Add to my regular reads, Oliver Willis. Great design, and he is a democrat that admits voting for Gore. I haven't thought about politics in a while, but now that GW is pushing Star Wars again, I think I should start. But right now, the sunday morning political shows are on, and the coffee is hot.

Cool! you wrote something Craig!. But, I don't think it is an hour earlier one mile from here. You need to change your time zone (sorry). Good joke. Now to bed before midnight. (yeah, right) Oh oh. Now Craig can read everything that I wrote about him...

11:39 PM

I am back home on my own computer, and I don't see anything new on Craigs blog. I left him on his own, and I don't even know if he knows how to check his e-mail. I left a bookmark to this page on his computer, so if you are reading this Craig, click that little box below this post and write me! If you aren't reading this, then who the hell am I talking to? Oh yeah, I want to mark this page, it has a game on it that might be worth trying out now that I have a real life friend online. Now it is your turn Zar!

11:04 PM

YEAH!!! Quite a bit over an hour, but Craig is live and online on his own blog... now I need to go home.

10:11 PM

Here is the finished quicky page...

10:08 PM

I don't think I wil make it in the next 20 minutes. I might have to leave him to his own devices, (he is a total newbie) and head home so I could get a phone call. Hint hint.

10:06 PM

Still no FTP, and all the spelling errors on his page are mine.

9:54 PM

Now I can't seem to FTP to his new page...

9:36 PM

Crud... He has to wait on a password for his ISP site... I guess now I will set him up on geocities...

9:30 PM

Now I am downloading an FTP program for Craig, and checking his settings at his ISP...

9:23 PM

I am posting to my blog from Craigs house, and I am determined to have a web page with his blog up in under an hour... start the clock.

Infected for the new month I was all ready to rename my blog for the new month, and I found out my computer has a virus. I feel so dirty. I am so sorry if I passed it on, I thought I was safe. Now I need to take my shots, and lay low for a little while.

Oh yeah, yesterday was the prom, and I was feeling nostalgic so I uploaded an old picture from twelve (!) years ago. Damn I love this woman...

I think I was a couple years older than her new boyfriend in this picture... and the whole world was mine because I had everything. I hope he ends up making her feel the way I feel now, only worse. Brutal, but honest. Yeah, expressing my feelings helps. Better than Paxal, wouldn't you say, Lynn?

11:14 PM

Celebrating a birth with a death...BuffBlog is turning one year old next month, and I have decided to change it's name. Too many hits are coming in from people searching for "Buff" (now it will get indexed again!), and I have a new name. I need to do some searches to see if it is already taken, but it is time for a change...

No news is good news...Today was a great day! I know, I know, who is this man writing this? What happened to the sad dude? I am sure he will be back, but right now I am feeling pretty unvexed. And my DSS dish fixed itself. Let's review the day, shall we...

First, I had a great evening last night... I made some dinner and headed down to the park where Dreama meet me with a root beer float. Almost all of the best things in life were all together in one spot... great food, great weather, a beautiful woman, great conversation, and a pile of kids. I watched her wrestle with all four kids, tossing them aside like a elk fighting off a pack of wolves. Things were going well until one kid reported that another kid was "bleeding out of his toe, but seemed to be fine...". He had actually removed most of a toe nail, and was screaming, So... Dreama gathered up the troops, and headed back home.

I was supposed to meet Craig for some tennis, but the wind came up, and I headed home. The sunset was super breathtaking, and I took a twelve picture 180 degree panoramic shot from the end of my driveway that I will "stitch" together and put in here soon. I talked to Dreama on the phone, offering to bring a movie round, but no go. So, Craig and I drove around talking about women, kids, and work until we bored each other and got online. We looked at the personal ads where my friend Chris found his wife until much too early this morning. Craig left at some point.

