Entry... 2/1/2000 6:30pm

Kurt Vonnegut has been upgraded to stable, but critical condition. He was moved to the burn intensive care unit of the New York Weill Cornell Center at East 68th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. They happen to have a live webcam of the building.

Don't forget: Tomorrow is Groundhog's Day. The little beggar is going to see his shadow, we all know that. But the question remains: Can he outrun a Zamboni?

Entry... 2/2/2000 8:50am

Happy Groundhog's Day! As expected the little hedgehog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow today, bringing with him six more weeks of winter. Click on the link for a page full of resources for this day. Now we are halfway through winter. My parents are doing the wise thing and leaving tomorrow morning for Hawaii. Since we are dog sitting, I went out last night and shoveled a dog run in my front yard. If the poor little guy wanted to use the yard as a toilet, he would have been over his furry little head in snow. The ferret has no such problem. They prefer to defecate in more arid conditions.

Entry... 2/3/2000 3:17pm

D-Day, 2000. Today my new company announced that they are laying off 38 people in the Albany office. After a bleak announcements to various departments, we were pulled one by one into a face to face meeting with the officer in charge of our various units. It was then that we learned our specific fate. I have to hand it to the new company for handling this situation more than fairly. No one likes to let people go, but the bleak business reality is that just 4 months ago all 120 of us could have been looking at locked doors and no final paycheck like so many others. Even though we are living down a 30% loss of staff, we can still say we got plenty of time to look for other opportunities, all the internet access we can drink (Monster!) and a generous severance package to boot. Some positions will be untouched until September before they go away. I am saddened to report that my position was not eliminated and I still have a job here. It promises to be challenging and exciting. There are many opportunities for me to grow professionally and receive worthwhile technical training.
Rats.

Desk pop can count: 172

Entry... 2/17/2000 2:51pm

Well, hello and welcome to my new domain!

Having my domain is something that I've always wanted to do, and thanks the folks at Mindspring I was able to set this page up in less than 24 hours. I highly recommend their services to anyone looking for a webhost, or just simple domain services. I'll let you know if I have any big ongoing issues, but so far - smooth sailing! I am looking forward to playing with all the new toys here, when time permits.

I spent a good amount of time yesterday day dreaming. I hope that this is a healthy pursuit. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't, so I spent a good half an hour surfing Boat Brokerages and feeling out price ranges on boats that I would be interested in. Of course, a boat is in my future (hopefully not too far off!), so it's mostly a tease to do so now. But it felt good to dream!

I am most troubled by the lack of news as to the health of Kurt Vonnegut. There has not been any announcement of his release from the hospital, and no news agency has posted any updates. I did find out that his son, Mark, a pediatrician in Massachusetts, got married last June.

My reoccuring typo is "form" for "from". I do it all the time.

My parents return from Hawaii tomorrow, all tanned and cheery. The Northeast has planned a special welcome home snow storm in their honor. Can you believe that they are predicting a foot of snow? Aaaaagggghhhhhh.

I have a load of links to share here with you. Why don't we get started. If your Icelandic is good, check out Forsíđa and his personal page. Redheaded people abound in the galleries of the Realm of Redheads (I happen to be one. A redhead, that is. I'm not featured on this site.). Two good personal pages are Ronkanen and Bilner. How long does love last? Now scientists claim can that they can measure love. Take a virtual expedition of the sources of our planet. US Savings Bonds - not just a good idea, but a sound investment in your future. This is a very Pretty site. The online Episode Guide has complete information about your favorite television show. And finally, Pets....in....space! Brought to you by the people at the Bad Air and Space Museum.

Desk pop can count: 177

Entry... 2/26/2000 12:41am

Tonight, I rented "Breakfast of Champions" from Hollywood Video. Based on the book of the same name by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, the move was pretty much a "must see" for me. I enjoyed it for the most part. If someone wasn't a Vonnegut fan and had never read the book, they would probably doze off for most of it. I missed the cameos in the movie completely the first time through - including Kurt himself in one scene as a tv commercial director, and he has a few lines. Tom Robbins also has a cameo as a bar patron late in the movie, and had one speaking line: "You're not from around here, huh?" I think I had more fun reviewing the movie to catch them.