I'm so angry at Blogger. I've tried to fix this problem before, and it seems like it should be very easy. At some point, blogger stopped supporting my archives. When you click on the archives to the right, all you see is the code.

Why?

I have no idea. When I go into my dashboard, there they all are, all 375, dating back to 2004. Tonight, it became an issue again. The gals over at Teeny Manolo, a site that writes about kid stuff offered to link back to me as a thank you for suggesting a story idea. It would be great, except, I have written a whole lot a nuthin' the past few months. If someone could peruse my archives, at least that would make it worth it, but they can't. So why even bother, because even though the old saw goes "there is no such thing as bad publicity" I know from experience you want to put your best foot forward, and something half ass-y is not they way to go in the creative arts.

My web pages are a sorry mess because I still don't have a edition of dreamweaver that works, or I need to transfer it all to some apple supports POS that does, and just spend the money to pay for the hosting or whatever.

I just want to be able to easily update. That why I used to like blogger so much and why now I'm down to facebook status. I log on, say my thing and BAM! done. That was the whole idea with the web pages. Log in, fill in the blank, upload and done.

This blogger thing has dragged on for what seems like a year and half and I just haven't had the energy to deal. Every time I spend an hour trying to solve it, I get nowhere.

I have so little time as it is for creative endeavors. I can't spend what little energy I have banging my head against the wall.

I am actually planning on going to go to Disneyland on my birthday this year. Disney is running some kind of promotion that gives you free admission to -Land or -World on your birthday, if you sign up in advance, which I'm sure gets me on all sorts of mailing lists no matter what I tried to opt out of. It looks like kids age 2 and under are free, so we will only have to pay for one ticket. That runs around $70, but when it's split two or three way, doesn't seem like quite so ridiculous. Even if we just walk around and go on the "baby rides" it should be a nice time for all of us.

Which is just what The Mouse wants from us!!!!

Hi Blog! I miss you so much! I've been ignoring you for months for my new bestie, Facebook, and it's one line "status updates." It's been like writing blog entries as haiku. I have to boil down the entire entry in one or two concise sentences. Larger ideas have been scribbled into my comedy notebook for use later- Countess monologues, video pieces, sketches...

I am coming back, I promise.

You don't even want to know how I've treating Web Page. I don't even have the right software to update it right now. Web Page still thinks it's September.

Happy New Year!

Love, Robyn

A week of small victories!

It took two days and over six hours on the phone with various tech supports, but Steve got our home network to work! That means we can have his PC, my Mac and the X box on as a media extender to have music playing ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

Dexter has slept through the night 3 nights in a row.

We are all feeling better, and Dex and I are finally over the cold that lasts three weeks.

Trader Joe's is carrying Dexter's favorite Chicken Nuggets again. He held the box in the cart and clamored to have them as soon as we got home.

I have a day of union costume work today.

I'm inspired constantly by ideas for new blog posts, and I even outline them in my head, but my time is so limited right now that very rarely do I get to sit right down and bang it out.

I have been made very aware the past two weeks about patronizing the restaurants in my neighborhood and in LA in general. This 'economic downturn' has been hard for them, but I think the latest belt tightening for people has really an effect.

Now it's the fancier joints. My pal Tara Ochs is a server at Asia de Something in Beverly Hills, and she sent out a Facebook blast letting us know she can get a good table and a discount. Yelp is reminding me. American AAdvantage too. I'm sure that Almalfi's is not happy that the ACME season seemed to end one week early and the theater is dark through January. The actors themselves didn't eat all that much but they certainly kept the bar going and show patrons would eat there before and after shows. I hope Room 5 can keep it up.

We have not been eating out at all. We did go to Cold Springs Tavern on Sunday for Dana's birthday, and we have ordered pizza and take out chinese during the past few weeks, but out to dinner at a place nice enough for us to get a babysitter? I can't rembember when. Months? I have a clipping for a place in Glendale we've been meaning to try.

Yesterday the LA Times reminded me that if I don't go out even a little now, that the places I love may not be around when we finally can afford them again. Life is just grinding to a halt.

Finally.

I can get my life back in order now that the elections are over. I will no longer spend any free computer time I have trolling news sites and reddit.com and blogs for poll results.

