The Stonegauge happens to be my personal web log. That’s it. Nothing fancy… Really.

OK, let me try to give you some backstory: I’ve had a web site at one place or another since late summer 1998 entitled “The Stonegauge”. I never much planned for the site to be anything more than something where I could do my personal stuff online. First it was at FreeYellow, then Tripod, then…

In July 2002 – after a little altercation with a small, rinky dink entertainment group — I had to jettison a domain name I once owned and put my site on a different domain. Stonegauge.com was born on July 20th, 2002. Since that time it’s been a mix of personal rants, poetry and photos. There isn’t much method to the madness. I use this site as I see fit and reap all the rewards for it (WHAT rewards?!).

But just what is a Stonegauge?! Don’t you mean Stone Gauge?!

Stonegauge is a play on words. The actual name was inspired by wanderings through Palm Harbor, Florida. One night, sometime during high school, walking near SR 95 and US 19 in Palm Harbor, I came across Stonegate Apartments. I don’t know how or why I changed the name to Stonegauge (perhaps anatomical, perhaps I just misread the apartment name), but I thought it would be a cool band’s name. I can find references to the name in a poetry notebook I wrote in during the 1996-97 school year.

Whatever the case, it stuck. 10 years later, Stonegauge lives on.

disclaimer: This is a blog, there are many like it, but this one is mine.

Thoughts, opinions, ideas and comments expressed on this web site are in no way are endorsed or approved by parties that are represented on this site by way of photography or link exchanges. Businesses and other entities tied to me in a professional or personal manner in no way endorse, approve or even think highly of whatever I rant about on this web site.

Several images that are employed in the banner rotation should be noted as copyright (©), Trademarked (™) properties of various entities. These properties also in no way endorse, support, or even think highly of me and are used for entertainment purposes only.

Just FYI for people who are being redirected here while searching for the other site. It’s an issue I am only starting to deal with now.

Hillary is Mom Jeans

Inane, simple but funny… The name may be “Hillary” but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s Mrs. Clinton… Though we get to assume it is.

So there has been rain in the Tampa Bay area the last few days, yay rain…

…Whoopty friggin’ do.

Anyone in Pinellas County that wants to think we’re in the clear with drought conditions need only look at the official Pinellas county rain gauge on their web site. It feels sick and cruel that the tally through today (July 2nd) is 10.59 inches of rain for the year.

2007 is half way finished and we’re only about one fifth of the way to the average rainfall total (Clearwater, Florida’s average yearly rainfall total is 49 inches according to Florida Living Network. The St. Pete Chamber of Commerce lists the city of St. Petersburg’s annual rainfall total at 48+ Inches).

We haven’t hit the Fourth of July yet, nor the peak of the hurricane season (two sub-tropical storms and only a bit of rain from both) and I’m fearing how our water outlook will come November.

In the coming days — or at least when I can focus on it — I hope to make a big addition to the site and change around the hierarchy of my web sites in general.

More info when I have it.

(x-posted over at the Sticks)

Last year, I purchased a couple domain names – TampaBayRail.com and TampaBayRail.net. I intended to launch a web site on mass-transit and address the Tampa Bay area as one region. Not a separate-but-equal take that local government has had in the past on transit solutions. But those plans were soon forgotten as other issues worked into my life (including hand surgery, political campaigns and walking the dog).

Now, for those of you aware of what the local blogosphere has to offer, you already know David Pinero has Tampa Rail.org up and running. Pinero’s site is a great civic orientated pro-rail web site. The plan in my noggin’ with my own blog/site were just to ride the “rail” names but talk about all transit issues in general. But all of this is really beside the point, so let’s move on.

Basically, time goes by, the seasons change, the Gators were champs and John Grahame sucks. A few weeks ago I got notification from my domain registration company that both domain names were soon going to expire. I could renew the domain names for however-many-years I’d like or I could simply let them disappear into the digital tumbleweeds of the interweb. They’d likely be snatched up by a spammer or domain-name broker with no interest in Tampa, Tampa Bay, transit in Tampa Bay or rail in the region.

