Time to start the party (Rachel Lucas)

Time to start the party

My friend and the best essayist I have ever read, Bill Whittle, has done me the ginormous favor of posting my "return to blogging" announcement on his blog. Thank you, Bill! You are president of the world.

So that means that I should probably start posting stuff right?

Okay first, because I've already gotten tons of questions about it: my pig-like beasts that we call dogs. I already posted a pic of Sunny so you know she's as stern and serious as ever, and also very fat now. That dog has a penchant for pig ears like you would not believe. Digger, I am happy to report, still lives too, but I am not so happy to report that he's declining pretty rapidly. He's 12 years old and has arthritis, and, well, it is much like living with an 85-year-old demented human. He's almost completely deaf, has cataracts, and can't run or catch a ball anymore. I know it sounds like he should be put down but he's not THERE yet. He can eat, drink, poop, sleep, and smile while he gets his belly rubbed. And he's not a total gimp - he killed a baby bluejay just a few weeks ago. I hadn't seen that old boy move that quickly in months.

As for John, many of you surely remember him, he's fine too. Like I said in my post on Bill's blog, we got divorced last fall. But we remain very close friends and are both very happy with the way things are now. In fact he just left my house after bringing over dog food, a weedeater, and my Browning Buckmark that I forgot to get out of the gunsafe when I moved. Hell, he brought me a whole goody-bag of gun stuff - ear and eye protectors, ammo, targets, yeah baby! Anyway, we actually lived together for seven months after splitting up, that's how okay we are with the divorce. I plan to write stuff in the future about the whole experience because frankly, I think some people could learn a lot from us, namely, how NOT to go psycho and make your ex's life a living hell.

I still have the same job I've had for 10 years now, the much-maligned medical transcription in my home office. Actually, I love it. I love-love-LOVE it. I work in my jammies, for crissakes! And guess how much I spend on gasoline every month? $20, tops. Don't be jealous.

I have my own house now, and I love it. All this room to myself, I am total master of my own domain. The dogs love it too, since they get to be inside a lot more because I have ceramic tile instead of carpet. Those two are so spoiled, it's embarrassing. But I can't imagine a better security system. I can tell they know it's their job to murder anyone who messes with me. It's so sweet. As Digger has grown more frail, Sunny has grown tougher and more aggressive toward "threats" (which usually consist of squirrels). Her Ridgeback nature is kicking in and it's very cute. Or might be if she didn't weigh 90 pounds. Seriously, the pig ears have got to stop.

I could have sworn that I'd backed up all my old archives on disc when I shut the site down a few years ago, but so far I've only been able to find about half of them. Anyway, I'm going to start getting them imported in, for your amusement. I have to be honest, when I read some of them I am mortified, but hey, screw it. I realized long ago that I am not even close to my own best judge. Plus like I said on Bill's blog, I'm 35 now, and with that age comes a certain feeling of just not giving a shit. It's not that I grew a thick skin, I never will, but I have realized that it's phenomenally stupid to pay more attention to the 1% who hate you than to the 99% who like you.

Well there's plenty more to say but I have to get back to fixing my templates. I have to hand it to MovableType, they've improved the installation ease by several orders of magnitude, but the style sheets are now vastly more complicated than they used to be and my CSS skills are woefully out of date.

Thanks to those of you who've already sent me "welcome back" emails. I love you people and I really appreciate your encouragement. As usual, I probably won't manage to respond to all of the mail, but also as usual, I read every word and I can't tell you enough how important and gratifying it is to get that kind of feedback. It's like walking in the door to a family reunion and getting a giant group hug. THANK YOU.

P.S. Can someone PLEASE tell me what I'm doing wrong with the Typekey thingy for comments? I have authenticated it with my site, but when I try to make a comment myself, I get the "Our Apologies, Typekey has encountered an error" message, which I am assuming everyone is getting. I can't bring myself to use no filter at all so I rilly rilly rilly want to make Typekey work, but I can't. This makes me feel very violent. Help.

UPDATE: Thanks to two e-mailers, Dana and Manny, I think I may just have fixed the problem. I think I have to approve all comments, though. Woo hoo!!! Thanks, you two.

