Blog Design Update

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New site design! I finally got around to upgrading my templates to the latest and greatest in Movable Type.

My RSS feed has relocated to http://www.paradox1x.org/atom.xml. Please re-subscribe there.

This led to me changing my URL design significantly. Previously, I had used entry_id as each post’s slug value, which wasn’t optimal, SEO-wise, or for file system management (having over a thousand files in a directory is rarely a good idea), so URLs are now based upon post titles, as is the default of most MT sites. This forced me to find a means to redirect the old pages. A .htaccess file with 2500 entries didn’t sound like a good idea. Instead, using a .htaccess file in the old design’s weblog/kmartino/archive directory, I mapped .shtml to PHP. I then modified the templates of the old design to output some PHP that wrote the appropriate response header to do 301 redirects to the new URL each page would reside in. Seems to work well.

I like the default MT look and feel for now. I’ll tweak latter to re-add some things I miss from the old design later, plus add some new sugar like pagination in my monthly and category archives.

Eventful Week Can’t Even Come Close…

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Call this week eventful would be an understatement. Monday was the anniversary of Mom’s death. Wednesday night the Phillies win the World Series, yesterday my friends’s 2 month old son has a successful surgery to address an intestinal issue, and today it is Halloween (wait till you see Emma) and the Phillies parade (which we will hopefully get a chance to attend – we’re leaving now!), all the while, work continues hot and heavy.

And next week, with the election and me seeing a college admissions councilor looks to be almost at hectic.

Wow.

Be seeing you, memento mori, happy Halloween.

The World Series Rainout and Philadelphia

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Jeff Passan at Yahoo! Sports says Baseball’s crown event is beyond repair due to the handling of the game in face of the weather.

Phil Sheridan at the Inquirer, in a much linked to piece, says it’s the league’s pursuit of television ratings that’s to blame.

Jayson Stark at ESPN says that now, no matter what the story of this World Series will be about the weather.

Maybe all this is true.

What isn’t however, is Michael Radano’s characterization of Philadelphia, in light of this, as the angriest place on Earth. I’m so tired of the stereotypes branded about of Philly sports fans and Philadelphia. Anger relies on being surprised by something that you don’t expect. Most folks I know looked at what happened and simply said “only in Philadelphia”. Everyone I know is looking forward to the game. Not angry. Anxious about yet another letdown. But that’s it. I think most just simply stand behind the team and believe.

Go Phillies!

A bittersweet day?

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Today might be the day that Carlton, Schmidt, McGraw, Rose, get some company in Philly sports immortality.

Today is that one year marker I mentioned in a previous post.

Go Phillies!

(Oh, and I haven’t shaved since Friday. Not going to until this is over. So it is a scruffy manic Monday!)

It’s been a year since Mom passed away

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The year has gone by so fast, and it still seems like yesterday. Maybe it always will. At least now, when I dream of Mom, I end up waking with a smile and a bounce to my step.

So…

Hi Mom,

I’m doing good. Work is going well, Emma and Richelle are doing great. Dante and Katie say hi. So do Brendan and Matt. You should see their house. You’d be so proud. Al and family say hi too. My back is feeling a bit better. Just have to keep working at it. Anyways, I bet you’ve made some friends, and ruffled a few feathers here and there. That’s okay ya know. Not everyone will like you, even if you’d like that to be true. But ya know, those people that know you love you. I miss your giggles and wicked sense of humor. I swear I see it in Emma more every day. And I’ve been known to crack a goofy smile more myself these days. As for the world, Obama might win, and the Phillies are one game away from doing the same in the World Series. I can see you right now in some over sized Phillies jacket enjoying the show. I know you’d be calling me after every game if you could to share some joy. Ya know, you once told me that it was I who was the adult, and you who was the child, but in the end, that can’t be true, because even though you may not think so, it was you who taught me much.

Love you Mom,

Shane