I was actually a part of the group that first purchased the domain and brainstormed such a site.  I vividly recall pulling an all-nighter within a couple days of graduating high school, busting out code for the first iteration of this site (back in ‘01).  Since leaving and going to college, grad school, etc., it has gone through several more iterations, before finally being hacked and left dormant for about a year.  I saw an ad for someone who would be willing to breathe new life into it, and I am really pumped about working on it once again!

I have posted several times about my love for Wordpress as a Content Management System, and I wasted no time in setting up an installation for the site.  Now up to version 2.6, I get absolutely overwhelmed with each new release - Wordpress is so great.  I have also discovered a new plugin for integrating google calendar into the sidebar (wpng-calendar) that is simple and amazing.  I had tried some plugins before, but this is the best one by far.

Near-future updates will include more social interaction, but I don’t want to install a disparate forum component.  I am hoping to take advantage of Wordpress’s built-in user/subscriber system, and push users towards posting comments to posts and/or pages.

I am getting ready to begin a paper for my class which starts in a couple weeks, and decide to do a quick search to see what comes up in past papers I have written.  Since all my docs are stored in one place, I can quickly and easily do this. In about 1.5 nanoseconds I had retrieved a paper I wrote about 18 months ago… on the exact topic at hand.

1 down, 3 to go.

http://pandora.com/desktop

On the technical side, it is powered by Adobe AIR, which allows for desktop applications to be built using normal web authoring methods (as far as  I know… haven’t actually tried it yet).  This isn’t simply Mozilla Prism which slaps a link to a website on your desktop and calls it an app: It will minimize to your system tray and even displays all of your stations in the right-click (context) menu.

I have also just installed my first instance of Wordpress 2.5 - Wow.  A cool feature I used right off the bat is automatic plugin updating.  It instinctively knows if a plugin has an update available, and upon providing my FTP credentials, it downloads and installs the updated version.  Amazing.

I have gone through several plugins to help build a Flash gallery, but have settled on simpleFlickr as my favorite.  It combines the beauty and flexibility of simpleviewer with Flickr, and rolls it all up into a surprisingly easy-to-use Wordpress plugin.  Flash slideshows built from Flickr sets is just awesome.

Being able to go from concept to reality in such a short amount of time is a profound leap forward in the development of the internet.

Completed: Registered Julie’s car (trip #4 to the DMV, they get me every time!) and got a library card. Also bought tickets for Kansas City so I can attend a Fall module class at NTS - August 15th - September 2nd.

In Progress: I am researching projectors for our church. Suggestions, anyone?

Coming Up: 30 hour famine with laser tag and mini golf Friday night.

Other fun stats for my little side-side-side project:

Fans: 25
Rated: 4/5
Daily Users: 43
Total Users: 2,629

Here are three awesome things from the last few weeks.

Number 1: wp-simpleviewer.  This is Wordpress plugin for using the free flash image gallery SimpleViewer. I have started implementing Wordpress as CMS on a couple sites, and have been able to quickly and easily add a sweet-looking image gallery with this plugin. Check it out in action over at my dad’s site and for a community outreach event.

Number 2: Quicken personal finance software.  After a few years of struggling with two versions of Microsoft Money and basically resorting to Google Spreadsheets, I have finally figured out Quicken.  I first bought it last October, and it has literally taken me this long to understand it to the point where I use it exclusively.  I tried out the “Home & Business” demo, but was very disappointed;  The PDF invoices it generated were corrupted and unreadable, and when I tried to edit the layout of the invoice, I received a “page not found” error.  Although I have found it to have a surprisingly high learning curve, I am really enjoying it.

Number 3: Pandora internet radio. Give it an artist’s name and it generates an eclectic and pleasing mix of artists with similar sounds.  It has determined that I enjoy “subtle use of vocal harmony, extensive vamping and minor key tonalities.”  I added John Reuben and MuteMath, and listen to this almost exclusively when at the computer.

It has been wonderful this week to just sit back and work. I commented to Julie today that this is very similar to when I was in Seminary: A “vacation” consisted of being able to unwind from school concerns and just have a good week of working. I’ve been really wrapped up in Church and Youth-Pastor-y things these past few weeks, which I love, but it was nice to have a few days with nothing else going on and I can just get some work done. It all came to an end when I heard today that we will be having sports practices twice a week until Festival of Life down in Boston at the end of March. But I have decided to take a couple ping-pong players under my wing for a couple weeks of training - if they’re up for it. Ka-Chow!

I saw Cars recently, I liked it. I also saw “The Ultimate Gift” which I highly recommend! It was a random rental which left me in tears almost the whole way through it. Twice.

I learned a lesson in listening this month. I have been struggling with what it means to “lead” - not just recently, but for quite some time, as I find myself in “leadership” roles, but am so entirely inept that it is embarrassing. For a good laugh, put me in a situation where a decision needs to be made - the aftermath is as painful as the decision itself. But I am realizing that it was in the situations where I have an excellent team of people around me when I thrive, and disaster when I lack such people. Last week we had an event each night in honor of February Vacation, and had Laser Tag slated for Friday. The day came, and brought a snowstorm with it. I had my heart set on going, but found myself at the church, with a dozen students and adult volunteers, an hour after we were supposed to leave for a 2 hour drive, and the snow was getting worse. All the students were ready to go, and all the adults advised against it. I had to recognize the good advice of the adult volunteers, despite my own desire to travel, regardless of the weather. We ended up going out to eat, watching a movie, and having an excellent time.

And if I had a nickel for every time Tim Troxler bailed me out of a bad situation…

Until tonight.

I got the chance to catch up with my college roomate, Owen White, who in the last year or so has found a girlfriend, got engaged, got married, has a baby on the way… and moved to North Dakota.  To be a youth pastor.  I don’t think anyone could make that up. It’s so insane that it just has to be true.

I think you’re worth at least $60 Owen.  She got a good deal on you.  Especially if you still bring home those mozzarella sandwiches… those were amazing.

Joedonahue.org has been dormant these last couple months as I have migrated my blog from one web host to another, and tonight it is finally up and running.

I’ve also stopped going to grad school full-time, quit my job, packed up everything we own, and moved 1500 miles to Maine. Now we are starting a new chapter in our lives where I am the Youth Pastor at the Lisbon Falls Church of the Nazarene and doing contract web development while Julie is a SAHM (Stay-at-home-Mom).  Amelia is still… well, Amelia.  Although, she says “Dad” now and likes to dance with me.

Although this isn’t really news since Julie has posted about hundred blog entries since we’ve arrived, I feel like I had to say it.

Snow Camp Registration: $45
24pk of Mountain Dew: $7
Getting punched in the face while playing volleyball by one of my teens: priceless.