|
|
|
|
At Lonnnnnnnnnng Last!!!!!
|
For almost four months now, I've been experiencing the frustration of the slow and painful deterioration of iPage.com as my web hosting company. iPage used to be great, with top-notch tech support people.
|
|
Over the past couple years though, I began noticing "little things." As a customer/consumer, I tend to be pretty loyal. (Actually, in almost all aspects of my being that's true.) I like what I like and if I like it, it takes a lot for me to abandon ship.
|
|
Believe it or not, I've been trying to get this send-out off to all you wonderful people since this past November. I've had have it ready, would hit send, and it would get to maybe 4 of my readers (out of almost 120).
|
|
At first I figured the WP plugin wasn't updating correctly. Then I thought it was another tech issue. Whenever I enlisted iPage's tech support, even though they assured me they had "fixed the issue", the problem often became worse.
|
|
Early in January, I learned that iPage has not updated their php protocols since version 5.something. PHP protocols now (as of this publication) generally reach version 8.1 and when I asked iPage the "what... when... why???" questions, the only answers they had were: "It's in the works.... One day... Hopefully soon."
|
|
Without proper up-to-date protocols, many plugins simply stop working, especially the good ones. They need current coding. It would be kind of like expecting to drive a transport truck with bicycle tires.
|
|
So, with iPage's eager-beaver attitude about updating their php protocol, I saw that the writing was on the proverbial wall. It was time for a virtual move, which honestly, can feel A LOT like a real life move.
|
|
My main websites are now on Hostinger.com and so far I'm really impressed with Hostinger.com and I'm glad I made the virtual move. I'll tell you more soon, but for now, I just really want to see this thing actually get to my readers. Hopefully people will receive it!
|
|
|
|
The Passage of Time
|
Is February, (almost March) too late to wish everyone a happy new year? I hope not! If not, I'll wish you the absolute best for 2024!
|
|
I often get really frustrated with how quickly time passes - hours, days, weeks, months, years even, and I don't get done a third of what I have in mind to do.
|
|
I think about my friends & loved ones such as Chrissie & Ivan, Heather & Paul, Tracy, Gerry, John & Rebecca, Ayesha & Isaac, Mary. Kelly(s), Emily(s), Joan & Colin, Chelsey. My list goes on and on. I worry that they may be thinking that I've forgotten about them. (I haven't! They're frequently in my thoughts.)
|
|
I think about my current & past "professional associates" - GO-3D staff and alumnus, TeamWork staff, Theology & Disability Institute folks, Bill G., Grace folks, Bill P., and I get frustrated that I haven't replied to their messages & emails. Again I worry that they may be thinking that I no longer appreciate the impact they've had [and still have] on my life. (I do! They're frequently in my thoughts.)
|
|
My brother Lloyd and my sister Lynda are always in my thoughts. These two in particular are in every fiber of my being and they likely can't even fathom how much they keep me strong and how utterly heartbroken I'll be when that inevitable day comes when I know they're no longer in this earthly world. As the days, weeks, months, years go by, I worry that they think I don't have time for them. (I do. I will always make time for them.)
|
|
I think about people in my church and I wonder if they have the slightest clue as to how much they mean to me. I think about those I've loved (and still love) who I never got to say Good-Bye to. People such as Fiona, Byrch, Idabell, Bob F., Eva, Margaret McB,, and so many others. I have so many memories of each and they'll always be tucked deeply and safely within my heart.
|
|
Along with my church family comes our Minister, Mike. Whether he feels likewise or not doesn't really matter, but very soon after first meeting him, I found myself thinking of him as the younger brother I never had. We joke a lot, tease a lot, but Mike has seen me through many of the toughest circumstances I've ever gone through in my life - my lay off as Calvin's Church Secretary, my divorce due to abuse, and more. He's witnessed times when I've felt like a complete failure, because of things that others have said, and he's witnessed some joyful moments, such as my GO-3D Graduation Celebration.
|
|
So why am I wheeling down memory lane?
|
|
I guess I feel that all too often people in our hearts (people in my heart) don't realize they're still there. I mean, my staff/attendants know they are in my heart. They know this, by our daily interactions. But others whom I have less regular contact with, well, they might not be so sure, and I want them to be sure.
|
|
So, what's the problem? Why am I not reaching out? Why am I so slow to act? Why so many things left unsaid, undone? Do I not care?
|
|
I think very few people, even among my attendants, fully realize the complexities I have to handle each and every day in my life.
|
|
First and foremost, I have to make sure I have enough staff/attendants who I can count on to come and assist me with my daily needs, because without my staff, I could quite literally die. If I don't have staff to get me up, feed me, help me shower, help me get dressed, use the washroom 4-6 times each day, make myself "presentable". etc., etc., nothing happens. I can't even get out of bed on my own.
|
|
I set goals, then a staff unexpectedly quits on the spot, forcing me into "hiring mode" again. It takes at least a month for me to hire someone. Applicants don't show up for interviews, or part way through my “'onboarding" they take another job or decide that this job "doesn't fit their needs", (which in my opinion is backward thinking; employers hire people to fill their job needs, or at least a mutual benefit to both.) I used to think it was a "me problem", but I've since heard many times that “my problem” is a very common problem among many, many employers. Yet unlike most employers, my daily existence hangs in the balance.
|
|
Also, I'm not McDonald's. Nor am I Walmart or Burger Thing. ☻ I have to be comfortable with those I hire. This is a very personal job. To be completely candid, my attendants have to be comfortable wiping my butt. There's no way around that requirement. If someone isn't comfortable doing that (and trust me, I pick up on their discomfort very quickly and very easily) then I won't be comfortable asking for that person's assistance. I'll then (without even meaning to) limit my food intake, for fear of "needing to go" during their shift. Trust me, this becomes a huge stressor for me, and as soon as I find a more suitable staff, that person will end up being "phased out."
|
|
Also, much to most people's surprise, I almost NEVER hire cca's, or any kind of "trained" related "professionals". Nope! I find them just too frustrating and far too "institutional" to deal with, (even in interviews.) It quickly becomes a battle of wills. It becomes glaringly obvious to me (and my current staff) that these types of "professionals" feel they know more about what I need than I do. And trust me, that IS NOT the case! Yet the folks I do hire become extremely valuable to me and I appreciate them more than words can express. They "get it." They get me!
|
|
There are about a thousand other factors that go into my hiring process, so it is indeed time consuming, frustrating, and at times, down right terrifying; BUT the alternative is even more terrifying by far - to again live in some kind of facility/institution/group home/nursing home/etc. Following my divorce, I made a vow to myself that I will NEVER AGAIN live in such a place; and I firmly believe that God did not bring me all this way in my life, just to wind up in some **** facility.
|
|
Again, I could write so much more on this subject alone. Folks have been asking me to write about the nitty-gritty aspects of my "real life” and my “real challenges." Perhaps this is the start of such. But for now, my attendants need/want their pays (which I prepare myself and gladly do); funders want unnecessary/useless paperwork (in my opinion.) So, for now, I'll sign off.
|
|
If you to share any of your reactions, etc., please always feel to find a way to reach me via Facebook, LinkedIn, Email, or however.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
