live from a new web host

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In case you missed the drama about my website last week, here’s the short version: my website went down for 3 days, and when it finally came back online, all of my data was gone. Every last entry since I started this blog 6 years ago? Gone. So I was a tiny bit distraught, as you might imagine.

While I was freaking out, I wrote about it on Twitter, and within a few minutes, I got a response from a web hosting company called PinchHost offering to help me. They’re a new company, and didn’t have much of a proven track record that I could find online, but I appreciated how fast they responded. Especially considering that the customer service at my old (then-current) web hosting company, Globat, was always somewhat lacking. It’s basically impossible to get anyone on the phone, they take an extremely long time to respond to email support tickets, and while yes, they do have support via live chat, the techs aren’t exactly helpful. Usually the only response I get is, “We’re so sorry for your inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.” Not exactly top-notch problem-solving.

But really, my main problem with Globat is the availability. They were fine when I first signed up a few years ago, but over the past year or so, my website crashed a lot, because I seemed to always be under Denial of Service attacks by spammers. So that’s my main beef with them – if you can’t keep my website running, I’ll go host it elsewhere.

Meanwhile, during that whole incident where I had no blog entries at all? I threw a temporary WordPress blog here that you might’ve seen if you happened to click over here. On it, I mentioned that my last manual backup of my website was from May 2008, hence my panic. (So all the entries about selling our house, moving to North Carolina, the holidays, Catie’s 2nd birthday? GONE.) Then the tech from PinchHost – the same guy who responded to me on Twitter – left me a comment telling me that he had gone through Google’s cache of my archives and found about 100 entries from May 2008 to now, and saved them to a zip file for me to download.

Which, DUDE. I wasn’t even a customer of his, and he did all that legwork for me? Yeah ok, they’re a new company, but with that type of customer service, I’ll take a chance on them. So I switched over yesterday, and it was basically seamless. I might be imagining it, but my website even seems to load faster now. Obviously, I am very happy with them so far.

Of course, the hard part now is cancelling my account with Globat. They’re notorious for having a crappy billing department, so I know I’m in for a fight. Example: over the past few years I’ve gotten over 100 emails from them telling me about new offers, and unless I clicked the link to opt out, they automatically charged my credit card for the upgrade, regardless of whether or not I wanted it. If I called afterward to say, “hey, you billed me for this, and I don’t want it, so give me my money back,” they’d try to hem & haw and squirm their way out of refunding me the money for a service I’m not using. So, yeah. I’ve gotta get my Don’t You Dare Try to Eff With Me, Buddy hat on and let them have it.

But the fact that I’m now basically done with them and have a cool new hosting company that actually responds to my problems promptly and seems to give a damn about my user experience? It kind of makes me feel like one of these dancers.

(If you haven’t seen that yet, you’re welcome. I’ve watched it about four times already and I smile like a moron at my computer and get all misty-eyed every time. What can I say, I’m a sucker for “The Sound of Music.”)

testing 1, 2, 3

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This is a test to make sure that my blog is actually restored and working like it’s supposed to.

My archives appear to be screwy, but at least all of the data is there. The web host’s most recent backup was on March 22nd, so I’m only missing a couple of posts, which, you know, whatever. I’ll live.

Now, on to signing up with a new web hosting company.

techie'd out

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Ready to be jealous of me?

iPhone & Kindle

That’s right: an iPhone and a Kindle. Both. I would never have dreamed of dropping that much money in one swoop, but it was Dave’s idea (he surprised me with the Kindle, then suggested we go get the iPhone), so who am I to object? They are both so cool, I can’t decide which I like better.

But seriously, I have to go see an eye doctor. The more I try to read these tiny little consoles, the more my right eye keeps going all wonky and blurry and then OH MY GOD, the headache. I love that the Kindle lets you make the text extra-large, or else I probably wouldn’t be able to use it for more than about ten minutes at a time. Trying to use Twitter on the iPhone, though, is killing me.

Other random stuff, in bullet form because I’m lazy:
* I finally got the pictures from Kris & Tony’s wedding uploaded.
my favorite pic of Kris & Tony

Leslie and me
(I know you read this site sometimes, so hi, Leslie! Love you!)

me & Kris
You can see the whole set here.

* We’re really enjoying having Mags here a few extra days. Her black eye is pretty impressive, but she’s otherwise feeling ok, so that’s good.
Mags, Dave & Catie
I think there’s a slight family resemblance there, no?

And for the record, my mother-in-law is a bad-ass, because I don’t think she’s taken so much as an ibuprofen for her concussion, and she still stood on her feet to make us a shepherd’s pie the day after her accident. She is one hardcore Brit.

the ER, revisited (literally)

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So, my pledge to stay out of hospitals in 2009? Not going so well. It’s March and I’ve already ended up in the ER twice. Actually, twice just in the month of March alone. Well, not me, personally, but I keep ending up there with other people.

