10 years

Amazing, today I've been blogging for 10 years. I cannot be bothered to count but let's say 1-2 items a day on average, so maybe 6-7,000 times I've been sharing my wisdom with my readers :).

Here's my first blog item: http://afo828.blogspot.ch/2005_11_01_archive.html

Bottom of page, for some reason I cannot link directly to item.

Blog shadow

It's been a traumatic few days. I lost access to blogger. All of a sudden I couldn't load the blog, the one where I post items, it just returned a blank page. I think it's all these automatic downloads, and different browser requirements, that makes the computer go bananas.

And as much as I love blogspot, now owned by google, I do not like their support. They have no helpline, only forums and so called "help" pages, where you can read stuff, but not get help for your specific problem. And nobody to call. I guess they're making a lot of money on scrapping a help desk.

Anyway, I, having little patience, but good neighbours, am now back online. Applaud please :).

Alligator creek

Once in a while I look at my visitors. I can only see either the provider or the ip-number, and today was a low day. Understandable, since most people are recovering from spending a whole day with the family, and/or have eaten too much.

But it made me happy to see I had one visitor from a foreign place called "Alligator creek". Imagine that there is somebody sitting in front a computer down under in a remote place (I'm guessing here) called "Alligator creek", looking at my blog. How amazing is not that?

It's like Crocodile Dundee would be interested in what I have to say. Mind-boggling.

I just wanna delete

It pisses me off. I take quite a few pics for the blog, and I name them to be deleted, so that I don't have to keep so many Mb's (or gigas for the younger) on my computer. But every time I try to delete a folder, it says that only the administrator can do so. Who do they think is the administrator of my computer? Somebody else?

So now I have to first delete each picture individually and then the folder. Seriously. Something is very wrong with Windows.

Moving on

Today I checked on my old blog, the one I had before this one. It took a little while to log in, but I managed in the end. I had twelve unmoderated comments. And this on a blog that has been inactive for six years or so.

Mind you, eight of them were definitely spam so deleted. Three were questionable, since I didn't get the gist, and one I published. It was something about it being a nice read. But I have no idea which item it related to, so pretty useless being posted 2010 for a something I wrote 2007.

I guess some people don't realize that a blog item is like fresh food. It gets old after a week.

Translate

Google blogspot has a new gadget, so should you for any reason prefer to read the blog in another than the English language, there is a dropdown box at the bottom of the page, where you can choose any of some 50 languages. Just thought I'd let you know.

6 years

Today I have blogged for 6 years exactly, and I dunno how many items I have written about having an opinion.

This is what I wrote exactly 6 years ago:

"Today was the day I created a blog
I know, I'm late. "Everybody" else is already on it. I guess it's the same way as I was late in getting a microwave back in the 80's. Perhaps I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat in trying new things.

So, why does everybody blog? A way to share things with your friends? A way to get published without cost? A kick of getting to see your words in print in public? Perhaps all of the above, and more. Who cares?

Anyway, now I'm here. And if you like what you read, let me know, and even more important, if you don't.

So today was the day I created a blog. Nothing other in particular has happened today. Here in Zürich it is cold and miserable, and a day for staying in, lighting candles and think about how happy I am for having a home that's warm and comfortable. Or a home at all for that matter.

Even here in Zürich, in one of the richest cities in the world, there are homeless people. Imagine that!

Guess I don't know where this is going, am as said new to blogging, so give me some space and I'll be back!!!"

And back I am. Many, many times.

When you least expect it

Bad blogger! I know. But like Schwarzenegger said in raspy voice: "I'll be back".

Blogspot unavailability

Sometimes when I try to post items here on the blog, I get an error message: "Service Unavailable Error 503".

I know I'm not much for manuals, but it would be very helpful with a translation into what error 503 means.

I'm a compulsive blogger

This blogging thing. Since I have now been blogging for 5,5 years (close to 5,000 posts!!) it's not likely I'm gonna quit, it's my outlet of feelings. That's how it works for me. I blog about it, and it's most of the times forgotten after. I get it out of my system this way, and I sleep good at night.

However, it is mostly a one-sided conversation. Apart from a few frequent commentators (thanks B!) most people just read it, and then comment to me next time we meet or speak. Which means that many of my friends are updated on my life, whereas I don't have a clue about theirs.

