"Z.B. MAN" UPDATES FOR PAST MONTHS (2005) |
| Thank you for visiting these webpages. Please return often to view new developments. I would enjoy receiving your comments. |
| You can email The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) by clicking on the link below: |
| You can return to The Pumamouse Website Homepage by clicking on the link below: |
| This website is owned, designed, created, maintained, and financed by The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) Copyright 2002/2003/2004/2005 |
| THE PUMAMOUSE WEBSITE SECTION LINKS: |
| Please investigate all of the varied sections of The Pumamouse Website by clicking on the links below. |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATES FOR JANUARY 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: Help! Help! I'm Lost! Sitemap Updates: The main Sitemap has been revised to reflect the updates for January. PLEASE use the SITEMAP for easy navigation. "The Complete History Of The Pumamouse Website" webpage has also been revised to include the new webpages which were created for January. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: "Z.B. Man" Updates For This Month Updates: The webpage you are viewing has been updated to include what's new for January 2005. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: Nostalgic Old-Time Radio Updates: After three years of steadily building the South African OTR section of this website, I am finally getting more serious about developing the American OTR section. The first logical step towards my goal has been to move the few existing American OTR related webpages into the forefront, and group them as a bonafide section, instead of a subsection. Thus, the "Nostalgic Old-Time Radio" section has been established to feature the American OTR related webpages which were formerly buried in the "Land Of The Free" section. A new essay and sound file have been added to the introductory webpage. The new "Nostalgic Old-Time Radio" section will grow more steadily as soon as The Pumamouse Website has been relocated, as I have described in the essay above. And, don't worry...the South African OTR section will also continue to grow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: Tea And Comfort Subsection: Needlework Updates: Several new webpages have been added to the "Needlework" subsection. The webpages include my original patterns for two new crocheted afghans and one crocheted shawl, plus a new webpage to feature photos from website guests. There is also a new webpage which provides my instructions for the basic crochet stitches, and a dozen new photopages to compliment it! Please visit all of the newly created crochet related webpages. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| "Z.B. MAN" UPDATES FOR THIS MONTH LINKS: |
| TO VIEW JAN 2002 - DEC 2003 UPDATES, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK FOR "Z.B.MAN" UPDATES FOR 2002 AND 2003. |
| "Z.B. MAN" UPDATES FOR 2005 |
| Welcome to the "Z.B. MAN" UPDATES FOR 2005 webpage of The Pumamouse Website! The updates below are listed in reverse chronological order, beginning with December 2005 and traveling back through January 2005. As always, thank you for your interest! The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) aka The Webmoustress February 2006 |
| TO VIEW JAN 2004 - DEC 2004 UPDATES, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK FOR "Z.B.MAN" UPDATES FOR 2004. |
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| JANUARY 2005 SQUEAK!!! A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE PUMAMOUSE (MARYANNE) IN CELEBRATION OF THE PUMAMOUSE WEBSITE'S THIRD BIRTHDAY!!! OLD ADAGES WITH A TWIST Have you ever heard the old adage which warns, "All good things must come to an end."? Well, I have never agreed with that perspective. I believe all good things should be allowed to continue, and if at all possible, allowed to grow. I suppose I am too romantic and/or optimistic by nature. Or perhaps I am simply too stubborn to know when to quit. I rarely if ever admit defeat, and even then, I am too thickheaded to surrender without a considerable fight. But, ironically, I will concede that the old adage rings true in the unique case where something must first end, so that it may subsequently continue and grow bigger and better. Confused? Please allow me to explain. Since The Pumamouse Website was born on 1 January 2002, I have secured additional cyberspace twice, so that the overall size of the website is now more than thrice what it began. And yet, there is still not enough cyberspace reserved to provide all of what I wish to share with my website guests. In fact, The Pumamouse Website is ready to explode. Once again, it has come to my attention that a much larger amount of cyberspace is required for this website than has ever previously been secured. Unfortunately, the website hosting service which I am currently using would require too much more money from me each month in payment for the additional cyberspace that I would like to secure. The Pumamouse Website is financed solely by myself, and I simply can not afford