Joe’s Web(log) Compound

And, as you can probably tell, it’s destroying everything in its path.

So I got that going for me.

EDIT: I’ve changed the DNS. When you get to the new site, this message will “go away” - replaced with a new message.

Ya know that feeling you get when you know something needs to be changed, but you don’t know what you want to do and you don’t know how you’re going to do it?

I feel that way about my website.

It’s had the same black look for, geez, I dunno how long.

The navigation is not so hot.

I never add photos because we don’t have a digital camera and my scanner is unreliable.

I never have time to add blog entries.

The info page never gets updated.

Everything’s got to go. So if you see the site, ahh, disappear for a while, or gain a plain new look with less functionality for a little while, bear with me. Spring cleaning takes time.

Durn.

Purdue came close - but not close enough.

We went to the game - other than losing, we enjoyed the trip. I’ll try to get some pictures up soon.

Went down to visit Janel’s friend Kyle in Pigeon Forge, TN right before Thanksgiving. Dollywood was not worth the money. However, the NASCAR Speed Park was worth the money. We made a stop at the Edinburg Outlet Mall on the way home. At the Nike Factory Outlet, we saw some size 21 tennis shoes. OTOH, I didn’t see any size 21 socks.

Took advantage of number portability and switched from Sprint to Verizon. Splurged and bought a Palm Phone. Janel made a lateral move - she had a Samsung, and has a new, yet similar, Samsung. Time to venture onto Ebay and see what I can get for the old accessories. I’m sure the phones themselves will go for nothing, if I’m even able to sell the things.

I’m too attached to my old Palm III to part with it. I guess when you carry something everywhere for 4+ years that happens. There has to be a way to use it as a remote, right? Of course there is.

Ate five pieces of pie on Thanksgiving. You know it’s bad when you lose track of which flavors of pie you’ve eaten.

Right now I’m dancing with the flu, it seems. Last year I was out for three days with the flu. It was right in the middle of practice for the Daytona 500, though, so at least there was something on TV to watch when I couldn’t sleep. This year I didn’t have anything to watch, really, and I couldn’t sleep for the life of me - but I was really only down for one day. I wonder if I should attribute that to the marginally effective flu shot I got this year?

And with that, let’s all go bowling. No, not with these folks - these guys.

Test your Digital IQ.

I scored a 186.

An anti-factory farm sendup of The Matrix, complete with Moo-pheus and Leo.

Pretty funny stuff.

I took the Political Compass test.

It tells me I’m pretty much middle of the road, middle of the road, with a very slight libertarian bent.

I knew that already.

They ran their analysis of where the 2004 Presidential Candidates stand.

Interesting how close together they are.

Kids don’t like Almond Joy. I don’t know who eats the things, but it’s not the children of the future.

Kids get older as the night goes on. So if you tell the kids to take a handful, only do it for the ones shorter than you are.

You can tell the greedy kids - they take a handful, and go back for more - from the ones who are raised with manners.

While reading some blogs, I was stunned to read this article stating that, basically, all you need to rig an election using the new electronic voting machines is a copy of Microsoft Access.

No referential integrity… no audit logs… no passwords… and employees who don’t care.

You can guess what the company involved, Diebold, did: they claimed copyright and asked for the information to be removed.

Bring back the hanging chads.

Tony Renna was killed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.

Race driver Tony Renna, taking his first laps with his new team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during a tire test, was fatally injured Wednesday morning.

Renna, who would have turned 27 years old next month, was going into Turn 3 when his car jumped sideways and became airborne. According to witnesses, the car cleared the four-foot concrete wall and smashed into the catch fence – breaking in half in the cockpit area.

The Indy Racing League medical team reacted instantly and tried to revive Renna but could never establish a heartbeat, according to a source close to Renna’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing team. He was transported via ground to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

In becoming the 67th driver to lose his life at Indianapolis, the native of Deland, Fla., was the first Indy-car racer to die since Greg Moore perished in a CART race at Fontana, Calif., in 1999, and the first death at Indy since Scott Brayton died in a crash during practice in 1996.

Renna, scheduled to be married next month, had only been on the track for five laps when the accident took place shortly before 9:30 a.m. It was the same car driven 228 mph the day before by 2003 IRL champ Scott Dixon.

Team owner Chip Ganassi said he was told Renna was on his fourth lap of the day and had reached speeds of 218 mph when the car crashed.

Gene Keady wants to stay on for a few more years.

Good grief.

Whenever Keady decides to step down, Burke wants what he calls “a planned transition.”

Burke promises he and Keady will sit down in April.

“Whether Gene will want to push for beyond (2005), we will come to that decision at the appropriate time,” Burke said. “We want to respect Gene … not add pressure at this time.

“If you remember, (former Dodgers manager) Walter Alston never had more than a one-year contract, and look at the success he had.”

And when Keady does decide to step down?

“The process will be the same as when we hired Joe Tiller, Kristy Curry and Dave Shondell,” Burke said. “We will bring in someone who is capable of winning a national championship.”

Morgan Burke is kidding himself if he thinks Gene Keady has a prayer of winning a national championship.

Purdue #10 in both polls?

Oh boy.

The good news is that if they win out, with strength of schedule, they’re almost a lock for a BCS bowl.

Bad news is, they’ve still got to play Iowa at home, and Michigan and Ohio State on the road.

Bummer.

Because they’re the Cubs. They’re destined to lose. It’s their lot in life.

What would Cubs fans do if their team won?

Besides, they had no hope at all after Game 6’s crushing defeat - well, that, and Dusty Baker’s inability to manage his pitching staff.

It’s the same with the Red Sox.

That said, this has certainly been one of the best baseball playoffs I have ever seen - it’s right up there with the Reds run to the title in 1990.

Well, Purdue is 2-1. Of course, like many, I expected the loss to be to Wake Forest (not Bowling Green). Such is life.

For me, this is a Big Sports Weekend: USGP practice on Friday, the Indy Twin 25’s on Friday, Night, Purdue vs. Notre Dame on Saturday, and the USGP (with one of the closest points races in year) itself on Sunday.

Now I just have to hope work doesn’t interfere.

Anyone else figure out why gas prices go up 20 cents for seemingly no reason?

Me neither.

This last time - a buck fifty one to a buck sixty nine - I think was related to Ben & J.Lo calling off their wedding.

Is it a good or bad thing to see this character in the back of a police car?

This cartoon sums up why I don’t buy stuff from Old Navy or anywhere, really, where you’ve got their logo right on the front:

Don’t take my word for it.

We’ve lived in our new house for almost four months now.

In the course of that time, the power line between the box out front and the side of the house - BOTH lines - has gone bad.

So they’re tearing up my lawn to fix it.

So much for spending money on keeping the sod alive, huh?