On Saturday the 14th at 4AM UTC/GMT we will be upgrading the operating system of our network load balancers to a newer version, one that will allow us to use both CPUs! Nifty, because multiprocessing is nice.

Since we have 2 load balancers, the plan is to upgrade 1 at a time, and there really should be very little impact to our website. Hopefully you won't notice a thing and I'll get to go back to the hotel and watch some wonderful late night infomercials.

We've got a lot of exciting projects coming up for 2010 and we're hoping that we'll be able to deliver them all to you, that you will find it useful/cool/lovely and then you will use the site even more. Behind-the-scenes work like this will give us the capacity to handle the anticipated traffic, so expect a few more maintenance windows especially in the beginning of next year as we've got some neat ideas to improve performance around here! We had the recent 30-45 minute outage yesterday due to one of our logging databases filling up disk space -- not so great design coupled with my human error in handling the initial problem -- and it looks like we're going to finally have some resources to eliminate stuff like that. I can't wait!

As usual, I will be updating status.livejournal.org before and after, just in case you are not able to reach our main website during the work.

Life has been hectic lately, and not very kind.

"Yes, yes... We all know the tragic story that is Barbs' life. Is there something meaningful you wanted to say?"

Shut up.

Where was I? Oh, yes: between kids and job, I have been living (eating, breathing, dreaming) the NaNoWriMo story, which proved trickier than usual. After almost 15k words which felt like pulling teeth and looked like MPD patient's stream of consciousness, I conceded defeat and decided to stick with 1st person POV stories.

"I could have told you that on page one and spare you the headache... You can't do 'objective' to save your life."

I said, shut up! And who the hell does 'objective' when lives are at stake, anyway?!

Ahem...

The trademarked 'Autumn in Serbia' rains started, and so did the problems with leaking. I wish I knew whose idea was it to forego slanted roofs on condominiums - I'd drown him/her in a pool of rainwater with my own two hands!

Both kids are at home due to the epidemics, and with both grandmothers on a sick leave... Yeah. Fun for the whole family.

"Done whining yet? We have work to do, you realize..."

Yes, yes... I'm on it.
Bloody ponce.

"What was that again?"

Oh, nothing... I'm just doing some character profiling.

I wish WB would 'splain why they left out one of the most dramatic shots of Alan Rickman ever filmed for one of these movies? It's unbelievable. Are they just made of teh stoopid or what? That's a hypothetical question - I know the answer very well.

Mother dear, I know you're reading this because you have been stalking me online for the past... I don't even know how long. You've invaded my privacy far too many times to count, controlled my life until any and all freedom was sucked from me, and will not stop shoving your messed up beliefs down my throat. I believe what I think and I know is right and am tired of you. You may not think that it's you that's causing me to break down, but it is. It's not my disbelief in god. It's not school. I can handle school now. IT'S YOU. Everything you're doing to me. Sure, we may get along sometimes, but deep down, my anger is boiling and soon, it's going to reach it's boiling point and I'm not going to be able to control myself. You need to realize this. I have to have some freedom. You are my mother, you get to say what I can and can't do sometimes, but THIS IS NOT RIGHT. You're trying to control HOW I THINK. You're trying to CHANGE HOW I THINK. This may just be me spouting garbage to you and you're not going to think I'm serious, but I cannot take it. Either you loosen up, or send me somewhere, or I run away. That last option is something that I've been considering for a long time because of what you're doing. But I have a logical mind despite what you think. If I ran away, I'd be ditching school and I wouldn't have any money or anywhere to go. So, I stay, despite what I want. Please, enough of this torture. I'll wear skirts, I'll go to church, I'll not complain or bash your religion... Just don't control me. Don't try to change me. If you loosen up and not try to control me so much, I'm sure I'll get by the four years that I'm forced to stay with you quickly. Just think, four more years and I'll most likely be off to college. Why do you think I want to get a job? So I can save up for a good school, so that I can get away from you, so that I can have FREEDOM. Don't waste the four years I'm stuck with you trying to control me or change me. Cos I do love you. Even if I don't show it most of the time. I do love my family. But when you guys do things like this, I wonder why I even do. Be thankful that I'm even capable of loving any of you anymore.