to expand The Pumamouse Website any further while using the current website hosting service. Initially, this realization caused The Pumamouse to feel very pookie. (Ho-hum…) That was the bad news. The good news is, faced with this dilemma, my condition of pookieness slowly evolved into anger, (Grrr…), and I eventually became perturbed enough to search for an alternative plan. After all, technology has drastically changed during the last three years, so perhaps there might be a new and viable solution to my old "size limitation" problem. Well, I have done my research, and I have found that there are now other equally reliable website hosting services available which provide more cyberspace for a lower monthly fee than that which I am currently paying. (Squeak of Joy!) Therefore, The Pumamouse Website is MOVING!!! During the next few months, I shall be transferring the entire website to a new website hosting server, which should provide plenty of room for the website to grow during 2005 and well beyond. More cyberspace for less money…too good to be true? Well, there is one drawback. The old website hosting service naturally does not wish to promote any customer's move to a new website hosting service, so the old website hosting service does not make it easy for a customer to switch to a new website hosting service with a few quick keystrokes. The fact is, due to the primitive freebie software, provided by the old website hosting service, which I have used to construct the entire website during the last three years, I will not be able to simply copy and paste the entire website over to the new website hosting service. Each webpage will have to be reconstructed…and The Pumamouse Website is comprised of over 1000 individual webpages. (YIKES!) In my opinion, nothing worth having ever comes easy. It will be a slow process, as I will have to recreate each webpage, but I am psyched up for the challenge, and the rewards will be great. So, just how big of a change in size am I proposing? How about…HUGE. Instead of 350MB of available cyberspace with the old website hosting service, for starters, I shall secure 2GB with the new website hosting service. That's nearly SIX TIMES the current size of The Pumamouse Website! And, what will I do with all of that new available cyberspace? Hmmm… Well, I do not wish to spoil the many intended surprises by revealing any of them yet, but I will say this much…if all goes as planned, by mid 2005, you won't believe your eyes or your ears. In general, everything which you have known and enjoyed about The Pumamouse Website for the last three years will remain the same, but I will soon be able to add more treats than I had ever previously imagined. During this period of transition, there will not be many monthly updates made to The Pumamouse Website. As I noted, at present, the website is nearing the maximum size allowance, and I do not wish for it to explode. Also, whatever new webpages I create using the current website hosting service will have to be remade using the new website hosting service, so I believe I would do better to move all of the website first, before I add much more to it. I apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience which this transition period might cause to my website guests. However, I must reiterate, once the move is completed, I intend to rock the world wide web with numerous new additions. So, please, be patient…good things come to those who wait! Well, there you have it. I suppose the old adage rings true in this case, but with a personal amendment. "All good things must come to an end…if they are destined to grow even better." In this instance, bigger is truly better, and size definitely does matter. Before I go and begin my work, I would like to offer one more sage adage for you to consider during the next few months. It is not an old adage, but it is undeniably true, and quite relevant to the situation at hand. A very wise person of my personal acquaintance who had the misfortune of witnessing the results of my relentlessly provoked wrath once made the following accurate observation: "Woe unto thee who pisseth off The Pumamouse!" My friends, for the last three years, I have been routinely pissethed off by the cyberspace size limitations within which I have had to create and maintain The Pumamouse Website. Now, I finally have the opportunity to "take the bull by the horns". You may be certain, I will not rest until my dreams of an expanded, thoroughly unique, and highly entertaining website are fulfilled. I will report on my efforts and my progress throughout the transition process, so please monitor this webpage closely for any important announcements. Thank you for your consideration, for your patience, and for your continued support. The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) AKA "The Webmoustress" 1 January 2005 |
