So, I've been bad at blogging for this software test. I think the main reason is that right now, being unemployed and about to get married, my days are filled with working out, watching TV, reading lots of random stuff online and dealing with wedding stuff.

None of which I think are particularly interesting blog material.

However, I am planning are starting up some mini-projects for the purpose of learning some programming stuff, and I will write about that when I get started.

 7/29/2010; 7:20:37 PM.   .

So after all the bitching and stressing and whining about my family, they actually behaved themselves.

Yes, my dad ate ALL my Cheez-Its. But I'm the one who made a mess in the kitchen trying to whip up pinapple-vodka smoothies.

Yes, there was a 'situation' in Old Navy with my mom. Really, making me parade around the store in every single pair of jeans and shorts she could dig up was unecessary. But also, really funny.

I was amazed at how much has changed. My parents accepting my relationship with husband-elect. My brother, who was twelve when I moved out, is now seventeen! My mom managed to get through the entire week without lecturing me about smoking. Or about drinking. Or about...

Even better, over the weekend, I got to meet some of the missing members of the Taylor clan. What an amazing, fun bunch of people.

Drama? None. Wine? Plenty. Even the 6 month old baby was reaching for the champagne bottles. A true Taylor. :P

I can't wait to visit my Jersey relatives again. I can't wait for the next family reunion.

 7/22/2010; 11:39:27 AM.   .

My cousin is getting married this weekend.

Because of this, my family will be in town for almost a whole week. It gets complicated; 4 people with unique schedules will be staggering in and out of La Guardia airport at various points throught the week.

We are also seeing a lot of family members who until now have just been names and dates on a family tree. This prompts a lot of digging through family history, gossip, and rumors.

Oh, the drama.

A big topic of conversation has been my own upcoming nuptials. Such as they are.

The conversation goes something like this: someone proposes a change to the plans I've already made. Change of date, change of venue, whatever. I say, NO. Someone feels unloved and unappreciated. I feel bad about this, but there is a reality here that I have to fight to hold on to: This is MY wedding. The only person who has to be happy with it is me. And husband elect.

Oh, families. Gotta love 'em.

 7/14/2010; 1:25:55 AM.   .

Just a quick test.

 7/10/2010; 10:57:04 PM.   .

For the past couple of days, it has been unbearably hot. I have actually been outside when the tempurature was over 100 degrees. I'm from Florida, and that is ridiculous.

Add to that, ConEd apparently can't handle electrcity demands in the city. The company is requesting that people turn off appliances and turn down air conditioners. Sorry Connie, your inability to provide electricity sounds like a case of "not my problem."

Meanwhile, for some reason, I can't get cold water in my apartment. Do you know what I want most after running 4 miles in this weather?

Blame it on natural climate change or man-made global warming, I don't care. Just make it not this hot.

 7/7/2010; 2:30:15 PM.   .

I've been thinking about why it is exactly that I dislike the use of tables for web site structure.

Some of it has to do with the way I was taught to build web sites, but I should hope I'm smart enough to discard biased teaching. As for standards...that's a discussion for another day.

I think it has more to do with my personal preference.

When I started building web sites (in middle school, that's more than 10 years ago now!) tables for structure were the standard. I hated it. Remembering all the tds and trs and what cell was supposed to do what...it was really frustrating. And, now that I think back on it, limiting.

I learned CSS in college, and it changed the way I thought about building websites. Even with stupid incompatible browsers, designing and building a website is much easier using divs. I can make them do anything I want. And the box model is not as limiting as tables were.

I have seen some correlation between types of programmers and acceptance of tables for web design. Front-end programmers (like myself, mostly) seem to have a visceral, horrified response. Back-end programmers seem not to care much. This is just personal observation.

I have a question for Dave though: Why are you so down on web standards?

 7/4/2010; 7:44:28 PM.   .

Instead of joining the UnThursdayians for dinner as I normally do, I went to hang out with a friend who lives nearby.

I had tacos at San Loco, tested the night settings on my new camera, and watched a movie.

We also decided to go running in Central Park together on a daily basis, along with another friend of mine.

I'm writing this post to show husband-elect how awesomely geeky I am.

Testing edit function and log page....

 7/2/2010; 1:23:36 AM.   .

Today I was seriously unproductive.

I woke up at 10:30 a.m. I watched some TV. I spent some time looking up free fitness classes online. But I didn't work out.

I finally realized I was starving around 2 p.m. But I couldn't make anything to eat because there are SO MANY DIRTY DISHES!

So I washed them.

Then I slapped a steak the size of my head on the George Foreman. I made mashed potatoes from a box. With extra milk and salt. I heated up some gravy, opened the Foreman and put everything on a plate.

Finally, I could eat.

It was delicious.

 7/1/2010; 8:04:55 PM.   .

This is a test. I repeat, this is only a test.

See?

 7/1/2010; 7:54:13 PM.   .