Today started off pretty normal and ho-hum. Mags (my mother-in-law) and I were talking about what to make for dinner. She makes the most amazing shepherd’s pie in the world and she hadn’t made it since she got here, so that sounded pretty good. I had most of the supplies, but we were missing a few key ingredients, so she and I loaded up Catie and set off for the grocery store.

We were about 3/4 of the way done with the shopping, when Catie started to get irritable, so we headed to the bakery to get her a cookie bribe. While we were there, we checked out the deli to get ourselves some lunch. Catie wolfed down her cookie and ran back to the bakery section to get another one. I told her no, but she wouldn’t come back over to us, so Mags went to get her. She picked Catie up and started walking toward me and the cart. Catie squirmed, and it was enough to throw Mags off balance and make her fall. She was so panicked about protecting Catie from hitting the floor that she basically twisted Catie out of the way and hit the floor full force with her forehead. Ouch.

The deli and bakery ladies swarmed around us. They got her some ice for her head, put a huge stuffed Easter bunny under her head as a pillow, and they called 911. The store manager showed up and made sure I had her card and she had all of our contact info. I’m sure she’s terrified that we’re going to sue. I called Dave, who showed up a minute or two before the EMTs. The EMTs took her out to the ambulance to examine her, and decided that she was most likely ok to go home. Fine, then.

Only, not so much. On the drive home (barely over a mile), Mags said she was feeling dizzy and nauseous. As soon as we stopped, she got out of the car and threw up in the driveway. I called 911, and the exact same paramedics arrived a few minutes later. This time, they took us to the hospital. Dave has a huge work project due, so we decided that he’d stay home with Catie (who was in dire need of lunch and a nap), and I’d go with Mags to the hospital.

A couple of hours and a CAT scan later, it was determined that she’s basically fine, although probably has a mild concussion. They gave her some anti-nausea medication (since she was still a little bit sick from the dizziness), and sent us home.

Mags was supposed to fly home tomorrow, but we all agree that’s probably not the best idea with a concussion. She just called the airline and changed her ticket for next Wednesday, so that’s good. And I don’t think I’m going to ask her to make shepherd’s pie tonight. Maybe some other time.

Side note to God: can we please now be done with hospitals for the year? Pretty please?

another partially-composed-on-the-plane entry

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Kris & Tony’s wedding was beautiful. I took lots of pictures and will get them online soon. It was decidedly more low-key than the previous night, which was good. I rode to the wedding with my friend Leslie and her boyfriend Joel, and they wanted to leave the reception early since they had a ten-hour drive back to California the next day. Which was fine, since I had an early flight too. I missed the cake, which I’m still sort of bummed about, but we were there for all of the important stuff (the ceremony, dinner, toasts), so it was fine.

I got up at 6 a.m. on Monday morning to head home. I went down to the casino floor and stopped at the deli for breakfast. (Steak & fried egg on a baguette. Very nice, and a hell of a lot cheaper than the stupid buffet.) Man alive, I wish I had taken some pictures of some of the girls I saw doing the Walk of Shame. One girl might’ve actually been a hooker because she was with some enormous dude that was more likely a bodyguard than a boyfriend. She was in a tiny dress that barely covered her butt, and it was so tight that there’s no way she could’ve been wearing underwear, because if she had, there would’ve been a pantyline. So basically, when she sits down, the whole world is her gynecologist. She was carrying her gold stilettos in her hand and walking barefoot across the casino floor. Yikes. Some guy walking past elbowed me and said, “You see all types here, dontcha?” Yes, yes you do.

Oh, and then I saw three very pretty young girls who were all still obviously drunk and wearing last night?s clothes (at 7:30 a.m.!), and they were arguing with each other and crying, while their boyfriends sat a few feet away watching. Awesome.

The plane ride was relatively uneventful, except for one thing. There was a tiny old man (I mean, old old; tiny, hunched over, liver spots on hands, I’m guessing he was in his late 80’s) sitting in the aisle seat diagonal from me, and he sat there on the airplane flipping through a hardcore porn magazine. Just, WOW. There are no words, I was so shocked. If I had seen any kids nearby (or if I had Catie with me), I would’ve told the stewardess to make him put it away. As it was, he saw the flight attendants with the drink cart and put it away himself, but I was grossed out for the rest of the flight.

I landed in Charlotte and met up with my brother at Olive Garden for dinner. That was fun, it’s always nice to see him. I got stuck in bad traffic on the way home (apparently a car accident), so I didn’t get home until after 10 p.m. That was a long day. I missed my Catie-bug so much that my arms ached from not holding her. We had a Skype video chat while I was gone, but it wasn?t the same. I missed Dave too, but you know, he?s a little easier to connect with over the phone or whatever. That little girl of mine, though. Man, I couldn?t wait to swoop her up and cover her in kisses. We’ve been having fun running errands together today. Now she’s napping, and I think I might crash too, I’m so exhausted from the whole weekend.