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| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATES FOR FEBRUARY 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: Help! Help! I'm Lost! Sitemap Updates: The main Sitemap has been revised to reflect the updates for February. PLEASE use the SITEMAP for easy navigation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: "Z.B. Man" Updates For This Month Updates: The webpage you are viewing has been updated to include what's new for February 2005, and the "Z.B. Man" Updates For Past Months (2005) webpage has been revised to include what was new for January 2005. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: South African Old-Time Radio Subsection: The Pumamouse's OTR Program Descriptions Updates: Several new descriptions and revisions have been added. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section: South African Old-Time Radio Subsection: Springbok Radio Photographs Updates: Two new photopages have been added to feature photos and descriptions kindly provided by Adrian Egan and Art M. Daane. Thank you, Adrian and Art! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATES FOR MARCH 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All updates to The Pumamouse Website which were intended for 1 March 2005 have been postponed until further notice due to the temporary insanity of The Pumamouse. My work to move The Pumamouse Website to a new home in cyberspace continues. Monthly updates to The Pumamouse Website will resume as soon as it is relocated. Please visit this webpage often to view any breaking news of developments. Thank you for your patience and your support. Sincerely, The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) 1 March 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATES FOR AUGUST 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SQUEAK!!! THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN…OFTEN GO AWRY As the old adage warns, the best laid plans of The Pumamouse have certainly gone awry. You may have noticed that there have been no updates made to The Pumamouse Website for the last several months, (March-July). During that period, you may have found and read my explanation for the unprecedented lull. Way back in March, it was my intention to move the entire Pumamouse Website to a new website hosting service which would allow for greater growth. At the time, I thought it best to refrain from adding anything new to the website until the move was made. Unfortunately, the moving process is taking longer than I had first anticipated. To be completely candid, the move has not yet occurred. Why? Well, life has been rather chaotic for The Pumamouse during the last year, and particularly since 2005 began. Personal matters have taken priority and rendered me incapable of achieving many of my goals. I have been too preoccupied by those personal matters, and by the renovations which I have been making to my residence, to properly relocate The Pumamouse Website, which is my home in cyberspace. In short, I have not been able to devote all my energies towards the construction and maintenance of my website, as I did during the first three years of its existence. Indeed, since March, I have barely had the time or the inclination to turn on my computer. I sincerely apologize to all of my website guests for the delay of updates, and for what might be accessed as my indifference. Please be assured, I have not abandoned The Pumamouse Website, nor my passion for any of the personal interests which it contains. Admittedly, I have postponed monthly updates due to necessity and practicality. I regret any inconvenience which this may cause my website guests. However, I am resolved to continue in my intention to move The Pumamouse Website so that I may then add a considerable amount of new and varied material to it for your possible enjoyment. Your patience is greatly appreciated. I must also apologize to all of those guests who have kindly emailed The Pumamouse during the last several months, who have yet to receive any reply. I regret that I have neglected all website related correspondence, as well as all personal correspondence, for such a prolonged period. Realistically, I know that it will take weeks/months for me to get caught up, and by the time I am able to reply to every email and provide the answers, the answers may be obsolete to those guests who asked questions. Therefore, I must simply thank everyone who has sent an email during the last several months for their interest and support. Eventually, all emails received will be answered to the best of my ability. That’s the bad news…the past seven months have been very unproductive for The Pumamouse. I can only try to do better in the remaining five months of 2005, and in the years ahead. And, maybe someday I will write a book about all of the personal stuff which distracted me. (Truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.) For now, let me tell you some of what will be happening here at The Pumamouse Website, and give you a general overview of why and how and what I will be doing to improve it. For starters, I have secured a new chunk of cyberspace under a new domain name. The new chunk of cyberspace shall be developed into “The Webmoustress Website”, located at www.webmoustress.com . Establishing “The