ANOTHER UPDATE: I posted this in the comments section but it'll get more attention here: I am wondering, is there even any point to requiring Typekey authentication? Am I right that all it does is require you to go through another step to post a comment, and does absolutely nothing for me, or to weed out trolls or spam? I am so confused. If there is something great about it that I don't know, I'd love to hear it, because I am here to make your lives easier, not more filled with pain in your buttocks.

Posted on May 19, 2007 3:44 PM | Permalink

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Comments (78)

Rachel Lucas

No WAY. Did I actually fix the comments?

Posted by Rachel Lucas | May 19, 2007 6:14 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 18:14

Dana

You fixed it! Hooray!!
And now I can comment and welcome you back to the blogosphere.
Dana

Posted by Dana | May 19, 2007 6:16 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 18:16

LabRat

Am I really the first non-Rachel commenter?

Rawk.

Let's see if you have to approve this...

Posted by LabRat | May 19, 2007 6:41 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 18:41

rickl

Great to see you back, Rachel. I just visited Bill Whittle's site and saw your post.

I was a regular reader of your old blog, but I don't believe I ever commented. I don't remember you having comments, but I could be wrong about that.

It's really amazing that I found your new blog today. I just deleted the bookmark from one of my favorite blogs, which I have visited daily for the last few years. Things have happened over the last few days that really soured me. I hesitated quite awhile before deleting it, because that place was like home to me.

So then I clicked Bill Whittle's blog, and lo and behold! I don't think more than 15 minutes passed between my deleting that bookmark and adding yours.

Posted by rickl | May 19, 2007 7:05 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 19:05

Janna

Rachel! WooHoo! Fixed!!! I'm so glad you're back. I used to visit your site daily and when you left, it was like a dear friend moved away. I found you through Bills site and then you BOTH went silent. Bummer. Tickled to death to have ya'll back.

Posted by Janna | May 19, 2007 7:07 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 19:07

Welcome home. We missed you. We needed you. Stick around.

Posted by og | May 19, 2007 7:10 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 19:10

Jeffro

What Og said.

Posted by Jeffro | May 19, 2007 7:25 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 19:25

Darth Misha I

Hooray, Blogsister! You're BACK!!!!

Posted by Darth Misha I | May 19, 2007 7:45 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 19:45

Bob Price

Hey! It does work!

Now I can say officially what I said unofficially in email--welcome back, Rachel!

Posted by Bob Price | May 19, 2007 8:03 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 20:03

Daddyquatro

XXOO!
Already said my welcome backs in several places.
(welcomes back?)
Digger looks great. There's much joy there, and as long as there is joy then life is worth living.

Posted by Daddyquatro | May 19, 2007 8:11 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 20:11

Beldar

Good to see you back. It's been a while!

BTW, caveat on the pig ears...they have been named in the dog/cat food recall brouhaha. I don't recall what the specifics are, only that my wife mentioned them in passing when she was researching pet food recalls. You might find some information on itchmo.com -- they seem to be kind of a grassroots clearinghouse for pet food recalls.

If you can't find anything on the pig ears, give me a shout & I'll hound (heh) my wife to track down what she saw.

Posted by Beldar | May 19, 2007 8:43 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 20:43

Lady Heather of Suburbia

What a wonderful surprise!

I've loved your writing for years. So glad to see you're back.

Though I hate TypeKey, I went through the process just to tell you this. Now I hope you won't go away again.

Posted by Lady Heather of Suburbia | May 19, 2007 9:20 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:20

Bill H

Piquant rants and sassy impudence. Too damn cool- welcome back, Rachel.

Posted by Bill H | May 19, 2007 9:22 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:22

One Voice In Many Billion

Blast, Now I'll have to add another URL to my daily favorites list. Just kidding -- so glad you're back and have allowed your voice to be heard again. It was missed.

Posted by One Voice In Many Billion | May 19, 2007 9:23 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:23

Manny

Haha.

No problemo :)

Posted by Manny | May 19, 2007 9:31 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:31

Pedro the Ignorant

Just like getting a visit from an old friend who has been away travelling the world.
Lotsa news to catch up on, and stories to be told.

Welcome home, Rachel!

Posted by Pedro the Ignorant | May 19, 2007 9:40 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:40

Rob

What Jeffro said.

P.S. You rock, Rachel!

Posted by Rob | May 19, 2007 9:41 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:41

David Gulliver

WOW! Just... WOW!

