BigCat’s Blog of DOOM

I use SQLite to maintain the database for my blog. It is annoying sometimes when I could be using the very much more powerful MySQL, but I’m too cheap to opt for the extra money to add that ability to account. I feel like using MySQL for a blog database is like trying to swat a fly with a bazooka. If it came free with my site hosting, sure, I would use it, but it costs more money, and if I ran a store, or did something more interesting then blogging I would use it. But I don’t.

So my choices for storing my database for my blog would be berkelyDB, or SQLite. I choose SQLite because it was installed and looked simpler to use. It has now caused me two headaches. One when installing the plugin that allows for threaded comments. That is what makes the “reply to this” link work. I had to learn all this specific syntax and crap to add columns to my database. It took a long time, and it sucked. Now, because of the way SQLite handles files, I had a “locked” database for several days. I actually had stuff I wanted to write about. But the damned thing wouldn’t let me post anything at all. So after a few hours of pouring over the internet I start to find some things out. Maybe the file was locked using an operating system call? Maybe the program wrote a lock bit into the file header? Can I copy the file to a backup file, then delete the old one, clearing an operating system file? (that didn’t work) Maybe I just suck at Unix/Linux/BSD? In the end, I get one little clue how to fix this “locked” database. After many “SQL Error: Database is locked” messages, and much hair pulling (which reminds me, I need a hair cut) I find on a page describing all the commands you can throw at this highly versatile database software, a command description. This description says something to the effect of “This command commits any data created to the database, writes it to the table, writes the file, unlocks the database and deletes the journal file.” Sure enough there is a file called mtdb-journal. mtdb is the name of my database. I deleted the stupid journal file, and it !Wala! The system is working again.

So, now this is officially documented, and in a couple of days will be on google, so any idiot like me who can’t figure out how to unlock his database when SQLite takes a crap, can now have one more simple option to try.

Sometimes I feel like a huge nerd when an array of google searches can’t fix my problem. You know it’s bad when your the first person on the net to break non-beta software. Maybe I’ll start typing all of my real life (read not computer) problems into google and see which ones it brings up links for that can help me fix them. Man, that idea sounds like a bad sermon refrence….I hope my Dad doesn’t read this.

I was walking home today, pondering some recent developments in the Methodist Church, and some things I read yesterday at Christianity Today concerning homosexuality. I got to thinking a lot about the female Methodist pastor who professed her homosexuality to her bishop. If you want to read about her judicial trial (a trial to see if she could keep her ordination, i.e. her job as a pastor in the Methodist Church) and how she didn’t end up being convicted, you can see that here. Also check out:
“Dammann verdict: What happens next?”
“Jury issues statement on decision in Dammann case”
“Dammann trial verdict reflects complexity of case”
“Presiding officer says trial was fair, honorable”
And then it is important to read the responses, both for and against to understand what I’m talking about here…..which you should note that the Bishops (read people in charge of whole states or large portions of states, and they don’t have cardinals or a Pope, so that is as high as it gets) are overwhelmingly against this decision. So here are some of those articles:
“Commentary: Why do we play with words?”
“Commentary: Verdict represents God doing a new thing”
“Individual bishops voice disappointment at verdict”
“United Methodist bishops vow to uphold church law”

You get all that? Good, then we can continue.
In a nutshell, all that stuff says that there is a fraction of the UMC that supports homosexual marriage, and in the practice being accepted among clergy. But, the majority, a rather large majority is still against this practice, and there is a book that is used to supplement the Bible in how they (I almost put we, but while the book is pretty good for me personally I have to remember I’m no longer Methodist) in this time, are to live as United Methodist Christians. And while it has some loose wording for what the church believes about peoples lifestyles it is very very specific about the clergy and the standard they are held to. The woman in question was acquitted of any charges after she openly declared she was in a long term homosexual relationship, and she had participated in a marriage ceremony. This is clearly against the United Methodist book of Discipline, and it creates a problem. I personally think the issue is being forced by a region that is traditionally part of the minority in the UMC right before the quadra-annual General Conference where the book of discipline can be changed, so that it can be a heated debate when all 1000 and some internation delegates get together and talk about it.

I’m gonna post an extended entry here, because this is just background information for what I want to talk about and it could get long, but I want people who are interested to know that this isn’t a Ben bashing the United Methodist post, it is Ben commenting on the state of modern (or post-modern if you want to confuse how I’m using the word modern) Church.
Continue reading ‘Thoughts on the Church and Homosexuality’

As usual, we will be at Legends at 1pm. If you want a good burger and fries for 3.99 come on down. Also, you can hang with Rob, Dirk, Seth, Art and me, which is always cool.

Be there, or you’re lame.

