This is part 2 of my archived news and updates to my award winning (okay, not really) web site.

(Cut out March 22, 2002)

March 18
Last weekend, I estimate I watched over 30 hours of college basketball. Now, I am done until Thursday night, so I will have to find something else to fill my time. I went to Southfield this morning. Traffic is a lot lighter at 9:00am than it is at 7:00am. I went to my old office to get my Palm cradle so I could actually use my Palm Pilot rather than using it as a $400 paperweight. But they didn't have it - I figure someone took it. So I had to spend $60 to buy another one. But at least I had lunch at the cool McDonald's buffet.

March 15
I shall say congratulation to Amy who just got a new job. You go girl.

I just saw MSU lost to whatever team they were playing. I had picked them to win in my NCAA bracket, though that was more a pick of loyalty than logic. Oh well. I am working on getting some pictures from my vacation on the web site. I can't give you a for sure date, especially with my day being consumed by basketball, but I am working on it.

March 14
Oh joy, the NCAA Tournament has started! I have already watched over three hours of basketball, and it is only 3:30. I still have many more hours today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday... and then it begins again next week! I must enjoy this time, as this is the last sport I watch until football starts again.

(Cut out March 21, 2002)

March 10
I have returned from Europe! As a recap for those of you who don't know, I spent a few days in London, followed by a week in Paris, and then a two week trip through Spain, Morocco, and Portugal. The weather wasn't too bad - it in the 50's and 60's in Europe and in the 70's in Morocco. Of course, I spent a lot of money, bought lots of gifts, went to Disneyland, and generally had a good time. Except for the fact that most hotels only had CNN World, which gets old really quick.

Now that I'm back, I have decided to look for a job. Yes, it is time for me to enter the workforce once again. Mainly, I need the money to pay off my credit cards. And the fact that I am bored of sitting around the house. So if you have any good leads for a web developer, let me know.

February 4
Two days left until I head off to London. I got my hotel confirmation, so I am happy about that. Nice to know that I have a place to stay when I land. So I spent today collecting a few things for my trip, and buying groceries for Chris & Melissa.

(Cut out March 18, 2002)

January 29
I arranged for my tour of Spain and Portugal today. It will be 17 days, which will allow me to see most of what I want. You have a leave a few things, so in case you go back, there are places that you haven't seen before.

January 28
It was so nice today I washed my car and took a jog. And, I bought a book on Paris, as I am going there is about a week and a half, after a brief stop in London. And after that, it's back to work. I'm not sure where yet, but I figure that four or five months will be a long enough break and it's time to get back to real life, so I might as well go out with a bang!

January 25
I have returned from my trip to lovely Canton, OH to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I got to see lots of pictures of Joe Montana, and even better, I got to eat at two service plaza's on the Ohio Turnpike, a highlight of my trip.

(Cut out March 15, 2002) January 21
My hotel room in beautiful Canton, OH is all set. I'll be heading there Thursday - weather permitting - to go and see the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Then I see my main man, Joe Montana. At least, his head. Other than that, I have been celebrating that most holy of holidays, MLK Day, by watching tennis on the couch, just how the Reverend would have wanted it. And I called a travel agent about possible European tours. Hey, I have time to kill.

(Cut out March 10, 2002)

January 18
Yesterday was a fun day. I got to spend $400 for new times on my car. I was leaving Greg's house and came upon a very slight incline. I couldn't make it from a dead stop. I had to back up and getting a running start. That tipped me off that my tires were not so good. But, I do have 55,000 miles on my car, so it's probably about time anyway.

January 15
I saw The Royal Tenenbaums today, and it was good. Strange, but good. The rest of my day was filled with lunch, browsing, and computer games.

January 8
My tennis league has once again started. This one is 9 weeks in length, and a lot of the other players look to be pretty good. But I will overcome.

It was so nice today that I went walking in two different parks - Lake Lansing North and Fenner. That was about my only stop, except to L&L so I could get supplies for stir fry. And hot dogs - it's been a while since I've had one, so I'm really looking forward to dinner.

(Cut out February 2, 2002)

December 26
Once again, Christmas is over, but I got some very good stuff. The best was a storage/shelving unit in the shape of a English telephone booth. And I also enjoyed (or, actually, will enjoy) the international beers I received, and the big Eiffel tower clock, which I think is actual size.

I actually risked going to the mall today. I had to use a gift certificate I received for Schuler Books and got The O'Reilly Factor. And don't forget to pick up your copy of Time, with Giuliani on the cover.

December 21
I saw Lord of the Rings the other day, and it is definately worth seeing. Let's see, today I went to the mall, but it was early, so it was pretty empty. Then I went walking through the woods. Luckily, I live about a half mile from a county park that has a few miles of hiking trails. Something to relieve the stress of my life, as there is a lot of it, what with all the sitting around and watching TV and playing video games.

(Cut out January 21, 2002)

January 4
Today's mission to get out of the house led me all the way to Lansing. John and I had lunch at Leo's Lounge, who actually makes a good Italian sub. (Please, pronounce it I-talian. And then it was off to Barnes & Noble to pick up a day calendar - they are 50% off, so that was good. Next week, I'll pick up a regular calendar to hang on the wall.

Okay, what's in the news. The Democrats are blaming the tax cut for the drop in the surplus. Actually, it is the recession and the hundreds of thousands of people not paying taxes. And honestly, the less money that goes into Washington, the better.

January 2
The new year as here, but it seems a lot like the last one - cold. But I have been spending my gift certificates, and I have a few new books and a new Dreamcast game to show for it so far, with lots more to come.

I've been watching a lot of bowl games, and I enjoyed watching the MSU game, because they won, but other than that, the games have been pretty boring. Most have been blow outs.

December 31
Another year, almost gone. I should rank this year below average, what with getting laid off and all, but I just don't feel that bad about it. I got to see Los Angeles, Mexico, Paris, and the UK. I didn't get rid of my BMW, like I was thinking of, which turned out to be a good decision. After test driving a Saturn, it was a very good decision... So, we'll see what the new year has in store.

December 20
Okay, I am going to try again. The last few times I have tried to edit my home page, the system has crapped out on me.

I am back from Cancun with a moderate tan. It was good to break up the monotony of my day - sitting on the couch all day - with something completely different - sitting on the beach all day. Variety is the spice of life, as some people say. And I'm looking for those people. I'll be posting some pictures in the next few days.

November 5
This weekend, I went to King's Island, which is just north of Cincinnati. It was the last weekend it was open, so it was a now or never type decision. I rode almost everything I wanted to, including The Beast. The best was riding it at night, where you can see very little and it goes through the woods.

And, to make my week start off right, I got my order from the Barnes and Noble web site, as well as a pay check.

October 31
Today, I went to the Michigan museum in Lansing, another place I hadn't been to in quite a while. Other than that, the day was pretty standard - jogging through the woods, studying, listening to Rush. And having a peanut butter and Fluff sandwhich. Tonight is pizza night.

(Cut out January 14, 2002)

October 30
Yesterday was not a busy day, but then, neither was today. I'll start with yesterday, when I went to Uncle John's Cider Mill and got cider and donuts. Today, I was supposed to go to Luddington, but after checking the weather channel, it was going to rain. So I decided to go to Pinckney - they have a state park there. However, I got there, and it was closed. But after driving a bit, I found another hiking trail, so I wandered around a bit.

October 26
So yesterday, I pretty much stayed inside all day, as it was very windy and that seemed like a good enough excuse for me. Except when I took a drive, because the sitting around doing nothing thing finally got to me. And while I was driving, I found Ovid, which was a life long dream. And now that it is over, I can get on with some other things.

Today, I went to the Kresge Art Museum. The Chicago Art Gallery it's not, but it had a few interesting pieces. There was a Gaugin and a Warhol, though I am not a fan of modern art. They had some kind of paper display and very little of it made sense. I'll stick with Monet.

(Cut out January 2, 2002)

October 24
Today I went to downtown Lansing. I don't think I walked around the area in years. I went along the river, to the visitors center, and even got to hear the Michigan Milita speak on the steps of the capital. Yesterday, I saw From Hell, the new Jack the Ripper movie. It was pretty good, as there was violence and nudity, which typically improves a show. Tonight is Star Trek and pizza, not in that order, so all is well.

(Cut out December 26, 2001)

October 22
Alright, I'm back. Today I should decide on a car, and perhaps pick it up tomorrow. So, my BMW will not get much more driving time, besides driving it up to Traverse City to return it. I'm thinking of doing some traveling, but I'm not quite sure where yet. Hey, I've got plenty of time at the moment.

October 12
I just got my new work laptop, and it is pretty cool. I can edit those web pages like never before. Now I just have to install a few more applications, and I should be back in business and ready to post pictures.s

So I was watching Survivor last night, and it seemed like a good enough kick off. I just have to say that I'm glad that I'm not there. ER was a very good episode. And I watched Michael Jordan play in a pre-season game. And President Bush gave a speech and had a Q&A session. So it was a big TV night.