Webmoustress Website” will serve a dual purpose. It will enable me to systematically move the various sections of “The Pumamouse Website” to “The Webmoustress Website” without any interruptions to public access. It will also enable me to organize the proposed business websites which I have agreed to design and create for friends and family members in the not too distant future. Eventually, I would like “The Webmoustress Website” to be a portal through which visitors may access all of the websites which I have created or will create, including “The Pumamouse Website”, once it is wholly relocated. Regarding “The Pumamouse Website”, some noteworthy changes will be made to it. The four South African related sections of “The Pumamouse Website”, which I originally created with the kind assistance and tutelage of Frans Erasmus, will remain grouped together as they are now, and I will continue to update them and add to them, but at a gentler pace, thereby allowing me the time and energy I shall need to devote to my other interests, some of which have been neglected for much too long. (The proposed change of pace is somewhat mandated by the very nature of the subject matter within the South African related sections, since there is a limited amount of surviving archived material which I may include.) All of the other sections of “The Pumamouse Website” will be greatly expanded, and a few new sections will be added. As for the business websites which I have agreed to design and create for friends and family members, I am not yet at liberty to disclose any details of what will be provided for purchase there. I will only note that I would not have committed myself to doing the work of creating and maintaining new business websites unless I felt very strongly that the products being offered were worthy of my time and effort. (I hope that you will agree!) Once again, I apologize for the past several months of silence, and I genuinely thank you for your patience, and for your continued interest and support. Sincerely, The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) 31 July 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Pumamouse’s Philosophy: Whatever does not kill me makes me stronger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATES FOR SEPTEMBER 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE “BER” MONTHS HAVE BEGUN! What are the “Ber” months? SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER…these are what I refer to as the “Ber” months. They are the best months of the year in my opinion, and they have begun! As I turn my calendar to September, I am amazed by my realization that two-thirds of the year 2005 have already passed. Soon, the nights will turn chilly, and autumn will arrive in the Rocky Mountains. Autumn is my favorite season, so I will be squeaking with joy when it gets here! However, before the seasons turn, now seems like a good time to offer a report on my progress. After too many months of self-imposed silence, I finally resumed and got caught up on my correspondence during August. Then, the real work began. As you probably know, I announced in January that I am in the process of moving The Pumamouse Website to a larger chunk of cyberspace. In August, I announced that things had not happened exactly as planned. Well, once again, I have modified my plan in some ways. Most notably, I have decided that, with regard to websites, two shall be better than one. Instead of moving The Pumamouse Website in its entirety, I have decided to move only the four South African related sections. Yup, you read that right. The four South African sections which are currently available at The Pumamouse Website (www.pumamouse.com) will be made available at The Webmoustress Website (www.webmoustress.com). Due to the unique nature of their content, and the amount of server disc space which the four South African related sections require, as the largest sections, it seems most logical to me that they should be moved. By moving only the four South African related sections to a new location, I will be able to maintain and expand those four sections at The Webmoustress Website address, and also maintain and greatly expand the many non-South African related sections which shall remain here at The Pumamouse Website address. At The Webmoustress Website, the four South African related sections shall be grouped together as the “South African Memories” subdivision. This reorganization might be a bit confusing to my guests, which is why I am alerting everyone now of what’s to come. When all of the shuffling is completed, here is a summary of what you may expect to find at each website: THE PUMAMOUSE WEBSITE WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS: 01. The Pumamouse Website Homepage (Introduction) 02. Help! Help! I’m Lost! Sitemap (Sitemap) 03. “Z.B. Man” Updates For This Month (Updates) 04. Pumamouse Observations (Personal Commentaries) 05. Land Of The Free (The USA And Tribute To WWII Veterans) 06. Meat And Cheese (Other Interests And Hobbies) 07. Mousical Compositions (Original Musical Compositions) 08. Nostalgic