This didn't make sense, I'm sure, but I just hope you see some reason.

sixwordstories
Whether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.

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Delicious, ambitious, and occasionally nutritious dishes make for an eclectic, all-you-can-eat feast. Whether you're searching for recipes for your next dinner party or you're jonesing for a late-night brownie fix, your cravings are sure to be well sated. A warm and inclusive community that welcomes all orientations, from carnivores to vegans, from gourmands to junk-food junkies. Guaranteed bias-free, food-positive, and pan-epicurian.

Inspired by THIS (thanks to Boushh on Chamber of Secrets) I did my own Google Search for "Snape Is." Look at today's heading ~ The Count from Sesame Street!




This is pretty funny, too:

So last few months it feels as if I did not go to as many shows as I usually would, but today I actually went to one.

http://theater.nytimes.com/show/24142/Penang/overview

Great play about vietnam war, well it is really very antiwar and what it does to the soldiers, so I enjoyed it a lot. I am always very impressed with the acting of  the actors who play off off broadway, often more than with the acting of celebrities actors and today was no exception.

I thought the lead actor was superb. Granted doctor did not impress me much, but everybody else did.

Pictures of Young Dumbledore played by Toby Regbo from Snitchseeker. There are pictures and scans of an interview by Jamie Campbell Bower HERE in the Snitchseeker Gallery.

What do you think? Does this look like Young Michael Gambon?

Sad and profoundly angry.

Thinking of the families who got that call...

None of us knows the time or manner of our passing.  But to have a trusted someone, someone you consider a brother, take the lives of so many young people...

I'm so upset.

We should all pray for the people lost, the potential of all of those fine young people, and for their families. 

Heh. I'm a tiny bit over-proud of my subject title, but... check it out! It rhymes!! :D

Back in the wonderful, wonderful world of DVRs, I know I'm behind the times here, but I enjoyed "V" :D It's no "Battlestar Galactica" from what I've seen. It's more a fun than thoughtful retelling of the original miniseries. But fun can be good! I liked all the main characters from the get-go, and I adore the main villain. I shall be tuning in for the foreseeable.

(I'm really disconnected from the buzz, is this "V" a miniseries as well? Or are they going to try and get a full on series out of it?)


And then there was SGU. Nothing fun about this one folks. My dad wandered through the room at one point and remarked, "No one likes each other, do they?" Unfortunately, the answer is yeah, no one likes, trusts, or cares for each other. As even a brief glimpse will tell you. ( Dipping into spoiler country here. )

I think we're going to stick around for a few more episodes (mainly for train-wreck curiosity..."how bad will it get?"), but I won't be surprised if we end up dropping SGU in the not too distant.

On the sunny side, this almost makes me glad SGA got canceled when it did. How horrible if they'd taken season six down this depressing path!

I've had a good day of writing, although tomorrow of course the well may go dry. If you are taking a break from NaNoWriMo or you need some inspiration, maybe these videos may help:










( More Under the Cut )

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

Apparently so, since we're resetting the store for the holidays. Lots of work. I put in close to 11 hours yesterday, I think. I know my manager said he was staying late. Considering the buses, he probably worked until around 4 this morning - a 15 hour day. Wonder how much was left for today's staff to do. Massive price changes are the worst part. That and resetting our confection. I stickered soooo much chocolate for the clearance bin yesterday! Should have thought to bring some home, too, but by then I just wanted to come home.

We have free passes to see Pirate Radio this evening, courtesy of Alliance. Yeah for them sending us passes. Andy and I are going out for dinner beforehand. Kind of a belated birthday evening out for him. I don't think he's had dinner out since we went to The Works in January!

Contemplating getting dressed and heading to the post office to pick up a parcel. I know it's books so I'm debating whether it'll be too heavy to carry home. I need one of those little wheelie things that people use for groceries. Then again, I'd have to drag that through the construction zone that is Wellington Street. Perhaps better off to struggle with carrying it. Curses to whomever it was who pointed me to bookcloseouts.com. I spend far too much money there. Hey, not my fault they keep having sales!

