idiomatrix

After just over a month of down town, idiomatrix is back online. Many thanks go to Eric who went way out of his way to help us get back online by physically visiting the server. We wouldn't be live until we're back from Spain without him!

So, why were we down? I honestly don't know. I was making some configuration changes online, when somehow some symbolic links at the root of the drive got deleted. This was a common symptom back in the day of dual booting a machine into the old Mac OS as well as OSX when users not familiar with unix would delete files they didn't understand. Since this machine doesn't even have classic installed, I honestly can't tell you how manipulation a mySQL config file could have killed the symbolic links.

Fortunately, the fix is quite simple if you're sitting at the console--but I'm thousands of miles away. Eric got us back up and running in short order once he got to the machine.

Vermont is a Strange Place (but I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the US)

I moved to Vermont in 1989, so I really haven’t been around all that long. However, several generations of the Herren family lived in Waterville, Vermont from the early 1700s until after the wool market collapsed after the civil war. At that point, virtually all of the Herrens left in Vermont moved to other parts of the US. I’m the first to move back.

My father and I have gone to Waterville a few times to check out the cemetery there. Apparently, the Herrens used to be much better off… Our part of the cemetery is the highest point and the headstones are quite nice. There’s a an open spot there that I don’t anticipate using, but it’s nice to know I’d be among family just in case.

One of the great things about Vermont that really caught my attention immediately is the cross-generational socializing that goes on. When I first moved here, I marveled at the fact that when I would go to a party, that there would be everyone there from infants to ancients, all having a great time together. It wasn’t that way anywhere I had live before.

Almost immediately after moving here, I met one of my best friends, Dick Wissler. Dick is a mad scientist/artist, and I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun just hanging out with anyone ever before. Of course Dick and the rest of our odd friends are indeed just that: odd. If there were any need of additional evidence, check out this video.

This was a turkey fry that we had at Dick’s house a couple of years ago. If there was any question about the eclectic nature of Vermont parties, this should put it to rest…

Warning: under normal circumstances the mixing of lots of beer and hot, boiling oil is a recipe for disaster… Somehow no one (other than the turkey) was harmed in the making of this movie.