• On Life and Love

    Farm Tours: Goats, Horses, and Cows

    Here’s a great way to spend a Saturday: driving around in rural Charlotte-ish areas, then walking around and seeing goats, horses, cattle, pigs, donkeys, plants, and bees. Yes, bees. Some folks and I gathered a couple of weeks ago to tour three farms. The first was Apple Orchard Farm (my favorite!), the second was Maple Springs (too pumpkiny and commercial), and a third one I forgot the name of (with sad animals). I took and posted quite a few pictures, because most of the animals were adorable, and the ones that weren’t were often notably sad. Apple Orchard will definitely become my go-to farm for if/when we need extra meat…

  • Uncategorized

    Blackbaud Merchant Services: No Sandbox Account

    A word to anyone doing an eTapestry API integration for a client who uses Blackbaud Merchant Services: you may have an eTapestry sandbox, but you don’t (and can’t) get a BMS sandbox account. So how do developers test their API interactions? According to the BMS account rep I spoke to, they do it on the live system. With live credit cards. From the get-go.

  • On Life and Love

    Weekly Linkage: Harlem Shake

    This is what happens when Greg asks, “What’s the Harlem Shake?” I just about feel off the couch. Especially when I realized at about 2:40 that that’s a DVD in his belt, not a buckle. Greg may never ask me another dancing-related question ever again. A few other nuggets: Three Word Phrase, by Ryan Pequin – I’ll confess, I started watching Hoarders recently. Just entered Season 3. I’m not sure how I feel about myself anymore. In my defense Season 3 fired off with enough drama that I’ve skipped episodes. Autumnal equinox – It’s almost time to break out the sunlamp. Capital One Says ING Direct Deal Will Create Jobs…

  • On Life and Love

    d20 3.5 SRD Spell Lists: First Beta

    So I’m in a D&D 3.5 campaign now. And I’m playing a Druid, which is kinda exciting–it’s the first time I’ve played a Druid at a high enough level that I can shapeshift, and I just tipped 5th level on Sunday. (Campaigns always fizzle out early…) Anyway, the campaign is a hodgepodge of standard D&D and Sandstorm, and summoning restrictions by the GM mean that my spell list involves a fair bit of swapping out that’s a little annoying to manage. For instance, I’m using Sandstorm’s “Desiccate” instead of “Summon Nature’s Ally II”, since I can’t summon. Since Druids are the type to prepare a few spells per day from…

  • On Life and Love

    Weekly Linkage: Planets, EDs, and Blood Donations

    This past week(…s)’s internet surfin’: A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing: What’s Wrong With Sex? – Sex in a book doesn’t make it erotica. Hyperbole and a Half: This is Why I’ll Never be an Adult – As always, I love Allie’s art and humor, and her point here is so well taken. I know very few people who don’t do this. Twitter / @violetblue: They made me wait a long t … – This is definitely a WTF. Also a “what in the world do you do?” Do you make a kerfluffle about being able to see your stuff when you’re about to be patted down? Do you just wait…