I would consider myself pretty tech savvy. What I don't know I can usually figure out with a fair bit of googling and a bit of trial and error. But this week everything failed me.
I wanted to convent the wordpress blog hosting my webcomic into an actual webcomic site (like that of Wapsi Square or One of Those Days). To do that I needed to host the site myself and install wordpress onto the server. Then it was a simple plugin to utilise comic layouts. Easy, right
No.
Wordpress boasts that it is 'one of the easiest installations available”. It. Lies.
I spent two days sighing loudly and yelling at my computer.
In fact, I feel fairly certain that if I had kept trying my computer would have been murdered. So after all the whinging and comparing, all the crabbiness that poor Lisa & Courtney had to endure I gave up. I put up one final plea on Facebook for assistance - I was prepared to pay for someone to take the problem away.
Did you know that I have a cousin who has a web hosting business? I didn't.
Forty dollars and a few very short hours (most of which I was asleep for) the problem was fixed and the site was up and running.
I will admit to being momentarily peeved that it was 'so easy' after all but have decided to adopt a more zen attitude and, with this post completed, repress the whole experience and just revel in the shiny.
 
Comic Layout









Okay, first of all, let’s get this said and out of the way right off the bat. I’m crazy, OCD to the point of insanity, have project-itus to an unmanageable degree. This is all true. I hear you. I agree.

But hear me out, okay?

A couple of things have converged this week that has caused this latest niggling idea I’ve been having to jump right to the forefront of my mind.

1. Brett asked me when it was we went to see Midsummer Night’s Dream last year and it took me a little bit (not ages, but a bit) to track down the info in my journal. (It was November 20, by the way)

2. I lost a journal. Yes. That’s right, I… *sob* I lost a journal! I have ransacked my room trying to find it to no avail. I’m hoping beyond hope that (for some strange reason) I have left it on my desk at work, because otherwise it is in Melbourne and if that’s the case it’s gone.

3. I learned today that LiveScribe pens have an accompanying piece of software that translates the handwriting into text - which is the only (and I do truly mean ONLY) thing which has stopped me from actually buying one every single time I walk past them (and pick them up, and study them, and sigh forlornly that it doesn’t do quite what I want). Anyways, I have now purchased one and it’s on it’s way.

4. While exploring the pen options (I decided on a 4GB Echo, in case you’re interested) and accessories, I found these…

 

journals

…Livescribe compatible journals. *swoon* Can you blame the OCD archive-inclined part of my brain for being very excited about this? Confess, you want one too know. I know you do.

ANYWAY! With all these things coming together at the same time I decided to stop thinking about indexing my journals and actually do something about it.

But then I thought, wouldn’t it be great if I could index and search my blog at the same time?

Oooh what about the lists and logs I keep - like books read through the year and so on (shush, we already covered the nerdery), that would be good to include also.

Oh! And photos! AND TUMBLR! OMG! YES! BEST IDEA EVER!

By now I was in full on organising mode. How great would it be to simply search a particular person and have any and all blog posts, journal entries, photos, appointments and so on all collate and be at my finger tips? That would be amazing. Surely someone has considered this wonderful idea and created a program for this. Everyone would want to use it, after all…

Yeah I came up with nothing. There was a brief crazed moment where I considered creating it myself, and selling to geeks and librarians everywhere (with a syncable ipad app, naturally) before I realised that I have zero programming knowledge at all. I was very sad.

So basically it’s just me and my scanner, but I would greatly appreciate some input. I’m thinking PDFs are the best format - with longevity and searchability in mind. Individual files for days could be made, being merged together into one master file at the end of the year.

I scrapped together a (very) rough mock up of what I was considering so I had somewhere to start from and this is what I came up with:

 

page example 1

(all comments about my not completing my to-do list, will not be well received. I’m looking at you, Courtney)

 

But then I thought… this doesn’t really fix the problem, as images aren’t searchable. Okay, mock up #2.

 

page example 2

That does fix the problem, but I’m not entirely happy with splitting a spread in half. Suggestions to eliminate this would be appreciated. Perhaps very small text boxes down the bottom as I will be able to read off the scan itself? The same problem will occur with photos, but captioning them should do the trick.

I also threw together a blog post example (ignore the squiggles, I’ve only just realised they were there).

page example 3

Anyways. That’s it. My crazy new project that I have no plans to start before Christmas but please, throw any ideas, problems, solutions my way. Thanks!

