[Editor’s note: For purposes of contextual coherence, it may be useful to know that this post originally appeared on the self-coded, PHP-based version of the synthetik.org homepage before being folded into this blog. -KM]

Yay! We’ve finally managed to get ourselves some reliable transportation! As of Monday afternoon, we now have a beautiful blue 2002 Ford Taurus! It’s an indescribably wonderful feeling to know that we can now travel out of town without having to rent something or worry about breaking down along the way. I’ll try to get a pic of it in here as soon as I can get my news photo code working.

Unfortunately, as a consequence, our house hunt has come to an abrubt halt. We’ve decided that it just currently isn’t feasible to stack a house payment on top of all our other bills. Our duplex is fine enough for us right now and hopefully we’ll be able to wait it out until I too earn my expensive little piece of paper from MSU.

Oh, and I passed that blasted kidney stone! I saved it, so supposedly I can send it off somewhere to have it examined so that they can tell me what caused it, but I haven’t yet managed to get it to them. I already have my suspicions that it is composed of at least 75% Mountain Dew. It actually passed some three weeks ago, so I apologize for the late announcement.

[Editor’s note: For purposes of contextual coherence, it may be useful to know that this post originally appeared on the self-coded, PHP-based version of the synthetik.org homepage before being folded into this blog. -KM]

Alrighty, Gallery is up and running and I’ve already gotten a few photographs uploaded. To conserve server space, image sizes are limited to 640×480, so if you need a full size version (which I would recommend if you plan on ordering prints), then please e-mail me and let me know which photograph(s) you’d like.

I’m also happy to report that Tabitha passed that huge exam she took in January! After she submits a little more paperwork, she’ll be a licensed Veterinary Technician! I couldn’t be more proud of her. I’ve heard from several sources that the test is very difficult and passing it on the first attempt is a great accomplishment.

Alas though, I seem to have brought home some nasty cold from somewhere that has transformed us into zombies. Sore throats, stuffy heads, sneezing, runny noses, coughing, and muscle pain have all joined forces to wreak havoc on our poor immune systems. It’s not uncommon to hear sentences such as, “Had me a tissue, quick! I need to blow my doze!”

We looked at three houses over the weekend. Two of them were pretty decent, though they each had their own drawbacks. We’re still searching and hoping there’s something out there with a better ratio of good vs. bad aspects.

Lastly, I put together a page that displays all the quotes from the random quote database and while I was at it, I added a few more in there.

We’ve begun scouring classifieds and realtors to find a nice house to rent or buy. May 1st marks the third year Tabitha and I have lived here in this duplex, and we’ve finally decided that we are tired of not having anywhere to put anything. I seriously don’t know how we’ve been able to stay crammed in such a small space while still maintaining our sanity. If any of you know of a reasonably priced three-bedroom house for sale or rent, please let me know. A close proximity to Murray is a definite plus, but we are willing to compromise.

Today marks the first day of Lent, and I’m sure you can all guess what that means for those of us who sell fish for a living. Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to it, given my experience with past years. I refuse to complain, however, since the privilege of counting myself among America’s employed certainly takes most of the sting out of it.

Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks it has been!

For starters, I’d like to begin with a moment that I’m certain will make it into the “Stupidest Computer Mistakes Hall of Shame.” On January 7th, 2004, an intermediate root certificate that is installed by default on Windows 2000-based computers expired. The expiration of this certificate caused erratic behavior on computers worldwide. Symptoms include a 15-second delay when opening the right click menu and problems running and updating the Norton Systemworks suite of utilities.

“Speak English, Kody!”

Okay, an explanation of root certificates… These are installed on Windows computers by default to allow secure transactions over the internet. The aforementioned expired certificate in question helped control SSL, which is probably what your web browser uses to communicate when the little padlock shows up.

Anyway, my computer starting exhibiting the symptoms, and I traced down my problem to the expired certificate. I undertook an epic quest of Googling and finally found an updated root certificate from Verisign. So, after having installed the updated certificate, and verifying that all was well, curiosity over these mysterious root certificates overwhelmed me. I decided to browse the others on my computer and noticed that several were expired – some since 1999.

“They have been expired for 5 years. Surely I’ll never need them again… right?”

Wrong.

After deleting some decidedly “unneeded” certificates, I found that I had caused more problems than I had solved. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing worked correctly anymore. I jumped on my second computer and hit the Microsoft knowledge base. Sure enough, I found this: Trusted Root Certificates That Are Required By Windows 2000.

I’m such an idiot.

One painstaking Windows re-install later, I’ve learned more than I ever want to know about root certificates, and hopefully taught the rest of you that even the most savvy of computer users can get overconfident and delete things which should really remain untouched.

On the bright side, Kunshin is running much faster now. I tried doing a “lighter” install this time and kept the bloatware to a minimum, so at least my efforts weren’t a total loss.

I know you are all just dying to hear of my kidney issues. Sadly, there is no news to report. I’ve had no pain since my ER visit, and I’ve passed no stone to my knowledge. It has either disappeared or is gathering its strength for another attack.

I’ve noticed that my memory of the pain is still quite vivid, so I consider myself on a self-imposed “scared straight” program. My consumption of water has increased dramatically, and I’ve tried to eliminate my intake of carbonated beverages whenever possible. I hate water, but I hate pain and medical bills much worse, so I’ve elected to take the lesser of two evils.

An article I read recently (I’d link you to it if I could fid it again) stated that if you do not drink the recommended eight 8oz. glasses of water a day, you actually feel worse mentally and physically because of “mild dehydration.” Drinking water all day instead of soda also helps you lose weight, since water has no calories and gives you a “full” feeling, whereas sodas are full of calories, and leave you hungry even after you’ve drank several.

I know I could stand to lose a few pounds and feel better, so bring on the Dasani!

Yes, the rumors are true. I went to the ER around 11:00am Thursday morning with massive lower back pain. After two shots of morphine, the pain subsided. An x-ray confirmed my looming suspicions that it was indeed a kidney stone. It is small enough to pass, but large enough to cause a whole world of pain. I say ‘is’ because as of this writing, I’m quite certain it hasn’t passed. Anyway I spent the night at the hospital and was sent home Friday afternoon with a boatload of pain medicine and anti-nausea pills. I have never experienced such pain in my life, and I’ve been told it’s up there with childbirth. I have since developed a deeper respect for the mothers of the world.

And so I sit here now waiting for the moment that the stone decides to unleash another round of hellish fury. I have a feeling that it’s waiting for that opportune moment: just when I think I’m home free, just when I’m doing something important, just when my pain medicine is hopelessly out of reach. I know it’s in there right now, plotting my demise. It knows that I can only sit here and drown in terrible dread, and that I have yet to suffer the true power of pain that a 3mm rock can wield.

Okay, enough of that…