October 11
Tonight is the night you have all been waiting for. That's right, Survivor 3 premieres.

(Cut out October 9, 2001)

September 25
Well, my Washington DC trip is still on - I leave Thursday morning. No cowardly terrorist bastards are going to stop my vacation. The Hilton where I am staying is only three blocks from the White House, so I will be able to walk to all the tourist destinations. And ATA may be a bad airline, but their customer service people are very nice.

Once again, I'm doing my part to help the economy - I bought more Disney stock. So let's hope that does well.

I have read some things about how the US brought on the terrorist attack by supporting Israel and enforcing the no fly zone in Iraq. First, the people that believe this are idiots, pure and simple. Hopefully they will do all the productive citizens a favor and take a bottle full of sleeping pills and end their foolish and pointless lives. As to their views, they are completely wrong, which is probably a regular occurence for them. Israel is a legally created country (by the UN, not the US) and we support them. To leave an ally without help and surrounded by hostile countries is immoral. And our enforcing of the no fly zone is because 1) Saddam would bomb his own countrymen if he had the chance 2) He refuses to allow UN ispectors into plants to make sure he is not creating chemical and nuclear weapons 3) He would build up his army and invade other countries given the chance.

War is a viable solution. Violence does solve some problems, and this is one of them. Every time I hear that song 'Imagine' I cringe. The hippy solution is for all of us to hold hands and sing, and that is supposed to make the world a better place. Idiots.

Hey, I found some pictures from my first day in London. Pretty cool, huh? I find all kinds of stuff when I rummage around the pile on my desk. I also found pictures from Fort Wayne, IN, but I figure that is not as exciting. I don't know if I'll have time to post them before I go to DC. I also found this pictures of a sunrise which I liked.

September 20
On the way into Southfield, I heard there was an anti-war demonstration going on at U-M. One more reason why I hate those bastards. Sure, let the terrorists bomb our buildings, but let's not respond in any way. Violence never solves anything, they say. That is bullshit. World War II, anyone? The French and English tried to appease Hitler, and we see how far it got them. War is necessary. Evil will be destroyed by weapons, not love. These ignorant bastards calling for peace disgust me.

Oh, I posted a few pictures from Edinburgh.

(Cut out October 3, 2001)

September 19
The biggest decision I faced today was where to eat. I had been eating at McDonald's a lot lately, and I wanted something different. So, I went to A&W, but there was no one working there. It was odd. So I went to KFC. I had forgotten how good KFC is. I'll have to go there more often.

I got some picture developed, and they were from a trip to Cedar Point that I took last year. Crazy, huh? I have all kinds of disposable cameras with a few pictures from here and there. It's like getting a small Christmas present every few months.

September 18
What a beautiful day. I guess, as I'm looking at if from behind a window. I bought some Cisco stock today, doing my part to push up the market. Hopefully, it will go up, and I can make a little money. Even though I know that money is the root of all evil, yada yada yada.

The only pictures I have put up are more reunion photos.

(Cut out September 25, 2001)

September 14
I received my tax refund check. Thank you President Bush. And I did something completely out of character - I gave it away. There is very little I can do about the situation in New York and Washington, but I did what I could and gave my $300 to the Red Cross. I'm sure it would do good than me spending it on some new DVD's, and it will certainly be better spent than if the government had kept it.

Nothing much got done today This week, really. Hopefully, I'll be able to concentrate a bit better and get some pictures posted.

(Cut out September 20, 2001)

September 13
The world changed on Tuesday.

I think we all think that the events on Tuesday were horrible and tragic. I want, instead, to talk about the reaction to these events. I have heard, on the news and the message boards, that many people think that we deserve this because of our involvment from the middle east. I want to share with you something I wrote on a message board. One of the previous posters had made some non-sensical remark about world peace:

World peace through nuclear weapons. The governments in the middle east hate us, but do not fear us. Through the use of large weapons, we can change that. We are told to not hate those people who celebrate at our suffering. They try to explain why the Arabs do what they do - because we enforce a no fly zone against an evil dictator who would bomb his own people. Or support Israel, a legally created country that must fight off crazed enemies on almost every side. We send billions of dollars in aid all over the world, as well as manpower, to help poor countries. We rebuild countries that are destroyed by war. We try to broker peace, and we are attacked by evil cultists. I have no hatred for those Americans who have come from those pathetic lands in the middle east and now live here. Good for them. (By the way, there is no such thing as an Arab American. There is only an American.)

We hear that they kill our innocent civilians because their god will send them to heaven. In their cult, they are martyrs. It's time for a holy war of our own. Our God has blessed us with prosperity and power, and it is time to use that power to enact righteous vengeance on our enemies.

God bless the USA.

Violence begets violence is the thought among pacifists. And that is true. And this time, the violence that the arab cultists will come back to them tenfold. I hope, truly, that they burn in Hell.

(Cut out September 14, 2001)

September 10
Excuse me for just a moment... FUCKING BASTARDS... alright, I'm fine. I just found out that divine, the company I work for, is now having layoffs. I doubt I'll be one of them, as I am billable and thus bringing money to the company, but it's still frustrating. Apparently, 400 people are being laid off, and there is talk of office closure. The joys of the technology business - there is a ton of money out there, but there is a lot of risk lately too.

On other notes, I watched the US Open yesterday and Sampras got utterly killed. He looked terrible - it was actually painful to watch, and at moments, I had to change the channel. And there was a tornado warning for Lansing. Of course, I was outside looking for one, but didn't see it.

September 7
I had my fantasy draft last night at Tripper's, and I managed to get the first pick. So I took Daunte Culpepper. I should have a decent year, with Cris Carter as my best receiver and the Raven's defense. My weakness is at running back, because I don't think Warrick Dunn and Ron Dayne are going to do it for me.

I was watching FOX news yesterday (I completely loath the Clinton News Network) and I saw a clip of President Bush leaving an air force helicopter. A marine was standing at the bottom of stairs, saluting. The President turned to the marine and saluted him. That is something I NEVER saw Clinton do. (Have I mentioned Clinton is a rat bastard?) That small gesture shows a complete difference in outlook towards the military.

Added a new item to my humor page. AND, I have added a few pictures from my class reunion. Yep, it was over a year ago, but sometimes, it takes me a while to get around to these things.

(Cut out September 13, 2001)

September 6

I saw one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen last night. The match lasted over 3 1/2 hours and each of the four sets went into tiebreaks, but Sampras finally beat Agassi just after midnight. Thankfully, Jo let me watch the matches at her place, since the hotel where I am staying does not get the USA Network.
Good news! The DoJ is no longer looking to break up Microsoft. Now if we can just stop the out of control lawsuits on the tobacco companies.
And, I have added a few new pictures. First, there is a picture of the B&B I stayed at in Cardiff, Wales. And, there is a new picture from Salisbury.
Sampras and Agassi

(Cut out September 10, 2001)

September 5
Last night, I spent about 2 1/2 hours at a sports bar watching the US Open - Serena Williams beat Lindsey Davenport. It was a great match, and the fact that there was an incredible looking waitress certainly didn't make the evening any more unpleasant. I just got back from Wendy's - one of the worlds slowest, by the way, unlike the one I normally go to, which is the world's fastest. Amazing what a difference of three miles can make.

Tonight, I'm heading back to the sports bar to watch the Sampras-Agassi match, so I'll be there at least 2 1/2 hours again, especially since I plan on watching some of the Capriatti match as well.

I've been going through some of my pictures. I added one new one, which isn't really exciting - it's a picture of the castle that will be used in Lord of the Rings.

September 4
After a holiday weekend, I am recharged and ready for work. Alright, that's a lie - I'd rather be home watching the US Open. I spent most of the weekend watching tennis, since this is the last major tournament until the Australian Open in January, and they don't televise that one since it's in the middle of the night here. I am going to be having withdrawls, as the Holiday Inn where I stay during the week does not get the USA Networks channel. So, I'm screwed, though there is a sports bar on Telegraph that I can go to. Hopefully they will show a match.

This week, I'll be putting up a few pictures from Wellington, NZ. Also, related to Wellington - I will post a picture or two of a castle that will be part of the Lord of the Rings movie coming this winter. The castle was between Wellington and Upper Hutt, where an EDS office was located. Also, a few more pictures from my England trip. In the meantime, here is a shot of Stonehenge.

(Cut out September 6, 2001)

August 31
Last night I made an excursion into the badlands of Auburn Hills to go to Great Lakes Crossing. I saw Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which was pretty funny, though it did drain the last $6 from my wallet so now, as I write, I have no money. After that, I went to Alcatraz and had dinner - unfortunately, the waitress that I had last time (the love of my life) was not there, but I will overcome this disappointment.

It's US Open time, so since I can't watch any matches on TV, I have to settle to listening to them over the Internet. While the announcers are not as good as they are at Wimbledon, it's still worth listening to.

