Test, Testier, Testiest
I tried but failed to upload a photo to Wordpress. I suspect it doesn’t like the look of my face. For my part I’m not looking kindly at Wordpress’s infuriating, insolent bum-slap of a logo either. In the meantime, I have opened a Flickr account and will add more photos as I get them transferred to Wocky (my laptop, my friend). For the moment here is the test shot of Problem Child the 1st and me that I used to get my Flickr up and running.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38108740@N00/
Today I have been learning how to take photos from my husband’s ‘puter and transfer them to mine. That was easy. Flickr is easy. Wordpress is a git.
Also, you might be interested to know that the hills around our town are ablaze. We have ash falling all around like snow and the sky is peculiar.
I am in a bad mood.
Off to play with Flickr for a bit.
Update: Flickr is the anti-Wordpress. So easy, so free (!) so very, very linkable! I am abandoning, for the moment, the putting of pictures onto Wordpress, and am laying my cap before Flickr. I’ve added the link to my sidebar in a zippy now-I’m-a-big-picture-now-I’m-a-wee-picture-again button that they have made. I’ll add more photos as and when my competence allows.
September 19th, 2006 at 8:02 am
I use both WP and Flickr and I can sympathise…I’m sorry WP hates you so very much – if you ever need me to come and beat it with a spare pair of NHS-issue elbow crutches, just give us a shout.
It’s also worth noting that to get my Flickr photos to appear in an “album-like” affair on WordPress, like I do HERE, I downloaded and installed this doo-dah HERE. (Again, if you ever need assistance with anything WP, I’m all yours
… Figuratively speaking, of course!)
September 19th, 2006 at 8:07 am
Hi, Sam! Yay, pictures!
Just out of curiosity, why did you go with Wordpress? Is seems a real PITA, especially when compared with Blogger. You know, at the bottom of the page, it says “problemchildbride.com Blog is proudly powered by WordPress.” Can you not change that to “Sullenly powered by WordPress”? “Reluctantly powered by WordPress”? “Begrudgingly powered by WordPress”? Well, you get the idea.
I was just asking you (over at my place) how you were holding up with the fires. Just all part of the fun here in So Cal, no? Don’t worry, if God was really pissed off, we’d get fires AND earthquakes. And we’d have to evacuate. In the rain. With everyone driving 2 MPH, due to the four raindrops that fell on their windshields.
September 19th, 2006 at 10:54 am
Welcome to the Flickr world…it is fun!
I’m Silver Birch Sprite in Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birchsprite/
September 19th, 2006 at 11:59 am
The pictures are wonderful, thanks for sharing them. The one with you and pc2 eskimo kissing nearly brought a tear to my eye and I’m a hardened old cynic! Aaaw cute.
It looks like you have a beautiful view, hope the fire doesn’t spoil it. Don’t worry about wordpress, everybody seems to have a love hate relationship with it!
G+t should do the trick or a glass of kir.
September 19th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Yikes, those are some frighteningly cute children. Love the eskimo kissing. I do that with my smallest niece, the others are too cool for school nowadays.
September 19th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
Surprisingly, you look much as I expected you would. And you’re so thin! (You bitch!) Sorry, where was I? I would have been surprised if you’d had a huge bosom and a fag hanging out of an overlipsticked mouth and Kincaid prints on the walls. Other bloggers have sent me their pictures and they invariably do not fit in with how I pictured them. Meaning that you are either very talented at communicating or that you are simply a good looking woman with very cute kids.
September 19th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
Nice photos. Good looking kids. Well done.
Cheers.
September 19th, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Claire, thanks for that. you’re a star. I’ll look into it after coffee #2 this morning.
Birchsprite, I love your photos – they’re transporting. That boat one on the the beach in Sri Lanka especially.
Tattieheid, you big soppy you,
the smoke is clearing today but there was a layer of ash all over the car this morning and if you stay outside for longer than a few minutes it looks like you have a dandruff complaint serious enough for people not to meet your eye. Last night the fire was only 15% contained but they say the wind overnight pushed it back onto itself. It’s not getting any nearer Ojai anyway. And the girls could go to pre-school this morning.
fmc, I have taking to eskimo kissing like there’s no tomorrow because the rate at which they are growing is truly alarming and I know that one day, possibly after many awkward years of not wanting to hurt my feelings, they will brush me (their loving mammy!) away with a languid “Oh mother, puhlease!” Carpe eskimoum is my working rule.
