I’ve been spending much too much time at work trying to get my computer running. There are other issues that I can’t go into, but it’s a big pain. And then when I got home I couldn’t get my web server started. Rather than post here, I had to fix it so my sister’s knitting blog could continue to get hundreds of hits each day. Heh.

In any case, this web server is working and I think my computer at work is almost fixed. So there.

Well, I got “Alternative” by the Pet Shop Boys, “Red Hot and Rio,” and an 80’s mix CD.

And since I had to spend some time getting my editor working, I don’t have much time to write much. Nor can I think of anything except I really would like to get some sleep!

For those taking the opportunity to get married, CONGRATULATIONS! For those who think it’s going to ruin society, GET A GRIP. By most estimates, about 8% of the population is homosexual. Of those 8%, what percentage are going to get married? I’m not sure, but for those who are, YAY FOR YOU TWO!

(No, I’m not looking for a guy to marry.)

OK, enough of that. My odd brain has been seeing Caton Gates everywhere. A guy crossing the street this morning looked like Caton. A guy who was looking for a date in the Portland Mercury looked like Caton. Neither of them looked enough like Caton to be Caton, but I keep wondering why I see Caton in my hallucinations. (Not in that way, either.)

And, speaking of hallucinating, I kept smelling incense on my walk home. Aromatic hallucinations, too.

It’s all a personal exercise. I’m trying to find something interesting every day to write about. Heck, I ought to just chart the outside temperature or something (warmer than before). But really, I can get a chart off the web.

OK, so I ALMOST picked a song to buy. “Breakout” by Swing Out Sister. I always liked them, but had no idea that they were so much more popular in Japan. And they were popular when I was there. I wonder if I shouldn’t just buy their CD.

I should also buy a copy of “Oh, Sherry” by Steve Perry since that’s the first song I played on my iPod, and I, er, found the song somewhere.

Somehow my body didn’t get the memo that it wasn’t supposed to sleep through February 29th. I’m convinced that February 29th happens every year and we just sleep through it most of the time. I was pretty sleepy.

I did convince my buddy Il to get off his duff and ride one of my bikes to REI to pick up whatever they were giving away today. I was hoping for another 20% off coupon, but today I got a Topeak Toolbar. So REI and the chance to have another $10 donation given to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance got me on my bike for the second time in two days, and the second time in three years.

Il had to borrow one of my bikes because even though he’s a bikie, he only has one bike. It’s a $1000+ Trek, but the frame is cracked. I haven’t ridden in years, but I have at least three ridable bikes, and another in pieces.

Unfortunately, the bike I rode today was the victim of my dad’s exploding pesticides. I couldn’t scrub the crap off the bike, but I rode it anyway. Ick is about all I can say about it.

I wasn’t doing all that much today, but that was the plan. Finish my parents’ taxes, and then maybe read a book. I even thought I should go to the new REI opening near my house. If you ride a bike there, you get a 20% off coupon and $10 from REI goes towards the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Well, the taxes are close to finished and I made it to REI, but I didn’t do much more.

Last night I saw my friend Craig sing at a place called Momo. I’ve known the guy since high school (over 20 years ago) and this is the first time I saw him sing. The band he sat in with is called “Grass Verge” and played lots of things I didn’t recognize. Some songs from “Cracker,” I guess. But Craig was better than their normal singer (don’t tell him I said that.) Stayed out too late. Had 50% more beer than my doctor said I should have. (Three in four hours.) All in the name of fun. Always fun to see Craig sing and see Craig’s mom heckling supporting him.

And I got my first paycheck. I better figure out what I’m doing at work pretty soon so I can keep getting them.

My boss likes our group to eat together and he only really eats once a day, so he doesn’t like to eat at the greasy spoons I tend to prefer. The good thing is that the food is better. The bad thing is that it can take a couple of hours and lunch costs somewhere between $9 and $15. When my boss is gone or busy, I like heading to the “trailer park” where a line of roach-coaches serve Mexican, Indian, Thai, Pho, Polish, Greek, Italian, etc. for around $5. The pizza place downstairs has a huge slice of pepperoni and a drink for $2.90. Ah. That’s the stuff.

Yesterday, lunch was a fish sandwich and it cost $15. That’s only because I had four oysters as well. The sandwich was good and the oysters were great.

The other weird part of my job is the commute. 35-40 minutes usually, but that’s if I walk the whole way. I love not driving. And I can listen to my iPod full of silly music on the way.

And the job isn’t so bad, either!

OK, so not hugely prosperous but still, a good day. First, Junior Slab gave me an iTune code! That doubled the number of songs to neurotically choose. It doesn’t feel like buying a CD for some reason. I buy all sorts of silly CDs (just ordered a Duran Duran singles box set, for example) but I can buy iTunes a song at a time and that makes me nervous. What if I waste the code on something uncool? What a weird thing to worry about.

When I got home I had a bunch of real mail and a padded envelope. One piece of real mail was from my car insurance. But it wasn’t a bill, it was a credit for $2.82. Then something plain that looked like an ad destined for my paper shredder was a check for $13.86 from the CD antitrust settlement.

The padded envelope was the most surprising thing: nine Pepsi bottle caps! Here I thought it was an odd ham radio thing, but it was a gift from a knitting blogger. All those hours of work on my sister’s blog and this could be the reward. Thanks Audrey!

I woke up early on Saturday to go to a ham radio swap meet (overpriced junk sale is more like it) in Rickreall, Oregon. I didn’t buy anything, but I did end up with a couple of “kits” from my friend Larry. One came with no manual, making construction nearly impossible, but I’ll see if I can find some instructions somewhere.

Today I got up a little later for a ham radio/Boy Scout planning meeting. I went out to “Scouter’s Mountain” for the first time since 1982. Back then it was way out in the middle of nowhere, but there’s now houses all around it.

I probably need to find less geeky hobbies.

I was waffling on whether I should have asked my ex-girlfriend to return “Journey’s Greatest Hits.” I wanted it back when she told me she had it. When I finally listened to it, I wondered why I ever asked for it back. But I think I figured out that at least three of the songs are worth having. Really, the best of the bunch isn’t even a Journey song, it’s “Oh, Sherry” from after Steve Perry was kicked out and went solo. But I also have to chuckle when I hear, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Separate Ways,” and “Lovin’, Touchin’, and Squeezin’.”

I listen to my iPod on my walk to and from work and it’s nice to hear silly songs. So here’s the start of my silly commute list:

I haven’t made it very far through the alphabet, and I started with “E”. Also, Joy Division isn’t all that silly, but it’s good walking music anyway.