Oh, the pictures are a rolling out. Added another photo of Cardiff. And, I also added a few photos of Salisbury. Added a new item to my humor page as well.

August 30
Sunny days... I'm planning to go to Somerset tonight, because I've got nothing else going on tonight. Yesterday was a typical day - jogging, fast food dinner, and television.

I've added a few pictures from Cardiff, Wales. AND, as a bonus, added a new page to my humor page.

(Cut out September 5, 2001)

August 29
I won the lottery again! Woohoo, another $1 goes in my pocket. Ignoring the fact that I actually spent $3 on the ticket. I watched part of a Madonna concert on HBO. So people pay $100 or whatever it is to go to one of those? It was unwatchable - men dressed in black with gas masks crawling through pipes, people hanging from the ceiling, chicks with mohawks. Who thinks this crap up?

I have added a few more pictures of Bath.

The latter part of my day was spent listening to the US Open over the Internet. The hotel does not have the USA Network, so I cannot see any of the matches, at least until I get home on Friday night. But I shall endeavor to overcome.

(Cut out September 4, 2001)

August 28
I'm back. I'll get some more updates later in the day, maybe a picture or two will be posted, depending on how work goes. Okay, so that means I will definately put on some new stuff.

I finally got to Cedar Point. I had a blast, as usual. I rode the Millennium Force twice and the Power Tower three times, as well as several other rides. I'll have more details later, after I have a morning Coke.

I added a few more Bath pictures. Bath, England, that is.

Well, the press keeps going on and on about how, because of the tax cut we received (thank you President Bush - I'm looking forward to getting the money that the govenrment OVER CHARGED me for), now the government is going to have to dip into Social Security funds. There are NO seperate Social Security funds - it's all in a general fund, so Social Security comes from the same place that military spending and condoms for high school students are pulled. It's simply scare tactics by the Democrats - really, it's the only political tactic they have that works, because the truth doesn't help the party of Bill Clinton and Gary Condit.

One last point on this - the surplus has shrunk $115 billion from the projected amount, and yet this years tax cut is $40 billion. What about the rest of the money, the $75 billion difference? That, folks, is increased spending. THAT is why the surplus is shrinking.

(Cut out August 31, 2001)

August 24
I won the lottery! Okay, I won $4 between six numbers, but, as my dad would say, it's better than a kick in the head, and if you use that philosophy, most things in life are pretty good. Of course, I just used the $4 to buy more lottery numbers, but if I win, you can all ride in my 333 hp BMW M3.

Another busy day. Well, on my web site at least. I have added pictures from Downtown Disney, which I saw when I was in Los Angeles. Also, I have added a picture of the building in Southfield where I go every day so you can catch a glimpse of the golden tower in which I work.

Amy and I saw Planet of the Apes last night. Greg - you were right, the movie sucks. I did like the big ape general. He was pretty cool, and the barbarian chick was nice. After the movie we went to Alcatraz and had dinner and we had an incredibly cute waitress. Oh, if I was younger, better looking and had a full head of hair and a tolerable personality...

(Cut out August 30, 2001)

August 23
I found the world's slowest Taco Bell yesterday, on the corner of Telegraph and Ninth in Southfield. It took me almost fifteen minutes to get my taco meal, and there were only four cars in front of me in the drive thru. I wasn't in a hurry, else I would have driven away and gone to McDonald's. Which is where I plan to go to lunch today.

More pictures... I've updated my Disneyland photos. I've added a few new pictures, and rearranged the others. View away.

(Cut out August 29, 2001)

August 22
And hot off the presses, I have new pictures from my (working) trip to southern California, so check them out.

Hey hey, guess what I did? Wrong, I added more pictures of London - Russell Square and Heathrow pictures are now available for your viewing pleasure.

I cannot tell you how bored I was at work yesterday, and today doesn't look much more entertaining. The web site went live, and now I have nothing to do. So I (obviously) updated my site and cracked a few books on web programming. I was hoping that my time here was almost done, but it continues, as does my pain.

Quick political question - you know the latest buzz about the surplus, and how the tax cut is digging into it? Well, why is it that increased spending doesn't decrease the surplus, but tax cuts do? Why is this point not coming up? I think that if the surplus (read: they took more of our money than they needed) is so important to maintain, they should cut spending. And give us more of our money back.

August 21
My day started off right. I checked my numbers for The Big Game, and I won! Well, I won $1, but I still won. Can you say that? Nooooo. I'm the big winner.

So I was able to do something productive at work yesterday - I added some new pictures! These are not from my England trip, they are from Brea, CA, where I went to work a few months ago. As the mood strikes me, I will add more photos.

(Cut out August 28, 2001)

August 20
Okay, I have a new link to show you - http://www.49ers.com/cheerleaders/

I've heard on the news that the Democrats are trying to scare people with talk about how the tax cut (remember, it's your money) that President Bush was able to have enacted by talking about how funds are being pulled out of the social security trust fund. THERE IS NO SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND. Social security funds are taken from the general fund, which all other spending comes from. Another example of Democrats lying.

Last weekend, I went to a NASCAR race with my dad at MIS, which was fun. I had never seen a race before. But if I see another one, I'll remember to bring more than $20, which is the cost of lunch for two people there. And traffic wasn't too bad getting out of the speedway. Well, the second time we tried to get out it wasn't bad.

August 17
I have been inspired - okay, work is really boring right now - and I have added yet more pictures from my trip! Marvel at my photos of Bath, England.

At the McDonald's here at Town Center in Southfield, they sell hot dogs. I had one for lunch, and they are pretty good. And as a normal American man who has consumed thousands of hot dogs my life, I'm a good judge.

Again, an uneventful night. I had dinner at the hotel resteraunt, which is expensive, but I can expense, and that is what it's all about. I watched a football game last night, and now I have to wait two more days before I see another. But, I get to go home today, so I'm happy about that. I still have not heard any new details about the project status, so I suppose I'll be back next week.

(Cut out August 23, 2001)

August 16
I have added some pictures of Trafalgar Square.

It's raining in Southfield. I love rain, for two reasons. One, the air smells cleaner and takes me back to sitting on the porch when I lived in Lansing, just inside the roof overhang, and watching it rain. (My dad does the same thing, so I think it's inherited.) And two, most other people don't like rain, and if they don't like it, that's one more reason I do, since most other people are idiots, with those people reading this website being the exception, as you obviously possess above average intelligence.

Last night, I went to Somerset Mall in Troy. It's quite the place, though I didn't buy much for two reasons (it's 'two reason day' I suppose) - one, I'm not rich. And two, I'm over the age of eighteen, and that mall is full of stores like Ambercrombie and Gap and other stores I would never shop at.

Fellas, there is a football game on tonight, so don't watch those tired sitcoms with plots that haven't been fresh in twenty years, watch football. You'll thank me.

(Cut out August 21, 2001)

August 15
Another uneventful night - dinner at Kerby's and Big Brother on TV. I'm looking forward to watching football tomorrow night. Lunch today will be TGIFriday's. Hey, I can expense it, so why not eat at a place a little more expensive? Right? Right.

And, here is a new picture from England!

And don't say I don't never teach you nuthin. If you want to say 'Where is the toilette?' in French, say: Ou` sont les toilettes? And in German, say Wo ist die Toilette? Those phrases could come in very handy.

(Cut out August 17, 2001)

August 14
Achtung! I've added two more pictures of my London trip, so look at them heute!

The football game between Miami and Tampa Bay was a good game, and it was won with a Hail Mary. I had some cheap Chinese food, but it was not very good.

August 13
There was football on Saturday, and I was happy, truly happy. And there is football on tonight, so I have something to look forward to after work. It's back to a decent temperature, so if my knee stops hurting, I'll be back to jogging again. For dinner on Sunday, my mom made me sauerkraut, which I like and haven't had in a long time.

One thing to keep in mind about the whole stem cell research debate - President Bush's decision only effects federal funding of research. Private companies are not restricted from their research, and if this research is to be done, it should be in the private sector. (I don't think it should be done at all.) So when you hear these mad scientists going off about how people are going to die, they are liars (Democrats.)

(Cut out August 16, 2001)

August 11
I saw American Pie 2 on Friday night, and that was a very funny show. Alyson Hannigan has become my favorite AP character - she has the best lines.

Saturday was a decent day. I strarted out at BK with my bacon croissant meal. Then I went nine holes at Indian Hills, and though I played bad for about half the holes, the other half were not bad. I'm still pulling it to the left (sorry George W). I spent some time in the sun, picked up the American Pie 2 soundtrak and a new Dreamcast game (only $10), and had a big ass chef salad at Buddies. I mean, BIG. And the night ended by watching pre-season football.

August 10
An uneventful night, though I did get to see George W on television, so that was good. I think he made the right choice on the stem cell issue. Though there will still be research, no more embryos will be destroyed (ie killed.) If you disagree with me then, well, you're wrong.