Sooooooo glad you are back, and that things are ok for you!

Best! News! Ever!

Posted by David Gulliver | May 19, 2007 9:42 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:42

alexa kim

I left a Hi, nice to meet you over at E!3. Congratulations on your triumphant return.

Posted by alexa kim | May 19, 2007 9:49 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:49

Daddyquatro

"Piquant rants and sassy impudence"
LOL! I had totally forgotten that!

Posted by Daddyquatro | May 19, 2007 9:50 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:50

lintfree

Good to see you back, you were always
a must read back when.
/bachelor days

Posted by lintfree | May 19, 2007 9:54 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 21:54

Jim Seigler

Rachel, this from the comment I left over at Eject3:

Welcome back, from just one of the countless blogs you directly inspired.

Please accept my sincere thanks for all that your blog was then, and even the moreso for your return now.

The trite thing would be to say that the timing of your return is splendid, and not a moment too soon. Truth is though, the time is always right for your voice to be heard.

Always.

Welcome back. Hopefully, evermore.

Indeed, for you ma'am, the welcome mat is always there at the door.

Enjoy it this time around. You deserve to!

Jim
Sloop New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by Jim Seigler | May 19, 2007 10:25 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 22:25

BigEZ

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! That wasn't nearly enough "A"s, but I don't have all day. Welcome back!

Posted by BigEZ | May 19, 2007 10:44 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 22:44

delftsman3

Welcome back to the B'sphere, Rachel; your ever-cogent observations have been sorely missed.

Sorry to hear that you and Richard broke up, but as you stated, you two show that you DON'T have to be mortal enemies with an ex, as all too many seem to think is a requirement when a relationship just can't stand up to a day to day interplay. My ex is one of my best friends, even though we can't seem to agree about anything...

Posted by delftsman3 | May 19, 2007 10:45 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 22:45

Beth

OMFG, you're back for real!
Good news for you--half the blogosphere is too lazy to update their blogrolls so you're still on them. ;)
Welcome back--you've been missed!

Posted by Beth | May 19, 2007 10:46 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 22:46

Patrick

I. feel. faint.

I can take my rainbow "Imagine" coffee mug out of the trophy case and drink from it again.

Welcome back.

Posted by Patrick | May 19, 2007 10:46 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 22:46

Burgie

I was late coming to the original party and thought the show was cut way to short. Fortunately, thanks to you, I was guided to Eject, Eject, Eject, home of one of the finest essayists on the web; and he works and thrives in Hollywood, a miserable swamp for most conservatives. And now, he returns the favor and sends me back. I too, recently deleted your old URL, after checking every couple of months for signs of ressurection.

Welcome home sister -

Posted by Burgie | May 19, 2007 11:08 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 23:08

toni.in.ny

Welcome back!

Posted by toni.in.ny | May 19, 2007 11:53 PM

Posted on May 19, 2007 23:53

Lincoln

Divorced you say? Does that mean you're single and available again? Inquiring minds would like to know. :-)

As for Typekey, the whole thing must die an excruciatingly painful, ugly, pus filled death.

Posted by Lincoln | May 20, 2007 12:19 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 00:19

Rachel Lucas

Thanks, everyone! It is so nice, and totally shocking, to be remembered by so many, so fondly. I'm sorry I ever left.

I am wondering, is there even any point to requiring Typekey authentication? Am I right that all it does is require you to go through another step to post a comment, and does absolutely nothing for me, or to weed out trolls? I am so confused. If there is something great about it that I don't know, I'd love to hear it, because I am here to make your lives easier, not more filled with pain in your buttocks.

Posted by Rachel Lucas | May 20, 2007 12:23 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 00:23

suds46

I honestly don't remember if I found Bill's site from reading your site or the other way around. Regardless, I can't tell you how great it is to have both of you active again.

Posted by suds46 | May 20, 2007 12:33 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 00:33

Birdman

Welcome back Rachel! The world has changed a lot since you last blogged, and I've been waiting for your sassy take on all of it! Every time I hear someone else utter the word "Asshat", all I can think of is you (in a good way!).
Mega-grackles for Sunny and Digger from my pup Cookie!

Posted by Birdman | May 20, 2007 12:37 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 00:37

Mike Lief

Rachel --

Your return to the keyboard has put a big smile on my fizz; I'm looking forward to your take on the latest rant-inducing news.