The whole thought reminded me of what happened to the previous official website that the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County operated regarding a rail system. A few years back (2002), those governments held the rights to TampaRail.com (check the wayback machine). For some reason, the powers that be (City of Tampa? Hillsborough County?) let that domain name expire around 2003. The name was quickly snatched up and exploited by a Russian domain name broker. The web site and url shifted to BlueHeronMedia.com, then ended up drifting into oblivion before being removed from their servers. Tampa’s official rail website was as dead as the pro-rail movement in the region. But the movement is now stirring again.

This past summer, we were all witness to the grand spectacle of the Hillsborough Expressway Authority trying to launch a new sprawlway through the region. Along with Mayor Pam Iorio (and the Tampa Bay Partnership and Tampa International Airport) renewing a push for a regional rail system through the Tampa Bay area. Emphasis on the Tampa Bay regionalism of their presented interest.

So, what’s a guy to do? I have control of TampaBayRail.com and .net. I could sell them and possibly recoup some of the costs of the domain names — eventually. Instead, I decided to do some good. I offered both domains to the City of Tampa. You entrepreneurs may see this as a waste of money on my part, but just consider it a good deed.

Suffice to say, the city was receptive of the idea, so both names are now controlled by Mayor Pam. I don’t expect you to see a regional rail website any time soon, but there is the possibility for a united Tampa Bay rail effort on the web — with TampaBayRail.com potentially it’s base location on the web.

It took me close to 20 years but, with thanks to a friend and a web site she sent me, I finally beat The Oregon Trail!

That Virtual Apple web site has tons of Apple II games to play… Very much worth a look if you played games on an Apple II during the 80’s.

Witht he disaster in New Orleans – I’ve donated money through the Red Cross in hopes that I might help out even a little bit…

Yet I felt sorta lost with it… There are tons of bloggers out there and there is no uniting symbol with regards to the need for donations and support towards the disaster down south…

So I created an image and posted it on Boltsmag, I also sent it to several hockey bloggers in an attempt to start something and of course show unity.

It’s working so far as I’ve gotten Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion and Lyle Richardson of Spectors Hockey involved with this. Eric is guiding people to the image for their own posting…

And the image in question?

Of course, linking to an image does little. They’re also guiding those who click ont eh image to Redcross.org where you can donate to the disaster relief.

If YOU would like to post this image somewhere on your blog or web site, here’s the code…

< a href ="http://www.redcross.org" target="_blank">< img src="http://photos.stonegauge.com/albums/userpics/10001/NODonate.jpg"/>

Just change the link to the redcross to whatever you want if you have another charity in mind.
Also remember to remove the spaces before < a href> and < img>

Well, people already saw on my last post I am thinking about doing a Buccaneers Web Log… That being said, Stonegauge Productions may have a new client soon enough.

Danielle’s boss is in desperate need to not only get a lower-costing hosting company but also improve (visibility, sales, etc ) her store’s web site – Chantilly Lace Gifts… It’s an E-Commerce site that isn’t doing any commerce (no sales in a year of existence). It doesn’t get any exposure and damn it, it doesn’t even give you a glipse of the store itself.

Nice design pre-designed site but a challenge from top to bottom.

I still haven’t been posting much on the site because I want to make statements on here and not personal diatribes. My anecdotes aren’t that funny or I tell them better one-on-one with close friends instead of telling them to the masses all at once.

I got into a little argument last week with Melanie over politics. She is indifferent towards them and I am urging her to see “Fahrenheit 9-11″ and we got into a dispute because of the purpose of the film and shit like that. It made me realize there’s something worse that comes out of partisan politics and corruption than just disgust — apathy. Anyone who is elected will be corrupt because power corrupts, money corrupts and the President of the United States is the key to both money and power.

Meanwhile I bought a couple of domain names and have some visions of grandeur. I’m not saying the names because it could lead to trouble… But it’s something to pass the time with.

Speaking of passing the time and domain names, I’m almost done with Rocheleau Cabinetry Inc’s web site. It’s not the most excellent design in the world but it’s good enough for government work. Hopefully this will help me pay off some debt.

And what else is there? My buddy Bill left Entec and is happy about that but of course also struggling because he wants to be doing something most of the time now… I’m in the same boat because I am getting around better now but still don’t have much to do besides trying to push myself to do more things online and offline.

I’m trying to keep myself busy… Maybe that means a lot more Stonegauge from now on because I don’t have hockey news to cover on Boltsmag.