(Cut out August 15, 2001)

August 9
Guess what? I added new pictures from New Zealand! Woohoo! Check them out on my Kairoura page.

For lunch, I met Jo and we went to Steve's Deli on Telegraph. It was very busy, but their pastrami sandwhich was pretty good. But what's up with this heat? I was watching the news last night, so it was about 11pm, and the temperature in Detroit was still above 80. That's just crazy.

I decided to go to Farmington Hills... just because I had never been there before. Parts of it were very nice. I found a Ruby Tuesday's and had a bacon cheeseburger. You know, something healthy.

(Cut out August 14, 2001)

August 8
I haven't been jogging in days - it's just too hot. When I left work last night, my car thermometer read 100 degrees, and the car was in the shade, so I said forget it. Luckily, the air conditioning in my hotel room works this time around, so all is well.

So have you heard about the tax protests in Tennessee? Good for them. If the government doesn't have the money, it can't inititiate asinine programs like welfare. The less money government has, the better, because that means we keep more of our money. And since Hillary Clinton is supposed to be the worlds smartest woman, knower of all things, girl genius, why is it that whenever someone asks her a question, she can't recall anything?

Updated my humor page.

(Cut out August 11, 2001)

August 7
Yesterday was probably one of the more exhausting tennis games I've played. After Greg beat me 6-0 the first set, we played another set and he ended up winning 7-3 in a tiebreaker, but it was a good match. Afterwards, I watched Monday Night Football. Okay, it was a pre-season game, but it was still football. Dinner consisted of Coke from McDonald's.

In the news - some Italian doctor is going to go ahead and clone a human being. I think the problem with cloning humans is that these scientists do not respect the sanctity of human life. To them, humans are just collections of cells to toy with as they see fit. Humanity as a whole must realize their own importance and refuse to allow these mad scientists to cheapen human life.

August 5
On Sunday, Teresa and I went golfing Grosbeck. I was distressed, because I kept hitting to the left, and for a conservative, that's bad. I'd much rather go to the right. Other than that, I had a good time. Before the game, I stopped at Burger King for breakfast to load up on my daily dose of animal fat.

On Friday night, I saw Rush Hour 2 which is very funny and worth seeing. After the movie, Opu, Vernon, Miki, and a few others went to Tripper's for a while. It was there that Opu had the great idea to go golfing on Saturday. So, 9am on Saturday, I am at Indian Hills. Alone. Since nobody else showed up, I went golfing by myself. The game was to be as expected with me - bad - but I fun.

(Cut out August 9, 2001)

August 3
After work, which I suppose wasn't too bad, relatively speaking, I took a drive south on Telegraph and ended up... somewhere. At one point, I was under an overpass with garbage strewn about and the neighborhood wasn't looking too good. It's just one of those things I do somethings - drive around and see where it leads.

My new thing to do at work is watch the Cedar Point webcam. Those are great. I also have video files of the roller coasters, so it's like I'm there all the time. If only they had some park sounds playing, I would feel right at home.

(Cut out August 8, 2001)

August 2
Happy Birthday mom!

Last night was enjoyable. I went to Pontiac and hung out with Amy, Jon, and Julie, some crazy chick that is going out with Jon. We had burgers, which were quite good, watched The Thirteenth Warrior, and played pool. (Amy and I won two out of three. We're getting ready to go pro.)

(Cut out August 7, 2001)

July 31
Wow, it's been a very busy last couple of days. I worked about 20 hours on Friday to avoid working on Saturday. Look folks, I consider having to come in on a Saturday bad project planning, and my Saturday's are MY TIME. So I worked extra long on Friday and spent my Saturday in the sun, as God intended it.

So what's new... hopefully, only two more weeks on this project and I'm outta here. That will be nice, though I don't know what I'll be working on after this. Life has been pretty sedate the last couple of days. The power went out on Sunday night. As it got dark and I couldn't read - reading by candlelight is not fun - I went to Buddies and for the first time in quite a while, I did not have nachos. (It was getting late, and the Mexican food is not the best stuff to eat before bed.) I discovered that their chef salad's are good.

(Cut out August 6, 2001)

July 25
Yesterday was annoying. It started with a 7am meeting, and the guy that send out the message that this meeting was important, mantadory, etc, didn't even show up. Then it was another "hurry, this has to be done today" kind of day. It began that way for me, but by the end, I realized that there had been two other times like this, and at the end of both, the work was not even looked at, so no more kill myself working kind of days are in my future.

Anyway, I braved the weather and went jogging last night. Not too far, but enough to make it a workout. Big Brother was on, so I watched some of that. And, I started watching Murder in Small Town X. That was pretty interesting. The premise is that a family has been murdered in a New England town, and a group of people is sent there to solve it. I wasn't sure how it would be, but so far, I like it.

July 24
Okay, 11 hours at work is enough, so I'm about to go back to the hotel. So, I haven't had a chance to do very much the last few days, as things have been pretty busy.

(Cut out August 2, 2001)

July 20
I won $5 on an instant lottery ticket! Oh yeah, baby, I'm lifes BIG WINNER. However, my last few Cokes at McDonald's have not netted me as much free food as I would have hoped. I'm sure my luck will change, especially with the volume of purchases I make there. Let's see, Ruby Tuesday's was alright, though they didn't have the chicken sandwhich I wanted. But the bacon cheeseburger was good. Yesterday there was a band playing in Southfield, so I listened to them on my lunch and had a bratwurst. Big Brother 2 was passable - the most annoying person was voted out. Work is busy. I got a whole day before being asked if I was done coding the 15+ web pages I had been turned over. (For those of you not in web development, that's a lot in such a short time.) I'm going to kill someone, and not in a nice, carbon monoxide sleepy kind of way.

July 19
A typical night - a little eating, a little jogging, a little television watching. I did manage to post a few new pictures of my London vacation.

(Cut out July 30, 2001)

July 18
I read a rather distrurbing article on the Time web site. Basically, in France, disabled children have the right to sue if their parents were not given the ability to aborb them. So these children are suing not to exists, I guess. Read the full article.

I have added some London pictures! Woohoo! You can thank Robyn from Australia for getting me moving on this. Of course, I still haven't posted those Kaikoura pictures, but one thing at a time. I was really ambitious and updated my gallery and my links pages.

I was back at Shield's for dinner. They have some decent food. This was after I went jogging, so I was pretty hungry. I measured out the distance I jogged last week, I think it was Wednesday, and it was 5.4 miles, which is the farthest I've ever jogged. No wonder I was so tired.

(Cut out July 25, 2001)

July 17
I was at the worlds rudest Big Boy last night. It wasn't just one person - it was the waitress, the bus boy, and the person who rang me up. I felt right at home, and if I ever decide to become a waiter, I'm going to that resteraunt because I think I would fit right in there.

So my day today started with one of my co-workers handing me a pile of new pages to create. I wasn't even done with the last bunch, but it really doesn't matter if they work anymore. This is the first time I've ever worked in a team when creating pages, and if this is what it's like, hopefully it will be the last.

(Cut out July 23, 2001)

(Cut out July 19, 2001)

July 16
The weekend seemed shorter than most, for some reason. Saturday I kept pretty busy, between the jogging and the car washing and going over to Matt and Teresa's to watch The Corrupters, which may have had a plot, but no one was really paying attention. I was a bit disappointed because there was NO BEER at their house, so I guess I will have to take care of the situation next time I go over.

Sunday was fun. Skip and I golfed, and neither of us did that well, but I did have a great shot off the tee on two. My 7 wood, of course. After that, we had ice cream and cake, because it was his birthday. For dinner, it was fries and a Coke from McDonald's. I'm hooked on the little Monopoly game pieces.

Today has gone quicker than I thought. I was really not looking forward to working, but it has turned out okay so far.

July 13
Last night was fun. Amy, Dave, and I went to the driving range in Auburn Hills and hit a few golf balls. My aim was not as good as it normally is - I think I'm getting too used to hitting off grass. Then, we went to Chile's and ate. It was a grand meal, mostly revolving around Dave and I ganging up and making fun of Amy. It was really quite amusing, except maybe for Amy.

(Cut out July 17, 2001)

July 12
I was thinking about getting a salad for dinner last night, but the salads didn't appear, so I had a pizza instead. Pretty similiar, huh? And I took the night off from jogging. I'll need my energy for a tough day at the driving range. Work is still busy, still semi-interesting.

July 11
TGIFriday's has a pretty good Italian sandwhich. Trust me on this, I wouldn't lie to you unless it was funny. After Friday's, I went for a jog and ended up jogging farther than I ever had before. I haven't driven it, so I'm not sure how long it was, but it took be almost an hour. All this to get in Cancun shape.

July 10
I'm glad I didn't make a tee time for today - it's not golfing weather. It's a bit hot, and I heard there were going to be scattered thunderstorms, but I don't see any sign of those. Work has been busy, which is good, I suppose. I plan on heading to TGIFriday's tonight. It's close, and then I can get in some jogging to help get in Cancun shape.