After all, you introduced me to the Best. Way. Ever. To. Sound. Infuriated.

It's great to have you back.

Posted by Mike Lief | May 20, 2007 12:47 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 00:47

Random Numbers

Definition of a amiable divorce: Your ex-husband coming to your house with a gun is a GOOD thing!

Posted by Random Numbers | May 20, 2007 1:24 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 01:24

LC Gunsniper

Sunny makes for the perfect desktop…

Standing guard.

Posted by LC Gunsniper | May 20, 2007 1:39 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 01:39

an unrepentant kulak

Good to see you back at it, Rachel! Would've been a shame to let the jackass trolls have the last laugh. Best wishes.

Posted by an unrepentant kulak | May 20, 2007 1:55 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 01:55

BoxStockRacer

Welcome Back! I *know* it won't be long before you will once again have the

Best. Blog. Ever.

Posted by BoxStockRacer | May 20, 2007 2:49 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 02:49

BoxStockRacer

Welcome Back! I *know* it won't be long before you will once again have the

Best. Blog. Ever.

Posted by BoxStockRacer | May 20, 2007 2:49 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 02:49

pbmaltzman

Well, hey, welcome back! And I hope that your hands and wrists are still holding up okay. I'm still doing medical transcription too, with a new computer and software.

My company will soon start doing stuff with voice recognition, so at some point I may be doing more editing than straight typing.

Posted by pbmaltzman | May 20, 2007 3:01 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 03:01

pbmaltzman

Forgot to say: Sorry to hear that your marriage didn't last forever! Sometimes people go along fine just living together, and then crash and burn after they get hitched. But glad to hear that you are still on good terms with each other.

The dogs are cute... My critters are all cats, and I'm up to four now. All females (three tortoiseshell cats and a young solid gray kitten whom I rescued when someone moved away and abandoned her), and they don't like each other. They're so lazy that they won't kill anything, not even bugs.

Posted by pbmaltzman | May 20, 2007 3:04 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 03:04

Corsair09

YAY! We missed you Rachel! Welcome back, and JUST in time for the election follies to heat up!

Larry in Rochester,MN

Posted by Corsair09 | May 20, 2007 6:28 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 06:28

Mark Alger

At this late date, this feels like piling on, but I just want to reinforce how deeply you've been missed and how welcome your return to blogging is to all of your myriad fans.

Really.

Here's hoping you find the experience more pleasant than you did before.

Posted by Mark Alger | May 20, 2007 7:35 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 07:35

Graumagus

Late to the party, but let me add a heartfelt "WHOOOOOYEAH!!!!!" to your long awaited return!

Welcome back!

Posted by Graumagus | May 20, 2007 7:51 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 07:51

Charles

I gather that all of this is happening for a reason, so I have bookmarked your site Rachel. You come highly recommended.
This party is taking shape.

Posted by Charles | May 20, 2007 9:54 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 09:54

Pat Berry

It looks like nobody has answered your question about TypeKey, Rachel, so let me give it a try.

TypeKey DOES let you weed out trolls and spam. It does this by preventing people from being able to post comments anonymously. Commenters don't have to use their real names, but you can require them to use their TypeKey accounts to identify themselves. In other words, they can use pseudonyms, but each comment poster will be using the SAME pseudonym every time.

This lets you identify patterns of behavior. Specifically, it lets you determine that a particular TypeKey account belongs to an obnoxious troll. You can then block any further comments from that account. You can ban the trolls.

Spamming is specifically forbidden by the TypeKey terms of service. If somebody uses a TypeKey account to post spam in your comments, you can report this to the TypeKey folks and the spammer's account will be disabled. In practice, you almost certainly won't have to do this. Spammers won't bother trying to use a TypeKey account to post spam, because they know that it's a waste of their time. They prefer to post in total anonymity, and if you don't allow that in your comments, they'll go elsewhere.

Does that help? Oh, and WELCOME BACK!!!!

Posted by Pat Berry | May 20, 2007 11:56 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 11:56

Kelly

I was told to come over here and say Hi or dieeeeeeee. So...Hi! Welcome back!

Posted by Kelly | May 20, 2007 11:58 AM

Posted on May 20, 2007 11:58

Tully

Woo hoo!

