I’ve posted my Mom’s journal entries and some photos from her recent Spain/London trip here:
www.mahugh.com/mom/2006-10-30/index.htm
Dave, since my Mom wants her grandkids to be able to read this in 50 years (and today), I created this content as an HTML page with some JPEGs. 
If you’re tired of just reading my writing and seeing my pictures, here’s your change to hear my voice too! I recorded an hour-long podcast on Open XML development with Brian Jones last month, and it’s up on Channel 9 now. I posted links on my work blog today.
These podcasts aren’t just dry software development information. Oh no … there’s so much more. For example, early in part 1, I explain that Microsoft’s Covenant Not to Sue regarding Open XML doesn’t limit your ability to sue us, just our ability to sue you. And early in Part 2, I offer a previously unrecorded metaphor: custom XML parts are like a bag of raisins. You won’t find that stuff on the ODF site, by golly!
Mostly, I just posted this for Mom. Enjoy, Mom … and be sure to sit down in a comfortable place before you fall asleep listening to these. We all know how Open XML affects you.
When a married woman mutters “the things I suffer through,” you just know somewhere out there a husband is having a good time.
One of my snapshots of Megan is on the home page of Microsoft’s internal web site today. For those few people remaining on the planet who don’t work for Microsoft, here’s what you’re missing. That’s Megan crossing the I-90 floating bridge over Lake Washington, about one mile straight out the front window of where we now live.
I don’t know where the weekend went, but we’re finally 100% done moving and cleaning up the old place. It was a lot of trips back and forth, but I must admit the drive between Rainier Beach and Leschi — along the shore Lake Washington, mostly — is pretty spectacular. Especially right now, with the leaves changing. So I stopped to snap a few pictures along the way …
This is not the work of a professional comedian.
This is an actual CNN.COM headline.
I’m not making this stuff up.
When summer begins to fade, it’s number two season …
Hamed Juma Faris al-Suaidi, “Al Qaeda’s No. 2 operative in Iraq,” was captured last month, delivering a “severe blow” to al Qaeda in Iraq.
This is an annual tradition, going after the number two man in September. Last year, September saw headlines reading “Iraq’s al-Qaeda number two killed” after the death of Abu Azzam.
And it’s not just Iraq. We can get the number two guys wherever they work. For example, we got the number two in Yemen, Abu Asim Al-Maki.
It’s not just our propaganda that needs airing, of course. The number twos know how to fire back, and do. Last spring, on the day after our wedding, “Al Qaeda number two” Ayman al-Zawahiri released a video. A few months later, he released another one, questioning our President’s track record. Pesky number two!
Of course, with so many number twos to be found there’s bound to be a bit of mistaken identity from time to time.
Ironically, we’ve dispatched all those number twos in the country where we have the most American troops fighting (140,000), while we’ve not found the number one in the country where we have the second-most troops fighting (20,000).
Now, who could have predicted that?
Man, it’s cool to have internet access back at home. I would have missed out on this video without it!
From DailyKos, of course.
More or less … I still don’t have my Vista laptop working with the wireless at home. I re-installed my firewall client today, so we’ll see how that goes tonight, if I ever get out of here. The last few days have each been several hours too short, and today’s going the same way. But we’re moved, more or less, and life’s good. The cats are enjoying the new place …
Hey, did anyone see Apple’s lame finger-pointing about the Ipod virus. Geez … “we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses.” What do you even say to something like that? Well, maybe something like this.
Although, given that Microsoft has sponsored this site, I’m really not sure who has less class this week. Come on guys, are we really doing something like that? Yech.
Gotta run …
Since there’s not enough going on in our lives these days and we were getting a bit bored, we decided to move this month in addition to everything else. And being the cautious, prudent types we are, we looked at a place and took it. No point in agonizing over these things, you know.
Here’s the view. That’s the I-90 floating bridge, of course. It’s much bigger, much safer, and more convenient to downtown, our friends and cat-sitters (Tracy are you listening?), bike trails to work, and other things. There’s a Starbucks in the neighborhood, and we can have dinner with Kip at the BluWater without even getting in the car. The only downside relative to our current place is that you can’t buy crack on the streetcorner, but we felt that’s not as big of an issue as some of the other things. Besides, the rent’s higher so we can’t afford those sorts of little pleasures any more anyway.
Lots more later.
Back in the old days, you’d type that command (FORMAT C:) to format your hard drive and delete everything on it. These days the procedure is a little different, but that’s exactly what I’m doing right now: I’m deleting everything on my laptop, while I type this on my desktop machine at work.
The goal is to be running Windows Vista RC2 (release candidate #2, just came out last Friday) by the end of the day today. I’ll also have the latest RTM build of Office 2007 installed, the latest Internet Explorer 7, and a bunch of other things.
It will be nice to start over with a clean slate, after all the beta versions and other crazy stuff I’ve installed on my laptop this year. And I decided if I don’t do it today, it won’t happen. I’m SO busy these days, with more international travel scheduled for November and December, so there won’t be any better time to do this the next few weeks. Now or never … I’ll post a comment to this thread from my laptop when it’s back up and running.
Really.