July 9
I just listened to Ivanisevic win Wimbledon, which made my morning. I was really hoping he would win.

My fear was true - the traffic is back to normal coming into Southfield. Still, the traffic is better than coming in at 7:00.

This weekend, I got a lot of driving range time. My shots were actually pretty straight, but I think it was a fluke. I got some good tanning time, and watched a lot of tennis. I went to Buddies for the first time in a month, and the nachos were good as always.

Something strange happened on Saturday. I was just leaving Buddies and I got a call on my two-way from some guy. He had the wrong number, but then he stopped talking and some girl came on, asking if I was single, and wanted me to go to Kalamo (which is southwest of Charlotte.) Of course I said no, but through talking, I found that she is a stripper working in Battle Creek. Interesting stuff.

(Cut out July 13, 2001)

July 6
Friday was interesting. I went to work at 7:30 like I usually do, and the door was locked. So, annoyed, I go to the car and read the paper until 8:00, and then go back to the office, and it was still locked. I found the receptionist, and she didn't have the key, so I went home. Instead of being in front of the computer, I washed my car, bought a new Dreamcast game, and watched tennis. Oh, and laid in the sun.

I also dropped off my 7 wood to Teresa so that it can be fixed, thus returning my golf game to the thorough mediocrity that I have come to expect from it. (Teresa moonlights as a golf club repair girl, if you didn't know.)

(Cut out July 10, 2001)

July 5
Hope everyone had a good 4th of July here in the land of the free, home of the brave. It was not a busy day, but it was enjoyable enough. It didn't start out that well. I went to the driving range and broke my seven wood. I guess I'm just to strong for my own good. Then I went to MSU and laid in the sun for a while. I normally would just lay out at home, but the mosquitos are terrible this year. The evening ended at the Wanbaugh's with a cookout. Matt did a better job of grilling the second time around, and the burgers were good. And so were the cookies, home baked by the lovely and talented Teresa. And we played The London Game, which I enjoyed.

Today started well. Not much traffic, and I got to work in Southfield pretty quickly.

July 3
I decided to wander a bit last night, mainly to look for a new place to east. I found a Ruby Tuesday's and ate there, and had the privledge of having a waitress tell me about her addiction problem. That was nice - I felt so close to her. Wait, no, I was completely uncaring. Yes, that's it.

Pete Sampras was knocked out of Wimbledon, but Agassi is still alive. I spend most of the morning listening to Radio Wimbledon. Yes, I still manage to get some work done.

Added an interesting link I got from my uncle about what would happen if the population of earth were represented by one village.

(Cut out July 9, 2001)

July 2
I'm a bit afraid of what today is going to be like. I say that because there was not a single traffic backup on the way to Southfield, and I'm a bit worried about that. It's the first time that has happened. Maybe it's because people are taking a long holiday weekend. And, to our Canadian friends, happy Indepence Day (it's July 1st for them.)

Saturday was a fun day. It started out by me washing my car, which was clean for almost an entire day before it got dirty again. Lunch was a gourmet meal from Panda Express in the Meridian Mall, which I ate in front of our very large TV, watching Wimbledon. Later in the day, I met Greg, Kristie, Teresa, and Matt and we played golf at Four Winds. I, however, was the only player not to cheat, so I think I came in last, though I did have one of my better shots, hitting the pin from the bunker. Then it was off to Signature's where we had dinner and met Allison, the belligerant waitress. After dinner, we headed to Teresa and Matt's house to enjoy Children of the Corn, a classic tale of children killing their parents. It's a family film.

(Cut out July 5, 2001)

June 29
Another very busy day at work, but I just about got everything done. Nothing at all exciting happened. The only thing I had time for after work (it was a 12 hour day) was to eat dinner and then watch CSI and ER.

June 27
Yesterday was slightly more interesting at work than normal. Sure, it wasn't great, but at least I had something to do. Then I went jogging for 40 minutes, which was nice and tiring, before going to Kerby's for dinner. (Kerby's is a coney island place a block from the hotel.) So that's about it for yesterday.

(Cut out July 3, 2001)

June 26
I met a friend, Suzanne, from my old EDS days, and we had dinner at Champs in Troy. Oh, the reminiscing that was done. The fish and chips that I had for dinner were pretty good, making me wanting to go back to London for a few days. But my job, once again, gets in the way of my personal happiness. But on the small joys side, I'm listening to Radio Wimbledon over the Internet, so even though I can't see most of the tennis going on at the moment, I can still listen to the commentators and their cool English accents. (Teresa: golf should be a definate this weekend. Sure, it was supposed to happen last weekend, but I'm positive this weekend is IT.)

Added something to my humor page.

(Cut out July 2, 2001)

June 25
It was a decent weekend. I didn't get to golf like I wanted to, but at least we went to the driving range, we being Greg, Kristie, Teresa, and Matt. Then it was time for miniature golfing. I wasn't in my miniature golf shape, but it was a decent game. Then Greg and Kristie abandoned us, and we that remained had some Chinese food (Teresa: I hope you have since recovered from your encounter with the Ing Credible Chinese woman) and went back to their place and watched Traffic, which I enjoyed. There was also a ton of Dreamcast game playing going on as well.

On Sunday, I helped my dad put up eaves trough at my grandparents house. That was fun. Every time I do any kind of home repair, the less I want a house. Seems like a lot of work. Had dinner at Damon's and then took a bike ride around the lake. It was a decent night, and I wasn't going to home until the end of the week. The night was capped off with The X-Files.

(Cut out June 27, 2001)

June 22
Damn, just missed the cut... http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/06/22/news/wealthiest/sidebar.htm

Yesterday was a fun enough day. Not work wise - it was the same old stuff. After work, I took I-75 up to Auburn Hills and bought a new Dreamcast game at a store in Great Lakes Crossing. I think I have six or seven games now. I bought a macadamia bear from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, then headed over to the golf dome to hit a few balls.

The driving range was pretty interesting. The dome is only about 75 yards long, but it's good enough to judge your distance. The tee comes up automatically when a ball is removed from it, and you are given a card with a certain amount of credit. I had a $7 card, and got 70 balls. And I hit the best I have ever hit there, except that I could not hit that damn smiley face sitting out in the middle of the course. It taunted me, and it taunts me in my sleep. Anyway, I Amy, Dave, and Jon were there, and Jon liked my clubs. He is about my height, and the longer clubs are a big help.

After the game, Dave, Amy, and I went to Macaroni's, a very good Italian place in Pontiac with some of the best looking waitresses around. Dave and I were quite happy there.

And have you see my Paris pictures? And, of less interest, I added one of my applications to my site. It's the wallchart generator, and it's a kind of project management program.

One last thing - President Bush's veto threat of the patients bill of rights is a good thing. The current bill opens the door for countless lawsuits. And despite the rhetoric that Senator Daschle spouts about how lawsuits wouldn't be a problem, we all know that people are greedy and lawyers love to sue.

(Cut out June 25, 2001)

June 21
I decided to go driving and ended up exploring for about an hour. I ate at TGIFriday's in Town Center, the area of buildings where I work in Southfield. And then it was back to the hotel for a 45 minute jog and a relaxing evening of watching Star Trek and The West Wing - no Ainsley, by the way. What the hell is wrong with Sorkin? Somebody needs to slap that drug addict.

Guess what? I have finally added some pictures from my trip. Go to my gallery to see them.

June 20
I rained a little bit last night, enough to wash my car but not enough to keep me up at night. Work is going okay - haven't really started moving forward on the project, but I'm still billing. I found the location of a driving range nearby, so I'll go there soon. My quest for a cheap Dreamcast game at the Southfield Best Buy was for naught, but have no fear. I saw one at Toys R Us that I want, and in the next few days I'll be going to Great Lakes Crossing, and they should have some there too. And true to my word, I have begun going through my Paris pictures.

(Cut out June 22, 2001)

June 15
Last night, I met up with some friends - Amy and Dave - and we went to Big Buck Brewery, where I partook is roughly four beers and a buffalo burger. I think it was real buffalo - at least, that's what it said on the menu. After that, we went to Gameworks and played a bunch of video games. That was entertaining - I had not been to Gameworks in several months.

Added You know you grew up in the 80's link.

June 19
Another sunny day in Southfield. Work is going along fine. The Holiday Inn where I'm staying is pretty nice, and it's close to Best Buy, so I'm going to check out the Dreamcast games tonight, then go to dinner at some coney island place close to the hotel. Looking for England photos? Good luck - they're not here yet. Sooner or later, though, they will be. I'll start going through them tonight. I promise.

Oh, and I added a new link on my humor page.

June 18
It was a busy weekend. I spent a lot of time outside, and have minor sunburns to prove it. Tennis took up a lot of my time, and I actually was able to jog around Lake Lansing. I got a few new games for my Dreamcast, so when I wasn't outside getting roasted, I was inside playing Virtua Tennis or Speed Devils.