Archival Assistance

by on Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Okay, first of all, let’s get this said and out of the way right off the bat. I’m crazy, OCD to the point of insanity, have project-itus to ...








It occured to me this week, as I pulled out the Christmas carol book, that I've had over a year of piano lessons now. I love it because I feel that I'm so much better than I was when I started, and yet its kind of depressing - over a year, really? Shouldn't I be a virtuoso by now? Just kidding, I'm pretty happy.

I've been dabbling in piano since my first Year 7 music lesson, fourteen (!) years ago. Since then I've had one overruling musical goal: to teach Bethany Heart and Soul so we can play a duet. In those fourteen years she has managed to stumble her way halfway through the melody before before succumbing to a mash of notes.

This week, in a fit of boredom, Bethany rolled up to the piano in Grandma's wheelchair (I did mention she was bored, right?) to actually sit through an hour-long music lesson. We went over the notes and how to read music, finger placement, key/note arrangement, musical notation. She worked her way through several pages of the Adult Beginner book. By the end she was basically sight reading - slowly but surely.

So can she now play Heart and Soul? ... sort of.



Scaling the Scales

by on Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It occured to me this week, as I pulled out the Christmas carol book, that I've had over a year of piano lessons now. I love it ...


I'm playing a bit of catch up with the weekends prompts so forgive me as I go out of order a little.



Day 5: KINDNESS
One of the greatest joys of travel can be the random acts of kindness you'll receive from total strangers. Have you ever found kindness from strangers in unexpected places?


I have found (for me) that the kindest people to run into while traveling are retired couples. The few times I floundered on my road trip this year it was an older couple who came to my rescue.

When I had no idea how to change the gas on my stove for my campervan it was the caravanning couple in the next plot who helped me out and then chatted to me while we both cooked our dinners. Then when I went to the Butterfly House I ran into a nice couple while exploring who invited me to have tea in the cafe with them.




Day 4: MISTAKES
Everyone makes mistakes. We forget to ask for Coke without ice in Mexico and spend the rest of the trip in the bathroom. Or we arrive at the airport for a 7pm flight only to realise the flight left at 7am. Tell us the story of your worst travel mistake.


Day 6: FEAR
Just as travel can be fun and exciting, it can also have its challenging, or even downright scary moments. Being in a new place pushes us out of our comfort zone and makes us face our fears. Tell about a time you had to face your fear when traveling, and what was the result.


For me, the answer to both of these is the same. Did I ever tell you the story about running out of petrol...








I secretly love Google Images and it’s complete inability to give me what I want. Or, more accurately, I love how it interprets what I ask for into some weird request that only Google Images understands. Makes for fun (sometimes very, very wrong) results.

While completing this week’s comic I couldn’t think of an appropriately geeky book to include and so I starting googling: “really geeky books”. Naturally I flipped over to the images to see what it bought back and I thought I’d share some of the best ones.

werewolf6
Okay. If you say so. I think this one looks a little too much like a lost kitten (wearing a vest?) to be a cool werewolf, but I’ll go with it. (Source)
pug-pirate-CRAFT
I have no words except to say how much I love it. I mean really! It’s a pirate pug! I feel a little sad for the dog, and a little worried about the demented owner but mostly, yeah, I think it’s awesome. (Source)
bra
Not going to lie. I totally want this. (Source)

abs
Completely wanted to find this shirt and buy it for Brett. The source links to a pretty good opinion post about the distribution and design of women’s nerd shirts, worth reading. (Source)
bazinga apron
Because who doesn’t want a Flash apron, even if you are only a cardboard person. (source)

And that concludes today’s edition of “Google - you’re crazy, but awesome”. Join us again next week, boys and girls.


Day 3: MUSIC
Music and travel memories often go hand in hand. A song can inspire our explorations, or it can take us back to a specific place and time. Tell us about your travel playlist and what it means to you.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of travel and music is driving down the freeway with Lisa, the soundtrack to Wicked blaring, and us singing at the top of our lungs. Though I had listened to the soundtrack many (many) times before the first time this even happened, this will always be the first thing I associate it with. And since this was my first real trip, the songs of Wicked are now always a must on any travel playlist.

I always compile a playlist before any trip (especially if this is a road trip), but to be honest the songs are usually the same: anything I belt out while driving is a must.

As my 'travel done' list is far shorter than my 'travel to do' list, I have way more inspiration songs than memory songs. There are two that stand out in my mind, two that always make me want to up and go.