Emma, it’s funny when you finally get to see what a blogger pal looks like. I very often have somebody completely different in mind and the images I have are usually of larger than life almost cartoonish figures. F’rinstance my pal Doc. Maroon looks like Brian Blessed and Foot Eater looks like a strange cross between Will Self and Dave Eggars in a blood-smeared white coat. In the end though, I like to see what people really look like because we all look pretty normal and ordinary and love to ponder on the fact that behind the ordinary faces you see in the town or the park or wherever there is such a wealth of fascinating thought. I guess Hollywood suggested to be me early on that remarkable people have remarkable faces or bodies or whatever. Of course I head-knew that was a load of old rubbish but some shallow part of me took some small part of that on board – the upshot of that though is the delicious realization that behind the ordinary faces in the street, the world is richer and kinder and more thoughtful than I’d ever supposed and now when I look at people I look a lot harder and try to imagine what kind of a blog they would have! Of course there are also more vitriolic and wierd and hateful minds out there too, as a brief foray into blogland will teach anyone who goes for a scamper around it, and some of those look very mild sorts of people indeed. I really believe that the blog revolution has allowed regular people to peep around inside other regular people’s heads in a way we couldn’t do so easily before. To me that’s constantly surprising and amazing. What they choose to reveal is controlled obviously but if you ehang around with any particular blogger for long enough you get a pretty good sense of them. The whole thing is just so rich with thoughts and ideas and human hopes and fears. It’s like the ultimate people watching but with a chance to see inside their heads before you see their faces. I know i make judgments good and badbased on people’s appearances, I can’t seem to help it, I just do. This seems a good way around some of that. I know that I’d love to go on an enormous night out with all my blog mates but we can’t and there is also a poignancy in that which is kind of compelling.
Right, i’ve blethered on about the joys of blogging for too long now. I’ll give it a rest now. I will say though to people that don’t blog, give it a whirl. Really. A lot of my pals think it’s a bunch of saddos and wierdos diarizing their each and every internal moment in tedious, earnest angst. You do come across that sometimes, but maybe only about 1/10 of the time which I’m guessing is the percentage of such people in the general population and we all know who they are anyway. They are people like Maud in accounts who can’t seem to find the right man because she lost herself by the water-cooler years ago and didn’t notice. And Marvin from down the road who will willfully ignore the yawns all around him as he expounds his theories of what’s wrong with everything today, because he considers himself smarter than everyone else in the room, when very often, it is the people who aren’t going purple and carrying on who have the most valuable things to say on the topic. I fear at times I have been the saddo bore but in Blogland, noone is held hostage to anyone else’s rhetoric. You visit someone’s site because you want to, not to be polite. It’s very liberaating and it is one of the best ways I know to connect with people all over the world on your own terms. You get comfy with it pretty quick.
Right off to have a bit of a shut up for a while before someone points out the Marvin From Down The Road similarities to my sorry self.
September 19th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
Hey Rand, thanks. We crossed. Are you back amongst us again? How’s work? Is it a nice juicy case? Can you talk about it?
September 19th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
You are incredibly good looking but not how I imagined you. Which is ok, apart from the fact, you are who you are, words or text never create real pictures.
I dread to think how my photo would come out! It is nice to be able to put a face to the words though so thank you again!
September 19th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
PCB, you’re welcome – if it all goes tits up with the plugin, you know where to find me
…
I must admit that I too, was surprised by your photos and did expect someone of caricature-proportions to be the author of the piece, as opposed to the “nice lady up the road with the cute babies” that appeared before me. But you know what? I like the fact that you don’t resemble your works of fiction (‘cuz I’d be most concerned if you did!
)
This conversation reminds me of the similar thing that came up when I first voice-posted, its curious how our minds take it upon themselves to fill in the gaps (and get it all wrong), isn’t it?
September 19th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
Yay, verily, I have returned. Alas, I’m still swamped but my mental health requires some blogging. I’ve been at home today working on a fire case to the MEGO (my eyes glaze over) point.
Thanks for checking in.
Cheers.
September 20th, 2006 at 3:02 am
What loverly children! And what a beautiful mommy.
