Sistah's Thought Bubbles ~

~ Faith ~

DeniseyOhh — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:04:39 GMT

From Darren, himself, the man behind the tribal curtain: In the interest of making sure everyone sees this, I am reposting this from the company blog and the Gold Star tribe and my personal blog. Please note that the rewrite project is dependent upon the database upgrade project -- there's a lot of sub-projects to the larger project of making tribe stable and easier to use. Also, I tend to use the word 'bleeding edge' a lot when I am excited. It's just the imagery, I guess. == So, today I basically got the go-ahead to go full speed ahead with the rewrite project. I have convinced management that I know how to scale Ruby on Rails, and with John Adams (one of our contractors) now working on twitter.com (one of my favorite websites which also happens to be 100% RoR) I should have a wealth of data coming back for the bleeding edge development we are doing. I think you folks should get not only the most stable but the shiniest and the coolest toys to play with, since SOME of you are paying for it. Because of this, I've entered into talks with Sun and MySQL to run the next version of tribe.net on nothing but Sun Microsystems equipment with Enterprise level database support. We're also going to be using some bleeding edge technologies like computing clouds to make this as cost efficient as possible. I know this is probably wacky moon talk to more than a few of my friends and people reading it, but these are all good things. Because of Sun's support for this project, I feel a lot more comfortable pushing the bleeding edge of what can be done. I'm also having fun looking at machines with four processors in them and 256 GB of RAM. That Sun product catalog is a lot like porn to me, except you can't get a PDF sticky. One of the things that I am particularly proud of is throwing tribe's gauntlet into the ring of making Ruby on Rails scalable. I'm not the brightest person on the planet, but it seems like this shouldn't be rocket science. We also have two interns working on Ruby on Rails and AJAX/UI code for us, and you'll probably be thanking them more than me for the minor tweaks that tribe.net has needed for a year or so now. The new timeline goes a little like this: Proof of concept (July 9th) Beta test roll out (August 1st) Tribe.net 3.0 rollout (September 1st) Due to certain efficiencies in coding in Ruby on Rails, we may have the beta-test sooner rather than later. Paid subscribers will have the first whack at the new Tribe.net servers, as we're setting up the cluster specifically for them first. Once we have the bugs shaken out, we'll launch the site for all members. In other words... ask Mark Pincus if you see him at Burning Man! photo of Vemeer's Allegory of Faith - http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/allegory_of_faith.html

Get Lei'd Today

DeniseyOhh — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:24:38 GMT

I wish I could lei you all in person. It's the thought that counts ; ) In early 1928 writer and poet Don Blanding wrote an article in a local paper suggesting that a holiday be created centered around the Hawaiian custom of making and wearing lei. It was fellow writer Grace Tower Warren who came up with the idea of a holiday on May 1 in conjunction with May Day. She is also responsible for the phrase, "May Day is Lei Day." If you are planning a trip to Hawaii at the end of the month into early May, you'll get to experience this Hawaiian holiday first-hand for yourself. The first Lei Day was held on May 1, 1928, and everyone in Honolulu was encouraged to wear lei. Festivities were held downtown with hula, music, lei making demonstrations and exhibits and lei making contests. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported, "lei blossomed on straw and felt hats, lei decorated automobiles, men and women and children wore them draped about their shoulders. To the city Kamehameha's statue extended a garland of maile and plumeria, which fluttered in the wind from its extended hand. Lei recaptured the old spirit of the islands (a love of color and flowers, fragrance, laughter and aloha)." In 1929, Lei Day was made an official holiday in the territory, a tradition which was interrupted only during the years of World War II, and which continues today. Happy May Day! Happy Lei Day! ~ Aloha ~ : D

A musical toast to the Goddess

DeniseyOhh — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:23:31 GMT

4 years later and we're still singing, because she told us to! My life goes on in endless song Above earths lamentations, I hear the real, though far-off hymn That hails a new creation. Through all the tumult and the strife I hear its music ringing, It sounds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing? While though the tempest loudly roars, I hear the truth, it liveth. And though the darkness round me close, Songs in the night it giveth. No storm can shake my inmost calm, While to that rock Im clinging. Since love is lord of heaven and earth How can I keep from singing? When tyrants tremble in their fear And hear their death knell ringing, When friends rejoice both far and near How can I keep from singing? In prison cell and dungeon vile Our thoughts to them are winging, When friends by shame are undefiled How can I keep from singing?