O.K. This morning. Dreama called at 11am, and I tried to pretend that I hadn't been sleeping. How do people know? I used my "I've been up for hours" voice. I had given her a couple passes to the YMCA, and she was taking her kids swimming. I hadn't invited myself, but she asked if I wanted to go, and I was out the door. I had spent far more time on the phone than I thought, so I only swam for a while. Swimming was great (seeing her in a bikini was even better) and I felt re-charged. I left before she got out of the locker room so I could go grab a couple coffee's and have them waiting when she got out, but it was Sunday and everything was closed. Whoops.

By the time I got home and called her (pushing it?) the kids were napping, so I quickly suggested a trip to Tie Hack but she said it was closed, and I let it go and got off the phone. I was still wound up, so I went for a quick bike ride. It turned into a long bike ride covering the town from corner to corner (I saw Lynn's mom as I was riding... Hi Sara. I need to write a rant about how losing girlfriends also loses whole families. Was that a sentence?) I still wanted to go to Tie Hack, so I stopped by my folks house and grabbed their Buick.

This is where it gets good. The road into Tie Hack Dam was closed, but I decided to hike in. The hike turned into a run, and it felt great. I had the whole mountain to myself. The smell of the pine, the sounds of the forest, and the views of the snow capped peaks all around was overwhelming. Usually I would be depressed that I was alone, but the mystic wonder of the place kept me company as well as any woman. I am mostly serious, it was that great. Besides, I took pictures, so I can still share to some extent. I followed the old road that used to go to the old campground that is now flooded by the new lake, and found the beginnings of a beaver dam. I tried to take pictures of a beaver, but I never saw them. I can't wait to see what google indexes when I say I was a on a Beaver hunt.

I hiked back out before dark, and gathered up the bike at moms and peddled home. Craig was driving down from my place as I was riding up, and said that my TV was blaring. That was actually great news, because my Dish didn't have a signal all weekend, and I was about to give up and call the repair guy on monday, but something fixed it. Cool. Another tick on the days checklist of good stuff.

The only downside...My brother Travis called and explained that he had two girls that wanted to come up and get in my hot tub last night, but he didn't think I would like it. One girl had even said that she could "talk me into it", but he said it wouldn't work... and then invited them to HIS house... otherwise known as my parents house. WHAT THE HELL! With help like my brothers, who needs enemies? Thanks for the phone call to rub it in, and protecting me from two (TWO!) women. Between my brother's efforts, and my ex-girlfriend and her new little boy deflating my ego with their constant presence, I am never going to get laid. Hey, if you read this far you get the weird stuff.

8:53 AM

I am late for work...

1:31 PM

More here later...

12:13 AM

Working on a new design... almost ready to go "live"

A little ripe...
eeck. I have been sitting here all day without a shower or food, and have done almost nothing. I am watching WWII glider pilots being decimated on The History Channel, reading, and daydreaming. Must shower...

3:14 PM

Who called?
I use callwave while I am online, and I just got a message with no name. "Star 69" doesn't work online, and I don't recognize your voice. You sounded a bit frantic, so I am going offline and hoping you call. Was it work calling? Darn, I wanted to spend the day on the computer...

2:37 PM

Now I Know my future...
According to my Fortune, sent by my cousin, "You will have a good year in love, and your current life will soon take a turn for the better. And you will delevop a MAJOR crush on the guys in your English class." Hmmm... I hadn't thought about taking an english class, nor delevop (original spelling) a crush on a guy, but if a MAJOR crush is in my future (with multiple guys, no less) I guess I should get signed up. Thanks so much, Arogancja Dahs, women and computers are out, and guys and books are in.

1:31 PM

I don't think I will be riding my bike today...

I can't beleive it was still snowing, when it was 70 degrees two days ago.

8:37 AM

Computing by candlelight?

I came home early last night just to work on the computer, and was writing away when the power went out, and I lost everything. It was almost dark, so I got some candles going, and fired up my wood stove. I called a friend (on my corded phone) to give her a hard time about watching the movie she had rented, but she had power! I had a nice long conversation by candlelight, and the power flicked back on around 9pm. Craig showed up with his game system, so the whole evening wasn't lost. Oh, if only you could have read what I wrote last night...

A little embarrassment helps to motivate...

