Mary and I spent the afternoon at Starbucks, because both of us desperately needed a change of scenery. I spent a good part of the time trying to figure out why a program that works fine crashes every time I try to start it as a service. Have I asked for help? Yes. Have I gotten any? No. I think I need to ask some different people. Maybe some that don't work with me.

I have a pair of Bose headphones that lately have been acting up. I use them to listen to my iPod, and after a few minutes they start with all kinds of static and actually create problems with the iPod (light going on and the volume changing). The other day it started, and I disconnected them, and the static remained. So I write to Bose and tell them, and they tell me that they'll trade them in for only $100. Since I paid nothing for them (I bought them with American Express points that I earned from traveling all over hell's half acre for my last job) I decided to get new headphones that have the same technical specs and cost about a tenth of what the Bose headphones retail for. I've had two Bose products (the headphones and a Wave radio) that I got with Amex points, and I can honestly say I got what I paid for.

I got an email from Classmates.com yesterday that someone had signed my guest book. Turns out to be someone that I worked with on my very first job out of college who I haven't talked to in 30 years. I didn't realize that she graduated from the same high school as me, the June before I started there. It was kind of strange, but also kind of cool. She's the first person who's signed my guest book that I actually recognize. I think people just sign it because they want to network. Like I'm going to be any help.

I'm being reminded what it's like to be the fan of a lousy ball club, in this case the Braves. They just lost three to the Cubs, which is insult added to injury. I grew up in Chicago, as a White Sox fan, so needless to say, I HATE the Cubs.

I'm kind of mellow right now. I need to get out more often.