I decided today to try Windows Live Messenger again.  Back a ways, I used it all the time, but found I was offline due to being busy more than I was online.  May still be the fact, but I thought I would give it a looksy. 

After installing, I wanted to try using a different account.  All I could find was it wanting to create a Windows live account and forcing to either a .live.com or .hotmail.com account.  A quick search for "Microsoft passport" (since I knew that was how it started out) and the first link was:

https://accountservices.passport.net/ppnetworkhome.srf?vv=550&lc=1033

Down the page a bit there is an option to use "your own e-mail address".  I surely did not need another email account, so this is the one I needed :) 

After I got Messenger setup, I noticed that it does not work with the default mail program, only Outlook (it may have worked with others but I did not find a way).  So, I did some searching and found a wonderful add-on to Messenger Live, called "Messenger Plus! Live".  If you use Messenger Live, this is a free must have addition:

http://www.msgpluslive.net/

The program adds a ton of features:

• Messenger Skinning
• Log Search
• Tabbed Chats
• Custom Sounds
• Quick Texts (really handy for those that do not type well)
• Colors, formatting and commands
• HTML chat logging
• Personalized Status categories - Can finally set as "in the outhouse.."
• Place contacts on your desktop
• Polygamy (run multiple Messenger Sessions)
• Event Viewer and Event Logging (you are on the phone and something came through Messenger, but you missed it, not any more, find out what who or what it passed by)
• Messenger Lock - Lock, hide and password protect your Messenger
• Easy contact management
• Ability to monitor multiple external email accounts and add a shortcut to your email program is you are not using Outlook (I have used Thunderbird for years now)
• Scripting!

Yeah, that is a lot of powerful features.  Microsoft needs to check into purchasing this to permanently add into Messenger!

Okay, that was still not quite the end of it, I also decided to try out Windows Live Writer while I was at it.  Not sure I will need to log into SubText much anymore :)  This is a handy tool and works quite well with SubText (my blog engine of choice).

This post is my first post with Windows Live Writer and it looks like there will be many more!  Nice little clean product!

I know have probably forget to add something here, but it will have to wait I guess :)