I skated to work today, and my ankles are killing me, and my calves, hams, and quads are burning. I remembered just how bad my bearings have got beat up since I got those skates, and I remembered just how out of shape I am. I felt like the wind was blowing me backwards at times. So I think I may overhaul my skates sometime next month. I have been saying for a while that I could try the carburetor cleaner trick to clean out the bearings, but I think it is time for new wheels and bearings. I’ve had those on there since I got those skates, and I got them at the beginning of my college career almost five years ago. I skated to a skatepark in California when I was there. It was only a mile or a little more, but by the time I got there, I was wiped out, so I didn’t skate the park, I just watched the kids there skate, and rested, and then skated back. I feel kinda bad because if I had gone to California about a year earlier I would have been all over the place looking for parks to skate. It sucks, I used to be good at skating, not just in better shape, but better at using my skates. I started hitting hand rails on my skates about sophomore year, and I used to use my soap shoes for that too. Now I need new shoes, not because my grind plates on them have worn out from using them to grind rails and curbs, but because the foot wear from just walking around on them has caused the bolts holding the plates on to be ground down past the head and the plates are about to fall off. On top of that I can’t get new ones, even though I wouldn’t since I never use them anymore, because the company is out of business. I really like my shoes, just as shoes, because they are really durable. I heard shoes made for BMX riding, and skateboarding are pretty tough too, but while I used to wear airwalks all the time because they were comfortable I never found them to be extremely durable and they were supposed to be skating shoes. Maybe Vans and some of those other companies make a tougher shoe. I like shoes that last.

Anyway, besides being out of shape, I found this article that talks about bio-tech companies shipping stuff off shores to make drugs cheaper, and this was supposed to be an area that could be the next savior for IT people since Bio-tech is such a hot area now. Oh well, one less job I won’t be getting at the end of the summer. And I wouldn’t have minded working for pharmaceutical company on their production lines….I bet they have a great deal on perceptions with their health plans.

Well back to work. Have a good one folks.

Well I have a test tomorrow, and I’m sitting here waiting for some old homework solutions to print out, so I figure I should type a little.

First off, Kill Bill party can be co-ed, but I wouldn’t advise it, as I will most likely be acting like an idiot…which I am want to do from time to time…and we are going to see a very cool movie…which makes it more likely.

Also, before the Kill Bill thing, I have a meeting…but the bummer is that I am scheduled to bring a main dish…I wonder if that is a “Ben and Lauren” kind of thing, or just a “Ben” thing. Maybe I’ll get Lauren to cook for me anyway, since I am super busy this week….or maybe I’ll just KFC it up. I don’t think anyone would care as long as I found something vegetarian for Liz too.

Why do tests have to suck so much…why does my department suck so much. Why does my apartment suck so much…or house that is.

Last night Rob and I tried to hook the computer to the TV to watch Naruto, this resulted in a series of outlets going out….I have no idea how they went out since the TV and computers outlets still work, and two outlets down they just stop working….and the computer stopped turning on. I think I broke the power button, but I’m not sure, and I don’t have time to fix it this week…which makes me feel bad about breaking it. I’m not exactly sure how the outlets stopped working, or how the computer button broke, but none the less, they don’t work. This also sucks because the wedding invitations in their latest updated form are on that computer, which means I can’t get them off until I fix it…not good, plus I was going to turn them into png’s or gif’s and put them on the web for people to see.

ECE sucks

And so does Rob

Do you know that it is very hard to make small things out of aluminum if they have to be strong….that was a lot of wasted time at the grinder at work last week, oh well.

Done printing…off to grainger until dinner time, then back to grainger…I’m starting to hate that place.

My name is Benjamin Patrick Catlin, and I LOVE THE COCK. I love the cock so much, that I am planning on building a monument to the cock. It will be life-size, and incredibly life-like, modelled after my own cock. I have already purchased the half inch cube of marble with which to sculpt my masterpiece. When I am finished, you too shall worship the cock like I do.

I will now dialect on the masturbatory habits of the modern moose. See contrary to popular belief, the modern moose is a sexual dynamo, incapable of being sexually sated. I know, I have sampled some of this fine, erotic cuisine. The moose has evolved the capability to masturbate in order to keep itself from committing unspeakable acts of terror (i.e. alliances with squirrels, duck intimidation, goat slayings, etc.). I think I speak for us all when I say, “Thank you Moose! Thank you for evolving this saintly ability, keeping the natural balance of the forest the way it should be.”

I also have a midget fetish. Damn, them midgets is sexy. Swexy even. I think I’m going to start renting porn agian, except now it will be all midget porn. I’m talking midget threesomes, midget handjobs, midget on moose, whatever. My home will be a smorgasboard of midget sexual depravity. When I get married, I’m going to ask Lauren to act like a midget in the bedroom.

This has been a last gasp of independent Ben.

Thank you and goodnight…