I’m not sure what’s going on at this very moment; however, every URL under my domain is erroring out.  I know they are they… but they are coming up as a hostican 404.

Looking into it.

UPDATE: Ok… so… everything seems to be fully functional now with no changes on my side (don’t know about my provider).  That was just odd.

Just a quick note, there may be possible site downtime over the next 12 to 24 hours as a few server changes take place. I hope the impact is minor, if not unnoticeable.

Once complete, I will update the site.

I really enjoyed my past them – fracticles – but I started to run into issues with the theme and plugins The whole point to have a plugin on your site is so it can improve some aspect of the user experience… so, when I cannot use the plugins of my choosing, time to look elsewhere.

At the suggestion of Gianna, I needed to install a “subscription to this post” feature.  A feature that didn’t want to work in the last template. 

Now that we’ve moved on to the Bella theme, it looks as if my issuse are now resolved.  I you run into any problems, please let me know.

Even thought it is spring, I sit here and look outside and the sky have a fall feel to it.  I would also expect to see people walking around with cider, going to Halloween festivals, planning for Thanksgiving and the like… but it’s not.  

I’m sitting here having the stew that I made the other day, the smell of cinnamon faintly in the air, all of which helps bolster the feeling of autumn.  I’m shocked to say the stew tastes FANTASTIC today.  That is to say, this is a dish that actually tastes amazing after sitting for a day or so. 

Technical aspects of the site.

Yesterday evening, one of my reader asked that I add a subscription feature to the comments on the site.  This is something I’ve wanted to do for some time but for some reason the plugin I install malfunctions.  

What happens is this…

The plugin ends up placing the “subscription” option at random places on the post page and it changes each time I attempt to active the plugin.  I am not sure if this is a problem with the plugin OR with the template I am currently using. Oddly enough, this behavior takes place no matter what template I use which would make me think there is an issue with the framework I’m using.

I’m attempting to resolve this issue so please hold tight as I try to figure this out.

GM, Chrysler and the Government

With Wagoner out at GM, it looks like the Government is laying down the law…. and the funding that will be provided is VERY limited.

Obama, flanked by several administration officials at the White House, announced a short-term infusion of cash for the firms, and said it could be the last for one or both.

Chrysler, judged by the administration as too small to survive, got 30 days’ worth of funds to complete a partnership with Fiat SpA, the Italian manufacturer, or some other automaker.

GM got assurances of 60 days’ worth of federal financing to try and revise its turnaround plan under new management with heavy government participation. That would involve concessions from its union workers and bondholders. The administration engineered the ouster of longtime CEO Rick Wagoner over the weekend, an indication of its deep involvement in an industry that once stood as a symbol of American capitalism.

First, I am surprised by the announcement because it now appears the government is pushing automakers toward bankruptcy.  In my mind I had expected some negative news on Chrysler today, and while 30 days of funding is not at lot, it’s more than I had expected. The big surprise for me was that General Motors only obtained 60 days of funding.

Last evening, I made the statement the government actions were socialist. I stand by those claims.  Now the U.S. government is providing warranty coverage for GM and Chrysler products.  The American Automotive makers are, essentially, under government control.  

The “One A Day” pill to cut the risk of heart issues?

I am very skeptical of Big Pharma.  As more evidence come to the surface, it is becoming clear  drug companies are more concerned with creating drugs that help their own bottom line – not helping people address their medical issues.

So, please understand how view this story with skepticism:

The experimental combo pill was as effective as nearly all of its components taken alone, with no greater side effects, a major study found. Taking it could cut a person’s risk of heart disease and stroke roughly in half, the study concludes.

The approach needs far more testing — as well as approval from theFood and Drug Administration, something that could take years — but it could make heart disease prevention much more common and more effective, doctors say.

How much will this cost?

$17 a month.

After I realized experimenting with food was really becoming a focus of mine, and after a number of people commented that I should dedicate more time to pursuing the creative art known as cooking, I came to the conclusion that it was time to start a blog dedicated to my efforts. Add in my friend, JT, who shares a level of interest in food/cooking/experimenting joining me in the blogging experience and all the components for a good time are in place.

With that, I introduce you to yeswecook.com

The site has NOTHING up except for the welcome note.  I suspect the activity will start shortly, with an average of 2 to 3 posts per week in the beginning…. from there, the sky is the limit.  So, if you enjoy cooking related discussion please bookmark and add to your RSS reader.

Don’t fret, vansantos.com will continue to be my main blog for introspection, business, bitching…

Thanks to everyone who supported me in this effort!

It was a rather low-key weekend, just the way that I would prefer it to be.  There is a new weekend tradition the wife and I are establishing – Sunday Brunch at Le Pepe.  Well, it’s really breakfast but since I tend to get up around 11:30 we don’t get to eating until about 1PM.  Good stuff!

