I am far too impatient. As Neil Peart once penned (in a really great Rush song) "The point of the journey is not to arrive". So it would seem I need to reevaluate and ask myself just what the point is then. I find myself rushing to the end. It doesn't matter what it is, but I just don't enjoy the journey the way I really ought to. I read a book and find myself skimming descriptive passages simply to get to the action or the pivotal plot point. I play games and once it gets tough f...

I would never claim to be the paragon of men's fashion. Even when I was a teenager and fashion is such a must to establish social status, I just went with what I felt comfortable wearing. But I have often taken care with how I dress when I am dressing up. I like looking sharp when I am wearing nice clothes. On Sundays, going to church, I usually wore either a nice suit and wingtips, or wingtips, slacks and one of my nice, 3 button sport coats. I have a good collection of ties that I ...

A blog along these lines has been kicking around upstairs for a bit. I thank iamheather for providing the catalyst for its creation with her article you can read here JoeUser is a great blog site. I have had other blogs, but they just never interested me in the way JU did since I started blogging here. Why? I suppose because, deep down inside of me there is a bit of a drama queen (er, king?) that enjoys attention. Not a lot, I have always preferred to be a steady one, chugging alo...

My wife and I fought it for as long as we could. We tried to avoid it, we convinced ourselves and others that we didn't need to, that we didn't want to, that we could get along without it. But we were wrong. And so, kicking and screaming, we have entered the cellular age. I don't necessarily have anything against cell phones, but we didn't see the need, didn't want the expense, and thought we could avoid it. I will admit to having some attraction to fighting it for a while, but no go...

This is a geek rant. Yes, by writing this I am totally revealing to the world that not only do I care about the subject, but that I think enough about the topic to decide to write a rant about it. So, yes, this is a geek rant, by a geek, and will probably only be relevant to other geeks. Geeks freaking rule. It isn't any surprise that I enjoy customizing my computer. I love downloading and trying to goodies, widgets, icons, cursors and most of all visual styles. And lately I have ...

In what I can only imagine is a push to get players, Funcom has announced that their Sci-Fi MMORPG Anarchy Online will be free until January 1, 2006. The three expansion packs Alien Invasion, Shadowlands, and Notum Wars are not included, but can be added on for a price. The best part of the offer is that no credit card is required. If you elect to not put in any billing information your account will simply freeze on 1/1/06. I haven't ever played an MMORPG simply because I don't have t...

I have been thinking lately about the balance between rational thought and raw emotion. I generally try to err on the side of caution and act in a more rational way, but sometimes the emotion is too strong and I get caught in its lassos of madness. We have all experienced that heat of the moment. That rush of passion and energy that accompanies being in the middle of some experience. And we have all done stupid things while in that moment. And so, stupid is as stupid does. The stupid ...

My very first blog here was about the state of music. I wrote it while watching the Grammy awards earlier this year. With the recent release of this year's Grammy nominations I can see that my observations of almost a year ago are just as valid this time around. And so I feel myself being drawn back. A significant portion of my earlier blogs dealt with music: mostly the music I love, but also some observations on music in general. But lately I have abandoned those blogs somewhat. The ...

I have become a pretty regular blogger. I enjoy the opportunity it gives me to think, write, and sometimes just be silly. And as blogging has become more a part of my daily activities, I do find that I have developed not only an intellectual connection to the activity, but also a visceral one. I think this connection has actually enhanced my enjoyment of the activity. But not necessarily all the time. Because that connection with both the activity and the community here has become ...

The past week has been a wild ride. And wild rides often result in some of my more interesting articles (in my not so humble opinion). This week has been different though. I don't know why either. But there have been so many articles that I wrote in my head, I reasoned through, I argued with myself, yet never actually made it into existence. Some were articles born out of frustration, some out of relief, some the offspring of a silly mood, and others the spawn of white-hot rage. I...

If words like poopoo, peepee, and bum are such an integral part of your vocabulary that you find yourself using them with adults as well. . .you might be a parent. If you find yourself cheering, screaming, crying tears of joy at successful attempts at getting any of the above and the toilet bowl to successfully meet without any interference from hands, the floor or clothing. . .you might be a parent. If you are more familiar with the characters, their lives, and the running stories behi...

I will apologize up front to all true poets out there. This is a farce, a ridiculous attempt that I would never call poetry for fear of insulting real poetry out there. But I had fun. Congested nose, all plugged with snot I walk, barely breathing, through the parking lot I sniffle and snuffle Eyes blurry, I shuffle A Kleenex, a Kleenex I cry to the sky Wondering why did I not bring one, why? I can take it no more, I must get it out A devious plan erases my pout Look to the le...

I will apologize up front to all true poets out there. This is a farce, a ridiculous attempt that I would never call poetry for fear of insulting real poetry out there. But I had fun. Congested nose, all plugged with snot I walk, barely breathing, through the parking lot I sniffle and snuffle Eyes blurry, I shuffle A Kleenex, a Kleenex I cry to the sky Wondering why did I not bring one, why? I can take it no more, I must get it out A devious plan erases my pout Look to the le...

This is sort of a hodge-podge, dealing with philosophical questions, yet still dealing with entertainment, maybe something else, so I am going Misc rather than either of those other two. Money can buy you anything in this world. Yes, according to the old adage, money can't buy you happiness, but I'm not convinced It sure can buy your integrity. I admit it, I occasionally watch "reality" television. "The Amazing Race" has some interesting challenges and the locations as beautifu...

Why is it that the only mail that I most certainly, absolutely want to tear into little pieces and throw away is the mail that invariably has the words "Please do not discard" or "Important information" on it? It has really made the process easier for me. I get an envelope that tells me on the front just how important it is to my life it instantly becomes confetti and litters the compactor before it ever even makes it into the house. Just how dumb do they think we are? Why does the fell...