The Famous WordPress Five Minute Install is a thing of beauty ... if your server is already perfectly configured to run WordPress. Otherwise it is the opening movement to a symphony of pain.

That's really all I want to say about this debacle for now.

A few minutes ago I got an email notification from LJ "1 user(s) likes this - http://netcurmudgeon.livejournal.com/293667.html". So, for the first time in a million years I looked at LiveJournal. Then - expecting tumbleweeds - I clicked on "Friends." Can I say that I'm delighted that people I know and love are still blogging here? 'Cause I am. Delighted. Totally.

Sunil, as the teacher, playing "school" with Naveen just told the class that "Ms. Pentagon the Art teacher will be coming."

On August 27^th I ordered some LEGO parts on eBay. One of the items consisted of two lots of LEGO Technic pins. The seller was in Rochester, NY. They shipped on August 29^th and the parts arrived today. You might wonder how can it take a first class item 8 days to get from Rochester to Glastonbury? Read'em and weep:

8/29/2014	17:37 PM	Picked up by Request	Rochester	NY	14612
8/29/2014	18:28 PM	Departed Post Office	Rochester	NY	14612
8/29/2014	22:26 PM	Arrived at USPS Origin Facility	Rochester	NY	14606
8/30/2014	06:31 AM	Departed USPS Facility	Rochester	NY	14606
9/2/2014	11:04 AM	Arrived at Post Office	Falls Village	CT	06031
9/2/2014	11:05 AM	Arrived at USPS Facility	Falls Village	CT	06031
9/2/2014	11:05 AM	Forwarded	Falls Village	CT	6031
9/2/2014	22:22 PM	Arrived at USPS Facility	Springfield	MA	01152
9/3/2014	04:11 AM	Departed USPS Facility	Springfield	MA	01152
9/4/2014	22:35 PM	Arrived at USPS Facility	Elk Grove Village	IL	60007
9/5/2014	00:13 AM	Departed USPS Facility	Elk Grove Village	IL	60007
9/6/2014	08:34 AM	Arrival at Unit	Glastonbury	CT	06033
9/6/2014	08:38 AM	Delivered	South Glastonbury	CT	06073

Interestingly, the Postal staff in Falls Village and Elk Grove Village knew what to do with the errant item -- and did it quickly to boot. It's the staff at the Rochester, NY and Springfield, MA sorting centers who got this all wrong.

The moral of this story? If you want something done right, get a townie to do it. Those big city folks don't know their asses from their elbows! ;-)

I noticed a few months ago that the time to open Word or Excel files started getting a lot longer. This change happened at the same time on all of the systems I use. I also noticed a few months ago that something called "Microsoft Office file validation add-in" had arrived via Windows Update.

Yesterday, while doing some routine housekeeping on my laptop I removed it. Oh. My. God. It's like running a fresh install of office on a freshly installed PC! Instant file opens ... like it used to be. I'm sure that I am forsaking some element of security, but I just got a couple minutes of my life back every single day.

A couple of weeks ago ashacat took the Tot-loks off of the kitchen cabinets. I'm still reaching for the magnetic key on the fridge, stopping, and telling myself "you don't need the key anymore" every time I go to open a cabinet.

Heard this on WFCR this morning:

Burundi Woman Models Future Of Farming In Lancaster, Mass.

by: Martha Bebinger, WBUR
July 29, 2014 LANCASTER, Mass.

...Really a nice piece. Realistic in what it says, but still makes you feel good about at least some of the world.

A link to the story on WBUR: With more photos and a lenga lenga recipe.

In the past couple of years Dell made sealed keyboards standard on the Latitude line. This makes them very spill resistant, as I discovered last night when I bobbled a glass of milk and got it everywhere. Including the open and running laptop that I am using to type this post.

Thank you Dell.

Each time I setup to mow the Rt. 17 medians I do a "FOD Walk" after setting out my traffic cones.

There is always something to pick up. Usually it's food or cigarette packaging, sometimes bottles and cans, occasionally footwear or a glove, and random debris. This collection, however, takes the cake. All found on the medians two mowings ago, all within 50 yards of each other. It kind of encompasses life for a lot of folks: eat, screw, smoke, pray.


From left to right: a disposable e-cig, prophylactic device (used) and book of prayer on paper plate.

Yes, I always wear gloves.