Five years....

As of yesterday I've had a counter on my website for five years. I may as well consider it the fifth anniversary of my website. It's sometimes hard to believe I've been online for that long.

Gratitude....

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Or maybe it's just down the street. In any case, it's a time when we should all think and reflect and give thanks for those things we are grateful for.

One whole year....

My girlfriend and I just celebrated our one year anniversary.

September....

I have left this news page un-updated for far too long! Far too long, indeed, since a lot has happened. My (former) roommate and best friend got married in September, I moved at the end of September, and my mother hit a deer with her car, or rather, the deer hit her.

In even more recent news, I took a trip to Waukesha this weekend, and was able to spend some time with some good friends of mine.

Poorly done....

Last night on Monday Night Football the Green Bay Packers were defeated in one of the most poorly officiated games I have seen in some time. I'm not just saying that because of the Packers' loss. There were a lot of missed calls, and a lot of bad calls. Perhaps the officials should take a cue from the NFL teams and use the preseason to sharpen their skills.

Robbed!

On Saturday the 22nd I became the victim of a crime. My wallet was stolen from the men's locker room in a health club in Madison, Wisconsin. I don't expect any sympathy. It was a lesson well learned. I was very disappointed, though, since it seems the thief was only interested in the cash, and the loss of the other items, such as my driver's license, severely inconvenienced me. I hope that someday the thief will know the same feeling I experienced.

Back the truck up!

I am now the owner of a new truck. It's not new, it's used, but it's newer and better than what I was driving before.

Birthdays....

Yesterday was my sister's birthday and today was my best friend's birthday. Last night we celebrated them both with Pat McCurdy. It was one of Pat's best shows, and a hell of a way to celebrate.

It's official....

The Summer Equinox marks the official, astronomical (and astrological) start of Summer. I am a little sad to see Spring fade away into Summer, but I also look forward to the good times that Summer is sure to bring.

Wedding bells....

Two of my friends from college were married on Saturday, once again making me feel old, and making me ponder when I will tie the knot myself.

The wedding and the following reception were an opportunity to see some old friends and share the joyous occasion. It gave me reason to reflect a bit on my past, and offered new hope for the future, as well.

At last....

At long last I have gotten a cascading style sheet to work. Rejoice!

Memorial Day weekend is on its way. It is the unofficial start of summer, and more or less the official start of the tourism season in Door County. You can look forward to heavier traffic when traveling to or from that place.

Birthday....

Today (at 10:35 a.m. CDT, to be precise) I turned 23 years old. My roommate called me Old Man. He's not much younger than I.

Getting older....

It is now May. What a glorious month. Spring is in full swing. My girlfriend and I just celebrated our six-month anniversary. And in one week I will be 23 years old. It's so exciting I can hardly stand it.

The U.S. DoJ has proposed that Microsoft be split in two as a remedy for MS's alleged monopoly. In the words of my roommate: "It's capitalism. If Adam Smith were here he'd laugh at them. Then he'd die, because he'd be really old."

America's longest pastime....

Yesterday was opening day for MLB. I can't say I was excited. I have never been excited by baseball. That may sound sacriligeous to some of you, but I don't care.

Baseball is supposed to be a summer game. Why then does it start in April and run until October? I realize that the weather in many parts of the country is pleasant then, but for much of the country, it is not. Just yesterday the Milwaukee Brewers/Cincinatti Reds game got postponed because of rain. Why start the baseball season when you know there's a good chance there's going to be rain in most of the country?

I understand that there is a difference when speaking about school sports; baseball and softball must be a spring sport. But the professional season is far too long. I'd suggest at least waiting until May to begin, and ending in September. Not enough, you say? I don't think so. Baseball has the longest season of any professional sport. Even shortening it by two months would still leave it the longest in numbers of games played, I'm sure. Even the NBA and NHL can't compare. And they're typically more exciting to watch.

Remedies....

Spring is in the air; unfortunately, it is in the form of rain. Nonetheless, the season of growth and renewal is upon us. Life returns to that which was dormant over winter, and warmth returns to the land. I love spring.

A federal judge has decided that Microsoft broke national anti-trust laws, and before too much longer will recommend remedies. I have been a long-time supporter of Microsoft, very much liking their products. I find the whole idea absurd. But in the face of the judge's decision, I hope Microsoft fares well. Windows is not the only OS available, and IE is not the only web browser available. Those who want to use other products do. If we really want to go after someone who has a monopoly on operating systems, why aren't we pursuing Apple Computer?

One of the suggested remedies in the Microsoft case has been allowing other companies to borrow source code and build their own operating systems. This will be no help. We'll spawn dozens, maybe hundreds, of operating systems that may or may not work together; Windows at least gives us a standard. Sharing Windows source code is like telling John Grisham (or your favorite best-selling author) he has to let other authors use the same characters, settings, etc., he uses so that they can be successful too.

Home seet home....

I arrived home from my Florida vacation on March 26. It was the best vacation I've ever had, I think. I was able to share it with some very good friends, which made it that much better.

Vacation....

This time next week will find me on vacation in sunny Florida. I can't wait! Is it Friday yet? No? Then I'm "Sure Happy It's Thursday!" Get it?

Changes....

Still more changes have been made to this site. As usual you can read about them on the About This Site page.

Let me call you sweetheart....

I have made it through another Valentine's Day. This one, though, was probably the best one I've ever had. Thanks go out to Maryanne, my sweetheart, for making it such a great day.

More changes....

Some more changes have been made to this site. You can refer to the About This Site page for more information.

Recording history....

A page describing the history of this site and other such information has been added. You can check it out here.

Over-reacting....

Apparently all that Y2K mumbo-jumbo was all for naught. No computer crashes and no Apocalypse. Everything seems to be working fine.