Musings,Meanderings & More

For the last month, I have been burning the midnight oil trying my DARN hardest, to get some of those unfinished must-do’s done.  I sure hope all of the brick walls that I’m banging my head against is all a part of the learning curve, because I am so close to brain-dead from the effort, that I can’t be sure if I have learned anything from the ordeal.

One of the main things that has been at the top of that list was moving a blogger blog to wordpress … OMGosh has that proved to be a pain in the rear.  It’s almost completely moved over, but I am still having a problem with the ‘A’s’ and the ‘C’s’ [ A-name and CNAME].  And a template that I fell head over heels in love with, turned out to be in XML format and blogger’s hidden moderator keeps informing me, that it isn’t parsing.  So, I spent a day  and a half searching for answers which naturally lead to more questions.  And through all of this, I discovered that I wasn’t alone in my  template frustration, there are hundreds … if not thousands of folks pondering over the same dilemma.

Finally, my fairy weblog godmother took pity on me and sent me down 2 avenues, the first began with a search on google that introduced me to the existence of a gadget [Important Note-if I can't find a link to the download at CNET, than I don't do it] that converts XML to HTML; and the other ave was a blog that had the answer buried not in the post … because although it was suppose to address and solve my problem, it didn’t and there were at least 75 response that proved the guy who supplied the so-called solution was as clueless as the rest of us.

However, the solution was buried in the responses and it was so simple … it was embarrassing.  So, if their are others that have encounter the following Error Message when trying to install a Blogger Template …

“Please correct the error below, and submit your template again:
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly. XML error message: The entity name must immediately follow the ‘&’ in the entity reference.”

This Tip just might be the answer you are seeking:

If you get an error the problem is most likely the following: You did not extract the files after download. If you look carefully, you will see that the file you downloaded has been saved in a “zip” format. You have to right-click on it and say “Extract All”. Inside you will see only two files. Ignore the “Readme” and select the other file when uploading into Blogger. Anonymous# April 23, 2009 7:43 AM

However, it is also possible that the gadget that I found and attempted to utilized actually worked in conjunction with the above.  Subsequently, when I next tried to upload the template … it worked like a charm. 8o)

In any event, I have decided I need a helmet and an Aleve… because I’m off again to tackle the next brick wall.

It’s been a while since I did a synopsis on ‘The Journey of Man’ as told and revisited by Spencer Wells.  But fortunately for me, the information and the findings will not disappear or go away.   One thing those findings have vehemently affirmed is that We are one peoples.

Let me veer off on a tangent, ok … when we speak about EVIL, we can make lists of ‘what is consider dark’.  But I think this separation of nations, this need we seem to have to assert our empiricism and separatism is akin to an EVIL.  We go to WAR to defend this ideology, we kill our neighbors our friends and family members to maintain those boundaries.

In actuality the only boundaries that really exists on this planet are those created by Mother Nature, the only lines that divide one country, province, state, county, city or town from another are ‘man made’ divisions and these can easily be altered.  Different languages are insignificant … a language can be learned, different forms of dress shouldn’t be an issue … an outfit is easy to recreate; the differences in cuisine’s isn’t a biggy … they are child’s play to replicate; none of this matters, none of this is enough to justify an imaginary line being drawn between any 2 area’s on a planet that belongs to all of us equally.

During our 50+ millennia on this planet, technically we have advanced exponentially but our humanity, our tolerance for ethnic differences and our acceptance of our brother’s and our neighbor uniqueness has digressed.  Sometimes it appears as though we frantically search for reasons to erect yet another barrier, as if there isn’t already an overflow of boundaries.   Just imagine what life would be like if our love for life in all of it’s forms could have kept pace with our technological advances.

What’s wrong with us … or maybe it’s me, maybe I’m missing a big piece of this puzzle …

My Monday Movie postings are generally about movies that have been aired on the big screen.  However, I have been following a made-for-TV miniseries that initially was released in 2007 about a fictitious branch of the CIA [or not] referred to as ‘The Company’.

This mini-series has everything a movie-phoebe like me looks for in a great film, there’s action … suspense … romance, good and not so good human elements … and nail-biting intensity.  But this production takes these elements a notch higher.  The core of this presentation is centered around historical events; espionage during the Cold War, and it’s impact on a select few that were directly involved in the exchange of government secrets between the KGB and the Company.

The presentation begins in the 1950’s and spans a 30 to 40 year period, it’s covers the conflicts and tactics that both sides employed in order to bring the opposing nation to it’s knee’s; and then it took you into the board rooms where all the behind the scene’s decision that shaped nations were hatched.  But it didn’t stop there not only did it shine it’s lite on the decision makers, but it crawled into the trenches and picked apart the minds of the men and women that actually were on the receiving end of these life altering decision and it told stories about events that may or may not have happened; it high-lighted the life-altering sacrifices made by those that embraced the babble that these twisted monoliths spewed.