Old-Time Radio (American OTR) 09. Stories And Sagas (Original Manuscripts) 10. Tea And Comfort (Needlework And Recipes) THE WEBMOUSTRESS WEBSITE WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS AND SUBDIVISIONS: 01. The Webmoustress Website Homepage (Introduction) 02. What’s Where (Sitemap) 03. What’s New (Updates) 04. South African Memories (A Subdivision Featuring Four Sections: SA Biltong And Braaivleis, SA Broadcasting And “The Back Room Boys”, SA Old-Time Radio, SA Television) 05. Webmoustress Webworks (Descriptions/Links To Websites Built And Maintained By The Webmoustress) Of course, there will be other sections/subdivisions added to both The Pumamouse Website and The Webmoustress Website once the initial reorganization of the currently existing sections is completed. For example, “The Wild Wicked Webmoustress” section will be added to The Webmoustress Website. As the title implies, the section shall feature subject matter of a less than tame and somewhat provocative nature. An equally unpredictable “Native American” section is tentatively planned for inclusion at The Pumamouse Website. So, as you can see, I still have much work to do, but when the dust settles, there shall be TWO unique websites for you to explore and hopefully enjoy. Each website shall be updated every month, so there should always be something new for you to discover. As I mentioned above, the real work has begun. In fact, I have already duplicated most of the South African related sections of The Pumamouse Website and secured them at The Webmoustress Website. You can not easily access them there yet, but they are there, and during September, I shall be building the necessary new webpages at The Webmoustress Website which will allow the general public to find them there, grouped together as the “South African Memories” subdivision. Meanwhile, until I am confident that the South African related sections are properly reconstructed and secured at The Webmoustress Website within the “South African Memories” subdivision, they will remain accessible to all here at The Pumamouse Website, so that there is no interruption of service for my website guests. If all goes well, both the revised Pumamouse Website and the new Webmoustress Website should be available to the general public for viewing before year end, each featuring more updates and surprises than I can begin to describe here. To be very candid, this year began for me with too many unrealistic expectations and not enough knowledge or understanding to achieve my goals. Admittedly, for awhile I was too pookie about personal disappointments to function properly. However, I firmly believe that all things happen for a reason, and now I am resolved that 2005 will go out with a bang instead of a fizzle. Now, I must scurry back to work. Thank you for your interest! Sincerely, MaryAnne (The Pumamouse / The Webmoustress) 1 September 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Pumamouse’s Philosophy: Whatever does not kill me makes me stronger. The Pumamouse’s Thought For September: …And I ain’t dead yet. Special thanks to God for His support. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATES FOR DECEMBER 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE SERENITY PRAYER (By Reinhold Niebuhr) GOD, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace, Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it, Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will, That I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen Thus far, 2005 has been a year full of disappointments for The Pumamouse. I will not detail all of the recent events of my personal life, save to note that there have been numerous unforeseen challenges set for me this year, challenges which have severely taxed my mental, physical, and emotional resources. Aside from those private battles, I set a huge task for myself this year which, sadly, I have failed to accomplish. In January 2005, I announced my intentions, and I began my efforts to move The Pumamouse Website to a larger domain, so that I could greatly expand it. I was subsequently plagued by a series of technical difficulties, some of which I could barely understand, much less easily resolve. I have tried to recover from every setback along the way, often with limited success, but it seemed another obstacle always popped up to prevent me from achieving my goal. It has been frustrating, to put it mildly. Ironically, the changes and improvements in technology that have occurred since The Pumamouse Website was first created in January 2002 have in some ways made it more complicated and difficult for the website to be relocated in 2005. As soon as I would resolve one dilemma of website design or program incompatibility, another would surface. It almost seemed as if the powers that be did not want The Pumamouse Website to be relocated…as if somebody “upstairs” was trying to tell me something. I must admit, for the last few months, I have privately wondered if perhaps my efforts should be completely abandoned, particularly as I have witnessed a substantial decrease in website