I’ve spent the last two days trying to install gallery on my server and am about ready to admit defeat. The trouble seems to lie with one of the modules required to run the script. I’ve tried just about every fix I’ve stumbled across both in the Gallery helpfiles and suggestions on my host’s boards. *sigh* Since I’m not willing to forsake my sanity for the satisfaction of conquering this great white whale, I’m not much of an Ahab.

I’m disappointed, though. It looks like a cool application. One of the things that’s really attractive to me about it is its ability to import many image files in a single round. That would make consolidation of all my photos a piece of cake. As it now stands, I have hundreds of photos scattered across many directories.

Yeah, yeah, I know I can run a photolog with Movable Type. I just wanted a new toy to play with, you know?

One of the attorneys I work for just welcomed into the world his second daughter, a beautiful little girl named Ava Rose. Isn?t that a lovely name? I hope I can come up with something equally as charming if I?m blessed with a daughter some day!

Speaking of names, one of my coworkers just told me that they?re going to change her grandson?s name from Eric, which he has gone by for the first 14 months of his life, to Isaiah. I like both names, but changing a baby?s name seems strange to me. I couldn?t possibly change Sam?s name. So much of his personality is tied up in his name. In addition, he?s already begun thinking of himself as Sam. To change it at this stage seems like stealing something from him. My overinflated (?) ideas about the power of names goes far to explain why Robert and I had so much trouble deciding on a name for our son. We were lucky enough to finally come up with one which suits him.

Perhaps the mother of that little boy realized the name they first gave him just didn’t match his personality somehow. Perhaps she realized he was an Isaiah much more than he was an Eric. In that case, giving him the more suitable name is a great gift.

I realize things have been pretty gloomy around here for some time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the sympathy and encouragment you’ve extended to me. I’ve resolved that I’m going to try to start thinking more positively and perhaps that will help me feel better about things. I have been doing way too much feeling sorry for myself and even I’ve grown bored with listening to me whine on and on about it.

Work has been pretty interesting lately. I’ve been working on a big research project and have learned so much about an area of law I’m not all that familiar with. I really thrive on research! It’s too bad I didn’t clarify my career plans earlier on in life so I could have gone to law school. Associates get to do a lot of research. The line marking off what type of work I’m allowed to perform as a paralegal and what type of work attorneys are allowed to perform isn’t always that clear. In general, I’m responsible