New Site Layout

A few months ago I started out developing a new Wordpress Theme.  After hours and hours of development, playing around with different layouts I decided to take a break.  I don’t know why, exactly, but the “flow” of the site wasn’t working for me.

This weekend I decided a change was needed, regardless of the fact that my homegrown layout wasn’t finished, so I picked out a new site template from freewordpresslayouts.com and threw it on the server.  I did a fair amount of stress testing and did not see any issues, so we should be good to go. 

If you happen to notice any issues/functionality problems, please send off an email.

The Sunday Dinner

I had that cooking desire once again, as a result the Sunday Dinner was my responsibility. On the menu was Caesar Filet Mignon, Baked Macaroni and Cheese and steamed Vegetables.  Sorry, no pictures due to the lack of time today, but I can say the results were outstanding.

The Caesar Fillet was marinated in Caesar Dressing with garlic and black pepper, cooked in the broiler for roughly 5 minutes on each side under a high heat.  Depending on how you like your steak, adjust the cooking time and temperature.  

The Baked Macaroni and Cheese was a side-dish that was surprisingly good choice. I had some reservation with the recipe, but it turned out to be a winner. For your records…

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

So, you…

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan.
2. Stir in flour, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth.
3. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk until smooth.
4. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thickened (about 10 minutes).
5. Remove from heat.
6. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted.
7. Combine cheese mixture with macaroni in greased 2 quart casserole.
8. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
9. Bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

When you have some free time and you are looking for a dish that could be either a main course or a side dish, give this a try.

Appaloosa

From modern day movies, such as Unforgiven or Open Range, to the classic spaghetti westerns such as  A Fist Full of Dynamite (a.k.a. Duck, You Sucker) or For a Few Dollars More, I am sucker for Westerns. Always have been.

For roughly 6 months now I’ve had the desire to see Appaloosa, staring Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons, Viggo Mortensen, and Renée Zellweger, and with the DVD in hand I finally had the opportunity.

Here are my initial thoughts:

• Good acting by all, especially Jeremy Irons
• Beautiful photography and production quality (vivid color, good selection of outdoor locations)
• An interesting mix of action and drama 
• Renée Zellweger looks old
• Not much story driven dialog – there is very little insight provided by the discussions between the characters until later into the movie

If you are looking for high paced action movie, this is not for you.  Initially, one could think that to be the case… but it is not.  The underlying current of the story is simple, but there is more to it than meets the initial viewing.  It ultimately looks what what men and women value in life, what is important for their personal survival and what is true loyalty.

Not for everyone, but fans of Westerns will enjoy…. oh, and it has Lance Henriksen in the cast was well. 

Until tomorrow…

Day 8 of 31 days of music will be coming later in the day, but no other posts are expected at this point… I kinda need to collect my thoughts.

So, I’ve been working on a new template for the site when I found out that my “Subscribe to Comments” plug-in wasn’t working on my current template.  I am not sure how this happened as it was working one day, then BOOM, it wasn’t… and I made no changes that would have caused the plug-in from functioning.

The plug-in adds the comments offering readers the option to subscribe but there is no check box allowing for the user to subscribe.

This seems odd, no?

I did some research and I cannot find any other people who have run into this issue.  I looked at code of the plug-in, did a compare of the original and the version I have installed, and they are both the same….  

Since  the plugin is not working properly, I will be deactivating the feature.  After I migrate to the new template I will look into this problem…

Thanks to Wandering Coyote for pointing this out.

In no way is my blog popular.  I usually have roughly 1000 people a day dropping in to see what I am thinking, or what I have found on the net.  I mean, really, how interesting could my thoughts on life be? Regardless of how much traffic my site receives, I want to provide the best possible user experience.

Suddenly it seem as if my Wordpress theme is not fitting my needs in terms of flexibility.  Mind you, this is not a bad layout, it is actually one of the best I have seen, my needs have simply changed.

The ultimate desire is to have a site that provides a clean user experience but addresses all of the needs I have as a blogger.  I do not want to have a cluttered user interface, overwhelming the reader with information.  At the same time I want to provide all the information I see as useful to potential visitors.

So, a few things may be changing in the near future.  No user functionality will be lost, no data will be removed, just a simply change in appearance. I just hope I do not need to create my own theme.

Do you happen to view this site on a mobile device, say like an iPhone or Blackberry?  Well, I have a bit of an update for you.  The site is now mobile device enabled.  

When you come to the site via a desktop / laptop you will see the current site – graphics and all, however, when you arrive to the site via a mobile device you will receive a stripped down, content focused, design allowing for speed of delivery and ease of use.

As a user you need not doing anything out of the ordinary, the server will auto-detect your platform and provide you with the correct version.  If you run into any issues with this implementation, please send me some feedback.