As I casually surf the internet, I sometimes find a few things that I want to share or post a quick comment about. Now those quick posts will end up here in the form of Quickies.

Yeah, "Quickies" could probably use a better name. This is, after all, a family blog. Well, somewhat.

Anyway, Quickies should increase my update frequency, and regular (more substantial) posts will still make it up here.

Stay tuned!

The first conflict was over two months ago, with the release of WordPress 2.5. K2 has still not produced a "release version" that is compatible with the new WordPress. Only in-development snapshots worked, and now that doesn't even work properly with the newly-released WordPress 2.6. Something has to change, and since K2 is the blog's look while WordPress is its functional backbone and security, I'm going to say K2 has to go.

So that's why you see this bland, default look to the blog temporary template while I put something new together. K2 is fired, and now I have to find something else to replace it. It'll take a while, probably a few weeks, but I'll keep writing new posts at least once a week despite the bland look. Maybe that'll motivate me to spice things up a bit. Instead of a pinch of crazy, I'll have to add a whole teaspoon to every post.

And to get things started, here's a little something to liven up this administrative post. The backstory is that my brother-in-law keeps his cell phone in a belt holder and apparently when he sits back in some chairs, he accidentally dials my house. And since I work from home, fielding almost a dozen "ass calls" yesterday became quite the distraction. Since he couldn't hear me playing "2112" with the number keys, I emailed him the following:

I've received eleven calls this afternoon from your cell phone during your meeting. Apparently the phone is bored and made the calls on its own. I think it wants to play "Six Degrees of Separation" with my toaster oven. However, my toaster oven burned my toast yesterday so it's grounded for the week. If it's good about the chicken tonight, maybe I'll let it play this weekend, but don't tell your phone. I don't want to get its hopes up, just in case. But I believe your dad's tea kettle wouldn't mind a phone call, though. It seemed really lonely the last time I saw it. Maybe your phone and tea kettle can get together, order some takeout, make some green tea, and play mahjong. Sounds like a lovely evening!

The "ass calls" stopped shortly thereafter. And yes, the tea kettle is looking forward to a fun weekend.

So what happened? Blogger Burnout. When I first started this a few years ago, I was shooting for five entries, one per weekday, every week. I kept that pace up for a while, but then it dropped to four, then to three. Eventually (lately), the posting frequency became "when I get to it". I think this was because I felt a growing pressure to post, and that made me not want to do it anymore. Moreover, that pressure came from myself, which made no sense. So I took some time off to see if I missed blogging, and I did. Now I'm back but without most of the pressure to constantly have something new up here.

I say "most" because I know that for me to get anything done, I need some structure. But this, after all, is a fun endeavor, so I'm not going to make set the bar too high. Here's what I'm going to do: one post per week, likely posted on the weekends. If there are more, then we can do the Dance of Joy together, whether or not we're perfect strangers. But I'll have one new post every week. Furthermore, this reduced frequency should lead to better posts -- meaning more pictures, more tangents, and more obscure references. Some would argue that that's not the definition of better, but they're all stinko-pinko communist robots, and when was the last time they got anything right?

So to you pleasant-smelling flesh-toned capitalist humans I say, "Welcome back!" And, as always, "Thanks for reading!"

UPDATE: November 1. That's when I'll be un-hiatused. Hasta then!

Enjoy the long weekend!

Look out!

Anyway, this class will keep me more than a little busy for the next six weeks. During that time, you'll see some sporadic blogging along the lines of one or two posts a week and, if I'm persuasive enough, a guest blog post or two along the way. It's a crappy way to start off the blog's third year, but it has to be done. Insert some inspirational business school quote/metaphor about the finish line being in site or the light at the end of the tunnel. Go team!

For now, I'll cop out and leave you with some pictures that you are encouraged to caption and weave into a story that may or may not involve a spatula.

Today is "Belated O'Birthday!" Yesterday was my sister's and PO'W's birthday. How convenient!

Second, the Ides of March means today is Happy Blog-Birthday to me. Well, "me" in the "this blog" sense rather than actually me. Either way, wunderbar! It's been two years since I started this, my third attempt at a blog. Two years and the third starts tomorrow. That means a few things. Apparently...

1. That first year wasn't a total fluke.
2. When people say "you need a hobby," I can tell them I do and point them here.
3. When people read this blog and say "you still need a hobby," I'm authorized to treat them like a Little Caesar's cartoon mascot on the Ides of March.
4. Paddy O'Wife is not yet sick of being called Paddy O'Wife.
5. Time is not a cure for my particular brand of insanity.
6. You are all good people.

That last one may sound trite and thrown in, but that's only half true. It was thrown in as a vehicle to this point: Thank you for reading!

In the past year, my average daily hit counters have slowly been increasing. I also occasionally check my number of RSS feed subscriptions, and those are behaving in a favorable fashion, too. That's fantastic, and I'm grateful that you stumble back over here every so often. When you visit, I hope to make you laugh so hard that you almost soil yourself -- unless you're a baby or an elderly person, in which case I hope to make you laugh so hard that you don't soil yourself -- but if I can make your smiling-muscles twitch just a bit, I consider that a win.

The point of this blog is nothing more than irreverent entertainment that is fueled by the my own brand of crazy-juice. I aim to amuse... and apparently ruin your pants. I hope I've done either (or both!) at least a few times in the last year and to do so again this coming year. So stay tuned, folks, because it's only going to get better.

And once again, thank you for reading. Your visits, even if all you leave is a mark on my hits counter, are greatly appreciated.

Anchovies!? E tu, Paddy O'Wife?

Today is "Ides of March" Day! Beware Beware!

So, what do you think of the new look? It's okay, I don't mind being humored or patronized. I'll take empty comments or praise any day.

Either way, I genuinely like the design, but that's probably because I put it together. I did have a strategy in mind, though. I wanted to keep the color scheme and basic layout of O-Fizzy's look, including the self-contained sections on the right. I also added a new section with five random posts pulled from the archives. Speaking of archives, that's received an overhaul and is also the place to find posts by category.

Anyway, that's pretty much all I have for today. It's New Year's Day, after all, and though I'm not recovering from a hangover (I behaved last night), I am on my way to the beach -- man, I love spending the holidays in Florida! So if you're not doing anything else today (besides nursing your hangover, you lush), feel free to poke around, check out the archives, read a random post, mail me a $1,000 check. You know, the usual.

Once again...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Today is "New Year's" Day! It's the perfect day to plan your next New Year's Eve party!