Desultory Thoughts

Today was a wonderful day that I was able to enjoy with my family, as one should (if at all possible) on Christmas day. I’m very grateful for the reason for the season (Jesus Christ) and I also love all the fun traditions that go along with it. I’m not a big fan of the buy-a-gift-for-someone-in-October-or-November-and-don’t-give-it-to-them-until-the-end-of-December tradition. I figure I might as well get some use out of it from October to December! It just loses value (and causes me heartache) all wrapped up under the tree or shoved in a secret hiding spot in the closet for three months. I’m fine with surprises, but that entails actually being surprised! What is the surprise in knowing there is a present for you sitting under the tree? I suppose I’m surprised when I first discover it there…ok, great! Now it’s time to open it!  Yet, I’m not allowed to open it, “Not until Christmas!” my wife tells me. She has learned to keep it an actual surprise until Christmas morning, or she just lets me have my way and get myself stuff for Christmas (and my Birthday since I was born in December) starting several months beforehand. Which is what I did this year when I purchased a membership to Gold’s Gym (the new one in Tooele opens the first day of 2009), a new wedding ring (since I injured my ring finger in a mountain biking accident and my knuckle is permanently bigger as a result), and genetic testing and personal DNA analysis from 23andMe.com.  Heather also surprised (yes, I really didn’t know I was getting it, nor did I expect it which constitues and honest-to-goodness surprise!) me with an R/C helicopter so I’d have something to open on Christmas.

Of all my gifts I’ve enjoyed pouring through my DNA data since I got the results back on December 19th. It’s been absolutely fascinating, if not for the health and traits data then for the ancestry information that it has opened my eyes to. For anyone else that has been tested, you might find it interesting to know that my Paternal Haplogroup is R1b1c10 (also known as R-U152 or S28) and my Maternal Haplogroup is H3. I found out that I’m 100% European (more specifically from Northern Europe) and of all the groups of people from around the world I’m genetically most similar to the Irish.   And the great thing about 23andMe is that they’re constantly updating my information as DNA research uncovers more and more information.  So this will be a gift that keeps on giving!

My children enjoyed Christmas and we were able to hold them off until 7:45 a.m.  We went to the movies this afternoon (one of our Christmas day traditions) and saw Bedtime Stories.  I love to hear Griff laugh and this show got a few good laughs out of him.  I thought it was decent since I was there with my kids.  It’s amazing how seeing your kids get enjoyment out of something makes it all that much more enjoyable for you.

I hope you all enjoyed the time you were able to spend with your families!  I sure enjoyed a relaxing day with my very own family!

I upgraded my WordPress installation a few days ago. I noticed at least one side-effect of the upgrade was that a couple of my posts showed up in the feed as new. My wife brought it to my attention so I thought I’d quickly explain the phenomenon, in case you thought your RSS reader was on the fritz.

Another side effect was that at least one plug-in had to be fixed. If any other WordPress users have WP-Print installed, you’ll notice that when you upgrade to 2.7 it will break. Instructions on the fix can be found here. Actually, I just checked again and noticed that as of December 11 there is a 2.40 version of WP-Print for WordPress 2.7.  Unfortunately, it didn’t show up as an automatic upgrade in the Installed Plugins module.

For anyone contemplating a move to WordPress from Blogger or some other platform, now is the time.  WordPress 2.7 now offers automatic upgrades for the core install.  And just for clarification, WordPress has a standalone install which is what I recommend.  My wife is on WordPress.com (the equivalent of a Blogger.com free blog) and it’s not near as flexible as my standalone install, downloaded from WordPress.org.  The catch with the standalone install is that you have to host your own server or purchase third party hosting.  I use BlueHost and I’ve been extremely happy with them, one of the best prices around, plenty of included features and options, and great up-time.  They’re local, too, which makes it that much better.  I started with WordPress quite some time ago and upgrades were always met with mixed feelings.  I was excited for the new features, but I always dreaded the upgrade process.  Now, I will no longer dread upgrades because it will happen with a click of a button.  WordPress will no longer be for a niche market after 2.7, and I say that with mixed feelings, too.