I scanned these photos for my Cousin on Sunday... and she forgot the disk. I suppose driving to catch the plane at three in the morning is a good excuse. The pictures are for her webpage which hasn't been updated in a while (hint hint). Now the pressure is on...

12:21 AM

Cruising and commenting...
This is what web logs are all about...First a Letter about a deal that might keep Blogger around, Wishing I had something I could say to Mollie, knowing I care even though I don't really know her, catching a little dirt about Pyra, reading my two longest read (follow?) blogs, Jessica and billy, Looking at the front door, and wondering if I should go in. I also wrote about ten e-mails, which means I might here back from two, right? I need to check in with toxicflux as well.. is it really after midnight? Go read this, it is freakin' brilliant. Bring me coffee by the computer, I can't get up. One of those little tea cookies too. Thanks dear.

I know a few normal people too...

I am very firmly planted in the chair in front of the computer after a spending my evening cooking and eating a very rich shrimp/fresh vegetable pasta. Will and Grace is paused on the Tivo, and the laundry is drying. Ah, the exciting life! As long as I am beached, I am finally uploading some pictures from the week, downloading a newer version of my favorite browser, and catching up on some of my e-mail. I brewed some late night coffee, so I might get through it all. Or just browse and comment. I haven't done that for a while.

1:30 PM

Told ya so...
I knew it couldn't last. The wind is howling, and the clouds are gathering. I was going to hop on my bike for the trip back, but I guess I have to take the car. Darn. At least I didn't take off the storm windows yet. I guess I will get my e-mail read tonight, and I might upload some more pictures if I am stuck in the house. TLC is still on the TV, and the are showing A Wedding Story, and everyone is crying. I might start here in a moment. If Deon is reading this, thanks for "shooting me down" again. I hope you are enjoying yourself. Let's make another date to not do anything next weekend also. I need to switch channels.

8:37 AM

Things are going too well...
This has been a very good week so far, and this morning looks good already. It has been warm, hot even, for three days now, and I have been riding my bike back to work. Well, the coffee is hot, "A Dating Story" is on TLC, and the toast just popped up, so I better get to it. Just checking in to say I will get to the e-mail late tonight after a ride, or some tennis, or a walk... I have to take advantage, because it can't last long.

Well, I up-loaded Pictures from easter. Now I had better get some sleep...

11:11 PM

Easter review...
This is a long entry, but it almost ended with a bang. Nothing caps off an evening like an attempted electrocution. But first things first...

I had made plans last week to have a easter brunch with my friend and her kids at a mountain lodge, and I had been very careful to not let myself get too eager just in case the fates remember who they were dealing with. Sure enough, my friend came in Saturday with terrible news... her daughter had fallen off a merry-go-round and might have broken her arm. Her daughter had been in Gillette when it happened, and was coming to Buffalo to see the doctor. I had to work the rest of my shift before I could call and see how she was. When I called it turned out that while it wasn't as bad as they though, she would still have to wear a sling. To my delight her mother said that the brunch was still on. That only left the traditional Wyoming easter blizzard to stop us.

When I saw the sunrise on Sunday, I knew it was going to be a great day, both in weather and fun. I drove to her house, and we loaded up into her car and headed for the mountains. We had good babblement on the way to the lodge, and I got to hear her explain the problems associated with driving over one child, as he had requested her to do, and explain to another one that he shouldn't take his teeth out. These are the kind of debates you don't hear in school.

The lodge was packed, and I was a bit nervous at the prospect of wrangling four kids through a buffet. It turned out I had greatly underestimated her kids. Not only were they very well behaved, but engaging company as well. They knew that their mom and I had talked about driving up to Tie Hack dam later, and were very excited. The food was great, and everyone except the one son that tried creamer instead of syrup on his pancakes seemed to enjoy it.

After brunch, we wondered outside the lodge and took some pictures, and then headed for Tie Hack. Finding the road into the dam closed was the only disappointment of the day. I had hoped that we would get some more pictures at the dam, and take up the time between brunch and the easter egg hunt at one o'clock. I had some anxiety about seeing my ex and her daughter at the hunt, and also about inviting myself to go with my friend and her kids.

