Three entries in less than seven days. I must be going on a record here. It's not because I'm extremely happy, though moments at home have been good. I'm not unhappy, just wondering if I'm wasting time. It's the argument that I have with myself whenever I'm killing time during my off time. I've been killing time often lately, but fortunately, or maybe it's unfortunately, that I don't feel as though I'm actually missing anything, so it doesn't weigh as heavily on me though I wonder if it should be bothering me.

    "Most men lead a life of quiet desperation" I can't remember who said it. I want to say it was Emerson or Thoreau, but I could be wrong. To quote Jeremy Pivens in P.C.U. "Don't be that guy!" Funny how I can remember a fairly obscure actor, but not a famous author. It just goes to show how cultured I am.

    Let me shift gears to lighter news, I'm just a little tired right now, but the household is changing around me and I wanted to share it with you all. Let me start on Saturday. My brother asked me if I could watch one niece and one nephew. It was a great opportunity to be uncle Tim and have a great day. The only problem was that I'm not always very original about social events. I like what I like, but finding interesting things for the kids is more of a stretch. Perhaps if I had been given more notice, I could have thought of a bunch of fun ideas, but alas I had very few. It was overcast all afternoon so outdoor activities were pretty much out of the question, so I decided to try going to a "Laser Zone" which is the laser guns which I thought would be really fun, the problem was that the cost was $7.50 per person for 15 minutes of fun. If we played for one hour, it would have cost me $90. I thought that was too much, so we played a few games before leaving for Friendly's for lunch and ice cream. Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert. We left that place and headed to a store called Funcoland which sells used video games, you can also test play games there, which is what we did for about a half an hour before heading to our next destination: The Mall. On the way to the mall, we passed by Bowl America, one of them said "Cool, bowling!" I asked "Do you guys want to go bowling?" They were surprised that I would actually stop and turn around so that we could go bowling. Bowling alleys have the coolest way for kids to bowl. They have rails that will stop your balls from going in the gutter; which is perfect for a 7 and a 9 year old. After we bowled 3 games we played some more video games in their arcade after which the kids were saying that this was one of the funnest days of their lives, and the day was only half over.

    My brother called me and told me to get the kids ready to leave soon, because they were heading back out. The kids believed that they would be going somewhere for dinner, but instead we drove out to a little piece of property in Manassas, Virginia. This piece of property was distinctive for one reason, there were 3 beagle Puppies there. You have to understand something about my brother and sister-in-law. Each of them grew up with pets, but neither family were very successful at training those pets. Consequently, they did not want pets, at least not at first. I knew that my brother had more love for beagles than other breeds, but it was still a bit shocking. The kids were gushing about how cute they all were and were having some difficulty deciding which one they wanted. Three out of four children liked the lemon colored female puppy, but my nephew was a bit disappointed because he wanted a boy puppy, he was already out-numbered at home, and didn't want to add another female to the group. The problem was solved a few minutes later when my brother had two puppies in his arms, one boy, one girl. They had decided that they were getting two puppies beforehand which was further shock for the kids, who were understandably excited and happy. My nephew then excitedly told us that this was the best day of his life. It was very heartwarming and I was/am so pleased that I could contribute. I'm still tickled that the plan-less day worked out so well. I feel a certain duty to be rich Uncle Tim, spreading joy and happiness every time I blow into town. I'm assuming the grandparent role too soon. It's all good though. This is why I came to Virginia. To be Uncle Tim on a more regular basis, and to tap into this bulging computer market. Now I just have to establish a new network of friends and colleagues, as well as have a family of my own one day.

    On that note, I'll be signing off, we're going to watch "The Legend of Bagger Vance" now. Goodnight and Salutations.

    Long time no write. It's as good and accurate an admission as I'm likely to have this evening. I haven't been terrifically busy, so that's not my excuse. I'm not depressed, so that's not my excuse either. Moreover, I've found other things to do that at the present time are more fun, and just happen to waste a lot of time. That, and it can be difficult to make time to write. Sure, I think of things to say from time to time, but often I conclude that there is really nothing to say. Basically, I find myself at a way station once again trying to predict how this is all going to turn out, so that I can rest easy that my actions are getting me there. I do admit that the most common reason for not writing is that I fear that I will become redundant and uninteresting. All of you who know me, know that I have a knack for babbling from time to time, so if I want to ramble, I can ramble for a good long while. In the interest of getting on with it, I'll go through the news, and my favorite subjects of the day. 

    It's official, I'll be in Albany from May 25 - June 3. I'll be in early enough on Friday so that I can spend time with friends on that evening. I'll also be leaving Albany late enough on June 3 that I'll be able to sleep off whatever I do to myself in the wake of U2 coming to town. I'm extremely excited by my vacation plans and that I'll be able to bring 5 of my friends with me. It's a real treat to bring those who wouldn't have gone out and bought tickets for themselves. Speaking of U2, I do love the internet, and I love broadband. I've been downloading choice mp3's from the U2 tour thus far. I'm looking forward to hearing them live myself. I've read perhaps 25 reviews written by different newspapers in different cities and so far everyone raves about the show. They say musically it's exciting and emotional. I'm so stoked to see them live, I actually used the word "stoked" in a sentence. 

    My business trip went smoothly. There was one glitch though... The Marriott protects it's TV's from tampering and I didn't have the proper cord to use my Play Station successfully. The Play station was my way of killing time in a city that is as visually unappealing as any I've seen. Binghamton is pretty run down. Granted, I'm sure that very nice people live there, but just like Amsterdam and Schenectady there hey day has passed. It's kind of sad really, we were doing an install for Lockheed Martin and they were renting space that previously belonged to IBM. IBM has pulled roots out of NY and taken much of what makes up the suburbs of Binghamton. The building we were in was only about 1/3 full and it was built decades ago, it was built to look like the 21st century had arrived. Now that were in the 21st century, we don't want things to look like it. Fashion is so fickle. 

    I've been thinking of my future a lot lately. I think that I'll be staying with this job for a while. I'm learning some valuable things and with the success of my first business trip, I'm a bit more satisfied with what I'll be able to offer the team. For those who don't know me, it is important to me that I be necessary. Yes, I know everyone is replaceable, but my job satisfaction derives itself from whether or not I can make a positive impact. I had an impact in my last position and I loved my job, I was involved day and night for over two years. The people that I worked with were great, and I had a role there. I'm working on establishing that now. There are some days that I get a little angry at the people who bought my company, there are days where I become 10 years younger and want to believe that I could work there forever and I'd be happy all the time. I believe that the last two years were the longest sustained happiness that I've encountered in my life. I rarely had a bad day there. All in all I was content. I know in my brain that it isn't profitable to live in the past, but from time to time I dream. Back to the future. I've started investigating what it will take to buy a house. I don't know exactly what I can afford yet, and at this time the interest rates are going down, yet the prices are pretty exorbitant. So, I'm going to get my credit record, clean up any outstanding credit lines that are still hanging around and I'll be looking into what the VA (Veterans Administration) can do for me. I also have to be prepared to move further away in order for me to find a residence that befits my stature (tic) and station in life. I know that I'll be disappointed in what I can afford, but I need to remind myself that this is as much as investment as it a residence. 

    Well, I'm going to cut this a bit short. Not too much new under the sun. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends again soon.