Overall: good trip, but so great to be home.

just another Saturday night in Vegas

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Last night was the pre-wedding pizza party, which was fun. And a little awkward, since one of Kris’s bridesmaids is a former friend of mine who I don’t speak to anymore. I mean, we did the “half-second eye contact and nod at each other” thing, and then we spent the rest of the evening making a conscious effort to avoid each other. Luckily the way we were seated helped, but it was kind of strange trying to avoid turning my head to the right because I didn’t want to have to try to make civil conversation with someone I genuinely dislike.

Really, it’s my fault. Our falling out was three years ago. I should be over it by now, I know that. And I know she wants to forget about it, because that’s her personality, to gloss over all of the bad stuff and to pretend like everything is fine and happy and wonderful. I just can’t do it. I can’t let it go when someone hurts me.

Anyway, since that was incredibly uncomfortable, I really wanted a cocktail to help me relax. But the pizza place only had wine and beer, so I stuck to water. After the pizza party ended, I hung out with my friend Linda and her husband Taiki, and some of their friends. We found a place that served fruity vodka drinks, which is what I’d been craving. We had fun playing “hooker or tourist,” the game in which you spot all of the whorishly dressed women and guess if they’re actual hookers or just tourists. Sadly, most were tourists. The hookers are hard to spot because they’re always in a hurry. You know, places to go, people to do, what-have-you.

I had a great time hanging out with them, I think is what I’m saying. And Linda’s friends are awesome, because I didn’t pay for a thing all night. Very nice.

I got little bit tipsier than I meant to, but I wasn’t falling-down drunk or anything. I feel fine today, so obviously I couldn’t have been that bad, right? I’m just mad as hell that I woke up at 7:45 a.m. on the one day that I could sleep late with no kid around to wake me up. Stupid internal clock. Since sleep wasn’t going to happen, I threw on my jeans and sneakers and headed down to the breakfast buffet. Which reminds me…

Dear Luxor,
I realize that my gastric bypass surgery makes an all-you-can-eat buffet kind of pointless for me, but if you’re going to charge me $20, I’m going to make up for it by eating the most expensive stuff you have. Shrimp cocktail for breakfast? Why yes, thank you.
Also, it appears that part of the reason that the buffet costs $20 is because it comes with free champagne? At 8 in the freaking morning?? Ok, you win. This town is way too hardcore for me.
Love,
Cindy

Oh, and while I’m writing letters:

Dear lungs,
I’m really, really sorry about that clove cigarette I smoked last night. What can I say, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Please stop trying to kill me. Truce?
Love,
Cindy

My plan for today is to try to take a nap, then get dressed and set off for the wedding. Pretty easy, no? The Luxor has an exhibition of Titanic artifacts, which sounds fascinating. I thought about going to check it out since it’s just downstairs, but admission is $27, and this town is bleeding me of enough money as it is. I think a nap sounds infinitely better.

Also, I had my camera in my purse last night and completely forgot to take even a single photo. I’ll try to be better about that at the wedding tonight.

I wrote this on the plane yesterday

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When I was researching flights for my trip to Las Vegas, I found that I could save over $100 and get a direct flight (no layovers!) if I flew out of Charlotte rather than Raleigh. Fine, then. I set off ridiculously early on Saturday morning and drove to Charlotte. My brother lives there, and I?m planning to meet up with him for dinner when I get back on Monday.

I made good time ? about 2.5 hours, which isn?t bad given the torrential downpour that I had to drive through. This was the first time I?ve ever driven from Raleigh to Charlotte, and it was pretty in that rural Southern farmland sort of way. I mean, you know, weird roadside signs & fixtures notwithstanding. My favorite was a big life-size statue of Jesus leaning forward on a concrete post. He had one elbow on the post and his chin in his hand. Very ?can we talk?? I wanted to put a little coffee mug in front of him to get the full image.

Oh, and can someone please tell me what on earth ?moonshine jelly? is? Because I saw a sign for a rather sketchy looking place that was selling it, and it sounds absolutely revolting.

The flight was pretty uneventful. On time, no major drama. Security was an absolute breeze without a kid in tow, as I expected. I forgot to bring a book with me, so I bought one at the airport newsstand. ?Nineteen Minutes? by Jodi Picoult, in case you were wondering. I figured out the entire story arc during the first chapter, which irritates me to no end. I don?t know yet if I?ll like it or not.

Oh, and I joked on Twitter earlier about possibly needing glasses, but I think I might really need to get my eyes checked when I get home. After about 30 minutes of reading on the plane, my right eye started to blur and I couldn?t get my vision to focus on the text very well. I guess I?m getting old. (Don?t you dare say a word, Dave. You?re still 4 1/2 years older than me!)

Oddly, reading on my laptop doesn?t bother my eyes at all. Maybe I have some sort of visual impairment that can read a monitor but not books. Hmm, might be time to invest in that Kindle?

Oh, and I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time in my life. It?s very big. As you?d expect.