Typical conversation, me: "yesterday I did...", friend: "yeah, I read on the blog". Don't get me wrong, I like that my friends follow my life, but would it kill you to comment on the blog once in a while:)?

Blogspot fucked up

All of a sudden old items that disappeared a few weeks ago turned up as drafts, so posted them. Then they turned up as new posts. Weird. But here they are.

Out of order

Blogger has been down for more than a day, and although they promised to restore posts I can see that some of them have disappeared.

Now it's a waiting game, and I won't post anything more until I know they fixed the problem completely.

No pic

Every time I post pics on the blog I tell people that if they do not like it, they should tell me and I'll delete the pic. That goes for text too, if somebody feels I hanged them out.

The other day I was asked to delete a guy, even though the pic was blurry and you couldn't really see. Think this has more to do with prestige than anything else, since he when we first met told me he didn't want to appear on internet.

Now considering posting a link to when he was on tv. Haha.

Blogging

Another reason I haven't blogged much lately is that I have to have something to write about (and I haven't been out much lately meeting people and getting inspiration), which led me to think why I blog in the first case. For me it is because I want stuff I think about or people that irritate me out of my mind. It is actually less writing for people who likes to read it, even if that is a bonus. And I love comments, even if they are critical or not sharing my opinion. Which actually is more common (thanks Aussie girl :). If I blogged for people rather than myself, don't you think I would've stopped? It's not like there is so many of you out there who are interested in my life (why, oh why not?). My first blog item was on 22nd of November 2005. That's like eternity in internet time. But you gotta admit I've been consistent. Haven't given up. Did have some breaks when I was on holiday, but always came back. How's that for stamina? PS. Forgot to look for syrup in the shop. Darn.

Blogspot

Blogspots search engine leaves a wee bit to be desired. Was searching on my own blog for a key-word and it came up with nothing. Even though I wrote about it. Mind you, I do write 2.7 items per day on average, at least since Jan-2007. Probably just as much since Nov-2005 when I first started to blog. Time flies when you're having fun!

The main advantage of having a blog

Just realized the most useful thing of having a blog (yeah, yeah, after 4,5 years!) but really. It is when I'm angry, upset or generally occupied with something in my head I can let it out here, instead of directing it to people. Right now I am busy forming sentences in my head for the meeting with my doc tomorrow. "In which fucking third world country did you get your license?" "I thought you were going to cure me!" "When you, as you said, had such good experience of this drug, did you test it on a small animal?" "Are you really a doctor? Show me your license!" "How would you like my fist in your face?" "I'll show you pain!" This is just because I have constant pain and am really, really irritated. Drinking alcohol doesn't help, which is new to me. And yes, I realize insulting the doc will not help, but writing it now will let it out of my system. Only the pain remains...

Lost in translation

Found out it is Japanese, here's another spam: " 最近様々なメディアで紹介されている家出掲示板では、全国各地のネットカフェ等を泊り歩いている家出少女の... 最近様々なメディアで紹介されている家出掲示板では、全国各地のネットカフェ等を泊り歩いている家出少女のメッセージが多数書き込みされています。彼女たちはお金がないので掲示板で知り合った男性とすぐに遊びに行くようです。あなたも書き込みに返事を返してみませんか"

Spam

Friend of mine was complaining that I moderate the comments. And I don't really do, I just have to choose to either publish or reject. This is to prevent spam coming through. And then I thought about not having had spam in a very long time, so perhaps I'd open up for free comments. Until this evening when I got this. "女性会員様増加につき、当サイトの出張ホストが不足中です。女性の自宅やホテルに出向き、欲望を満たすお手... 女性会員様増加につき、当サイトの出張ホストが不足中です。女性の自宅やホテルに出向き、欲望を満たすお手伝いをしてくれる男性アルバイトをただいま募集していますので、興味のある方はTOPページから無料登録をお願いいたします" Not sure this is spam though, since I cannot even work out which language it is...Chinese?

Test

Was in blog-shadow for a few days, like a test. Turned out you didn't care. When I don't get comments, I don't feel obliged to blog every day. Just so that you know.

Me, me and me

Annika! I'm not completely wild about being a minor planet, a main belt asteroid sounds better...