"I Don't Wanna Wait" - Rosi Golan



"When In Rome" - Nickel Creek



Day 2: EMBRACING CHANGE
Change can be exciting and bring new joys into our lives. But it can present challenges that frustrate or annoy us. How has travel changed you in the last year? Did you welcome these changes or resist them at the time, and how do you feel about them now?


Without a doubt, the traveling I have done in the past year has made me more independent - and far more aware of this independence. I have not undertaken any great, long-running trips, but the shorter stints I have undertaken have been mostly solo and I have loved every minute of it.




In July of this year I headed out on my Sydney-Brisbane road trip - first road trip, first real solo travel, first time in a campervan - and I could not have loved it more. While I already considered myself fairly independent and knew that I got on pretty well with just myself for company, I was still a little surprised to learn how right it felt. *lightbulb* OOOH so THIS is traveling. Got it. I learnt (very quickly!) to enjoy being the only boss, the only one who made any of the decisions about where to go, what to see, how to get there, basically anything and everything. Unfortunately I also learnt that I get pretty crabby the week I get home and learn that this is no longer the case!


Tacking Point Light


The biggest way the past years' travel, and this trip in particular has changed me is the complete willingness to up and go again. When, for example, Lisa had to come up to Canberra for work, I jumped in the car and drove down for a weekend stay just for the fun of it - which is something I never would have down even a year ago.

So has travel in the past year changed me? I think yes. Have I resisted it? No, in fact I rather enjoyed it!








*falls to ground*

I can’t help myself! You know I can’t! Give me the chance to make a huge list and a pretty platform to do it on and I’ll cave every time. Every. Time.

I was reading some responses to the first day of the BootsnAll meme and, while reading Roots and Wings I rediscovered the 101 in 1001 Days Project (aka Day Zero Project) and well, yeah, you know what I’m like; I spent the rest of the evening compiling my list.

In the process of doing this I may have… *accidentally* mentioned the project to Brett. And would you know it? He signed up!

#67 Influence a friend to make a Day Zero list - CHECK!








I’ve been doing a lot of reading and planning for my trip lately, and one of the best things I’ve stumbled over is the BootsnAll newsletter that I signed up for. Every day I get an email about a destination, or theme, or random travel trip. I never know what’s going to arrive in my inbox and I usually read it before I even get out of bed in the morning - best way to start the day, even if I do then have to go to work instead of whatever beautiful location has just been described.

This month, BootsnAll is playing host to a 30 day challenge. I usually fail miserably at these things, but hey, why not, I’ll give it a shot.




Day 1: GOALS
What were your travel goals last year? Did you accomplish them? What travel goals do you hope to accomplish this year?

It’s close enough to the end of the year that I’m going to consider 2011 as ‘last year’. I can’t say that I had any clear travel ‘goals’ for 2011 beyond starting serious planning on my backpacking trip (2013 is getting very close, very soon).

While I don’t have any concrete plans to show for my year, I did a lot of reading this past year so I guess I can say that I did accomplish my goal for 2011. Plus I managed to slip in a little travel throughout the year (Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne) so it sounds good to me.

Travel goals for 2012? Save save save save for the trip. Did I mention save? Seriously though, I do have a few other goals, but they all come back to my trip. I want to learn how to drive a manual car. I want to figure out how RTW tickets and rail passes really work. I want to pick a backpack that isn't going to kill me. Yes, I'm a big travel newbie.









November kind of snuck up on me. Here I was, happily taunting Brett about it being Christmas time already (he stubbornly refuses to believe that it's Christmas until after his birthday) when BAM! It's NaNoWriMo time again.

Luckily I had already decided to sign up again this year, so there're was no frantic decision making made on the first day, but still, there was a part of me that, on the 31st, was still was still going "Noooo, it's October, I've got PLENTY of time."

Because of this I spent much of the day finishing up all the things I meant to do BEFORE November: prepared and send out the latest batch of badge orders, finished *ahem* last weeks comic, and found a laminator for $20 (surely that deserves a cheer, yes?). Did I write? Yes. Did I meet my goal for the day? Not even in the slightest. But not to worry, I'll catch up tomorrow (she says with naive assurance).