(Cut out June 20, 2001)

June 14
Yesterday was pizza night, so I got some pizza and chowed down while watching the Lakers paste the Sixers. One thing about driving to Southfield and back is that is actually quite tiring. Thus, my levels of energy are not what they used to be. However, I'll be staying most of the week in Southfield - work is putting me up in a hotel, so I can enjoy the wonder that is the Detroit metro area.

June 13
I feel lucky. The drive to Southfield only took me an hour and forty five minutes today.

June 12
I'm in Southfield again. The drive took 2 hours, since the traffic is so awful. I didn't do too much, but I did get to play some tennis, and since this was the first time this year, I was pretty bad. No worries, though - I'll be back in form again soon.

(Cut out June 19, 2001)

June 8
Well, I have a project! Right now, I'm in Southfield working on a career planning site. Looks like interesting work. I was talking to the guy that sits across from me, and ironically, he used to work at EDS as well. We're all over the place.

I spent the week working from home, and I got to see a lot of the French Open, and eat many peanut butter and Fluff sandwhiches. I even got some jogging in as well. I like the working from home thing. I need to do it more often.

(Cut out June 15, 2001)

June 4
Yesterday was my birthday, so if you didn't get me anything, I want nothing to do with you. I'm in Grand Rapids today, and will most likely be in Lansing the rest of the week, depending on how my new project goes. No progress yet on my England pictures. I've got them developed, but haven't worked on putting them on my web page quite yet.

May 29
I have returned. My vacation in the UK and France was fun, and the long weekend because of Memorial Day was an added bonus that I completely forgot about. Now, I'm back at work, which means a lot of web browsing, as I have no project assigned to me at the moment. I'll be working on getting mhy pictures developed and on my site.

(Cut out June 14, 2001)

May 8
I left work early and went to see The Mummy Returns, which was okay. There were lots of shooting and explosions and mummies, so it was entertaining. Follow that up with dinner at a fast food Chinese place and you have the makings of a near perfect day.

May 7
Five more days until I'm headed to England. I just reserved my hotel room in London - I'm staying in Piccadilly Circus, so it should be nice and loud at all hours of the day. But, I'll probably be so tired from not getting any sleep on the plane that it will not make a difference.

(Cut out June 11, 2001)

May 3
Only a few more days until all the MSU students are gone and campus is once again safe for the rest of humanity. I went to the library last night and checked out a book, and the place was crazy. But, it's finals week, so I suppose that a good enough excuse.

West Wing was decent, but no Ainsley, the most crucial cast member. It was amusing to hear about how happy everyone was that there was less money so that that would make it easier to skip a tax cut. The sad part is, that is how Democrats think. Must be nice to be like them and have enough money that they don't need or want a tax cut.

(Cut out May 29, 2001)

May 2
Ah, beautiful Damon's. I was back to my old stomping grounds yesterday. And, because it's so nice outside, I have once again begun to jog outside instead of the indoor track at the gym.

Here is an interesting link on the non-dangers of second hand smoke. It seems that the anti-smoking Nazi's have been making up the dangers all along and, in fact, carbon monoxide has proven to beneficial in lab tests. There is also a mention that 95% of greenhouse gasses, which have been claimed to cause the farse known as global warming, are produced by nature. So nothing we can do about those emissions. Now jump in your SUV, turn up the air conditioning, and let loose with the hair spray.

(Cut out May 7, 2001)

May 1
I have added a new page to my humor page, courtesy of my Uncle Kent. Read, enjoy.

So, the San Francisco city government has approved the coverage of the cost of a sex change operation for city workers. What kind of weirdos do they have on the city council? I think they should cover plastic surgery too. Then, I would get a job with the city and end up looking like Pierce Brosnan. It's only fair.

April 30
I have returned, and look at the weather I brought with me. Your welcome. It looks like I will not be going back to Brea because of some kind of contractual dispute between my company and the one I was working for. Whatever, as long as my expenses get paid. I wanted to spend some time at home anyway. At least, two weeks, before I fly off to England.

I'm looking forward to my Damon's visit tonight. It's been a while since I visited.

(Cut out May 4, 2001)

April 26
Here it is, my last day in Brea before I head back to Michigan tomorrow. Thank goodness. I was about to buy another plane ticket back out here where I got an e-mail from work that said there were some contractual disputes, and to not come back out until further notice. Whew! So, I probably will not have to make a return trip, at least until after my vacation to England.

West Wing was good last night. The new plot line is very interesting. However, I do have one complaint - only five minutes of Ainsley! Come on, people. Americans want to see a cute blone Republican, probably because there is only one in the United States, and she's only an actress, not a real Republican.

The only update I have made to my web site is fixing a problem on my New Zealand section - no new pictures, though.

(Cut out May 3, 2001)

April 25
As I was laying in the park yesterday, I thought it was pretty warm - probably around 80. I turned to the news and found out that Los Angeles had hit over 90 yesterday, and now the same people that were last month complaining about the cold and the rain are now complaining that it's too hot so early. Figures.

Let's see, what's in the news. Robert Downey Jr got fired from Ally McBeal. That's good - that drug addict has already had too many chances. President Bush's first 100 days are almost over, and the polls say that people generally have a good opinion of him (no suprise to me), but that they remain guarded. I guess those people are unhappy that he has not committed any felonies like our last president.

(Cut out May 1, 2001)

April 24
Not a very exciting day, but it is Tuesday, so what's new? The weather has been great in southern CA - I've laid out the past couple of days. Last night was one of my favorite shows, The Weakest Link. It's like Millionaire, but you get to see a half dozen idiots and two smart people. I feel bad for the smart people - they get voted off by the dumb ones.

The only update to my web site is to my resume. Real exciting stuff.

(Cut out April 30, 2001)

April 23
Well, it was a pretty eventful weekend. On Saturday, I headed north to San Simeon and took a tour of Hearst Castle. That was very interesting. When I first got there, I checked the electronic board to see when the next tour was leaving, and it said 4:20. Now, at the time I arrived, it was 2:00, so that was going to be quite a wait. However, the guy selling tickets had an extra for the 2:20 tour, so i was happy. I'll have some photos to show you within the next couple days.

The tour ended about 4:00, and I realized I had not eaten anything up to that point. I tend to do that - I get focussed on something and, especially when I'm driving. I was thinking that I would get lunch in Santa Barbara. I changed my mind, and decided to get something to eat as soon as I get to San Luis Obispo. I got there, and then I said I'd get something to eat after the tour. Which I finally did.

Oh, and before San Simeon, I stopped briefly in San Luis Obispo, a nice little town about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is, however, a bit too artsy for my tastes. When I was walking around and some group dressed like hippies was singing something about love power, I realized that this Republican was in the wrong town.

On Sunday, I took a drive around Tunstin. I decided to see what was in the area around where I have been working and ended up driving along a very sharp turning canyon road. That was fun. Then I went to Irvine, where they have a great outdoor mall called the Irvine Spectrum. Later in the afternoon, I spent a few hours at the Richard Nixon museum, which was very interesting. The day ended at a Chile's, and then watching The X-Files.

(Cut out April 25, 2001)

April 20
Last night was rather uneventful, though I did watch Survivor, and my man Rodger got voted off, which was too bad, but expected. But at least Elisabeth lasted for another week. The rest of the night was spent watching television and reading a book my mom got me for Easter, A Charge to Keep, by George W Bush.

The big news with me is that I bought my ticket to England. I leave May 12th and return May 26th. I'm pretty excited about the trip. Now I just have to figure out the rest of it - where I'm going, where I'm staying, how I'm getting there. All that kind of thing.

April 19
Last night I went to the Brea mall for a book signing by authors Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. I used to read all their books when I was younger, and I still read them whenever I can. After that, I feasted on cheap Chinese food and then watched The West Wing (repeat, no Ainsley) and The Weakest Link (I love this show.) Work is coming along nicely, and hopefully I can finish up fairly quickly - quickly meaning a few weeks.

Here is an interesting site, at least in my opinion - http://www.fix496.com. They have updates on the construction of I-496 as well as pictures and web cams. It gives me something to watch during the day.

(Cut out April 23, 2001)

April 18
First off, check out the new poll I added to my site! Yeah, it's that strange colored thing on the left hand side. I'll be putting up insightful and important questions on it, as I'm sure you can tell from the first one I posted. Hey, I had to start somewhere. Here in Brea it's still very nice. I laid in the sun yesterday, though today it's not as sunny, and my skin needs a break anyway. For lunch I went to In & Out, which has a cheeseburger combo for under $4, and the fries are great.

And, by the way, I did watch The Weakest Link, and I liked it. The host is great. She says things to the idiot contestants that you wish Regis would say on Millionaire. Basically, she belittles them. Tonight is The West Wing, though it's on at 8:00 instead of 9:00.