I don't think I had anything to worry about. I held back for a while when we got to the park, just in case she wanted some "space", or in case I saw my ex and "lost it". After a while I relaxed and joined her and all the kids in the park. I still had just a touch of anxiety about being a single man in a park with no kids of his own... taking pictures. At least my ex didn't seem to be there. I know I would have either started to cry or puke if I saw her, and neither would have been fun for the crowd to see.

After watching a hundred kids clear the park of eggs like a giant, giggling Hoover, I actually mingled with the crowd of parents. Everyone in town knows me, and hopefully knows I am a dad, even if my daughter isn't around. I felt that parental warmth in my heart strolling out of the park with my friend and her kids, and I decided to relax and enjoy the feeling instead of depressing myself with my real situation.

When we got back to her house, we had more great conversation and coffee in the gaps between her phone calls, kid refereeing, and checking on dinner. She had rented and watched Places in the heart the night before, after a friend said it reminded her of her, and offered the movie to me to watch. At that moment I felt like I could have stayed for dinner, the evening, and forever if she would let me, so I knew I wasn't in the most objective mindset, and I should use this chance to say I would take the movie home and watch it. It turned out to be good timing, because the early morning and lack of naps hit all her kids at the same time and they started to lose it. She was putting them all down for naps when I thanked her for a great day and headed home.

The weather was still great when I got home, so I decided to get in the hot tub for while. I didn't know my cousin had been standing on the porch when I strolled out in my swim shorts. I don't know who was more startled, her or me. At least I had my shorts on...

I babbled some sort of explanation about brunch and why I hadn't called her or my aunt yet, and invited them in. I showed them some pictures on the computer, and my cousin decided that she wanted to scan some pictures in for her web page. My brother Travis came up while they went to get the pictures, and stayed after they scanned the pictures and left. We watched the movie, and I tried to guess why the movie reminded my friend of herself. I rather identified with the character "Forney" myself. It was getting late after Travis left, but I still hadn't had a soak in the hot tub yet, so...

OK, here is the part I was talking about at the start... Travis had switched vehicles with me for the day, and had parked on the other side of the hot tub. When I went out to sit under the stars in the hot tub, I didn't turn on the lights. I had been sitting and relaxing for a while when I felt something in the water like a rope. I got out and turned on the porch light and saw that the extension cord running to the truck was draped through the hot tub!! I don't know how I didn't fry myself. Well? Was it worth reading all the way through for?

I was going to say Arggg...
Blogger was down last night, and a lot had happened and I wanted to write about it. They explained what happen, so I won't add my email to the pile. Lunchtime... heading downtown for a coffee. Good Friday the 13th... wish the atheist luck.

Found a couple good emails out of the 664, classmates had a few new folks from 1985, and an old buddy has a new home. Hope to see something there soon.

5:19 PM

Watch out Gillette...
The sun is back out to the west, and the storm has raced past my house and is building higher as it screams off to the east. I figure it is just going to pound the snot out of Gillette. "Pound the snot" is a tech weather term for a multiple tornado party. Outlook has downloaded the last message, and crashed. Now I need to get offline so all those super models can call.

5:03 PM

Here comes the rain. I can no longer stand up on my deck, so any more pictures will be out the window. I wish I could figure out a way to record the sound of the rain hitting the house sideways. I am SO glad I am not on my bike. Also, my email is at 493 of 664...

4:58 PM

Holy CRAP!

A huge blast of wind just blew my locked front door open, the whole house is creaking from the wind. The sky is clear except for one big ugly storm racing down the mountain towards my house. I am taking pictures of it with my digital camera, so if I get blown away look for the pictures in the rubble. I will go take more pictures...

4:48 PM

255 of 664...

4:38 PM

664!
Please, please, please don't e-mail me at my ISP address. I have been putting off checking my mail for a month, and my hard drive is grinding away downloading 664 messages, 95 percent of it junk. I am going to get finger cramps from hitting the delete button. I am currently at number 89, so I might have time to go make some coffee and take a shower while they download. I am still sitting around in my Boxers, so I would say this was a productive day off so far.

