I did loose that bag of cement (48 pounds) by July 26th of last year but over the winter 17 pounds sadly came back. Time to get serious again. At 238 I am too BIG to enjoy things as I should. I could never stand it if I got back to the 269 I started at.

So much time behind this computer does not help. Time to explore the woods of WNY again, with my camera in hand of course!

There public confession is over!

Frankie and I went geocaching all around 18 Mile Creek late last fall and I took this picture… I love this area!

Krauthammer: Those troublesome Jews

I took a trip to Indiana for a week long seminar a couple weeks ago and endured it well. Even drove home (7 hours trip) right after the Thursday evening session and felt great. I remember in my younger years doing that and being wiped out for a few days.

My next big step is a some blood work I will get done on the 26th of this month (3 month post treatment). I will get a full liver panel done along with a viral load count. Please pray with me that the virus is still undetectable! If it is, I will get a final test at the 6 month mark. If found undetectable at that point I will have reached SVR (sustained viral response) and will have a 97% chance of the virus never coming back!

Looking forward to working five full weeks of Summer Camp at Common Ground Baptist Camp this summer! I will need all my energy for that for sure (and then some).

On “Operation Ditch the Bag of Cement” I hurt my back a month ago and it has prevented me from continuing on the treadmill. I am sad about that but just started back again. Man this weight thing has been a battle for the past 12 plus years. I will keep trying!

Doing some research my understanding is that this drive was formatted in a Mac or 64bit system. Thus the GPT Protective Partition. I did find a solution and I share it here:

How to change a GPT Protective Partition to one usable in Windows XP:

We will be using Windows XP diskpart tool to clean this drive which will remove all data and partition structures from the disk. Then XP’s Administrative Tools to initialize and format this GPT disk to a XP usable MBR disk.

1. Go to XP’s Command line (click on “Start Menu,” then “Run,” type in “cmd” in textbox, and hit “OK”)

Type in “diskpart” in command line.
Type in “list disk” in command line to show all disks in this machine.
Use “select” to set the focus to the specified partition, for example “select disk 7″ (as mine was listed).
Use “clean” command to remove GPT disk from the current in-focus disk by zeroing the sectors of the drive.

2. Go to “Disk Management” in “Administrative Tools.”  You will see the disk is “unallocated” now. Right click on disk info, choose “Initialize Disk.”

3. Right click on disk info again and choose “Format Disk.” You can assign any unused drive letter during this step. The disk will proceed to format, depending on the disk size this will take some time. Do not turn off your computer till this step is completed.

4. When finished the drive will now be list in “My Computer” and be usable on your XP sysytem.

Warning: This procedure erase all data on the selected disk!

How to add a new E-mail Account in Outlook 2007

First Open Outlook 2007

Next, follow the rest of the instructions (click on continue):

(Note: click on any image below to view a larger version)

1. First, we need to access the E-mail Account Settings dialog. Select “File,” then “Data File Management.” Choose the “E-mail” tab. Select “New,” then “Next.”

2. Select “Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTML,” then “Next.”

3.  Do not use Outlook 2007′s configure email settings automatically, instead check “Manually configure server settings or additional server types.” Click “Next.”

4. Keep the default “Internet Email” selected and then click “Next.”

5. Next you need to enter our E-mail information. Type the name that you want to show up in a recipient’s email client in the field “Your Name.” Enter the email address provided into the field “E-mail Address.” Retain the default setting of “POP3″ in the “Account Type” dropdown list, and then type the incoming and outgoing server information provided to you into the appropriate fields. Enter your login information in “User Name” and “Password” fields, and make sure “Remember Password” is checked to avoid the need to enter the password each time you send and receive email. Next select the Select “More Settings” button.

6. In the next few steps you will configure some server settings.  On the “General” tab make any desired changes. I use my E-mail address in the Mail Account type. You can enter an Organization name if you desire, leave the Reply E-mail box empty.

7. Select the “Outgoing Server” tab. Check the “My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication box.” Select “Use same settings as my incoming mail server.”

7.  Last step, select the “Advanced” tab, and change the “Outgoing server (SMTP):” port number to 26 (Verizon and other ISP’s are blocking port 25 now. I have my server set up to listen to port 26).

When finished, click “OK. Then “Next” and “Finished.”

8. Send and E-mail to yourself and then click the “Send/Receive” button to see if you get it. All should be well!

A big thank you goes out to all that have helped me this year to get through this. A special thank you to my dear wife Carol who has been the greatest to me during this time. I have been grumpy and irrational many times to her and she bit her lip and walked away. She helped me with the injections each week and put up with my crazy food requests. Thank you Carol! Also I would like to give a great big thank you to my Pastor, Pastor Art Kohl (he is also my employer at the church) he has been outstanding to me and gave me great latitude with work this year. His support has been unending and he has shown me great tolerance and understanding. Thank you Pastor Kohl.

I am looking forward to getting back on tract in 2010 – things like Summer Camp at Commonground Baptist Camp and my ministry in the prison and at Church. Both where put on hold in 2009. I have learned much this year and I hope I can use that knowledge to help others for the rest of my life.

I keep more than passwords stored in the program. I store software keys & license information. Plus private information like my credit card info – for easy access with online purchasing. If it is a number or information I may need someday (or may not need even  ) I store it away in the software. Other private info like life, car, and home insurance policies are safely stored. The software file stored on your computer is encrypted with strong 256 bit encryption that has never been broken. Your information is safe as long as you use a good strong master password.

One Master Password is all that is needed to access all your passwords and private information.

Two common errors people make are using the same password for all their internet needs and they never change it. Using a password storage program allows you to use many different “strong” passwords and change them often.

I use Access Manager 2 by Citi-Soft:

Access Manager is FREE for personal, non-commercial use.  Here are some key features:

• Store and manage an unlimited number of passwords
• Automatically generate strong passwords
• Drag and Drop passwords to Internet Explorer and other software
• Copy usernames and passwords to the Windows Clipboard
• Keep unlimited notes with each password
• Notes can include clickable links to web sites and email
• Find a password by entering any part of its title/description
• Easy to use, modeled on the Microsoft Outlook®style
• Preview and print the full details of any password
• Preview and print a summarized password list for storage in a safe or bank vault

Access Manager has made my life much easier as far as keeping all my private information in one location for easy access.

Another excellent freeware program I recommend is KeePass Password Safe:

KeePass has tons of features and is actively developed by its author.

Pick your application TODAY and start building your informational database. Make your internet usage safer and your life more organized.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Click on image to view larger size.

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)

This is a large and growing album of Wildflowers, Tree Blossoms, Vines, Ferns, Weeds and other plants of interest I encounter with my hiking throughout Western NY.  This Gallery is located in my Picasa Web Albums site. I will continually add to this album as I take new pictures.

View complete “WNY Wildflowers” album

or view “WNY Wildflowers”  as full screen slideshow