On the plus side, some of the books are Christmas gifts. That'll be 3 people done off my list, leaving me 9 more people to buy for. Hmmm, if I'm going downtown for dinner on Saturday, perhaps it'll be time to get a bit more shopping done. The sooner done, the better.

Have also been watching the price of airline tickets to San Antonio. Prices range anywhere from $350 to nearly $800. The only drawbacks to the lower priced tickets is that I'd have 2 stops each way instead of just one. That could be brutal. Also, for the most part the flights arrive very late in the evening. Still, getting there in 8-9 hours is much better than the 48 that Greyhound takes. And the cheapest airline ticket is only $140 more than a bus ticket.

31. Movie Mavericks: Trivia from the Filmmaking Fringes - Jon Sandys
Fun to play with at work when things are slow. Some of us know the most obscure things about the movies on our shelves. :)

32. Are You Really Going to Eat That?: Reflections of a Culinary Thrill Seeker - Robb Walsh
Lots of good food writing, a few recipes included.

33. Thunderstruck - Erik Larson
Love this man's writing. Combines the story of Dr. Crippen with Marconi's story.

34. Heir Apparent - Vivian Vande Velde
Stuck in a video game and trying to stay alive until they can get her out.

35. A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray
Magic, suspense, girls with power!

36. The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963 - Christopher Paul Curtis
Well told story about growing up in the '60s.

37. The Dead Girls' Dance - Rachel Caine
Book Two of the Morganville Vampires series. Love these books!

38. Specials - Scott Westerfeld
Read this so I could finish the series. While I like the first book, this last one just didn't do it for me.

39. Best Friends - Martha Moody
Chick lit, follows two friends through their meeting in college and on into later life. It was okay.

40. The Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History - Jim Piazza and Gail Kinn
Seems pretty complete to me. Well, aside from stopping in 2005, right before it was published. Lots of little lesser known tidbits. I know there's a spot somewhere in the book where I corrected something, but darned if I can find it now. :)

Much catching up to do. I'll break it over multiple posts to as not to have it one long list. :)

21. Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich
22. Eleven on Top - Janet Evanovich
23. Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
24. Plum Lucky - Janet Evanovich
Fun to read, quick, light on crime, heavier on the drama.

25. Trading Up - Candace Bushnell
Decent chick lit

26. Blinded - Stephen White
Average crime drama

27. Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith
I loved this, even if I did want to give Mel a shake now and then. :)

28. Scarlett Slept Here: A Book Lover's Guide to the South - Joy Dickinson
Yeah, travel book. Obviously tying what you've read with where to go. It's pretty average, as travel books go.

29. Cat in a Hot Pink Pursuit - Carole Nelson Douglas
Mystery and cats. Not bad.

30. Random Acts of Badness - Danny Bonaduce
Autobiography. Like watching a trainwreck on the page.

Now I can finally take this pile of books off the dining room table and put them away! :)

This will be short and sweet but hopefully entertaining. I'm trying to stay focused on NaNoWriMo and my erstwhile novel that is moving at a snail's pace. I realized tonight that I needed a map of my imaginary county in Tennessee before I could write some of the scenes. So I had fun drawing it out in Tolkienesque detail, but it doesn't add to my word count, damn it!

My gorgeous icon about House Unity is by bombottosa, who has made so many great icons of Snape over the years.

Snape Knew This: Lying Can Make You Sick
Hive Mind: Balloon Boy's Vomit and the Science of Lying

For Language Buffs: Supernatural Collective Nouns




Permuto: The Most Popular Christmas Toys By Year since 1960 and yes, the Rubik's Cube is on the chart as the most popular of 1980. But my son ( who wasn't born until 1995) is still fascinated with that toy. So here is my youngest child who has become Master of the Rubik's Cube. This is the son I call "Little Snape" and you'll understand why after you watch him. *Apologies to anyone who has watched this before on Facebook ~ I just had to post it here as well.*

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The Chinese version of ONTD, AIYA is a dynamic international community that welcomes users who share a love of contemporary Chinese pop culture. Dedicated to celebrity gossip and entertainment news, you'll enjoy gorgeous photos and breaking stories featuring the glitterati of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.