Have you played with the Google Start Up page? All the blocks of text can be dragged and dropped wherever you want. Easier to use than My Yahoo! Friendly! Clean!

I fear my job as web page designer will be obsolete in a year’s time if this takes off. It won’t matter how long I suffer over page balance (like we use to do over fonts and font sizes) because some inbalanced dink will do what they want with the pages they view.

But damn if it ain’t cool! I can see all my Gmail incomings!

Google needs to let RSS feeds to be added to it but soon…soon…

People. Please. Why do you want to see what she looks like? So you can recognize her if she moves into your neighbourhood?

If we’re lucky, she’ll be “Lady Di’ed” when she leaves the court house.

I think I’m more upset with Canadian media falling over themselves to mention her, mirroring US journalism sales tactics.

This will end in tears. Mark my words.

Sharkboy and I arrived back from camping just in time to put on CP24 just as the parade was starting.

I would just like to comment here that the woman they got to interview David Miller and Bill Blair right as the parade started, should never be given a microphone ever again until she learns exactly the why/who/where/when of journalism. What a stupid cow. I missed her name but she usually does sports and such for City/CP24. Her two main questions to both men were if they were “nervous” about marching in the gay parade, especially to Blair, who was in uniform and that “some guys go for a guy in uniform”. Blair handled her insensitive and dumb, homosexist question excellently: an odd glance to her with the comment “I have a wife at home who also loves a man in uniform.” Later she was replaced with someone who looked like she wasn’t afraid of homos/dykes/queers.

We hit the streets after washing off the lotions from camping and did a couple circuts up and down the street, caught the tail end of the parade (no one cheered the Conservatives for Queers group, dispite the pleading signs saying they were “for” gay marriages – snort!) and bought copywright infringement tees in the marketplace. Eventually we parked ourselves right in front of Timothy’s and just stood and watched. People eventually came up to us and like social hummingbirds: hovered and then wandered off into the throng. Had a few instances where persons who had indulged a bit too much decided that we had to comment on how much fun *they* were having but nothing assaultive (my new word). I was glad to have missed the build up to Sunday’s Parade as that crowds these days seem to give me the heebeejeebees, however Sharkboy and I love people watching and last night was the Olympics of people watching. I felt guilty not taking pictures but I made a promise to myself that this year I was going to experience Pride as non-evasively as possible as that I’ve marched/worked/volunteered for the last 10yrs. I was proud and offer kudos to the Pride committee for another great event.

Prior to the parade, we camped and enjoyed the fruits of perfect blue skies and hot diet root beer on the deck of the campground’s pool. As ususal, expect pics/vids soon.

Isn’t it weird how something comes to your attention and suddenly you can’t stop seeing it? Once a friend of mine ranted and raved that he wanted an orange VW van and now I see them constantly.

The last couple days I’ve had muevo hits from people searching for Zanta. Its like Torontonians want a hero.

Dinner with the playwright brother last night:

“How many hits on your blog?” he asks, as we settle in, post nosh.

I puff out my chest, “Over a million a month!” *

Collectively the eyes of everyone sitting at the table bug out, Mom included. “A million?!” Mike blurts.

“Yup!”

“You know, you’re doing what I do for a living… Free.”

“Uh.”

“Did you enjoy that pie? Soulpepper paid for it.”

Don’t worry. My site is still ad free and there are no embarrassing “tip jar” links anywhere.

Yet.

Though, it was a nice pie.

* I don’t mention that “hits” are pretty relative, especially if you’ve had a computer virus associated with a missing file from your site. But it sounds good. I actually count “page views” which, despite being down for 8 days this month, have already passed the halfway mark of last month. Thank you, faithful readers!!

