TEN KEY

21:12

Ask Iolo about that:

I find myself with unexpected free time. Now what? After a day of serious concentration over the design and implementation of a generic database application class from which I could easily derive many future assignments quickly, I don't think I could pull it together enough to work on my entry to that contest. I have it shaped up to the point where I feel pretty confident that it destroys all (5) current submissions. All the heavy hitters probably wait until the very last day to submit, though, so no getting cocky.



I've gotta say, I'm worn out with people using the word "very" in front of adjectives which aren't generally thought of as possessing many levels of severity. The original instance of this turn of phrase (probably "very pregnant") was probably real striking. These days, anytime someone says "very real" I feel like I'm reading a reader's digest large-typeface reprint of selections from some humanitarian novel. "Very real" and "very human", as I just read, are lame. They are salt all by itself. They're those cheap menthol flavored jellybeans.

My dentist is now this motherly woman who doesn't "extract" teeth. She "wiggles them loose". Well, I spent about half an hour on Thursday getting my critically traumatized molar wiggled loose, my body suspended over the vinyl hydraulic chair by my rigid neck and arm muscles. It's tiring, being in pain. Now I have a new space in my mouth. Prognosis is grim; root canals on every molar except one. I will get a second opinion before embarking on such a time consuming journey. I think maybe she only knows how to do two dentist things: root canals and wiggling.

The phone company managed to completely disconnect my phone on Friday, exactly coordinating with the timetable for Brett's phone getting hooked up, only his phone didn't work either. Our phones were out all weekend, and no "sorry", even. Brett's phone is now ringing continuously as I sit here, and mine was ringing when I walked in the door, and is probably doling out busy signals at this point. Go, busy signal!

(Used in times of crisis to summon the super-hero, Busy-Man!)

The demo CD is burned, the band now searches for a (cheap) duplication joint. I assembled the case insert at work today, but I didn't have time to sit around waiting for the printer to finish drawing it in dye sublimation mode. (note to self: pick up label from printer before other people get in to work.)

(foof!) Ah, that must be one of those gusts of wind the newspaper mentioned. After each especially loud gust, the sirens seem to get louder and more numerous. By now, they sound like an air raid.

(read read, flip flip, watch watch, click click bong bong pit pit) Always with the "Who needs it?" What kind of dumb question is that? How does TIME FOOPING MAGAZINE twist light in order to have the perspective to ask that about anything? This time it's the space station. Who needs it? Oh, I dunno. It's hard to explain to people what you're going to discover, when you're trying to discover something, mostly because it hasn't been discovered yet. Maybe I'm just used to taking what is professionally written seriously, and Time is not meant to be seen from that vector. That'll teach me to read over people's shoulders.

Politeness ruling the day... Oh, Brett's dad is here. He looks kind of like Al from "Home Improvement". Well, if Al were more the academic type, slightly older, and shorter. Nice to have met you, bye! Okay, he looks more like the Dad from "Silver Spoons".

Looking over the web pages maintained by the programs I've written in the past year and a half, this one is the least sophisticated and , in fact, most stupid and broken. A little effort would make it much easier to write every day. Hmm. After the contest is over, before I resume work on the currently not-really-titled "tank game", I'll revise.

NEWS FLASH! While idly browsing the web, I found meaning. A reason for the web to exist. The reason has a name... and it is Michael-Scott Saffle! SIGN his guestbook! SEE his resume! LISTEN to the wav that magically loads when you visit, taking up gigantic amounts of bandwidth! I can't really describe it, everyone must experience it for themselves. I have no words. Perhaps one of his most recent guestbook visitors put it best:

Mon, 4 Aug 1997 14:34:01 Randall Harless 
"you are soooooo pretty, please send pictures"

Pure magic!