by      -link-

Summer is over and people everywhere seem to be coming out of a haze. Greg is back among the living. Kerry is traveling and writing again. Colby is looking to move on from being a mailman. It's as though we've all been in stasis. Change is in the air.

it occurs to me that this whole "internal struggle" thing might be a bit of a surprise to all of ya'll. "but, tpodd, what about all that great stuff that you were so happy about? the beach, the cookouts, the car, etc... you never said anything to us about struggle." well, yes. that's true. but, then again, you'll remember that it is an INTERNAL struggle.

in truth, things have been really good for me. traveling, moving, and getting settled in my new place have gone remarkably well. i've just been a self-centered, self-pitying, crybaby about the few things that haven't. and when not doing that, i was creating things to be upset about. i'm not sure where i learned to do that. most of my life has been spent consoling and helping people who create problems for themselves. now i'm doing it. did i pick up the habit from association?

out of all this, one thing has become very clear: it's finally time to get my head out of my ass.
8:27 AM   by      -link-


this is a good article about a recent report released by the U.S. copyright office concerning the DMCA (digital millenium copyright act). it's pretty much just a list of statements from various concerned groups (the ALA, the music industry, the free software foundation, etc.) and really showcases the power of the blog/discussion format. at least, i thought so.
7:20 AM   by      -link-


thursday, august 23
wow, 12 days since my last post. (and still no redesign.) sorry, kids. luckily, i have some good reasons. things have been very busy around here.

for one, i went to the beach. carolina beach, to be exact. it's just south of wilmington, home of dawson's creek. there were a whole lot of these there. about 70% of the population there has one. men AND women. other fun facts:
- average number of teeth per capita: around 21
- average number of tatoos with eagles, skulls, and/or snakes per capita: 2

i had the pleasure/misfortune of seeing a drunk redneck (shane: 25y/o, no mullet, 29 teeth, 1 snake, 1 eagle/skull) jump off the second floor balcony into the pool at our hotel. his 60 year old irish mom who was sitting next to the pool was not amused. not even the third or fourth time he did it.

i also started school on tues. it feels more and more like i made the right choice coming here. many things to say about that but not right now.

last, but not least, i'm buyin' a car. the triangle area is just too big for gettin' along without one. after a few weeks of searching and test driving, i found one. it looks like this, but maroon instead of red. i love it.
4:45 AM   by      -link-


saturday, august 11
also, working very hard on the new site. i have several drafts for the new look AND i've got greymatter working on my server.

soon, my friends, soon.
2:11 PM   by      -link-


a good example of why i like nick so much:

Place I want to Go
Where avarice is licorice,
and evil's Good and Plenty,
where all my cares are Gummi Bears
and envy's somehow minty

Nick Mealy, 1998-ish
2:09 PM   by      -link-


wednesday, august 8
i just found this amazing site, howstuffworks.com. i was trying to learn more about how a scooter's engine works and i found a link to this. my favorite part is the the animated gif found here.
1:15 PM   by      -link-


not much to say other than "it's HOT!!!!" (see what i mean? --->)

i'm takin' it easy inside and gettin' ready to hang with the scooter people tonight. ya'll stay cool.
12:35 PM   by      -link-


saturday, august 4
i've attended more cookouts in the past 3 weeks of living in chapel hill than i did in the entire 3 years of living in SF. summertime in north carolina averages about 2 cookouts per week. very similar to austin, texas. i'm starting to feel like i'm home again.

speaking of differences in lifestyle, i realized recently that i stand out like a sore thumb amongst the people i meet here. everyone asks me if i'm from california or the north east before i ever have a chance to say much about my history at all. i wasn't sure what was tipping them off but i finally figured it out a few days ago -- i talk too fast. in fact, i also think, walk, and do just about everything else too fast. i hadn't realized just how tightly wound i'd gotten in california. it's painfully clear to me now, though. from now on, i'm goin' to make a definite effort to chill out a little...

oops, gotta run. got another cookout. :)
4:47 PM   by      -link-


thursday, august 2
this is why steven brust is one of my favorite authors:

Snow, tenderly caught by eddying breezes, swirled and spun into and out of bright, lustrous shapes that gleamed against the emerald-blazoned black drape of sky and sparkled there for a moment, hanging, before settling gently to the soft, green-tufted plain with all the sickly sweetness of an over-written sentence.