AOL/Blogger Oopsies

I've recently noticed that the AOL/Blogger transition didn't go as smoothly as I originally thought. Many of my older entries were pretty beat up in the move, and I've spent a few hours over the weekend getting pictures, links, and fonts back in order. So far 2004, 2005, and 2006 are 'done' - with the exception of two entries I couldn't completely fix. I'm still grateful to Blogger for getting the job done last year, but it pisses me off that (literally) scores of scrapbook entries were mauled. If I hadn't gone looking for an old entry and spotted the problem . . .

At any rate, it was neat to see the growth of this blog. On the negative end of the ledger, I loathe the stiff formality of the very first entries, the ridiculous need I felt to apologize whenever I posted something "lite", and of course, damn my soul for ever using "LOL" within a post.

On the other hand I've recorded reams of memories that would long since be lost to time, and hopefully made a nice scrapbook for the kids. Without question my writing has sharpened and improved over the years, and because of it this site had a big role in getting me the Journal gig. Best of all, I've made some great aquintances via Slapinions, and at least one good friend.

Looking over the 1000 plus entires I think one of the best decisions I made was to bump politics off to a side stage. On the web you either wind up with a dedicated core of Ditoheads (on the Left as often as on the Right), in which case you're preaching to the choir, or you swing the other way and dissolve into a mess where every post, no matter how benign, is greeted with a 100 comment battle between readers on each side of the aisle.

Hell to the no. I can't imagine how angry this site (and its author) would have become if the original focus had continued. Honestly, if that was my internet, then Al Gore could have it back. ;)

Anyway, now all I have to do is go through the 2007 and '08 entries and double-check them. And then I need to find a way to fix those two posts I mentioned. They're rather important ones too - one of Lu's birthdays, and a post I did in the Bahamas. I've got some ideas about how the pictures got messed up, and if I'm right I should be able to fix it.

Ah, I almost forgot - I haven't mentioned this before have I? - Photobucket removed a picture of Smiley because it violated their TOS. Bullshit, through and through. It was a picture of an infant Smiley as he took a bath. I don't think it even showed his man-bits, but apparently some random websurfer in the last few months came across the post and flagged me on Photobucket. There's no review or appeal process, so bye-bye picture.

Heck, most of you probably saw it three years ago, as there were comments on the post. Whatever. I've gone ahead and trimmed the text of the post to eliminate any mention of it, but memo to the Unknown Assh*le: instead of flagging pictures of infants taking a bubble bath, how about you get rid of the zillions of soft-porn worthy pics on Photobucket?

Or better yet, keep your shitty little censorship loving hands out of everyone's business.