August 28, 2004
Motorized Perplexity
I must admit that while driving is actually very pleasant for me, the actual test to take so that one may receive their license is far more complicated. Ah yes, very much so. In Texas, matters are further complicated by the fact that driving laws are strict in the extreme. If you have to spell that last word out to get the full meaning, go ahead. Extreme. Miss one small point of finesse or form, and you are done. It does not matter if you did not run any red lights or have any wrecks. The fact remains that you were not perfect, so you must try again until you get it right. This is very admirable in many ways, because it does make the roadways safer. It has complicated my blissful existence a small amount, but I am glad that such measures keep the roads safer. I will therefore try until I get it right. *bows*
So what did I do actually? Well, I have taken the driver's test twice. Once I was failed for a trifle, and the second time, I was failed for a B-I-G thing. In fact, the last few days have been exceedingly complicated and disagreeable. However, I do hope that the Lord is just molding me further. Maybe He intends this to be a lesson. Let's review the chronology of this motorized trickery.
Day 1: Sorry, if you don't have TWO license plates on your car, one on the front and the other on the back, your vehicle is being illegally driven. Ooops. Come back when you have both of them on. This results in a pursuit of license plate brackets and about an hour of puzzle work. Very humiliating.
Day 2: So, today I finally get to take the test, with TWO license plates. Guess what? In Texas, a stop sign means a complete, total stop. It does not matter if 95% of all drivers go very s-l-o-w-l-y and a-l-m-o-s-t stop. If it's not compete, then it's not a stop, and consequently, you fail. I was most upset with this day, because in essence, it is a total complete stop. Not scientifically, but enough to yield to traffic and well.... "stop" until the traffic is passed. Like I said, 95% of people in Texas do this, including the police. Nope, that didn't work. *sigh*
Day 3: This one was totally my fault. Yes, a FedEx truck was blocking the stop sign, but that's no reason to not see it. I should be a good defensive driver, and compensate for these things. Well, I didn't, so I ran a stop sign. Automatic failing of the test. *hits head on desk* Well, I'm glad she failed me on that one, because I really do need to be a good defensive driver! I hope that never happens again. Anyway, that one was my fault, whereas the complete stop thing is a little too precise, even for detailed me.
So now what? Well, I have decided to take a break, and try again next Tuesday. That gives me a few days to regroup! Please pray I will succeed this time, and finish with honors. The Lord knows I am proud of my driving. *blush* You see, I actually am a very good driver, and I take pride in being careful and obeying every single thing. The Lord wanted to humble this pride, and gave me a particular, strict teacher to show me that I can improve on anything. It's not that I'm not a good driver, or did not study, it's just that I was too proud of my abilities. Lord forgive me! Well, I shall try again on Tuesday, with a humble heart!
So, as you can tell, today had the possibility of being another bad day. I was supposed to try again, but I decided that I needed a break, and that Mom should go to the doctor instead, to get her ear infections checked out, and get some medicine. I was frustrated too, and wanted to forget about it all! So, I spent my day totally oblivious to driving and license issues, which made me feel more relaxed. I am taking inventory of this day. I thought it was going to be bad, but now that I look at all the things, it doesn't look so bad. It actually looks pretty good on paper!
Bad Things That Happened Today
1) I didn't get to get my driver's license. Big deal! I needed a break. Next Tuesday is just as good. What's the rush?
Good Things That Happened Today
1) The Houston Astros totally and completely destroyed the Chicago Cubs. *rubs hands in malicious celebration*
2) Mom went to the doctor and got antibiotics for her ears. That's a major relief, and major victory of the day for me. Thank you Lord.
3) I was able to make tons of progress on our piles of limbs and trash today, with fire. That eliminated a lot of that stress. *kisses matchbox and butane torch*
4) We got our septic tank cleaned and maintenanced. Hey, it needs to be done, and they did an awesome job. Another major stress item out of the way too!
5) I had macaroni and cheese for lunch, which I absolutely am fanatical about.
6) A very sweet person sent us a generous check. The Lord continues to bless our family!
7) The trash finally came. They had missed a week, and our trash can was overflowing. Relief!
Maybe you think those things are silly, but they were all blessings!
One more thing. I did a totally stupid thing. (What's new?) I tended these gigantic fires out in the total sunlight with no sunscreen. I got a major heatstroke, which has given me a devastating headache, fever, nausea, and dizziness. Ow, that was dumb. The only thing worse than a moron is a half baked one. That is to say, a moron baked in his own fires and with the sun. I am tired and burnt out. Thanks for listening to my ramble. I'm going to bed. Ah, blessed covers!
Posted by Grant at 12:53 AM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2004
Background Music
So, (depending on your connection speed), has the background sound loaded and begun to play? I have been experimenting with integrating background sounds and music into web pages. I had to research some before I could get it to work on more than one browser.
First of all, the easy "bgsound" tag works in Internet Explorer only, which is bad design, so I began to experiment with the "embed" tag.
This caused a whole slew of problems, mainly because I didn't have my MIME settings and plugins all installed, for my browsers. I can only hope my users have theirs installed, because if they don't it won't work. My consolation is the fact that it isn't critical. Just something fun. So if it does not work, it doesn't affect anything else.
I had a great deal of fun working on my background sound puzzle, and I hope it's working for you. So far, with a Quicktime plugin for the WAV format properly installed, the "embed" element works in Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, and Netscape.
The sound file is 389 KB, similar to a large digital photo. If it fails to load for you, make sure your plugins are configured properly. If that fails to work, tell me your browser model, along with your comments. Let me know if this thing is working!
Posted by Grant at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2004
The Finish Line
Here it is. My complete, finished web site and blog. Boy, was that ever a challenge getting all those elements to line up the way I wanted! However, that's all past now, and I am sitting back, and enjoying a moment's peace and relaxation. It sure feels good to have my very own web space and site, and have completed it finally!
I am really excited about my new blog! There are many great things that can along with. No more ads, full customization, and the freedom to be able to make my own graphics, logos, and goodies for it. I love it! Also, guess what? Visitors can now comment in my blog without having to give anything except their name! No membership required, and totally no strings attached. I think that's great, because it will allow more people to comment, who before, were driven away by the hassle of having to sign up for something they didn't need or want.
I am very happy with my new site, and I hope my friends and family and visitors will enjoy it. Now to sit back and watch the response. :-)
Posted by Grant at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)