traffic, (an undesirable side effect which has resulted from my inability to add new material to the website while attempting to relocate it), but I was too thickheaded to admit defeat. In an effort to speed the process, I reluctantly amended my original plan to move the entire website, and instead I focused on moving only the South African related sections. Yet, even that reduced task was wrought with chaos and peril. At the same time, the general public’s interest in the South African sections has continued to steadily decline, causing me to seriously wonder if my efforts, once completed, would be all for naught. A final and seemingly fatal blow was dealt which I simply can not shrug off as mere co-inky-dink. The relatively new computer which I was using to redesign and relocate the South African sections of The Pumamouse Website suddenly and inexplicably died. Luckily, I do possess an old model computer, (a dinosaur by today’s standards), but the speed and memory of my old model computer is not sufficient for the enormous chore of relocating the South African sections of The Pumamouse Website to a larger domain. In fact, I could not even successful access the internet with it…as I noted, it is a dinosaur. The sad truth is, most of the work I did towards relocating The Pumamouse Website during 2005 was lost when my new computer died. Of course, I routinely backed up my files to data CD’s, but my old computer can not support the software programs which I was using with my new computer, and so those backup CD’s were suddenly rendered useless, except maybe as drink coasters. Thus, in general, 2005 appeared to have been a total waste of time and energy for me…AHHHGGG!!!! Needless to say, I was feeling quite pookie about the whole thing. My philosophy has always been and still is: Whatever does not kill me makes me stronger. However, it seemed to me, the powers that be had killed me, figuratively speaking, by killing my PC! YIKES!!! I thought to myself, “Maybe somebody “upstairs” really IS trying to tell me something, and maybe I should pause for a moment and take heed”. And so, while my new computer was indisposed, I was compelled to rethink my strategy. Let us review the facts together. 1. I can not add anything new to The Pumamouse Website until the South African sections have been relocated to a larger domain, and removed from this domain to create the necessary space for growth. 2. I could not relocate the South African sections to a larger domain, and I could not even view and respond to emails efficiently, until I either repaired my computer or purchase a newer computer, capable of supporting the necessary software. 3. I am extremely weary, mentally, physically, and emotionally, from all of the personal struggles and technical challenges that have comprised 2005. I hate to admit it, but, by all accounts, I need some time to rest and recover from the recent battles, particularly if I ever hope to win the war. 4. The general public has much better things to do than listen to me bitch and moan about it all in monthly updates. (I hate whining, especially when it’s my own!) Rational Person’s Conclusion: I should pull the plug on the South African sections of The Pumamouse Website and concentrate my efforts on reviving the remaining sections. Thickheaded Pumamouse Conclusion: I want to revive and expand all of the non-South African sections of The Pumamouse website, but I also want to maintain and continue to build the South African sections, primarily for those who miss Springbok Radio, even if there are only a few people out there who are still longing for such nostalgia…even if only for Frans, who first inspired my interest in South African old-time radio. No, I can’t pull the plug! While I was debating with myself, my new computer was repaired. (Yay!) However, with one problem solved, as usual, another arose. I learned that, before I could commit to resuming my efforts to move the South African sections, there was another factor which I must consider in the equation. This is not an excuse. It is an unfortunate fact which I must take into consideration. Recently, I was informed by my physicians that I have a somewhat serious medical condition. Apparently, I am at a much greater risk of developing a thrombosis (blood clot) than the average person. Having survived a previously unexplained blood clot in my lung several years ago, I have no desire to repeat that drama. At least now I know why it happened, so I can attempt to prevent it from reoccurring. For starters, I was advised that I must not remain seated at my computer (or anywhere else) for extended periods of time. In short, I must cease my formerly sedentary lifestyle and keep moving. Rational Person’s Conclusion: Okay, so maybe I should pull the plug on the entire website, stop all email correspondence, and chain myself to a treadmill instead. Thickheaded Pumamouse Conclusion: I spent three years of my life building The Pumamouse Website, and I just spent the last year trying (albeit unsuccessfully) to move it so that I could continue to expand it further. Granted, it is not