Friends

**FINAL EDIT Thu Dec 10 02:15:47 UTC 2009**

So there is the final update... Over the past day we have processed around 11 million jobs out of the 12 million that were in queue at that time. Please bear in mind that over this past day, more jobs for notifications are also created. So while the queue has been dropping, we are still not fully caught up at this point, due to backlog and new jobs. We have roughly 3 million jobs still pending that involve the notification system in some manner. We had hoped we could have fully cleared the queue in a day, but unfortunately we can't clear it too quickly, since we need the rest of the site to operate normally. From our current perspective on the amount of jobs that are left in queue, and how many it has processed thus far, we believe it will take around another 8 - 12 hours to process everything.

And finally some answers to some questions:

( Read More and Get Some Answers... )

freeskiers
While some of us long to escape the cold, dark stretch of winter for hot tropical beaches, for others, there's nothing quite like whoooooshing down those shimmering sugar alps. If you're fond of freestyle skiing, get ready to slide down the slippery slopes in good company. This passionate, international community shares travel/gear tips, anecdotes, photos, and videos for those who can't get enough of the sweet stuff.

seasonal_icons
Need some extra twinkle to decorate your place? Check out these dazzling holiday-themed icons. If you're an artist, you can post your own creations, provided you abide by the simple rules (which is to say, all cheer and no politicking). Be sure to comment and give credit if you wish to borrow a little spirit (no direct links, please). If you're feeling a touch of humbug this season, this is an instant shot of festivity.

handmade_gifts
High on creativity, but low on cash? You'll find tons of brilliant suggestions for do-it-yourself crafts sure to please everyone on your holiday gift list. Offering detailed instructions, photos, budgets, timelines, and active support, you'll soon turn spare remnants of fabric and time into cherished keepsakes. Be sure to search entries and read user guidelines before you post for help!

Ride cement banks down to the riverbed
dried up branches, decomposing fish

The lobby's full and their patience wearing thin
a blackened belle reading old issues of Cosmopolitan

Starting last but cut in line
chattering secretarys boast and whine
backwards talking backwards crimes
a sign of these declining times

float back when the sky has wept
stereo on, you're swimming laps
those drugs you loved curtly dismissed
crying in stairwells, drunk and pissed

ive fantasized of this tidal wave
a thousand miles high
a crimson cold ocean view
that never left the sky

it means nothing to me
what i cant find in its depths
but the world to them
what it frees into the crests

for when the crest rains down
and the tiny people cry
i love, i breathe, i see, i die...
and i watch as they struggle for air
the times before
the blood
the times before
the waves
and the days where only the beautiful is savored
fell from the sky

i bring to you on hands of hardship
a pleasant gift of sacrifice
a strange and troubled time of need
in a whirlwind of a promised paradise
and the the time of everlasting dreams
where the words like love and hate
have grown inside me to only decay
a twisted form of discontent
to find the brighter day

Okay so what i like to do sometimes when I'm writing is to just write and do not go back to edit or make the poem better. Its kind of like jazz/jamband inspired poetry. I call it On The Spot. Try it out. Yo+ even get better and better.
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these thoughts reside inside my head
point me in wrong directions
guess we'll just setttle for the fifth
guess their the captain of my ship

after the horizon, bells and mud
drums and pot and reggae dub
happy clouds cover the sky
our innoncence was walking by

made a right, a wrong, a left
for dead in December
last year, I was sick
still am, fumbling
using a nail to dig my hole
shaped the rest like dripping phantoms
where we go we trip and hurt

**EDIT Thu Dec 3 23:24:15 UTC 2009 **

Hey Everyone, we are about to run the last alter job that we need to on our database servers. This will effect userpics / scrapbook / vgift images for the next few hours. Have no fear, your images aren't lost, there is just a really intensive process running on the servers which store the information for mogilefs. Thank you for your understanding and all the LJ love...

Hey LJers,

I just wanted to let you all know that we are going to be performing some mogilefs maintenance over the next few days. We will be upgrading our current version to latest stable as well as changing some db config information to better handle the amount of files we are currently hosting. This shouldn't cause a big impact on site stability, but you may see some minor delays with userpic / scrapbook images appearing or other requests associated with our mogilefs. We would love to not have that happen, but unfortunately with some of the steps we need to take we have to cause a delay with images. I figured this was a better solution than taking down all of LiveJournal because well lets face it, we all need our daily LJ fix ;)

Thanks,

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're high on adventurous spirit, but low on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about inexpensive hotels and youth hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

bookfails
Planning to do your part to help boost the declining publishing industry this holiday? Better check here first. Sure, there are plenty of folks who post glowing reviews of their favorite books. But what about the epic fails? Compose and/or discuss snarky, incisive critiques on the books you despise most.

foundphotos
Ever stumble across a frayed photo in your grandmother's attic? How about a faded picture tucked in the sleeve of an old novel at a used book sale? This is the place to post them. An amazing, eclectic collection of photographs sure to delight anyone with a penchant for history or nostalgic memorabilia.

note_to_cat
Having trouble conveying the concept of accountability to your cat? Now you can share letters to your significant felines and give public witness to your declarations of love and domestic negotiations. Whether you want to publish an apology for falling short on your cat-nip obligations or you need to raise a delicate hygiene issue.

Look for me somewhere I have not been
Listen to what I didn't say
Follow me to a place I would never go
Read what I didn't write
Give me answers to questions I won't ask
Take what I don't have to give
Hear what I didn't say
Buy what I am not selling
Find something I didn't lose
Wake me up when I am not asleep
Finish what I haven't started
Destroy what I haven't built
Catch what I didn't throw
Return what I didn't give
Deny me what I don't ask
Find what I didn't hide
Accept what I didn't offer
Pick me up when I am not down
Return what I haven't sent
Finish what I didn't start


Only then will you get to know who I really am...

Or maybe someone else you'd like even more!