I realize that the last couple of entries made me sound like a bitter old queen so I am going to give you a post that is breezy and fun:

• Sharkboy cannot for the life of him hum the “Wicked Witch of the West” theme. Not even close. You know the flurry of strings whenever we saw the witch from Wizard Of Oz on her bike or broom? Whenever we see a person on an old fashioned bike, he always goes “dadoot dadoota doo doo” when we all know its “doo ta doo ta doo doo”

• Once, my Mum dumped applesauce on the heads of three of the five kids in our family for saying “peep!” at the dinner table.

• My ice cream maker works. Very well.

• Happy birthday brother Mike!

• Old Audio Dude’s son is already into Japanese anime toys. I may weep!

• Speaking of brothers: When I was a kid I discovered that air occupies my tear ducts most of the time and I could make my eyes squeak quite loudly. I discovered this one night, back when I use to share a room with two older brothers. Think of it… a dark room with a pre-teen and two teens. Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! I had no clue that I making a noise that resembled self-love, I was mezmerized by the sound. Old Audio Dude finally broke the tension by yelling “STOP JERKING OFF!” After we sorted out that it was my eye making that noise, they had to tell me what “jerking off” meant.

• 7 Days to Labour Day Weekend Camping.

• 77 Days to my first Caribbean Cruise.

• GET WELL SOON SYLVIE! I know she doesn’t read this but I am super jazzed that she’s ok!

Wasn’t the weather great today?

If you haven’t done so yet, hold off on downloading iTunes 5 until a patch is available. I read (via Cnet’s News.com) that people are starting to complain of weird bugs on Apple’s support forums. Stuff like music and directories going missing, QuickTime incompatablities or the darn thing just not opening.

I just plugged in my iPod and discovered it created a new “On The Go” folder filled with show tunes and Xmas music. WTF?

Maybe Apple is subconciously getting people to shop for their Nanoo Nanoo’s early.

UPDATE: Just found some James Bond Themes in there too. Huh?!

Moniker Online Services, LLC
20 SW 27th Ave.
Suite 201
Pompano Beach, Florida 33069

Re: Invoice #2005-09

October 4, 2005

To Whom It May Concern:

I am providing you with my invoice for advertising on my private, non-commercial site for the month of September 2005. Your company was responsible for content and comment spam I received during that month supplied by clients who use your services, which in turn, required me to pay an additional charge for extra bandwidth required to display your client’s ads. Since I am unable to contact them directly due to their dubious business practices, I feel it is your responsibility to pass this charge onto your clients while covering my costs.

September Bandwidth overages: $78.00CDN

Payment can be made to the address below. If you require 30, 60 or 90 day payment options, we can discuss terms via email below.

Thank you.

Regards,

Ted
Deadrobot.com

Update: I got a response!

Subject: FW: Invoice for Sept/Oct 2005
From: “Monte Cahn” monte@moniker.com
Date: Tue, October 4, 2005 10:47 pm
Cc: legal@moniker.com

You need to send this invoice to the domain owner/Registrant or the hosting
company that is hosting the domain. We are the Registrar not the
registrant.

Thank you.

Best Regards,
Monte Cahn
Founder / CEO

I went back to the top three spammer’s URLs and lo and behold the sites are gone. In the ever successful War on Drugs, it was the policy of the US to undermind the suppliers of the drug, right? In that vein, I feel that Monkier should be held accountable for selling these bulk URLs to known spammers. So what should I write back to (snicker) Monte? Suggestions in the comments, please!

South African malfunctioning robots run rampant! Angry mobs with pitchforks standing in protest! Traffic backed up! New police recruits vow to kill marauding robots!

I think it’s just bad translation but the headline made me click it:

Residents picket over dysfunctional robots!

Clothing update!

Underwear: 9 pair
Socks: 10 pair
Swimwear: 3 pair
Pants: 3
Dress shorts: 2
Gym shorts: 2
Shoes: 3
T-shirts: 9
Dress Shirts: 5
Ties: 2
Suit: 1
Windbreaker: 1
Day Trip Bags: 2
Sunglasses: 2
notebook: 1

I can’t frigging wait!!! Its like I have bees in my pants…fighting the ants!!