a professional website, it is at best my hobby, and it is not worth risking the remainder of my life for any hobby, but there must be a way to accomplish my goals. After all, God never closes a door without opening a window. Arguing with myself led me to a long overdue realization. I have been going about this all wrong, and I must try a different method by which to move the South African sections of The Pumamouse Website to a new domain. The technical reasons and implications are difficult to explain, but the bottom line is, instead of me duplicating or recreating all of the South African webpages at a new domain while I am maintaining them here at The Pumamouse Website, the South African webpages should be systematically edited here and moved to the new domain and simultaneously removed from here. Also, the new domain should be established solely for the purpose of housing the South African sections, to avoid confusion for myself and for all of my guests. So, here is my new plan. The South African sections of The Pumamouse Website will NOT be moved to The Webmoustress Website, since the Webmoustress Website was not established solely for the South African sections. Instead, I have secured a new domain which is intended solely for the South African related sections of The Pumamouse Website. The new domain is appropriately called “The Pumamouse 4SA Website”, and it is located at www.pumamouse4SA.com Beginning today, I will be modifying the existing South African webpages here at The Pumamouse Website and then moving them to The Pumamouse 4SA Website. As each webpage is edited and moved, it will suddenly disappear from The Pumamouse Website. One by one, all of the South African webpages will vanish from The Pumamouse Website, and you will not be able to access them here, but if they are gone from here, that means they can be viewed at The Pumamouse 4SA Website. After so many unsuccessful attempts to move the South African webpages during 2005, this new method might seem like just another accident waiting to happen. I can imagine many guests who are reading this announcement and panicking, thinking that they will never see the South African webpages again. I do not blame you for your concerns, but I can honestly say, please don’t worry, because nothing will be lost in transition. I have already tested this new method, and believe it or not, it works! Squeak of Joy! The way I see it, against all odds, God has opened a window for me! The only obstacle left for me to face is that of my own physical limitations. Admittedly, I can not sit and work on this relocation project day and night, as I would like to do. I must take frequent breaks and scurry around or risk dropping dead before the move is completed. Therefore, I do not know how long it will take for me to move all of the South African webpages with this new method. I have set a tentative deadline for myself, but I do not know if that deadline is realistic or too optimistic, so I will not disclose it. Although I can not accurately predict exactly when the move will be completed, I can vow that I will do all that I humanly can to fully recover from the disappointments of 2005 as speedily as possible, and if God grants it, I will come back that much stronger and wiser in 2006. Until then, it might be best for everyone to think of me as being in a temporary state of hibernation. By that I mean, I may not be able to read or answer emails for awhile, and I apologize for any inconvenience which my hibernation might cause to my website guests. However, it is necessary. The good news is, whenever the moving process is completed, I will be able to add much more to The Pumamouse 4SA Website, and to The Pumamouse Website. I have been stockpiling new treats throughout the past year, and I am eager to share them with you as soon as I am able. Meanwhile, I encourage everyone to use this period of my silent convalescence to their best advantage, and perhaps learn from my mistakes. I firmly believe that all things, good or bad, happen for a reason, even if we do not always understand that reason, and we should try to learn whatever lessons we can from every experience. As 2005 nears its end, I invite you to carefully examine your personal goals and your daily routine, even as I am doing the same. Responsibilities and personal goals must be fulfilled, and yet, all work and no play is not a good prescription for anyone. It occurs to me that the timing of my computer’s demise in conjunction with my medical diagnosis is most suggestive. The holiday season is just about to begin, so maybe we should all spend a little less time stressing with our computers, and a little more time enjoying simple pleasures with those we care about…and maybe we should all take a little better care of ourselves, as well. I am wishing a very blessed Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year to everyone. Thank you for your interest, your support, and your patience. Sincerely, MaryAnne (The Pumamouse) 2 December 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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