So! If you're Nano-ing, let me know! Feel free to buddy me (username: rebeccavoy). If you're not, but still want to watch me flounder (man, you're mean), I'll be posting my stats here.
The Challenge
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days?
The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing.
From the Day Zero website


-----

101 in 1001
Start Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2011
End Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2014
-----
Plain Text - To Do
Bold - Complete
Italicized - In Progress

-----

Trips, Travel and Experiences
     1. Watch the sunrise and sunset in the same day {3/4/12}
     2. Go to a Renaissance Faire
     3. Watch a ballet
     4. Go camping
     5. Sleep in a hammock for one night
     6. Go stargazing away from the city
     7. Ride in a hot air balloon
     8. Visit Scotland
     9. Get a passport
     10. Complete 20 things in “1001 Things to Do and See in Australia” [0/20]
     11. Go to five different museums [5/5]
     12. Take a road trip across the US
     13. Visit Stonehenge
     14. Get lost in a cornfield
     15. Watch a musical on Broadway
     16. Climb the Eiffel Tower
     17. Visit the Louvre
     18. See the pyramids of Egypt
     19. Travel by train
     20. Ride a gondola in Venice
     21. Visit Japan
     22. Visit Italy
     23. Visit Greece
     24. Climb to the top of a lighthouse
     25. Visit Ireland
     26. Camp on a beach
     27. Go to Disney World
     28. Visit Oxford
     29. Backpack through Europe
     30. Visit London
     31. Visit Louisa May Alcott’s house
     32. Go apple picking
     33. Go to Vancouver

Self-Improvement and Learning
     34. Become first aid certified
     35. Learn to identify ten constellations
     36. Learn how to play the guitar
     37. Reach my goal weight
     38. Graduate with a Masters in Information Services (Children’s Librarianship)
     39. Learn another language
     40. Learn to drive a manual car
     41. Take a self-defence class
     42. Learn how to fully use Wordpress
     43. Learn to say ‘hello’ in fifteen other languages
     44. Learn how to play poker

Create
     45. Buy a Wreck This Journal and finish it
     46. Build a gingerbread house
     47. Write and illustrate a children’s book
     48. Complete a 30 Day meme [3/30]
     49. Make my own paper
     50. Finish all my WIPs
     51. Sew a postage stamp quilt for my bed
     52. Sew my own pyjamas
     53. Enter a photography competition
     54. Write a short story
     55. Make more videos
     56. Reach 100 Living Geek comics [21/100]
     57. Print and frame my photography
     58. Photograph a sunrise
     59. Complete Wizard of Oz cross stitch

Just for Fun
     60. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet [3/26]
     61. Update my blog at least once a week [0/52]
     62. Tie a note to a balloon and let it go
     63. Have an actual lightsaber fight with Lisa and/or Courtney
     64. See a drive-in movie {10/12/11}
     65. Read the Lord of the Rings trilogy
     66. Document a day in my life
     67. Influence a friend to make a Day Zero list    {2/11/2011}
     68. Read all of Jane Austen’s novels
     69. Make a 100 Things About Me list
     70. Catch a snowflake on my tongue
     71. Read all 14 of Baum’s original Oz novels [2/14]
     72. Host a Harry Potter movie marathon
     73. Host a games night
     74. Stay silent for one day
     75. Deploy 50 munzees [17/50]
     76. Take photos in a photo booth
     77. Ask 20 friends to suggest one book and read them all [0/20]
     78. Read all of Shakespeare
     79. Reread the entire Harry Potter series back to back [0/7]
     80. Have a Star Wars marathon
     81. Complete the 5, 000 Question Survey [0/5000]
     82. Hide ten geocaches [6/10]
     83. Find 400 geocaches [291/400]
     84. Find a geocache in every Australian state and territory [4/8]
     85. Build a blanket fort and sleep in it
     86. See a film at IMAX
     87. Build a snowman

Money, Career and all that Grown Up Stuff
     88. Open a savings account
     89. Put $5 into the travel fund for each completed task [1/101]
     90. Update my resume
     91. Move out of home
     92. Complete my teaching accreditation
     93. Save enough money for 2013 backpacking trip
     94. Sell 1000 badges [1000/1000]

OCD and other Organise-y Goodness
     95. Clean out everything I own and only keep what is necessary
     96. Organise my craft room
     97. Finish cataloguing all my books 
     98. Finish cataloguing all my DVDs
 
    99. Move all DVDs onto media player
     100. Organise and catalogue photo archive
     101. Blog each of these tasks [1/101]

101/1001

by on Tuesday, November 01, 2011
The Challenge Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. The Criteria Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) ...