OMFG. Work website was down for 3 bloody frickin’ days. Can you believe? Who the hell does that? No, it wasn’t my fault but god, it was killing me. And I was riding major ass with our web hosts. So worthless. THE worst tech support system ever. No one has direct communication with the server admin. I was on them like every two hours. Whatev. Come Monday, I’m starting the migration. Cannot deal with crap service. Seriously, I was on the phone multiple times a day, with a different rep each time, and in the end, still no ounce of insight on what the hell happened other than “you were hacked.” Duh.

It’s been a rough week– very little sleep, high anxiety, and super pissy mood. Good news is we’re back online. Bad news is the dynamic content is still fucked. Hackers got into our database. Luckily, no major files were deleted, but still. Pain in my ass.

All other errands for the weekend fell to the wayside. Ugh. Week before the holidays. I have a feeling week is going to start off full speed. Gotta go to the grocery store now. Bubbey has to be back before the Redskins game at 5. More later.

Well fuck me. As you know, today was the big day, the day of our store launch. Yes, I’d been working on this thing since early November and I had it all ready right. on. time. Today was it, and from the start, I should have known the day was doomed.

First, I had anxiety dreams last night about store glitches. Then I woke up late. The first thing I did after rolling out of bed was double check the store account creation page. I’d asked the web developer to move some fields around, which he did, but then I didn’t test it again. Well, when I tested it this morning, I discovered it was broken. Thank goodness I checked, because every single order would have required the buyer to create an account. So fine, emailed the guy and went on my merry way into work.

By the time I got to my desk, the glitch was fixed. By noon, the updated navbar (with the SHOP button) was in place. At 1:30 (prime time for an email blast), I sent out my HTML email to about 400 volunteers, announcing our new store. The first reply to my message? Some crankster asshole complaining that we were spamming, and he was unsubscribing. Mind you, this was our first email ever having any tone of solicitation. Plus, for years volunteers, staff, and the public have been asking us for an online store. Whatev.

Next, I got a call from one of our field staff: The employment page got hacked. As soon as I viewed it, I called our web hosts. While on hold, I watched the rest of the site completely shut down. WTF? Then, while I was on hold with our hosting fuckers (they really suck… and not just today), I started getting a shitload of calls from people complaining that the store link was broken. Yeah, tell me about it. How badly could this launch have gone? It’s now 11 pm, and I’ve called the web hosts 3 times requesting an ETA or status update. None. I just get the same generic bullshit response: we escalated your ticket to the administrator, and we’ll contact you when he/she responds. Are you fucking kidding me? We pay $700 a year and you won’t let me speak directly with your administrator AND there’s no ETA for the fix? That is the last straw. Time for another host. Of coruse that doesn’t help me for now does it? Goddamnit. I hope this is fixed by morning.

Oh what else? All afternoon there was a helicopter hovering over our office block. There were a bunch of cop cars all over. Some bomb scare or something. On my way to the store, the car in front kept staring at the cop cars and then he rammed right into the truck ahead of him. See what I mean? Today was fucked from the start. Something is up cosmically… the stars are misaligned or whatever. Oh and btw, temps tonight are dipping below freezing.

Ok, enough with my belly aching. Other than the possibility of getting canned (I’m still on probation after all…) for this failed store launch, I’m doing great. This must be punishment for all my recent gloating about the job and life.

Ugh. Time for bed.

Ha, ha. I told my friend/former coworker I had started doing extra work at home in the evenings and during the weekends. I explained that I was simply having too much fun… that and well, I obviously still had some lingering workaholic tendencies. His response? “If you were a turtle, you’d still run like a rabbit.” Cracked me up.

Ahh my tumultuous love affair with horses continues… I’ve been riding now since mid September. I just completed my thirteenth lesson this past Saturday and well, despite my earlier enthusiasm about riding fast and about realizing my true cowgirl self, in the last month or so, I’ve started to doubt the whole horse-rider relationship. Yes, it’s a little embarrassing to admit, but the bottom line is, I have issues about the lacking (or rather, nonexistent) emotional connection with the horses. I find myself really wanting them to behave and interact like dogs. But they don’t. They are so aloof. Sure, part of the deal is that riding different horses improves my skills; certainly, as a novice rider, I need that. But still, I sort of feel like I’m using the horse every lesson. I just ride him/her, order ’em around, and then buh bye. It’s like a freaking business transaction or something. I don’t know, it just feels disconnected. So what ends up happening is that I enjoy the hour that I’m riding, but as soon as I dismount and go home, I start bellyaching about the emotional detachment. And for the entire week following, I’m on this hot/cold emotional roller coaster: I persuade myself to stop riding because there’s no point without the true relationship. Then the following week, I get on the horse, and I love cantering so much that I find myself eager for the next lesson. Then I go home and the love/hate cycle continues.