Quite honestly, there really isn’t a happy ending … WAR decimates … no matter who is victorious; humankind is diminished as an aftermath of a conflict.  Nothing and no one is left untouched, whether or not we actually participated physically, the savagery of WAR leaves ripples that continue to ebb and flow down through time.  Any aggressive act or any action really, ignites a ripple … But I am digressing, this is a powerful thought-provoking presentation, that can be found on cable …  give it a peek, my synopsis doesn’t even begin to do justice to this amazing chronology.

There isn’t any surreal imagery at work in this production, but your imagination coupled with your own imagery however, will ignite during the course of this film.  It’s impossible to view this and not be effected by the events that take place on the screen.

Until the next time …

Recently I took a short road trip, and ‘wouldn’t you know it’ my battery died.  Luckily for me, I had reached my destination … so my immediate concern naturally was replacing the battery.  And since I have learned to be rigidly frugal … my next task was to search for the best possible deal that I could locate.

Fortunately, we have AAA, and they do come out and will give you a boot, but not only will they do that but they also offer battery replacement with 25% off for club members … now that appeared to be a blessing, so that was an option.  However, trying to narrow down a price was proving to be quite an obstacle.  The AAA rep, stated emphatically that they were unable to quote a price … so okay, that was understandable.  But she was also reluctant to let us know which mechanic’s were available in our area … so this option wasn’t shaping up at all.  However, after the exchange of quite a bit of dialogue we were able to find out who and how much this battery would cost us.

Nothing should be as difficult as the exchange that ensued between us and AAA, our situation could have been dire and we could have been desperate.  If that would have been the case then we would have had to accept the obscene quote that we received from this mechanic.

Many people are enduring extremely difficult situations and you really don’t know just how needy someone is or how fragile their financial situation may be.  This fellow wanted to charge us $154 to replace our battery, fortunately we had other options.  We opted to have Sam’s Club replace the battery for $74 [which seemed like a lot to me, but] … that’s an $80.00 difference.  $80 can buy a lot of groceries from Walmart, even though Walmart’s prices have risen, quite a bit in the last 12 months.   Anyway, I bet if we had accepted this guy’s quote, he would have gone home gloating about having ’stuck it to us’.  This happened on a Saturday, I wonder if he attends church on Sunday.

My thing is this, what’s happening to our humanity … how could anyone live with themselves after having knowingly lied … cheated … and deceived an individual in need.  Now, I am no saint, but I do try to be the best that I can be.  And I am not naive, I know that there are probably more people living that type of life, than I would want to put a number too.  It’s really kind of scary.  I worry for my children and grandchildren, because the next generation of leaders are being raised by a generation of heartless, ruthless, self-serving and scheming individuals.

I wonder what the Bible meant by the ‘meek will inherit the earth’ … what is all that about?  Maybe, just maybe … after we destroy all of civilization because of our selfish pursuits … the animals will again RULE.

Hands down, the internet is truly a wonderful experience.  If you dig deep enough, you can find the answers and solutions to many of your elusive questions; how to’s on just about any project can easily be sussed out; lessons, tutorials and instructions abound; health tips and unheard of vacation destination are listed … and so much more. The list is simply endless on what can be uncovered and is floating around in cyberspace, waiting to be discovered by inquiring minds.

As you have probably noticed in a few of my previous entries, I have expressed an interest that I’ve recently acquired in all things piano, blame it on my daughter.  So, I am sure it wouldn’t surprise you to learn that I have yet again, found another piece to add to my piano mosaic.

Many budding pianist hopefuls, find mastering sight reading music to be extremely challenging. Quite a few students of this art, learn to play numerous pieces by memorization alone.  That to me, is just amazing … but what if someone composed a stunning piece of music and asked you to accompany him/her in the rendering of this piece; and your skill at sight reading music was put to the test.  Would you be able to participate, in what could possibly be an overwhelming and surreal experience?  For some, they would probably have to turn down that invitation.

But why, anyone’s sight reading music prowess can be improved, enhanced and can become second nature.  Anyone that uses the net, has at least rudimentary skills at using the keypad and after months of usage, those skills seem to improve, at least this is what happened to me.  What was at one time a ‘hit and peck’ struggle, has now evolved and my fingers unconsciously zip across the keyboard effortlessly.  Well, this same skill can be applied to learning to read sheet music.  What you eyes view, your fingers simply respond to, all that’s needed is the guide that will open up what seems to be an intangible craft.

Well, I know I have found another yummy musical morsel that  my daughter is gonna love and I really enjoy springing surprises on her.  So, I will be waiting anxiously for just the right occasion  to unveil my latest musical delicacy …