April 16
I am back in Brea, CA. The weather here is awesome, just like I thought southern California was supposed to be. I flew on United and got to LA on time. It's a shock, after having to fly ATA on the previous trips. So the first thing I do is go to the hotel and get my room. The second thing I do is go to the park and lay in the sun for a while. Then I went to work. It's all about priorities.

(Cut out April 20, 2001)

April 12
First, I added a few Disney pictures to my Gallery. Happy days are here again! Oh, and I updated my humor page.

I'm enjoying my last few days in Michigan before I go back to California. Not much new going on with me. I'm planning my trip to England. I haven't decided if I want to go on a tour or go it alone, though I'm leaning towards going it alone. The only thing is that I met some great people on my last tour (Egypt), and I still keep in touch with some of them. But I had a great time in New Zealand, when I just jumped on buses and trains and traveled. Oh, the hard decisions I must make. And quickly - my trip is in a month.

And happily, our hostages were released from China. Though that word (hostages, not China) has been called inflamatory, I think it is the most acurate word to use. Take that Most Favored Nation status away from those Communist bastards and treat them like the inhuman, anti-freedom country they are.

(Cut out April 19, 2001)

April 9
I'm back in Michigan until next Monday, when I have to go back to Los Angeles. However, I have a flight on United, so the plane has a better chance of taking off on time. And, I get frequent flyer miles, which is, as they say in the 'hood, The Bomb. Speaking of bombs, I found out that ATA, the junk airline I have been flying, used to be ValueJet. That explains why about a quarter of the planes I have been on have had some sort of mechanical malfunction. At least the plane hasn't been in the air at the time.

This weekend was good. Had dinner at Pistaccios with some people I hardly knew, and then we watched Super Fuzz. Yeah, it's as bad as it sounds. However, on Sunday I got to the driving range and used my new golf clubs for the first time. I actually hit better than I normally do.

I'm putting together some pages from my trips to the Left Coast, and I'll try and have them up ASAP - so anytime within the next three months.

(Cut out April 18, 2001)

April 4
It was kind of cold here yesterday - it probably got down to the low 50's last night. (I'm becoming such a wimp out here - I need to go home, which I will on Thursday.) Mike - the guy I work with - and I went to PF Cheng's, a Chinese resteraunt in Irvine. I protested the US-China dispute by not using chopsticks. The fact that I don't know how to use them right had nothing to do with.

Let's see, what's been going on in the news. Barbra Streisand was rambling on about something. Basically, it was anti-Bush. For such a 'tolerant' person, she sure is intolerant of someone who has different opinons about her. The China situation - look, let's just get our soldiers back. They can keep the plane - we destroyed all the classified information anyway. Sell weapons to Taiwan so that they can fight their own battles. If China wants to go to war with us, fine. They can't get to us anyway - their navy is pathetic, and the US navy is the best in the world. They have the missle technology that Slick Willy sold them, but it's old technology, nothing compared to ours. And they have a huge (1 million soldiers) army, but it's a bit hard to get across the Pacific Ocean when we could sink their transports way before they could get here. China is no real threat to us - accept for the fact that we will have to pay more for our cheap souvenirs, which are all made in China.

April 3
Yesterday was relatively uneventful, thank goodness. I watched the NCAA finals, and I was happy that Duke won. I enjoyed a wonderful dinner of fast food Chinese, one of the healthier meals I've eaten recently. No, I did have a grill chicken caesar salad. As an update, I still have a job. I heard several more people were layed off back in Grand Rapids. My company bites.

(Cut out April 16, 2001)

(Cut out April 9, 2001)

April 2
This weekend was eventful. Not necessarily good, but eventful. First, I'll start off on Saturday. It was a hazy day, but warm enough. I drove to Santa Monica and walked in the parks and along the beach, and on the Santa Monica pier. So it was a pretty decent time, until I got back to my Jeep and saw that I had a very flat tire. But I called AAA and somebody came out and fixed it. Nope, I didn't even think of doing it myself - it took the guy less than ten minutes to do it, and it would have taken me a lot longer. And besides, that's why I pay AAA $40 a year - well worth it, by the way.

Sunday got even better. I stayed Saturday night at the LAX Hilton so I wouldn't have to get up ungodly early and drive 45 minutes to the airport, return my car, etc. I left the hotel a bit after 5am, and got to the airport. All was fine - we actually boarded the plane, and there was even an empty seat next to me so that I wouldn't be all scrunched. And then the plane broke. It is ATA, after all - America's Trashiest Airline. So we all got off the plane and had breakfast on ATA, so I ate a great meal at Burger King.

I had a brush with fame. I saw Richard Simmons walking into the TWA club. And he was wearing his usual short shorts.

Anyway, after the announcement came that the flight wasn't going anyway - about four hours after we were supposed to leave - I got my luggage and went to stand in line. I was about the fifteenth person in line and it took me an hour and a half to get to the counter. I felt bad for the hundred or so people behind me. Anyway, the earliest I could get out would have been 11pm, so I decided to stay an extra week in CA. For my troubles I got a free night in a hotel and a free ticket to anywhere in the continental US. So not bad. I ended up going to Simi Valley, to the Ronald Reagan museum, which was very interesting. The Nixon library is about five miles from work, I just found out, so I'll be going there one of these days as well.

(Cut out April 4, 2001)

March 30
Well, it's a beautiful day in southern California, and I spent my lunch in the park working on my tan. But I'll be back in Michigan on Sunday, at least for a few days. I need to do things like pay bills and water my plant, which I'm sure is not doing well, but it's hearty, so it will pull through. Updated my humor page. Work is going well, and I'm making a lot of progress. This will be a great thing to put on a resume. Wait, I already have!

March 29
I still have a job. marchFIRST was bought out by a company called Divine. Several of our branch offices were close, but Grand Rapids is relatively intact. mF stock is not worthless, so if you happen to own some, call your stockbroker and get the paper certificates so you can use them to line the bottom of your bird cage, or perhaps start a fire.

It's sunny here today, very nice. It always seems to be cloudy in the morning and clearing up in the afternoon.

March 27
Well, Brea had a high of 78 today, and I was out in the sun enjoying it. It's supposed to be warmer the rest of the week, so even though my company is about to go under, I'm going to enjoy myself while I'm out here.

Last weekend I went and visisted my Aunt Anne and Uncle Gary in Encinitas. I hadn't seen them since 1990, when I graduated from high school. I got a tour of the area and their greenhouse, took a few pictures, and had dinner at a Mexican resteraunt, El Especiale, I believe it was called.

(Cut out April 2, 2001)

March 26
I seem to have a job for the moment, which is nice, I suppose. My resume is once again on Monster.com, and I've gotten a few e-mails. Today's lunch was a gourmet feast of Carl Jr's fish and chips. See, we don't have Carl's around where I live, so experiencing the new fast food resteraunts is quite a treat.

Oh, and Michigan State beat Temple yesterday. I'm sure you've already heard about it.

March 22
Well, I'm thinking the demise of marchFIRST is imminent at this point. There are several stories on The May Report and ZDNet regarding marchFIRST looking for buyers to purchase pieces of the company. The stock is in the toilet, and I don't know whether I'm going to have a job from one day to the next. It's really great fun. So I'm making sure my resume is updated on the Monster board. You know that saying about rats and sinking ships...

March 21
I went to the Brea mall, which is a very large place. I was originally headed back to the hotel, but it had taken me over 10 minutes to go less than two miles, and I decided that in order for me not to kill someone, I had better leave and try again later. I ate at some Hawaiin Barbeque place, which was alright. It was something different. This is the last night in my current hotel, and then I move over to the Hilton.

Made an update to my humor page.

(Cut out March 27, 2001)

March 20
Here I am in California. According to The Weather Channel, it was 88 in Brea yesterday, and I was outside quite a bit during the day. And yet, I still got a ton of work done, so go figure. Today, I plan on spending my lunch outside again, since it's supposed to be almost as warm. Last night, me and Mike went to some outdoor mall and ate at PF Cheng's, a good Chinese resteraunt, though it took forever to get some food. I'm convinced that the waitress, who was from New Jersey, had to flee the state to avoid prosecution - I'm pretty sure she some kind of criminal, but I can't prove it.

I just heard from another marchFirst employee that the Grand Rapids office is going to layoff 30 employees on Thursday and Friday. I'm glad I'm in California. 30 employees is about 30% of the people in the office.

March 16
I added a new page to my humor section, so go crazy. The NCAA tournament has returned, and everything is great once more. The Big Ten got their asses kicked, though. But that will stop tonight when Michigan State plays at 7:40. So turn on your television you savages.

March 15
My travel arrangements are all set for my return trip to Los Angeles on Sunday. I'll be staying for a few weeks this time, just because I'm sick of traveling so much. I may try to get to San Diego and Universal Studios, and see what else looks interesting.