Its a shame you’ve alread consumed the youngest.
September 20th, 2006 at 5:17 am
Hi, Sam! I hope this comment goes through; I put one in here last night, but no go. Just assume that it was incredibly brilliant; the wittiest thing I’ve ever said.
Glad to see you’ve survived the fires okay. Don’t worry, if God was really mad at us here in So Cal, we’d get fires AND earthquakes. And when we were forced to evacuate, it would start drizzling, and everyone would go 2 MPH, due to the four raindrops that had splashed on their windshields. Gotta love So Cal, huh?
September 20th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Hope your mood is brighter, the hills not quite so alive, the air no longer filled with ash, and all is generally well in your world! Excellent job in posting the photos…admire your bravery and your technical prowess. I will side with those who have already proclaimed that your image does in fact fit your voice to a tee.
September 20th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
I didn’t have a face – just a Sam with a warm Scottish aura around you. You and the children look lovely. Pleased to meet you!
September 21st, 2006 at 2:08 am
Sam, SO CUTE! Look at you! Your children! I somehow did not picture you so young and attractive and my God, the bone structure! Of course I only love you for your writing and inner beauty and selflessness and dazzling wit.
But my God, the bone structure.
September 21st, 2006 at 4:40 am
that.. SUCKS!
but damn you’ve got a couple of freakin’ adorable girls! ADORABLE!
September 21st, 2006 at 7:09 am
Tattieheid and Claire. These pictures are only my kicking back look, you know. By day I DO really dress in wasp-waisted crinolene dresses with an immaculate bouffant and spotless pinnie. I do, I do. I wasn’t making it up…Wait!…Come back…!
Ran’, the blogging world probably saves this country millions in therapy bills each year. It’s one of the best ways this housewife has to relax and connect with people. Some people’s sites, especially political ones, are so angry you fear for what they might do if they didn’t write it all out to the simultaneously all-hearing and deaf internet.
SafeT, you big You, you. Eh? Nope, I don’t get it even when I read it again. Eh?
Fat Sparrow, got the comment thing sorted out so with luck Aksimet won’t get you again. I’ve only felt one earthquake in California since I’ve been here. I was pregnant at the time and standing by the sink feeling ill. At first i thought it was the pregnancy wobbles and that I might be blacking out, but then I turned and saw the light fixtures swaying. Very odd. I was sick moments afterwards which after a morning of queasiness without actually being able to throw up so it was a relief. I put it down to motion sickness tipping me over Billious Hill and into the Vale of Vomit. Sweet relief and toothpaste.
September 21st, 2006 at 7:31 am
Joel. The fires are abating, thanks for asking. I wasn’t sure about posting the kids but thought I’d start off with baby photos of them and see if I can’t get bolder. I think it’s a bit of a daft, overblown fear but I’m naturally cautious. The Problem Husband’s not keen on photos of himself going up. i don’t care. So for a bit, it might just be me and the giirls as babies. I did think about putting some less domestic, tired mummy pictures up. Shots at parties, weddings and such when I’ve made some kind of an effort or brushed my hair at least. But this is how I look and dress most of the time, (unkempt and pale in california: land of polished bronzed women), so i thought I’d post the more honest version. If I’m really honest I could have picked some far worse ones but I love and value my visitors here, so I went with benign, workaday, not too grinny piccies. And ones where I don’t have spots.
Pat and Mom 101, thank you, sweet ladies. I’ve see both you lovely things on your blogs and I thoroughly agree, we’re all splendid!
Sarah, welcome. We have loads of mutual blogbuddies, you know. Thanks for coming by!
September 21st, 2006 at 7:40 am
To All, you’re right, the girls are very cute but wait ’til I put some foot-stamping tantrum shots up, which you can actually even hear as well as see, such is the pierciness of their screaming. Not nearly as adorable. It’s like what happened to the gremlins. It was the 3s for us rather than the Terrible 2s. Two was fine so we were smug and complacent going into the threes. We soon learnt our mistake. Oh hohoho, yes. Now they’re 4 and heaps better. Of course I have aged five years in one. I gather it’s part of the brief though, so that’s OK.
