Turns out the Exabytes isn’t just passively evil, they are actively evil. After months of crappy service (long waits, broken english) their server started going up and down like a ping-pong ball. Well no more. I have swapped over to equally cheap ($7.95/mo) and infinitely better regarded (have 1 friend who doesn’t hate them) Lunarpages hosting.

Spent the entire weekend moving everything over, but most moved pretty easily (mySQL databases, files, etc). The only real problem is that I decided to recode the entire site from ASP (8 years experience) to PHP (6 months experience) because it appears that ASP is a dying language (not the reason) and that PHP is $1/mo. cheaper (the reason).

I redid the bulk of the navigation. The far right column used to be just pictures, but now it’s pictures and words. I suddenly remembered that navigation was supposed to help people navigate. It’s a stunning notion, when you pause to think about it.

Went up to visit my Godparents in New Hampshire, and we did a driving tour of my parent’s old haunts. My mother’s favorite (“no trip is complete…”) is Nubble Light near York Beach, Maine. Cold, wet, blustery. It was hard to see where the water stoped and he horizon began.

York Beach, Maine
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unclevanya/sets/1145604/

One of my favorite spots in New England is my cousin’s farm house in Rye. It is a wonderfully old structure in a beautifully lush farm plot. Green as far as the eye can see.

Rye, New Hampshire
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unclevanya/sets/1145632/