(Cut out March 22, 2001)

March 12
I have returned to the great state of Michigan for at least a week. I had an 11:15PM flight Sunday night and it actually left on time! I got into Grand Rapids about 9:30, and here I am at work. California Disney was pretty cool, though it was small - it was more of a half day thing rather than a full day. My favorite ride there is called the Maliboomer, which is a tower that shoots you up into the air. The roller coaster, California Screamin', was also a fun ride. And I did a ton of shopping, and I had to ship it home because there is no physical way to get all that stuff in my suitcase.

March 7
I found Disneyland. That sounds like some sort of spiritual awakening, but no, I just found where the park is located. It was actually very easy - instead of taking a right on Katella, which I do to go to work, I take a left, and it is straight down the street a few miles. So when I go to Disney and California Disney this weekend, I'll know right
where to go.

Last night was my Buffy and Angel night. Before that, I went to the sports bar, the one with the amazing waitresses. However, there was only one this time, and, like last time, I had a WAITER. It's a horrible curse.

(Cut out March 20, 2001)

March 6
I did a bit more exploring of the area around where I was staying. I went down past the hockey arena where the Mighty Ducks play and found a Mexican resteraunt called Acapulco. The food there was very good, and at one point I actually told the waiter 'Gracias.' But that's all the Spanish I'm going to say. I am, after all, still in the United States. If I went to Mexico, I would make more of an effort to speak their language. And after that, it was back to the hotel to watch some basketball.

March 5
I spent most of yesterday (11am Eastern until 7:30pm Pacific) either in an airport or in the air. Mainly in airports, specifically five hours in Grand Rapids, the third most boring airport next to Lansing and Midway. Of course, I got to spend 10 minutes in O'Hare, an airport that actually has things to see, and that was running from one flight to the next because the flight from Grand Rapids was delayed. By the way, I hate ATA. They are the worst airline I have ever flown. I have yet to leave on time with them. Cheap ass airline - you get what you pay for. At least I had a decent lunch in the sports bar in the GR airport and got to watch some basketball.

Luckily, once I got to Los Angeles, things went more smoothly. It was raining when I first arrived, but by the time I got my rental car, it had stopped, and since I knew where the hotel was this time, it was a quick trip. And The Lone Gunmen, a new series, was entertaining. It is supposed to rain most of this week, but hopefully it will clear up this weekend.

For lunch, I went to a park and took some pictures. It was a nice day. Well, until the rain started.

March 1
My last day of work, and my last full day in southern California, and the sun finally shines. I can actually see Disneyland and California Disney from my hotel room, but I hadn't seen them before because it had always been raining. I snapped off a few pictures, which is the closest I will get to Disney on this trip.

(Cut out March 6, 2001)

February 28
Sunny days... it rained again. In fact, it's raining right now. But anyway, last night I went to a sports bar across the street from my hotel and watched Michigan State beat Wisconsin. That was fun. And that was the only 'excitement' I had for the day. I found out that Disneyland is only open until 8pm on weekdays, and as I don't actually leave work until 6pm, it doesn't make a lot of sense to go.

I went to Lucille's, a BBQ place on Imperial - about two miles from where I work. They had some great food. I went to the hotel and walked around the area, the first time I was able to do so (it had finally stopped raining.)

February 27
Work was work, neither boring nor exciting. After I had chilled out on the couch for a while, me and Mike, another marchFIRST guy from Grand Rapids, went to The Block, and outdoor mall. It's an interesting place. They have an indoor skateboarding area. We ate at a fish place, and it was pretty good - though it was no Sydney fish market.

Tonight, MSU is playing at 9pm (6pm here on the left coast), so I will actually get to see the game. There is a sports bar across the street from my hotel, so if I have the energy, I'm going to watch the game there.

Oh, and one of the nice features about my hotel (Hilton Suites) is that they have a complimentary breakfast. This is not one of those continental breakfasts either. They have omlettes, bacon, sausage, and other stuff. So I'm eating pretty well.

(Cut out March 5, 2001)

February 26
My day began with a ride to the Grand Rapids airport (thanks mom and Skip.) The flight to Chicago was uneventful, thankfully. Since I was flying ATA, the plane went to Midway instead of O'Hare, and a shuttle bus took me to the terminal. After seeing Midway, I'll take O'Hare anytime. Midway was small and crowded. And, of course, my flight to Los Angeles was delayed an hour. No big deal - it's not like I had to catch any connecting flights.

So I finally board the plane about 3:00. This next statement may sound strange, but bear with me - I love flying, but I hate the act of flying. Basically, I love traveling to a new place, but sitting in a plane for several hours at a time sucks. Sometimes, it's not bad. This wasn't one of those times. The guy next to me kept putting his arm on my side of the arm rest (so I accidently kept bumping him when he fell asleep) and he was wearing some goofy as shoes that a gay clown might wear. Next time I run into a gay clown, I'll check his footwear.

So I get into Los Angeles a little after 6:00, and of course my suitcase was just about the last one off the plane. And I had a massive headache. And it was raining. But, it was about 50 degrees, so it was nice - about twice as warm as it has been in Michigan. The hotel (Hilton suites) was very nice. Deciding I was across country, I got some authentic Mexican food at some fast food place across the street from my hotel. Of course, getting across the street was actually a 50 yard dash, since there were 10 lanes to cross. But it was Sunday night, and I guess that makes it alright... wait, no, that's Prince. After watching The X-Files, I realized it was actually 1:00am my time, and I was very tired.

More tomorrow...

(Cut out March 1, 2001)

February 23
I'll be in Los Angeles next week, so my updates may not be very frequent. Nothing much happened yesterday, kind of like most days. Had McDonald's, watched TV.

February 22
Huh, more trouble over a Clinton pardon. Go figure. Notice how Hillary is saying how disappointed in her brother she is, but there is no mention of ex-president Clinton? A bit odd, considering that it was the ex-president who actually gave the pardon.

All my travel arrangements for Los Angeles have been made, so it should be a done deal, unlike my last trip. I'll try and cope with a week in warm weather, though I will spend most of my daylight hours in front of a computer. That sucks.

February 21
Saw Michigan State win last night, and enjoyed the scene from the confines of Damon's. Occasionally the upity Indiana fans shouted out something - who knows what; they are, after all, Indiana fans, and not the brightest people - but overall, it was an MSU dominated game. I have got my travel plans ready for my trip to Los Angeles next week. Should be interesting, and failing that, at least it will be warm.

(Cut out February 28, 2001)

February 20
MSU plays Indiana tonight at 7pm on ESPN, so watch it. I might go to Damon's to enjoy the game, since I didn't go last night - my favorite waitress was in Chicago, and it wouldn't have been a Monday night tradition without her. Last night was Max & Emma's for a bacon cheeseburger, which is one of natures perfect foods, since it has all the food groups (I had onions, so I squeezed in the vegetable group.)

February 19
Not such a bad weekend. Lots of eating, lots of TV watching, including seeing Michigan State trounce Iowa. The accomplishment of last weekend was that I finally beat X-Com, a computer game I originally started quite a while ago (about five years) and finally got around to completing it. I was pretty happy. Of course, I started a new game, so I should finish it in 2006. I also downloaded about a dozen MP3's. I have to do something at work, after all. And I'm proud to say that I didn't watch any XFL.

I just realized something. The hardest part of my work day is getting up to refill my glass with water. That says something, doesn't it? So I've been looking at jobs in the DC area. Just for the heck of it.

(Cut out February 23, 2001)

February 16
After my first lunch, I decided to take a second, because work was annoying me. Since they can't find any real work for me to do, they're trying to get me to do a lunch and learn. Basically, this is IT talk for a bullshit waste of time where I teach people a program over lunch. They won't show up, and even if they did, they wouldn't pay attention. I know I wouldn't. Time to update my resume on Monster again.

Anyway, so I take my second lunch, and go to this new sandwhich place on Monroe. It had a great turkey club. I'm going to have to go there again.

Next week, I'm going to try and find my Chicago pictures. I haven't posted any new photos in quite a while.

(Cut out February 19, 2001)

February 15
Things didn't work out like I wanted, and I'm still in Michigan. I've delayed my vacation until who knows when. However, the day was not a complete waste, just mostly a waste. I saw Hannibal, which wasn't too bad. It had an evisceration, which was fun to watch. The ending wasn't the best. This was pointed out by some white trash idiot behind me who exclaimed "That's the worst ending since the first movie." The first movie had a good ending, so I think that he should go back to the slum and drink some more Schiltz.

After the movie, I had lunch at Fazzoli's (love them breadsticks) which topped my dinner of a filet meal at McDonald's. I do live the life.

February 13
I'll be in San Francisco for the rest of this week, so I will not be updating my web site. Just imagine me writing the following things on my web site:

President Bush is great
Clinton is a liar and a thief
Damon's

That should tide you over. I'll be back next Monday. Until then, as they say in Mexico, don't drink the water.