Change Been A Long Time Comin'

For better than seven years now this blog has been resident on Google's Blogger servers and using the Blogger software. We actually started the blog in March 2007, about three months before we left up north.

For those of you who want to read the full story, it's there, from the very beginning - packing, moving, and all. In short, the whole nine yards.

Blogger Logo

Overall I can't complain about how it(Blogger) has worked. It does have some limitations, but for general day-to-day use, the Blogger software has done what I wanted it to and more.

Nine hundred thirty nine (939) posts, well, with this one, 940 posts and I can't say there have been any major problems. Over the years, some formatting issues have come up here and there of things I wanted to do but was unable because the feature wasn't offered in the Blogger environment.

I've drooled for a long time over WordPress. It seemed to offer a lot of features that were things I wanted to do, along with a lot of formatting advantages, and some behind-the-scenes tools.

WordPress Logo

But, it seemed that every time I tried to install WordPress, I entered the foggy landscape of murky instructions, poor brain functioning, laziness and the feeling, kind of like in a dream when you're trying to run, but the ground has become a sea of molasses.

At which point, I just backed out of trying to deal with WordPress and became content, once again, to do my thing using Blogger. That is, till a few weeks ago. Suddenly, the light turned on, the fog went away, along with the molasses, and I was able to set up WordPress and actually start doing some stuff with it.

For example, I was able to import all nine-hundred-thirty-nine posts, including pictures and other images (all told, there were about 4,000 images successfully imported). In addition, all the comments that readers have posted (over 1,700 of those) imported fine.

Right now, I'm working on fine-tuning the indexing of all the posts (I'm about a third of the way through that chore), making sure that all the photos are located as I want them with the right captions, and a myriad of other housekeeping items.

I've picked a format that gives the blog a really clean and up-to-date look that I think readers will really appreciate - I know it's easier for me to look at it.

Not only is there new software, a new look, and all that, but there's going to be a new URL, or address for the blog. It will be under its own domain - which it's OK if that doesn't mean anything to you. It's just that it makes the URL shorter and easier to use and remember. It's part of a domain that I've owned for several years now and really, other than some email stuff, have done very little with it.

The new URL is:

http://winjama.net/blog

Part of that fine-tuning I mentioned is blowing out some of the cobwebs and dust-bunnies that have accumulated in the domain because of lack of use. Maybe I should get a virtual Roomba to help keep the domain clean.

Anyway, I'm guessing that it's going to be a couple of more weeks, give or take, before the new URL is completely ready. One way I've found to encourage myself to complete a task is simply to dive in and do it. So, that's what I'm going to do.

The only downside is that I'm going to virtually drag you along. You'll just have to put up with some missing things for a bit, as and until I figure out how to do them in WordPress. I've still got several hundred postings to go through, one by one, to get the indexing firmed up, along with a bunch of widgets and other plug-ins that I'm figuring out how they work and where on the blog they need to be stashed.

Even though it's not quite ready for prime time, it's up and functioning (I think). So, if you would, go ahead and change your bookmark for Winjama to the new URL above. I probably won't make but a couple more postings on the current URL. I'll put in a simple page advising folks to go to the new URL and I'll leave that up for a month or so. Eventually, I'll pull the plug on this URL and then it'll be all moved to the new site and that will be that.

We look forward to seeing you at the new site.

Cheers,
Dave and Dianna

We Got Doctor's Coming Out Our Ears

Well, it's about time I did a follow-up on my back. The short version... I survived. The long version... I still have a manageable amount of pain and that is improving. I'm seeing Dr. Marc Nadreau at Holistic Health Care clinic every week for an adjustment and acupuncture. That's moving me quickly to the land of being healthy.

I'm also seeing Doctors Kishore and Natasha Punjabi at Five Rivers Medical Centre, located on 5th Avenue, near Courts, not only for my back but some other things that I've been dealing with for a few years - hypertension, cholesterol, and thyroid issues. Becoming older is so much fun.

I know there's a few folks who read FaceBook. Against my better judgement, I re-joined FB. I had asked on there if anyone knew of an ultrasound clinic in the Corozal area. The response I got was several rumors and "I think" or "I heard", but no one seemed to have any hard knowledge of one.

Let me be the first to tell you, yes there is one. It's located in the the Northern Medical Specialty Plaza, Ltd. up by Nigel and Jennie's place which is up near the bus yard on College. If the clinic name rings a bell, that's because you've probably been to the clinic of the same name over in Orange Walk. This is a satellite of the Orange Walk Clinic. It's staffed by at least six doctors covering the following areas: OB/Gyn, Pediatrics/Neurology, Ultrasound/Reconstructive/Plastic Surgery with Dr. Ricardo Quetzal, Internal Medicine, and Anesthesiology.

As you can imagine, I've also been getting some blood work done at a nice new and very professional lab, Prohealth Alliance Clinical Laboratory, with Celso Carrera, Certified Medical Lab Technician. They're located in the same building as Five Rivers Medical Centre. There is a pawn shop in between the two locations. I haven't used the pawn shop, but I suppose it's handy if the medical bills become too much.

Without going into too much detail, pretty much everything from the doctor visits, lab test, ultrasound, and anything I've forgotten, has come back as good news. The only thing, and that's being worked on, is my blood pressure is still too high.

An indication of how well things are progressing is that I just spent my first complete day and night without any pain medication since the fall. There was still a bit of pain now and then, but I managed to comfortably get through the night - except for the two hours when we had a country-wide power outage.

One less pill to take. Yay!

Internet Slow-Down Day Today

Notice the Intertubes being more recalcitrant and obstinate than usual? Yeah, me too. In fact, I can prove it.

All sorts of Websites have provided bits of code to use on your own Website or blog that simulate a page loading, and loading, and loading...

We've gone one better. Our blog apparently found something amiss with the code provided by a couple of them and refused to allow me to insert the code. After the second refusal, I got tired of trying to load the code, figuring I had better things to do. As a result, you don't see the page loading imagery here.

Here, you have to do it the old-fashioned way - you have to use your imagination. Imagine that! Almost like you used to have to do when you read a book.

So, just for today, break out the old imagination and fire away... Slowly, of course. Remember, this is the Intertubes Slow-Down Day after all.

We'll see you tomorrow at regular speed. "Engage!"