News Archive for December 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
What Do I Want To Do?
Written by Kodi Wolf at 2:51 AM
I'm trying to decide what I want to do with my website. I started out with the idea of making my site a subscription site in order to get a little protection under the law for my original stories (which was prompted by my work being plagiarized). Then I realized I've been paying this whole time for people to read my stories for free and I decided I'd like to actually make a little money to cover my expenses. Then I got caught up in how to make the site a subscription site (learning the new Mambo CMS, designing a business model, researching costs of services like PayPal, etc.) and got a little overwhelmed about turning my writing into a business (I'd love to get paid for what I love to do, but what if I can't deliver?).
Now, I'm feeling the crunch of my self-imposed deadline to have the site up and running by February 29th, 2008 (Leap Day to commemorate when I first opened my site on Leap Day in 2000). It might seem like a ways off, but time seems to move faster when I have a deadline. For example, a few days after my last post, I came down with a really bad sinus infection, and between being sick and the drugs I'm having to take to feel better, I've basically been comatose for the past week (the antibiotics made me nauseous, so I had to take Phenergan, which knocks me out). I'm still pretty wiped and I have two more days of the antibiotics before I'll be done, but all I can think is, "There's another week and a half wasted."
So anyway, I'm still trying to decide if I really want to offer my stories online or pull them down and focus my efforts on finishing them, so I can publish the damn things. My ultimate goal is to publish my stories in paperback format, but I also know there's a market for selling my stories online, whether as part of a website subscription format or as e-books (or both). I really just want to write and I feel like it's been forever since I've really just written. I jot notes down all the time, I write snippets of scenes and dialogue, and I'm constantly researching various subjects for my stories, but it's been months since I sat at the computer and actually wrote full-length scenes and completed chapters over the course of several days.
You know what? Fuck it. I'm just not going to think about this right now. I'm going to work on a story and deal with everything else later. I just want to do what I love.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Transferred New Gaia
Written by Kodi Wolf at 6:16 PM
Well, I finally got New Gaia transferred into Mambo. I forgot how long that story was. I was able to read snippets here and there while I was putting in the new code and I really like what I have. I do want to put in more "green" tech, but the dialogue and scenes are pretty much how I want them.
Next up is The Vampire Hunter.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Winter Solstice
Written by Kodi Wolf at 3:46 AM
Solstice was good. I got to spend four whole days with Corene. We watched the DVDs we got for Solstice and cuddled on the couch. It was great. :)
Now, I get another four days for New Year, though we'll probably be doing some early spring cleaning instead of loafing on the couch, since the house is still a wreck from the renovations. It's not my favorite way to spend vacation time with my wife, but we're both a lot happier when the house is organized, and I need help to do it, so Corene's time off is the best time for it.
Anyway, here's another Mambo tip so I don't forget it:
Formatting of text for User Menu stuff is in components/com_user/user.html.php, while the text itself is in language/english.php. The same goes for login.html.php and all the rest, though some formatting is also done in english.php when the way the echo text is called requires it.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Felix Has A Lump
Written by Kodi Wolf at 9:55 AM
We had to take my cat Felix to the vet last night because I found a lump on her throat. The vet shaved the area and poked it with a syringe to get some cells to test. She wasn't able to do a full biopsy, but she told us that she couldn't see any mass cells (I think I have that right), which means at the very least, if it is cancerous, it isn't the most aggressive kind. She prescribed an antibiotic and hot compresses. If it gets smaller, but doesn't go away completely, she'll do another round of antibiotics, but if it doesn't go down or gets bigger, then she said we should have it removed. Then they can send it for testing to see what it is and what else we might need to do or just be aware of.
Felix is my familiar. For those who don't know what that is, she's basically my best friend in animal form, my spiritual and emotional guide and mentor. She's taught me to feel, to love, and to hope in a way that no human ever could have because I never would have trusted those lessons from a human.
Animals don't really lie. When Felix wants to be held, she comes to me or she lets me pick her up. When she doesn't, she leaves or tries to get out of my arms. When a human does that, it can feel too needy or like a rejection, but when Felix does it, she's just telling me what she wants and I can respect that and accept it. And if I'm the one who needs to leave, I know I'm not going to have to explain anything or feel guilty (well, as long as we're only talking about a few hours; vacations are kind of hard because I know she misses me when I'm gone by how she leaps into my arms when I return and refuses to be put down; of course, I miss her just as much).
Anyway, I'm trying not to freak out about the possibility of her having something terminal. As Corene has told me, she's dreading the day Felix dies. She knows I'll probably be the definition of inconsolable, and she's probably right. I will not handle that day well. I just hope it isn't coming anytime soon.