Dear Chevy ~ (a love letter)

DeniseyOhh — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:43:23 GMT

Dear Chevy ~ I love you! I am writing today to thank you for building a really dependable vehicle that day back in ' 89. From what I've heard, not all of the trucks rolled out that year were as great as the one I have. Back in 2000, when Dad (the original owner) was trying to sell the S-10 it had only 160,000 miles on it. No one wanted to touch it - "Oh - that engine won't last to 200,000" they said. I knew they were wrong, and so did the S-10. Like the little engine that could, it keeps going and going, and last night, at 12:05 AM the odometer turned over mile number 300,000. Same engine, still going strong. I can't say I believe it has another 300,000 miles in it, and I hope that it has at least 50,000. I'll throw a party if it hits 400,000 and invite you all. Oh, and to all those smart guys who wouldn't buy it I'd like to say 2 things - Thanks and : Þ Love, Denise - a dedicated Chevy gal

Aloha Oe!

DeniseyOhh — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:43:04 GMT

I'm off to Maui to get my Doula groove on. I'll be participating in a 3 day intensive workshop and hope to return with even more tricks in my bag to get the babies out! Life dream on the road to being realized : ) Cheers! Nisey

Mele Kalikimaka Tribe Ohana!!

DeniseyOhh — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:13:04 GMT

Merry Christmas Tribe Family! Happy Festivus! May gentle breezes blow the Holiday Spirit your way. Cyber Christmas *goose* to you ; ) Love! : D

~ 1000 ~

DeniseyOhh — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:08:32 GMT

Thanks for dropping by, everybody! Here's a little song I'd like to share in celebration of my 1000th viewing. Cheers!! : D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Audq-nJjnd0

Gobble Gobble

DeniseyOhh — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:32:59 GMT

Full credit goes to Dear, Sweet, *Innocent* Colleen... Happy Thanksgiving to All!! THINGS THAT SOUND DIRTY AT THANKSGIVING, BUT AREN'T "Whew, that's one terrific spread!" "I'm in the mood for a little dark meat." "Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist." "Talk about a huge breast!" "It's Cool Whip time!" "If I don't undo my pants, I'll burst!" "Are you ready for seconds yet?" "Are you going to come again next time?" "It's a little dry, do you still want to eat it?" "Just wait your turn, you'll get some!" "Don't play with your meat." "Just spread the legs open & stuff it in." "Do you think you'll be able to handle all these people at once?" "I didn't expect everyone to come at once!" "You still have a little bit on your chin." "Use a nice smooth stroke when you whip it." "How long will it take after you stick it in?" "You'll know it's ready when it pops up." "Wow, I didn't think I could handle all of that!" "How many are coming?" "That's the biggest one I've ever seen!" "Just lay back & take it easy...I'll do the rest." "How long do I beat it before it's ready?"

Denise Needs...

DeniseyOhh — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:51:06 GMT

Pirated (freely) from Tracy. Type your name followed by "needs" into Google and see what Google thinks you need. Then list the top 10 it comes up with: Denise Needs: 1) help carrying her bags 2) her mouth wired shut (HA!) 3) your support 4) to view Crunch Fat-burning Pilates (spooky) 5) more room for her 'crazy' (don't we all...) 6) to let it go (whatever 'it' is) 7) more shoes (see photo above - UK size 8, please. No really, PLEASE!) 8) some advice 9) to stop using kids for photo ops (why I went with the shoes, instead of my nephew) and 10) YOU!!! Special bonus need: 11) to be understood (really, I love those shoes, and if you aren't buying them for me, well...) Aloha! : D

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES...

DeniseyOhh — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:57:02 GMT

from Mark Pincus' blog (posted Sun, November 18, 2007 - 12:19 AM ): people.tribe.net/markpincus/blog <quick informal update on tribe status as you know, tribe has been experiencing more downtime lately and we're sorry. a lot of people have been posting and emailing with concerns about tribe. here's the quick status on tribe. tribe has been living off the cash it generates from showing adsense ads for the past 7-8 months. that has generally been enough to pay for bandwidth and two full time employees (darren and wendy) who manage the server uptime and cusomter support. from time to time the site has been lucky enough to get off hrs input from former developers like brian and jenni. going forward, a lot of people have offered to pay for a premium account or make donations to support the site. if we could generate another $60-70k a year (about $5k per month) we could hire a full-time engineer to work on more serious maintenance and even new features (like a cool newsfeed like facebook has). that might require 1000 subscribers at $5 per month. i love the idea of testing this out. if you have further thoughts email me (mark@tribe.net) and andrew trader (at@tribe.net). we may not be able to respond to everyone but will try.> : D

Pssst...Hey.. Over here, to the right side of your screen...