September 21st, 2006 at 9:55 am
I’ve found that they are at their best between the ages of 7 and 10. They’re old enough to sort themselves out most of the time and you can generally have a pretty good conversation with them, while at the same time puberty hasn’t kicked in yet, so everything you say and do isn’t stupid.
September 21st, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Sam, you remind of a trapeze artist with your lean, athletic body. You do look a bit tired though. The cute little she-cubs must have been keeping you awake. I hope things are better now that they’re older. I worry about your lack of sleep.
September 21st, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Phwoar.
September 21st, 2006 at 5:22 pm
Kim, I love age 4. Everything is wide-eyed amazement and questions and logic taken to its most absurd – but still logical somehow – conclusion. And they still want to cuddle and they still want their mammy around all the time. But, you know, it’s also nice in the morning when they’re off at pre-school. Peace. Coffee. A book. It makes me think about having another one sometimes. The Problem Husband isn’t having any of it though; the girls were a complicated scary birth and a lunatic first year for me. He’s right, I know it. It’s being greedy considering all the incredible good luck we had with the tiddlers. At one time outcomes and even survival were not looking all that rosy. We’d be pushing our luck with another one and it wouldn’t be easy to come by either. We conceived last time using IVF.
Mr Nanas, my hairy friend, you are a sweet, sweet simian to worry about my lack of sleep. I’m fine and strong and healthy despite my appearance which is really just a product of being an Outer Hebridean. Back home the people are so pale I am considered to have a ruddy glow.
Footles, you’re way too old for them you know so just keep your eyes off, you hear. Besides I know how you men are about twins. There’s one fella sniffing around them at preschool already. He’s only 4 but all you men are alike. I read that in a magazine. If one of them were to come to me in 27 years telling me she wants to mary a man 30 odd years her senior, why I’d… Well I’d be in a bit of a quandary wouldn’t I?
September 21st, 2006 at 5:30 pm
I meant of course in 17 years. In 27 years they’ll be on their own and with any luck keeping me in crinoline, gin and erotic novels. If one of them wanted to marry Elton John I’d just have to nod and smile and try not to outdo his hat at the wedding.
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:16 am
Sam I wondered how you kept so pale and interesting in California. I love pale. We gels would love to know any beauty secrets.
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:21 am
I’ve just remembered why. It’s the Scarlett O’ Hara syndrome. She would have died rather than have a tan. You could have played her. And you remind me a little of Geraldine Fitzgerald.; bit of her and a bit of Vivien. You lucky blighter!
September 22nd, 2006 at 6:41 pm
Pat, the Californian authorities won’t let me outside in strong sunshine. The sun glancing off my white limbs creates glare and dazzles passing drivers, causing accidents apparantly. I’ve blinded quite a few keen-eyed birds of prey too, I’m afraid. Still, gives the rabbits a sporting chance.
It’s interesting you say Vivien Leigh (and also very, very kind and generous, I might add! Were you looking at these pictures in unusually dim light by any chance?) because I was reading the other day that she was a bipolar-bear too. Maybe we have a “look” in common – you know, nostrils flared, showing the whites of our eyes too much, and dribbling or something
I couldn’t be doing with a bustle though.
You are so very sweet and kind Pat.
September 22nd, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I do hate to disillusion you Sam,
At age 17 they will be too interested in other things and their only interest in your drinking habits will be “is it going to embarass them?”
At age 27 their interest may extend . If they have children the question will be ” can she stay sober long enough to look after them?” If they don’t have children themselves it will be “Mom he doesn’t love me enough” or “meet my 3rd/4th/5th husband, isn’t he cute/better than the previous” (generally no).
By the time they are closer to 40 they might have more interest in your gin, crinolene novels and erotica, in the hope you will move out/into supported accomodation and one or other will geta nice wee palace. failing which they will sell up and split the money!
Told you I’m an old cynic, forgot to mention, an experienced old cynic!
I’m sure they will look after they’re old mother in their old age. But you got a wee bit to go yet!
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:13 pm
> Testiest
now, now! we’ll have no testeism HERE, thank you very much. equal opportunity for all. even testes.