This Saturday, I rode Hobbs again. I’d ridden him before. He’s a big beautiful chestnut quarterhorse– yes, the former show horse. He’s gorgeous. Again, a total stubborn mofo who gives me plenty of trouble in my walk/jog transitions BUT he is so soft and pretty. I got sucked in once again. I ended up staying an extra hour after my lesson to pet him and feed him. I even talked to him, so who knows, maybe Hobbs and I have a burgeoning friendship. I’m a real sucker, I tell you. Now I guess I’ll at least finish up the year and then possibly re-evaluate in the New Year. I’m so fickle.

I recently got my work turned on to HTML email “campaigning” and now I’m earning crazy brownie points with the higher ups. Got two emails from the GM (he’s over the moon) plus two happy messages from board members. Aw yeah. Guess they’ll keep me on a while longer. I’m just amazed what a few weeks’ worth of intense research can do. I have to say, mondo props to MailChimp: NGO pricing, extensive online resources, and superb customer service. If I lived in Atlanta, I’d want to work for them. 🙂 Well, if I were into private sector and all.

Today I also beta launched our online store. Staffers have until Friday to tool around the shop, submit orders (with the magic credit card number), and fill out my online survey. That’s right. I’m all about the data collection. You picking up on this? I’m totally digging the percent opens, percent clicked, who opened what and when stats. I know, very Big Brother, but it’s kinda addictive that way. Actual store launch should be next week. I hope we generate some decent dough… our department has an entire promo plan in place, so I’m curious to see the public affairs team in action. They’re pros and they know how it’s done, so I’m eager to learn the secrets.

Uh oh. 10pm. My show is on… gotta run. More later.

We took R&M to Dry Creek Park this weekend. As usual, what was supposed to be a low-key 30-minute walk ended up being an exhausting trek off trail in my sheepskin boots, of all things. Yup, Bubbey sure is spontaneous… sometimes not in a good way!

As most of you know, Bubbey got the iPhone pretty much a day or two after it came out. That was what, last June? As a result of his upgrade, he abandoned Verizon and his Palm Treo. I know, I should have jumped on this bandwagon way back then, but I’m just now coming to embrace the mobile phone. I mean, sure I had one in China where I used it frequently, particularly for SMS. But here, I saw very little need for a regular plan. First, not only have people been extremely slow to catch on to SMS, but second, I didn’t really have phone buddies. Most of my phone buddies got lazy on me when I moved overseas in late 2003. John and I set up the Vonage line within a few months, but the calls still never came. Blame it on the time change, the life changes, whatever. Vonage ended up just being a line where our families could call to make sure we were still alive.

Since moving back (it’s been over a year already), we’ve kept the Vonage line, and I’d have to say, we’re using it more for outgoing calls but again, without friends in the area and with lame friends outside the area (who don’t call), again, it’s been relatively low traffic.

But now that I have my new activity buddies and I’m starting to chat it up more with my former coworkers, I’m thinking the mobile phone could become more convenient. Plus, with the 1-hour commute home and the time difference with the east coast, this thing could get a lot more play. To date, I’ve been on the T-Mobile prepaid using my Sony Ericsson clunker from 2004. It’s still a decent phone but voice quality could be better and the prepaid minutes are getting a bit old as well.

So this weekend, I decided to put Bubbey’s orphaned Treo to work. I did a buttload of research on the Verizon data-only plan. That’s right: I’m going without the voice plan. Yes, this is a whole new level of cheap, from John’s point of view, but I’m just excited to test out a new workaround. And from my research, there are others who have done the same, although most are Blackberry peeps I think. Anyway, I turned on data service yesterday, and now my Treo is all hooked up with my email and calendars. I’m thrilled to be back with some form of PDA organization. As for my voice service workaround, I’m using Skype for mobile. I’ve run into a few complications… Skype to Skype is quite good; however, Skype to mobile/landline is another story. In addition, I have concerns with battery life, staying logged in to receive calls (for those of you who have me on Skype, please accept my apologies for the psychotic log ons and offs all weekend long…), and well, accessibility. John insists that he needs a way to call me anytime, anywhere. Frankly, we still have trouble connecting even with two voice plans (for example, his phone won’t ring or mine will go straight to voicemail). Plus, what’s the huge deal.. he can still send me a text. Well, all of that is still under debate. But in the short term, I’m going to test this thing out. See how far it gets me. I’m thinking it’s got to work.

Through all this research, I’ve discovered some other cool programs. I have to say, Yahoo! mobile is not bad. Google has its parred down version for mobile phones, but Gmail mobile is not nearly as pretty as Yahoo’s. Also, I found myself a nifty little GMobileSync, which puts my Gmail calendar into the Treo calendar. Good for organizing my appointments and such. Anyway, I’m having fun. If any of you want to give me a buzz on Skype to try out the quality, search for me via email address and add me as a contact.