DeniseyOhh — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:27:05 GMT

Good Friday evening to you all. Is anyone else having trouble getting into certain tribes tonight, for example Dickens Fair Folks and What to Wear to Dickens Fair? Ironically, I'm also unable to open the tribe.net bugs tribe...

She told us she was trouble

DeniseyOhh — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:07:10 GMT

But I refuse to believe she's no good. Poor dear. Such a talent. I hope she gets her junk sorted out before it ends her career entirely... Winehouse in the doghouse after 'atrocious' tour debut Thu Nov 15, 2:59 PM ET Troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse kicked off her 17-date tour with a shambolic performance that saw fuming fans booing and marching out, reports said Thursday. The concert at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, was a chance for the 24-year-old to get back to singing and put her woes behind her. Winehouse has had "health issues" -- widely reported to be drug and alcohol abuse -- and her party-loving husband Blake Fielder-Civil is being held on grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice charges. But Wednesday's gig at the NIA, which can hold up to 13,000 people, was slammed by angry fans as a "disgrace" after she turned up late and stumbled about the stage. When punters started jeering, Winehouse snapped: "Let me tell you something. First of all, if you're booing, you're a mug for buying a ticket. "Second, to all those booing, just wait till my husband gets out of incarceration -- and I mean that." The Birmingham Mail newspaper's music critic Andy Coleman said it was "one of the saddest nights of my life". "I saw a supremely talented artist reduced to tears, stumbling around the stage and, unforgivably, swearing at the audience," he wrote. James Dyas demanded his money back, according to London's Evening Standard newspaper. "She came on stage half an hour late. She managed four songs but was slurring her words and swaying all over the place," he said. "She fell into the guitar stand and dropped the microphone -- it was atrocious. The song dedicated to her husband was so bad it was like swinging a cat round your head." An, from Birmingham, commented on The Times newspaper's website: "Her singing was awful, out of tune and slurred. She sang for around 50 minutes -- drinking throughout. "I have never seen so many people leave a show. 'Valerie' was my favourite song -- she massacred it!" Pete Massera, from north-west England, added: "It was an absolutely atrocious gig. I, like many others in the audience, got our coats and left before she even finished the set." Gary Atwell, from nearby Rugby, said "streams" of fans walked out, according to the BBC website. "I went out for a sneaky cigarette half way through and at least 40 people left, just in that five minutes," he said. "Valerie", the closing number, descended into chaos when Winehouse stopped singing, dropped the microphone and walked off stage. Winehouse, named best British female solo artist at the Brit Awards in February, has rarely been out of the newspapers in recent months due to her lifestyle issues.

Before the ship sinks (again)~

DeniseyOhh — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:45:37 GMT

I want to tell you all how much I miss you when you're gone...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW!!!

DeniseyOhh — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:24:50 GMT

It's hard to sing a song here, and have everyone singing in the same key, so you'll just have to imagine it ; ) I hope I don't forget the words! The Happy Crappy Birthday Song (sung to the tune of "scotland the brave") Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh When you were two or three Your mommy would always see That you had a party on your birthday But now you’re older and more mature At least we are pretty sure And shouldn’t be treated like a baby. ‘Cuz no one gives a shit about your birthday any more, No! It’s not important! And if you want the truth it’s simply a good excuse For all your friends to get drunk together. Now I’m sure that you’ll agree, Your brain starts to atrophy, Each time that you celebrate your birthday. Unfortunately I must remind you, The best part of life’s behind you. Soon they will throw your final party. Your teeth will rot, your hair fall out, And sex will merely refer to gender only. So raise a glass with me, a toast to senility, We wish you a Happy Crappy Birthday! Have a great day!!!!

Spreading the word

DeniseyOhh — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:28:47 GMT

Due to overwhelming demand ; ) I've created a tribe for the Dickens Fair history snobs. Share the link with anyone you know that may be interested... Cheers! http://tribes.tribe.net/dickenssnobs

Dream On, Bob...