2:37 PM

Ignore this entry
Downloading a little queensryche. The sun came out, so I might leave my dial-up struggling with this MP3 and go for a ride. Meet me at the park, and then give me a ride back home when it starts raining. This means you, Trav.

2:10 PM

Now in gay spring colors...
I played with my style sheets while no one was looking, and ended up pastel. It happens. Also I went a bit passive aggressive in my intro paragraph. Check it out. or not. Loser. Err, winner. Do you hear voices? I think I had better get out of the house.

1:29 PM

We're hunting wabbit
shsss... be very, very quite.... dat waskuly wabbit could be anywhere. So very quiet up here on the hill. The clouds are rolling in, so another bike ride is out of the question. Just catching up on email, and recovering from a slight hangover. Brother Trav showed up last night and took me to the Crossroads, where I ran into Curt who gathered me up and headed for Sheridan. I watched a live band with a very attractive female lead singer at LBM's, and then helped "push start" Midnight (Curts truck). Worried that Midnight might have another fit, we headed back to the Crossroads in Buffalo. I made the mistake of telling my friend Angela that I would like to know who the woman across the bar was, because she walked right over and did the "twenty questions" for me. I found out her name, where she works, her age, and where she just moved from, and I still didn't act on it. My friends Chris and Don came over to ask about the woman that was now looking at me, and I still didn't act. Sorry Angela, I guess there is no hope for me. And to the new manager of the ice cream shop... "Hi, my name is Eric, I was the one who waved after my friend asked you all the questions, and then slinked out without saying a word. So, do want my number? I do much better on the phone". Crud. The worse is yet to come, today my brother will call and have some story about what happened after I left. "You should have hung around, Eric. That new woman was asking about you, but then I offered to take her to a late dinner in Sheridan, and...." Crud. If I was half as cool in real life as I am in my head, I would be twice as cool as I have ever been. I should write that down.

30 snugs? 10-4!
Will this help you to rememeber my phone number? Via ThinkDink. I know, I was supposed to be gathering my thoughts, not playing around online. The rice isn't done yet, so I play.

7:11 PM

Gathering my thoughts
Things have gone to crap. At least I think so. Not enough info, and no clever way of getting it. I need to ask blunt questions, guess, or suffer. Right now I am just suffering, and trying to think. I know I feel like life is sucking right now, based on what I think I know, but I am not sure if life really does suck yet. I would talk about it, but I don't know if I know what I am talking about yet. Also, I need to find a way to take note of a redesign at book of days, and talk about the first thunder clap of 2001, but I am not writing very well right now. Need food.

Why you need a computer...
Just a few minutes later, and I found a page with information about the movie that TNT is making of the book you gave me to read, Dreama. It looks like it will be a good one. Thank you for the book, and for introducing me to Avalon. Now I have to get off line and call you in “real life”. Next comes actually talking in person, next anarchy. Get a computer before it comes to that.

9:11 PM

I should be talking politics
The news from china is on the TV, but i am too distracted. I was supposed to go play raquetball with Monte, but I was on the phone with Deon. The phone conversation went so well, It has me thinking about... well... second chances. I am also very tired because I stayed up talking to Monte about him renting out one of my rooms. It seems like a good enough idea right now, but after I didn’t show up for the game he might be pissed. I should get off line so I can get a phone call from him, or from my female friend. Get a computer already, Dreama. Otherwise, a good day and night.

2:56 PM

I DID SOMETHING!

I uploaded the pictures from Guam and from Japan. Click on the pic above, and then on the folders to check out the other pictures. (Japan and Guam folders... dur) The weather is getting better, so I am making a garbage run (love living in the country) and airing up my bike tires to go for a ride. I have a few more emails to write, but nice weather is so rare in March in Wyoming, so I should take advantage. I will be the guy in the park with the book, cd player, and a pepsi. Come on down.

11:51 AM

Happy April fools day
Just kicking back watching a TV special on PMS, and catching up on email. They are about to discuss Menopause, so I had better get back to it.