John had been itching for some of his mom’s traditional Thanksgiving dishes, so this year we decided we’d go full force and prepare the feast. Mind you, it was likely going to be just the two of us and the smallest turkey out there weighed over 12 lbs., but well, bubbey gets what bubbey wants. And Thanksgiving is all about going overboard. Luckily, a few others came by with empty stomachs: Bri, Fonda, and Chuck added a bit of stress to the mix (there’s “edible for us” and “edible for others”), but all in all, I’m happy with the meal. Mom hooked me up with a killer you fan recipe– the Chinese spin-off of stuffing: shitake mushrooms, shallots, chestnuts in sticky rice. Was delish. Of course, with me every kitchen success comes with a kitchen failure. This year, the mashed potatoes suffered. I know, how can anyone possibly screw up mashed potatoes? Leave it to me, I tell you. It’s been a while, and well, “boil until just tender” was apparently not long enough. Yup, mashed potatoes with crunchy raw bits. Fortunately, there was plenty of food: fresh cranberry sauce, corn pudding, broccoli cheddar casserole, and TJ’s pecan pie with ice cream. Still, I’m going to try again later this week. I need to redeem myself.

The holiday was a nice respite for us. I’m starting to get a little bored though, so I’m glad tomorrow is back to work. John and I braved the crowds Saturday and did a little bit of shopping. Nothing major. Just some walking around after the big meal. On Saturday, we built a fire at home, played some Scattergories (which he keeps winning!), and watched a movie Catch and Release, with Jennifer Garner. Annoying movie. The protagonist discovers that her recently-deceased fiance had been carrying on with another woman and her kid for years. So the story was reminiscent of The Pilot’s Wife, but so NOT well done. First, Jennifer Garner was like angry for 5 minutes. Then she hooked up with the dude’s friend like a few days after the funeral. Wtf? The movie definitely sent me to bed pissy. Which might explain why both of us slept in until 11:30! I know, who does that right?

When we finally got moving, we felt all motivated, like we were going to make a healthy dinner with papaya salad. Well, just our luck, we went to two Asian markets– no green papaya. That’s the way things roll around here.

John and I headed to Santa Cruz this weekend for a short getaway. I found an awesome B&B tucked away in the mountains. Redwood Croft even takes dogs so Rem and Marts came along and had a blast running through 2+ acres of woods. At night, we hung out in our own private outdoor jacuzzi. Who knew so many stars still filled the sky? The place was perfect: no tv, no cell reception, but plenty of wifi. Ha, ha.

On Saturday, we went to Henry Cowell State Park next door and walked through an old growth redwood forest. The park had just rolled out free wifi… I know, I’m never one to turn down free wifi, but how weird is that? In the middle of a preserve? After our stroll amongst the ancient trees, we hit Bonny Doon winery. Did some tastings, signed up for our first wine club, and then moseyed into downtown Santa Cruz for a nice dinner at Risorante Avanti.

I cannot wait to go back to the B&B. Rent out the place with some dear friends, hang with the dogs, hike through the woods, soak in the jacuzzi, cozy up by the fire, play board games at night. How sweet a life is that?

On the drive home this afternoon, we stopped by Harley Farm, a place that makes goat cheese. We missed the tour, but that didn’t stop us from cramming plenty of bread and cheese samples into our pieholes. Left with like $40 worth of cheese. Gluttons, we are.

All in all, a busy but relaxing weekend. My boss returns from his 4-week vacation tomorrow. I’m ready to hit the ground running. Online store is just about ready. Yay.

My father’s trial ended today. The six-person jury was unable to reach unanimous consent, so that’s neither the best nor the worst outcome. Still, given the circumstances, the indecision seems relatively decent news. Now it’s all up to the insurance people and the opposing team: do they want to double down, settle, or fold? Hopefully, we’ll know in the next few weeks.

At least my family can chill out a bit now. Geez, they were all super stressed. Both mom and dad couldn’t sleep. Even Johnny stuck around a few extra days to help my father prepare and watch the trial. Now it’s time to decompress. At the end of the month, the parentals head back to Taiwan. Should be a pleasant respite.

As for me, my rock climbing class started last Wednesday. I don’t know what I was thinking… I mean, hello, I am scared of heights, and certainly a 30-foot wall constitutes a pretty high place. Ah well, something new to try, I guess. Face my fears or whatever.

The class ran about two hours, and god did I start to stress out about everything I had to learn: all the goddamn safety checks with the harness, the knotting, the roping, the grigri gadget or whatever. Seriously, what was I thinking? There is something very stupid about taking up a sport my personal safety relies largely on another person. Fortunately, Tina is someone I know and trust. But even then, it was very difficult letting go of the rock to dangle 30 feet in the air. I just kept thinking head trauma and brain damage.

Surprisingly, climbing itself wasn’t so bad, and my palms didn’t really get sweaty. Mostly, it was my feet. Those damn rock climbing shoes. They curled the frickin’ circulation out of my toes, and my feet hurt like hell. This week, I’m going to stretch those suckers out as much possible before the next class. Screw uncomfortable shoes. I’m not up on the feet binding thing.

As for the gym, it was a bit dingy but since I get a whole month’s membership as part of the class, you know me, I’m going to max out as much as possible. Yup, I’m going to work the yoga classes and the sauna room. The plan is to wake my ass up ultra early to squeeze those activities in before work. We’ll see how it all pans out. I’d better not get too ambitious too early: I still have to pass a test and get belay certified before the next class. I’m not too worried: I’ve already been practicing with knotting a shoestring. I know, I’m a nerd in everything I do.