DeniseyOhh — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:42:23 GMT

Robert Goulet has died. He has always been one of my favorites. One Christmas, Matthew's Dad gave him tickets for Camelot starring Bob and we went. He was fabulous, and I will always remember one of his costars cracking him up so much that he broke character. Don't remember what transpired on stage, just remember him busting out in laughter. What a tremendous laugh and smile he had. And the voice... He will be greatly missed, but happily remembered. : (

Plan B

DeniseyOhh — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:10:22 GMT

Aloha~ Since tribe has been shoving Donut in our faces more frequently as of late, I've been thinking we should have a back up plan in case the site goes down in flames... Does anyone have suggestions/experience with a tribe alternative? Myspace is right out. LiveJournal seems less than live. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Confession time

DeniseyOhh — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:21:12 GMT

Princess Lara hit the nail on the head immediately - I'll think of some sort of prize for you! Grandpa was never stationed at Pearl Harbor. He stayed much closer to home - Mare Island and Hunter's Point. Paul - you made my heart stop for a nano second, and I may have lost 1/2 a brain cell trying to remember if you were there. I'm sure I only know 2 other people who were. One is my husband, and the other shall remain a mystery, and was not a participant - he was passed out by the pool. If anyone really wants to know the naughty story, you may be able to pry (ply?) it out of me... (Okay - Red Rooster Swingers Club, outside of Las Vegas, but that's all yer gettin' here!) I guess I've mentioned the Italian choir tour too many times for anyone to think it was a lie, but yes, summer of 1990, sang for JP Due. Whew, I feel so fresh and alive after unburdening my self of that lie! That was a fun little game. Thanks for the comments and the laughter! Nisey

Making you Wonder...

DeniseyOhh — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:02:01 GMT

Ok... so the rules of the game are that you have to say 2 truths and 1 lie. Each person has to guess which one is the lie. See how well you know your friends...Good luck! 1) I sang for Pope JP II 2) I had sex with 12 men at the same time 3) My Grandpa was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attack Which one is the lie?

Zounds!

DeniseyOhh — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:53:52 GMT

Tribe sure did fall down hard. It must have suffered a concussion... Nice to see your smiling faces again. Or at least little tiny pictures of your sometimes smiling faces... Aloha!

Presenting Presents!

DeniseyOhh — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:00:53 GMT

I'll be receiving a gift from Tracy, and in exchange, I am reposting this, including his 'douchbag' lines... Not that I think anyone that would reply is a douchbag, especially if you're lookin' forward to a prezzie! Trust me, I give good prezzie ; D "For the first three people that respond AND re-post this challenge, I will send you something. Yes, I will send you a present. Whatever it is, I promise that I will get it to you in 30 days or less. The only thing you need to do in order to participate is to be one of the first three to reply to this, AND post this very same thing - 'cause it's fun to give people stuff. Unless they're total douchebags, of course. By the way, be sure and PM your address so I can send you the present. Unless, of course, you know. Douchebag." And yeah, that PM part is pretty impor-tahn-tay Aloha!! Nisey

Happy most recent past life birthday, John

DeniseyOhh — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 08:20:46 GMT

Just wanted to acknowledge John on the day of his birth. That's all... If you'd like to acknowledge him too, feel free! : D Imagine by John Lennon Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today... Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one

~A Peaceful Moment~

DeniseyOhh — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:45:16 GMT

Some of you may already be aware of what's happening in Burma. For those of you that haven't heard, please take a moment to read about the marches here: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php If, after reading you are moved to take action, please visit this page: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,4945,0,0,1,0 My intention is to spread the word, to raise consciousness, and to send a positive message of Peace. Do with the information what you will. A thought, a mantra, a prayer, a smile, a moment for peace. It will help. And it's a nice break from the other crap going on in the world... (the peaceful moment, that is) Namaste, Cheers, and as always, ~ Aloha ~ Nisey

Off to the playground...

DeniseyOhh — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:52:35 GMT

Here we go again. Have a great weekend everyone! Blessed Equinox! Mayhap I'll see you in the sandbox. Unless you see me first ; ) Cheers and Aloha, Nisey

Never Forget

DeniseyOhh — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:23:20 GMT

Six years. Six years of life moving forward while looking back and remembering to "Never Forget". I would like to dedicate today's rollercoaster of emotion to my buddies in Hell's Kitchen - Engine 34 and Ladder 21, Manhattan. They lost 7 brothers that day. They were the ones running in and telling everyone to run out. Ever loyal to their duty and cause. Heros. I dedicate my smiles today to my Father, who has bravely gone out the door when the alarms sound, and has always come home safely. Tired, smelling of smoke, and alive. Since 1960. He doesn't go to all the calls now, he says "let the young ones get their share". Some day he'll hang up his turnouts for good, but I doubt he'll ever stop being the little boy that wanted to be a fireman when he grew up. So if you see a firefighter today, or any day, give them a smile and a wave. They love that, and usually wave back. Unless they're responding to a call, then get the hell out of their way. I will never forget because they will never forget. I hope everyone has a better day than they did six years ago. : D