Blog

I’ve never gone through a longer internet process. Seriously. 

I decided to stop hosting my own servers.  Frankly it was keeping me from blogging as I knew I needed to update the server and going through that yet again wasn’t worth it. 

I started out hosting a web server at my house using dial up.  I got an opportunity to move the server to a server farm, oh, years ago, and at the same time, starting hosting for other people.  Well, I really got into before that — you see, I used to be one of the FIDO nodes in the dallas area.  People used to dial up to my computer and leave messages and stuff for each other. 

Anyway, I used to host other domains through the internet server and it probably kept me from paying as much as I could have.  I also ran a couple of email lists, mainly for click training called click-l and still have though domain and am hosting it through Jing. I do need to work at making that self supporting, but it does take some energy.

So right now, I have several domains — kweaver.us which I have hosted at a free verio site.  It’s a Windows server but the server itself doesn’t always work and doesn’t have good support.

I also have our high school domain, and it is also hosted at the free verio site. 

I’ve always used kweaver.org for blogging and email.  I have had my class website at kweaver.net.  I’ve moved it to a cheaper windows server rather than a reseller, and am playing with Visual Basic on it, using it and kweaver.us as a staging area for the high school website.

That brings us to last weekend.  I decided to kill the reseller website, and move kweaver.org to the place who hosts my email.  I REALLY like having an exchange account and these people do a good job of getting me my exchange stuff.  It means that I can get to my email, calendar, etc, from any computer including my Windows Mobile phone.  I really find the service worth what I pay for it.

So I’m back and up — it took a FULL 5 days to happen.  I initiated the transfer on Saturday, and it finally completed a few hours ago. 

In other words, don’t transfer your domain name unless you absolutely have to.  But having it this way makes it a no brainer and DNS stuff always makes my head hurt.

Got the school’s inventory done, uploaded and marked completed.  I’ll have to modify it when we take out my old computers but it’s done.

I’m waiting on the principal to sign up on a form so I can send it in and get paid for the Fall.  I get an extra $1000 for the pain and suffering.

So know I work on day to day stuff again, and finish getting my lab ready for the new computers.  They are slated for the 17th and haven’t heard anything different yet.

I’ve asked the Asst. Principal to get a sub and asked the librarians to do a web lesson with.  I also have the furniture rearranged so all that is left is to move out the old stuff, clean off the tables, stack the chairs, and mark where I want stuff.  All good.

Got to school early and repaired the phone line I cut.  I bought 2 50 foot phone cords and a couple and it’s perfect as I can put the phone anywhere in the room where I want it.  I used to strangle myself with the stupid phone, it was always in the way, etc. so I am really happy with the new solution.

Just as I am about to get breakfast, the principal calls an emergency, drop everything meeting.  His boss was there to tell us the procedure to get new principal and that we don’t have an interium yet.  <snarl>

The good news is that I worked hard on inventory and got all of the portables walked (I had half done), and all of the missing rooms done but the longest hall.  I know we can get it knocked out tomorrow.  I went to do evil department chairs room and she kicked me out.

ROTC is having a big inspection Monday, and they needed a website up for points.  So I got one that one of their kids wrote and added it to the school website.  Recompiled and uploaded it and isn’t working.  Published it to http://www.kweaver.net and it works fine.  Got to be server problem and there are messages in the support forums about it.  Hopefully it will get fixed soon.

At least it wasn’t I did this time.

And if I don’t get into the evil person’s room, I’ll upload the inventory, mark it active, report her to everyone who will listen and get on with my life.

Oh and all the Pre/AP teacher lost their tutoring pay.

I should explain the Day 2 out of 19.  We have 19 days – 3 weeks — before Christmas break.  I have to do technology inventory and get all new equipment in my lab by then.  Well, the equipment comes on the 17th.

Today wasn’t as bad, but I decided to take out the huge chunk of non-working network cable.  It was on the floor in the way of my students.  I also decided to remove the extension cords.  I am a smart child, and since I couldn’t get the cords to go through the "speed bump", I decided to chop off one of the ends and pull it through.  Again, being smart, I cut them off at the plug, knowing they weren’t plugged in. 

So I brought a set of wire cutters to school and preceded to chop.   The extension cords were a bit difficult but got there.  There were about 30 network cables in the harness, so I had to chop them one by one.  I started, got about 10 done and thought, huh, wondering if I am gong to disconnect my phone.  Sure enough it was one of the first chopped. 

Thus, I had to stop at Home Depot and get telephone cable on the way home.  Not sure how much so got two 50 foot cords and a coupler.  But at least now I can put my phone where I want it.  Closet sounds good, smirk.

On of my favorite department members sent me an email with a bunch on numbers on it.  He teachs subject that should be able to do spreadsheet, so I sent him his inventory back and told him to fix it.  He then put a request for network ports to be repaired, and it’s on my desk.  I’ll put a ticket in AFTER inventory.  Even ran into him in the hall, told him his inventory sucked (not in that many words), and when he asked about the ticket said, "oh, sorry, I have to have the inventory done first."  Hasn’t worked yet, but we’ll see.

Second floor is finished.  I’ve got half of the portables.  I am hoping my student and I can finish portables tomorrow and start on the first floor.

So 17 days to go.

I got to school having trouble breathing, partly because of the inventory, partly because of the new lab installation and the meeting after school and partly because of the 8:00 am emergency meeting.

Emergency faculty meetings from this principal are never good, and I was expecting bad news.  They alway means someone is leaving, usually for a promotion.  It also means we aren’t getting a replacement any time soon.  By the way, we’ve averaged about 3 per year getting promoted out of the building, so it really wasn’t unexpected.

My principal is now Superintendent of West ISD.  Somewhere around Waco.  You see, his dad was super in a small district and he got a lot of really good opportunities because of it.  He’d told me at summer school years ago, that this is why he was working towards the Super certificate.  I did do some major work on his final project.

So I’m glad he went out and got what he wanted.  BUT he was one of three good principals we’ve had.  we had one bad one and one evil one. 

By the way, someone sent the new guy to tell me that the evil principal was coming back as intermim.  I need to find out how sent him and kill them.  I also need to teach the new guy to stay out of my room, I don’t need the extra stress now.  I won’t actually kill them, but I will think evil thoughts their way and they really bad things will happen.  Sorry, but this has happened to a lot of people.  I figure the new guy is innocent and doesn’t know better yet. 

So that’s my first couple of hours. 

Oh and by the way, if anyone reading this is in on the conspiracy to keep me from eating during the day, would you please stop?

4th period I worked on the inventory and found out one department chair told her people to send the inventories to HER.  I wouldn’t have a problem with that if

a) she told me

b) she had given me the science department inventories within a reasonable time period, but as of right now their inventories are not in my email and that is 1 week and 1 day late.  And a month after I asked for them initially.

<snarl>

She probably sent the new guy to me.  Don’t worry, I’m already thinking evil thoughts her way.

Got through the afternoon meeting (please, I can read, don’t read your freaking handouts too me), but my biggest question which had been asked in advance had not been addressed until I asked it at the meeting <sigh>

Even got to agility class in time to walk the course.  BUT after I got to the second class my feet were freezing and I couldn’t run any more.

And that’s only the first day out of 19!

The next three weeks are the weeks from hell as I do

a) the inventory

b) get the new equipment installed

c) surviving without a principal