I started out registering Adsense on my W98 machine and I waited the couple of days Adsense said they needed to approve my site. When the confirmation email never I arrived I asked their forums why?

I finaly have my camera optimized for pictures. I always knew I had a lazy eye but my gosh, I didn't think it was that bad. I took this picture using the self timmer and a 10 second exposure around 6:30pm Monday night. They responded because I stated in my websites Welcome page that the site was still a work in progress. I quickly corrected that and let the forum no, then my W98 computer crashed. I only got this computer up and running 2 weeks ago Saturday. This computer doesn’t have a dedicated Outlook Express license. I’m on a 60 day evaluation and even then I haven’t got that configured yet. There are ways to get free Outlook Express email but as long as I have the evaluation Outlook running I can’t download the free version much less respond to the Adsense conformation email they sent me so I can get this Adsense program up and running to help towards payment for my website hosting etc. That’s the idea. Adsense terms of service contract is really adamant when it comes to even minor violation of there TOS. Understandable. I’m engaged in a discussion now that I hope will straiten out this mess, soon.

We went to bed around 3 am and I wanted to listen to a bit of Coast but they had open lines the first 3am for me. No good. John Burke was on the show last night with George Noory “presented some of the evidence he uncovered during more than 10 years of research that showed a surprising connection between ancient megalithic monuments and agriculture.” And that in itself would have been a great show. George was probably on one of his floating format shows.

Anyway, I tried to get some sleep and I think I got 3 hours getting up to do the cbi thing around 7am. I tried to get some sleep but Anne had the bedroom window opened and that attracted the cats and got them going. They couldn’t get in and out but it was enough to cause a light sleeper lime me some grief. Add to that annoyance Sparky and Pledges were jumping between my head and the headboard of the bead. Add that with Anne trying to get comfortable and it was already closing in around 8:30am I went out to the couch and slept for about 4 hours and woke up at various time to pee and to get the cell phone for my watch and back to the couch. I had my earplugs in, which helped a great deal and I got an extra hour and a half sleep but ended up with a soar neck.

Last night by accident I stumbled across Pure Speculation. Pure Speculation is kind of like a Geek/SF convention put on by the organizers of the On Spec magazine. This year marks their 3rd year. Their guest of honor this year is Tor SF writer Peter Watt and some people from Bioware World of Warcraft (designed here in Edmonton.) The weekend event will be held October 13 and 14, 2007 at Hazeldean Community Hall on the South side. I think I might take that Saturday off and go over there and check it out. Tickets are at Happy Harbor comics and games.

I remember my first SF convention here in Edmonton October 1979 with Ellen. That was a fun evening and they had a great costume bacchanal as I recall. That was 28 year ago. I couldn’t tell you who the guests were, I was so wrapped up in Ellen. I remember having lunch at a restaurant there at Kingsway Inn, now called the Ramada. I don’t think one is never to old to be a Geek. I embrace the technology we have today and try and keep up with everything. I’ve got an Mp3 player a cell phone a couple of computers and I want to get the Xbox Elite when we get the HDTV at the end of the year or in the Spring. We’ve had a lot of conventions here in Edmonton over the years. We’ve had NonCon, ConText and now this one Pure Spec. I recall Ellen said (and she showed me the picture of her with George Takei) how George Takei was here and this was 2 years before Star Trek the motion picture. I recall passing by on the bus one time in 1989 coming back I think from Phoenix fundraising seeing on the Billboard a sign that read something like ,”welcomes science fiction author James P Hogan.” I could kick myself because I had to work that weekend. I could kick myself.

Apparently this was supposed to be a big day here in Alberta. Minimum wage goes up to $8/hr. Big deal. A one bedroom apartment here in downtown Edmonton is $800/month. If you can find one. If rent (rule of thumb) is supposed to be one third of your monthly income then you should be making about $2500/month. $8 on a 40 hour work week is only $1,280/month and that’s before taxes. Take $130 out of that for taxes and that’s about $1150/month. That’s $350 left remaining. If your just a single person and this is your only income then lets see what’s left out of the $350. You better not drive a car. A monthly transit pass (for now) is $60/month. That gives you $290/month. Utilities like lights, that’s $70/month. $220. The rest is for food. Forget about eating or going out. If you want an internet connection with full cable, that’s $110 off the top. That’ll be abut your only luxury. This gives you $110 left over for food. Of course you can get your food budget supplemented by the food bank. Forget about a cell phone, much less a land line phone. Also if you’re a smoker, forget about it. Don’t own a cat. And you better have family and friends around to help you out. $8/hr in this crazy economy just doesn’t cut it. I’d fare a bit better off because I’m at $10/hour. But I’m hardly putting in a 40 hour work week. In an ideal world this would give me $800/2weeks. Or $1600/month but I seldom put in a 40 hour work week. I’m lucky I put in 19.5, like I am this week. The other thing about this minimum wage increase is that it only affects about 25% of the work force. Most people here in Edmonton are making $10 and up. I know when that black sheep money (bsm) ends around in June of next year, I’ll be forced to put in a 40 hour work week.

I had a great afternoon watching the Eskimo’s lose out to Calgary Stampeder’s CFL Labor day Classic. Finale score was 32-24 Stamps. Ricky Ray had a good first half but got sacked 4 times during the game, fumbled the ball once and made a few mediocre plays and couldn’t get the job done. Mind you having the Esk’s plagued with injuries hadn’t helped their cause this afternoon either. If that wasn’t enough both clubs arrive here at Commonwealth Stadium to do it again this Friday. If the Esk’s lose this one then they are done for as far as the playoffs are concerned. Their coach is toast.

By June I’m going to do one of two things: Ask Rob for a raise to $12 putting in Monday-Friday and having my weekends off or I’ll be getting another job if I can get security clearance. I’d rather just work at Xl if not family then business, We call it family because the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed and Rob isn’t there evenings but also because staff socialize more with each other. I wouldn’t mind business because it starts at 8:30am and they have 2 3.5 hour shifts. Also Rob gives long kick offs and I’d get Monday-Friday and a full 40 hour work week. USS/Rob would give me $11 in June as I’m going to ask for that anyway. My rent keeps going up. This would give me $380/week.

Or> off to $1,520/month. I could also put in a few Saturdays as well for Family. There is no business of Saturdays as I’d get my evenings and weekends off. Something to think about.

Raw was great tonight. The story lines the action. On a scale from 1-10, I'd rate it about a 9.

Anyway that’s all for now

e. Jim