I'm thrilled and excited about Obama. I'm a little sad for McCain. I don't think this was the campaign he wanted and he looked a bit embarrassed when people booed Obama during his very gracious concession speech. I think it is not the last we have seen of Ms. Palin, and agree with my pal Rebecca that the real reason she didn't let her medical records be seen was NOT that Trig is Bristol's, but that there is an abortion in her past. A cutie pie party girl in the early 80's? A D&C in 1982 would be WAY more damaging to her political career than trying to cover up for her teen daughter's baby.

I wonder who Bush will be pardoning over the next two months, and I'm sure Laura Bush will be very relieved to finally get the hell out of Washington and home to Texas. I'm sure she mentally moved home this spring when her daughter got married.

I STILL cannot believe that Prop 8 passed, and that Southern California was so overwhelmingly for it. I live in a very gay friendly neighborhood, work with gay people and have many gay friends. I had not actually seen one Yes On Prop 8 sign in person, just hundreds of No on Prop 8 signs. The doomsday emails I was receiving daily from various gay organizations I dismissed as coffer filling fear mongering. I signed the petition, I joined the facebook groups, but did I give cold hard cash? Not to No on Prop 8. Sigh. I hang my head in shame. I was complacent. I thought it was a sure thing. I had no idea the Great State of California would vote for Chicken Rights but not Gay Rights. My pal Sam Shaw was right. It was huge AM radio media buys. Steve listens to 640 AM on his clock radio. I would hear the ads in passing. Know thine enemy. Liberals need to stop listening to KCRW and KPCC, turn off their computers and buy ads on local channels during the news and Tyra, and advertise on wacko AM radio. Stop preaching to the converted!

Down off the soapbox...

What has happened to me in the past month? I'm not quite sure because I truly have been distracted. I can tell you today I am sick as a dog and wish I had already gotten my flu shot, but I won't until the first week of December.

The news around here-

1.I got a commercial agent! And she doesn't even seem to be a scam artist. Frankly, at this point I wouldn't care if she was. I'm just proud to be able to finally have representation.

2. The front deck is under construction. The old steps have been demolished, they have replaced the foundation under the front wall of the building, and we have temporary wooden steps. The "portable" cement mixer is still in the back yard, so I know that the digging and pouring of the new deck foundation should be soon. Ben projects the deck should be finished in another two weeks. I bet by December 1st.

3. Steve is having his diverticulitus surgery this week, and will be home recovering for two weeks after that. It should take care of the continual flare ups he's been having for over a year.

4. I just finished almost three weeks at Jimmy Kimmel Live working on all the Halloween costumes. They came out great. The costume designer Rodney Munoz is a treat to work with, and always amazes me with how hard he works. Some designers just kind of cruise by on the strength of their staff, but this guy can and would do everybody's job if there were only 65 hours in each day. His staff is very loyal, and I'm proud to be a part of the team.

5. Dexter is still adorable.

JoAnn Fabrics in Glendale, CA is a horrible fabric store, and I will never, ever shop there ever again.

Once again, I fell for the "it's right there, I won't have to drag downtown" idea. The Glendale JoAnn's is just a few blocks away from Dexter's play group. I would be able to do both things in the morning before it got too hot and Dexter got too tired. The store is 11th Circle of Hell, and each time it is a new low. This time, there were only three shopping carts in the whole store, and all three of them had wheels that wouldn't turn. They made the carts at Trader Joe's seem like Porches. I chose the best of the three and soldiered on. I dragged the cart to the back of the store only to find they had no fur. Well, they had three bolts of crap- black and white cow, and two other bedraggled whatever. That was it. I have to say it was the non-functioning cart that put me over the edge. The wheels were locked, as if I had tried to remove the cart from the perimeter of the parking lot, yet I was standing in the middle of the store. The staff moons around like zombies. The store looks like absolute crap, with water leak marks staining the ceilings and walls, and merchandise displayed in piles. The lighting is bad. All the stores are like this-Pasadena, Simi Valley, Valley Village, but THIS location is the absolute worst.

The only exception, and it is a SHINING JEWEL of a store, is the one at Porter Ranch. But it is no average JoAnn's. It is some kind of JoAnn's superstore. It is well lit, large, well merchandised, the staff is friendly and helpful, and it is a pleasure to shop there. I don't have any idea why the other stores are not like it.

I don't care what coupons they send, or if I only need thread. I will never, ever shop at JoAnn's of Glendale ever again.