It is with great regret that I must announce the semi-cessation of DogRat.com. This is due to my Web hosting service revising its policy, and no longer allowing the posting of audio or video files.
I will be deleting ALL audio and video from the site, but I will leave WordPress running for the time being. Over a year ago I prepared to move to another Web hosting service, but it will take time to do that — assuming I want to do that.
The fact is that I’ve done everything with the blog that I set out to do in September, 2006. I’m not selling anything, nor am I promoting myself in an effort to find work, etc. The blog has existed solely for its own sake.
So that’s it. In the short term, embedded multimedia will be gone. After that, I don’t know. This may be the end, or it may be just the end for now.
Paul — Thanks, but no need to worry. Last weekend was awful, because I had to spend many hours preparing to leave the old hosting service. After much effort and frustration, I got everything working on another service. Doing the taxes, which I also had to get done last weekend, was much easier!
The domain name system is still bouncing around a bit with the change, so you didn’t see the updated site. I’m still backing off of the blog for a while, so I can decide how to proceed without tempting the host to anger by posting video.
Doug,
You will be terribly missed…your blog was a fun part of my daily routine…I wish you much happiness and a full recovery for Carol too!…Paul Howley
Lizzie — Some of my comments to tastewar also apply to your observations. With everything that’s going on — Carol’s illnesses, the college admission process for Eric, and my ongoing effort at trying to recover from my debilitating knee injury — I am indeed at a crossroads. But losing both the ability to run and the blog, I’ve decided, would be too much.
tastewar — Well, I’m thinking that my death was premature. A lot of my downbeat mood was due to the extreme pain I felt at having to confront the technical challenge of a database that apparently had an error preventing it from being imported, and the inability to find expert help. So, as is so often the case (as you know better than anyone), I had to figure it out for myself. The database error was, in fact, fictitious, and the importing error was nothing at all what I thought it was. Past that, there was a scripting error in the new host’s WordPress tool, etc., etc.
Anyway, I’m still feeling the need to back off of the blog. It really was getting in the way of real life. I need to find a new way to approach it, and there’s always the risk that I’ll run afoul of this hosting service as well, due to overzealous posting of big files.
But I sincerely appreciate your thoughts and support! Very much so.
I sense that you are at a sort of a crossroads, Doug… I’m glad that you accomplished everything that you set out to do, when you started this blog. I know you’ve practiced and learned a lot for yourself in doing it, – way more than I’d ever be able to do, that’s for sure! I know it’s been a labor of love for you, but it’s also been labor – requiring large chunks of your time and dedication. I can understand your feelings at this point, as the current situation has come about.
If you take a break, but then maybe find that you miss blogging, perhaps you might consider a new direction for yourself in blogging. A different objective, now that you’ve mastered the technical parts of it. So, if you find yourself restless, I encourage you to think outside-the-box about, possibly, a new style of blogging with a different purpose for yourself, that you could find fulfilling. Only you would know what that might look like, of course. But I think I’m probably speaking for all your blog fans in saying that we would back you and wish you all the best.
Rats.
Sorry to hear this, Doug. It’s been a pleasure to read your writing over the past few years. I consider the A/V stuff to be icing on the cake, but you always have something interesting to say. If this must be the end, then so be it, but I not-so-secretly hope not. Difficult as it may be, try to look at it as an opportunity — take the time to see if there is something you want to do with your web space. Thanks for everything.
–Tom
Don’t know how this will end up. I had moved to the new service and imported the database, but the WordPress installation balked at using it.. This is a MAJOR aggravation.
See that picture of Charlie Brown over to the right there? That’s how I feel! NOOO!!! Worse yet, not being able to access the old familiar stuff, like K3 and Pet, during my “down times,” is a major bummer. Well, you DID say SEMI-cessation. Time to gird out loins (I just like that term 😉 and get on with it.
You’ve done a fantastic job with the blog, Dougie, and it’s brought a lot of joy into our lives. As my two-year-old stepgrandson likes to say: “FLAME ON!”
Thanks, Lia. I will have to shut down the site for a day or two to take care of this, and it could not be at a worse time, because of other things I have to get done at home.
Hello Doug! Oh Nooo!!!!!!!! what a pity you have to delete the great audio and video stuff you ahve here. I’m going to watch “Girl with green eyes” you have uploaded 🙂 Thanks so much 🙂
Have a great weekend