the doctor. It’s gotten better since then (and she has shaved) but it’s still noticable. Also her calf is about half the size of the healthy one that’s been doing double duty.

So where are we now? She sees the doctor in two weeks at which time we expect to get the go-ahead for her to walk on the air cast and maybe put the crutches in the closet. Then another couple of weeks before she can go without the air cast. Then, potentially, some physical therapy to get everything limbered up and get the muscles restored.

Whatever happened to the good old days when you could go to a brightly painted, plywood shed and buy enough black powder to send your fingers into four neighboring counties (at buy-one-get-two-free prices no less)?

The Fourth of July is just not the same for me since our society has gotten all safety conscious. I remember buying M-80s that would blow a Coke can in two and bottle rockets that could deliver my Star Wars action figures into low Earth orbit.

Now days, the news starts up the pro-pig-anda on about July 1st. Some stern-faced police sergeant shakes his finger into the camera so that everyone knows if you light a sparkler in city limits you’ll be jailed for a couple of decades and routinely have humiliating pictures taken of you by rogue U.S. Marines.

I would like to get my hands on “that one kid” who held a cherry bomb in his hand until it wasn’t his hand anymore. That kid ruined this great holiday for all the rest of us. Shame on him. If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have constitutional amendments that state no citizen of the U.S. shall purchase any celebratory explosive device more dangerous than “the amazing growing snake”. Now, if your an illegal Mexican laborer, you may feel free to bring several sticks of dynamite across the border with you and celebrate OUR independence (and catch a few fish with out a fishing pole).

I’m in Microsoft training all this week. I’m learning why Bill Gates is my friend and why I should buy all his stuff. Most importantly I’m learning that anyone who says Microsoft isn’t the best stuff ever, or worse tries to compete with Microsoft, must be the Anti-Christ.

You remember those slaves in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom that walked around chanting? Yeah, I’m one of those guys.

I’ll be back in the real world next week. Until then, buy Microsoft or die.

Just ‘cuz I’m such a rebel, I’m linking to this site. I’m not making this up. See for yourself.

“Hyperlinking to this site, is not permitted without the express prior permission of Sellotape®.”

http://www.sellotape.co.uk/copyright.htm

My nephew, Sgt. Dustin Ladd, is on his way home from Iraq. He is coming home injured, but, thank God, not as a casualty of war. He’s got a serious back problem that could not be diagnosed in the field. He’ll spend some time at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, and, most likely, head back home to the Panhandle after that.

Please continue to pray for the other 128,000 brave American men and women protecting freedom in Iraq.

<Game Geek Post Advisory>
If you’re not familiar with Ultima Online or other, similar MMP RP games, this won’t make any sense to you.
</Game Geek Post Advisory>
*Names changed to protect the guilty*
My guild on Montis Draconis has been the sole Order guild for months now. There are several Chaos guilds that have had a heyday beating up on the [GoodGuys], since we are only just learning to do PvP. All our characters have been designed for PvM and are really good at it, but when the Chaos guys started playing rough, we had to adapt. The other Order guilds changed to Neutral and ran off to Trammel (where PvP is a no-no).

It’s taken many weeks to tweak our characters for PvP and to train up new characters, but we are finally seeing some fruit. Last night, after drafting in yet another experienced, former PvM player into the guild, we had our first fairly successful raid and killed two of the “big boys” on the Chaos side.

[ToughtBadGuy1] (a.k.a. McButtHead) is one of those annoying, mouthy characters constantly sending messages about how everyone is a sissy and he “pwns” the Order guilds. Last night, McButtHead was beheaded and, just as we all predicted, he instantly logged off and spent the rest of the night pouting off-line. We know this because his cohort, [ToughtBadGuy2] , who is much cooler and a nice role-player, is his roommate and he laughed at [ToughtBadGuy1] right along with the rest of us. [ToughtBadGuy2] was also taken down, but was much more gracious about it. We’ll have lots of fun reminding [ToughtBadGuy1] that he’s not the king-of-the-world he thinks he is.

Yaaay [GoodGuys]!