A quick catch-up on doings here in answer to some oft-asked questions, and some important, but not so oft-repeated questions or statements ...
1. Is everything okay with you?
Yes; I’m just pretty busy with a variety of things at the moment. Also, our satlink has gotten more unreliable with the cold weather we’re having, meaning that we’re frequently offline under certain conditions, and somewhat crippled when we are online.

2. What have you been up to, since you’re not blogging as much?
Lots of things, but mostly enjoying myself with the snolfs and MAL, and working on our migration to a new software platform here. Greymatter is becoming increasingly obsolete; and between that and some problems with the software that I haven’t been able to fix myself (nor get help for in their forums), it’s past time to upgrade.

3. When will commenting resume?
When we roll over the blog to our new software. We’ll be using Drupal, and we’re very close to being ready to go live with the blog portion of the redesigned web site. We’ll be able to moderate comments, which means that comment spam should never again see the light of day here. Switching to a CMS (content management system) should also improve other functions, such as monitoring for new comments on posts. We’ll also have categories and a search function that should make it easier for visitors to find content in the archives.

The details of how the rollover will happen are still being worked out, but the general plan is to get all the inevitable bugs worked out with the front page first. Then we’ll work on older blog entries; then the static pages.

This project has languished for a very long time, mostly because of my inattention. I’m very happy that we’re close to wrapping it up. I’m also extremely pleased with the pro-freedom tech guru I chose to help me with the process. He’s helped me every step of the way, from researching candidates to installing several for evaluation, to helping me understand databases and PHP a little; and has done so uncomplainingly—even when I let the project lapse with no warning for months at a time. I recommend him without reservation. If you have a similar project and would like competent assistance from one of The Family, let me know and I’ll make introductions.

4. When will I be able to order candies again?
It’s been very frustrating for me, that I’ve not been able to get things together sufficiently to get that button back up! I’m working on a better structure for ordering, as well as offering more items, plus development of a separate web site devoted to my fledgling business. That said, if you want some treats, just email me and we can almost certainly work something out. I very much appreciate your business, and all the positive, and helpful feedback I’ve received on the caramels and truffles. (For those of you who’ve been promised packages, they should be on their ways this week.)

5. How’s your Six Small Steps system working now that the snolfs are there?
Well, it’s probably obvious that they’re getting a lot of my time, so I won’t try to fudge and say everything’s perking along as smoothly as before they got here. However, because of the structure of the steps, I can truthfully say that I am still accomplishing a satisfactory amount each day—it just isn’t as much as before. And that is a little frustrating ... but instead of focusing on that, I’m focusing on the positives: my children are here and we’re all pretty happy about that; and I am making progress on several important projects while enjoying the bulk of each day.

6. When will you be writing more about the Six Small Steps?
Probably not for a while. Some snarky email leads me to think I’ve overdone it a bit; and I’ve an idea for a better means of presenting the information that I’ll be exploring soon.

7. How are you liking Linux?
Quite a bit, although in fairness, I still haven’t had a lot of time for digging in deeply. MAL has helped me with a few tweaks, and I was able to properly install, by myself, all my fonts from my old machine on my first attempt. I finally let go of my security blankie—the old machine—and MAL transformed it into a Kubuntu box for the snolfs. They’re liking “Pengy Power” (as they call Linux) too, although I suspect that’s mostly because of the wide variety of games available. They were both interested in the OS installation process, and were asking a lot of questions, so we’re hopeful they’ll explore and start learning how to customize the machine themselves.

8. You’re being silly/naïve/wingnutty with all this positive thinking talk. Positive thinking doesn’t cure diseases/heal wounds/repeal the laws of nature.
I don’t believe I ever asserted that thinking positively is a cureall. However, I’m pretty sure some research does show that positive thinking can help a body’s healing. More to the point, however, is what appears to be a couple of beliefs underlying these comments: first, that positive thinking is futile; and second, that it’s irrational.

I can understand how a person with a fundamentally pessimistic way of being could conclude that positive thinking is useless; but I wonder if an individual so configured could ever give it a fair test. And I don’t mean just choosing something to think positively about; I wonder if such an individual could set aside that negative perspective well enough to try a positive context, let alone acknowledge any benefit from it. For the rest of us, though, it should be easy enough to test: give it a sincere try. If you want more structure for your effort, please see Magick for Materialists, which I found via a Jomama link. The few times I have tried this approach (or rather, something like, as I’ve never sat and written my want out as described), it has worked. That piece also contains a good explanation of why it works. I don’t expect it to persuade those who are part of the “Happy to be Unhappy” crowd, though.

That article also highlights what I thought was an obvious prerequisite for positive thinking to be effective: it must be based in reality. Of course thinking something like “I can escape gravity without technological assistance” isn’t going to work. But something like “I weigh 150 pounds” can work. And while positive thinking approaches do not directly affect others’ thoughts or behavior, by altering one’s own thinking, one can change, to some degree, how others think of and respond to one.

9. When are you going to get back to the freedom/anarchist content here?
While it’s true that my ramblings have been more personal of late, I don’t think that necessarily means they aren’t relevant to freedom. As my own focus has shifted away from political systems and activism to personal efficacy and interactions, so has my writing. I’m sure I’ll occasionally comment on various idiocies, though, such as this story found at The Boondocks: NFL Wants To Remind You That Having People Over To Watch The Super Bowl On A Big Screen Is Copyright Infringement. The headline alone killed my remaining interest in professional football. More evidence that you can’t eat your Intellectual Property cake and have it, too.