Missed you, Tex. And Bill.

Wecome back, welcome back....

Posted by Tully | May 20, 2007 12:02 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 12:02

Pat Berry

Oh, I forgot to mention something.

You probably won't need to rely on TypeKey for spam filtering, because you're using Movable Type 3.35. That version includes the SpamLookup plugin by default. SpamLookup is a very effective spam filter for your comments and trackbacks. I've been using it for months, and it never lets any spam get through. SpamLookup is your first line of defense against that sort of thing.

But you'll still need TypeKey in order to identify and ban the trolls. If your new blog is anything like your old one, it will attract some asshats. TypeKey gives you the means to boot them out of your comments.

Posted by Pat Berry | May 20, 2007 12:04 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 12:04

Pat Berry

Regarding your archives, Rachel -- If you can't find backups of all your previous posts, it looks like they're all preserved at the Internet Archive:

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://rachellucas.com
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://blueeyedinfidel.com

You would have to copy and paste the text from there, but it's definitely possible to recover that stuff if you want to.

Posted by Pat Berry | May 20, 2007 12:21 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 12:21

Dick

Nice to see ya back to writing. Good to see the pups too. Hope ya hang around for a while this time.

Posted by Dick | May 20, 2007 12:51 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 12:51

Dan G.

Just saw the good news over at Kim's. Good to see you return! Hope you were raising sufficient hell in your absence.

Posted by Dan G. | May 20, 2007 12:54 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 12:54

CKO1986

Welcome back! :)

Posted by CKO1986 | May 20, 2007 1:08 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 13:08

trainer

Sweet. Nice to have you back.

I especially like the banner...seeing it matches the 'imagine no liberals' mug I happened to scam the last time you were on the Net.

Eventually I expect that mug to be worth a lot of money.

Posted by trainer | May 20, 2007 2:02 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 14:02

jackie

Welcome back! Judging from the number of comments, you will soon be back to or exceeding that 5000 number for daily hits.

Posted by jackie | May 20, 2007 2:55 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 14:55

LabRat

Thanks, Pat- I'm going over the archives now giggling to myself like a demented six-year-old.

I had forgotten just why it was I liked this stuff so much...

Posted by LabRat | May 20, 2007 3:33 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 15:33

Dkelsmith

Hey Rachel,

How are things going. I don't know if you remember me or not, but I was a regular commenter before. Black guy, Democrat, from Kentucky working for State Government. I have since gone back into the military, now serving as a Platoon Leader in an Infantry Battalion in Camp Slayer, Iraq. Welcome back, I will read you every time that I get a chance. Take care.

Posted by Dkelsmith | May 20, 2007 4:43 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 16:43

Mr Free Market

Welcome back ... its been way way too long!

Cheers

Posted by Mr Free Market | May 20, 2007 4:44 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 16:44

Chantry

Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back! Yay! Rachel's Back!

Posted by Chantry | May 20, 2007 5:57 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 17:57

Sparrow

Welcome back, Rachel. So happy I'll be getting updates on Sunny and Digger! Oh, and you too.

Posted by Sparrow | May 20, 2007 6:26 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 18:26

CatscapeBarb

I've never posted on your blog before, but I have read tons of them and have missed you! Welcome back! I look forward to hearing more from you.

Posted by CatscapeBarb | May 20, 2007 7:29 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 19:29

bolivar

Glad to see you back Rachel. Life is good isn't it? You are on top of the world - don't let go it will be a wild ride!

Posted by bolivar | May 20, 2007 7:49 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 19:49

Charlie Eklund

Huzzah! Welcome back, Rachel. The blogosphere hasn't been the same without you.

Posted by Charlie Eklund | May 20, 2007 9:44 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 21:44

mStarhawk

62 comments already, not a bad start m'lady.
As I said over at Bill's, good to see you back Rachel.
I have been pretty inactive over the last year (2006) due to personal problems but maybe I will get motivated again. Probably not as much as I used to be since I have just taken on some majors tasks but I will make an effort to stay current.
If nothing else I will stay current in reading my favorite blue eyed infidel.

Posted by mStarhawk | May 20, 2007 10:09 PM

Posted on May 20, 2007 22:09

BoneShaker

Welcome Back. Already bookmarked and ready to go.

Posted by BoneShaker | May 20, 2007 10:22 PM

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