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:19 pm
oh
P.S.
if you want to post teh actual PHOTO itself directly visible in your blog, you need to do 2 things:
1. in the particular Photo’s page, click on the “All Sizes” button immediately above the actual photo
2. in the next screen, click around till you get a size that you’re happy with (on the page and in terms of how many KB it is), then click in the TextBox immediately below the Photo, labelled “If you want to link this photo…copy and paste this html into your webpage”
and then you’re golden
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:22 pm
e.g. (hope this works in a Comments Box)
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:23 pm
nope. but try it in an actual Post and it’ll work
September 23rd, 2006 at 3:39 am
I uploaded some pics to FlickR but I can’t figure out how to post the gallery to the sidebar. I’m such an idiot.
Or maybe, I’ve had too many beers.
Cheers.
September 23rd, 2006 at 8:07 am
How in God’s name did I ever manage it? Oh yes! My grand-daughter we hare. BTW I use Picasa – geven gratis with my scanner.
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:09 am
My grand-daughter was here even – and Picasa was given gratis ( it was 8am).
Sam the common factor with Vivien ( one of my heroes) is perceived fragility. Nurture it!
September 23rd, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Dear Ms Childbride, may I call you Problem?
Dear Problem,
first off, I’m not a vindictive man, ask anyone, and I?ll say now they?re lovely snaps of your fine children and yourself, and I’m sorry about the ash falling upon you and yours. I know that must be a worry.
Nice kids and you?re not so slack yourself, if I may say so.
BUT, “how very dare you madam!”, I thought to myself, when a member of our Club the “Bee Eater Respect Kudos Society” brought your scurrilous, unfounded, libellous and quite scurrilous article on Bee Eaters to my attention.
None of those allegations were ever proved in a COURT of LAW, and at the time caused great agitation to Mrs Bee Eater and the hatchlings, young Apiasters minor and minimus.
We?ve had a MEETING about it (I was chairman) and we?ve agreed you must withdraw OR pay up your membership, what is in arrears.
Regards.
September 23rd, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Pat I always thought that Ms Leigh was a strong spitfire type. She never struck me as fragile.
She was certainly very beautiful and could act the pants off anyone around today. But then, most of them could.
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:31 pm
Tattieheid, you make it all sound like such fun! Would it be more efficient just to start on the gin now?
Saltation, welcome! And thank you for taking the time to help solve my technical imbecility. Be warned though: others have tried. There’s a ward full of previously healthy, generous-hearted souls, now rendered lunatics, murmering “Why wouldn’t she learn? Why?” somewhere in a California treatment programme. They won’t allow me any further contact with them or I’d send them grapes or something. It makes me feel bad. We passed some testes marching for equal-rights for scrota today, would you believe. At least I thought they were testes. My friend thought they were just dicks.
Rand’, I know exactly the feeling you describe.
Pat, never worry, I can’t spell ’til at least 9am. Curiously I’m better after a drink or two before getting awful again very quickly. But fragility? Never! I’m made of good strong Hebridean stuff. Nothing phases me, except maybe more front-page headlines about Uncle Murchaidh and the sheep. *Shame*.
Doccy M, the strong spitfire type accounts for roughly 40% of my waking hours; a short afternoon nap and I’m re-energised for more death-defying loop-the-loops before tea. The rest of the time I’m as mild as a lamb, but a lamb of steel, mind. I’m strong as the proverbial ox and I leave the ox in the dust when it comes to the spectacular flaring of nostrils (a sign of strength and vigour and the need for great gusts of air).
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Never too early to start on the gin!
It was fun.
But careful with the flaring nostrils if you are into eskimo kissing.
September 24th, 2006 at 12:01 am
Sam — Just wait ’til you get a real earthquake; the kind that shakes you out of bed, knocks your socks off, and drops a lamp on your head.
How are you doing with the fires? We heard on the news that they turned direction, and were headed back toward you, and were only 35% contained, on top of that.
We’ve got the Santa Anas kicking up here, out by us. Blech, there goes my sinuses. Must be time for more Vitamin C, in the form of Bloody Marys.
September 24th, 2006 at 8:45 am
Sam amd Doc: don’t you EVER listen? I said PERCEIVED fragility. I am sure both Viv and Sam are/ were steel butterflies. And then there is Audrey too. You’re right Doc – Viv could act rings round most folk and was a supreme film actress where not only was she not evershadowed by Lord Larry but could teach him a thing or two.
Vivien was fragile mentally, in that she could be pushed over into insanity.
Hope I don’t sound cross – I’m not.