When I told J., my 15 year old stepson that Johnny Cash had died, he didn't pull the usual "who?" on me. He knew him, for a change. Like me he's grown up listening to songs like 'A Boy Named Sue' and more recently to 'Hurt', which is an awesome video and should have won more awards than it did. There was a strange poetry to the last two years of his life. He released the 'Hurt' video, as if he was saying goodbye. His wife died, then he died last night. Take care Johnny, and when you get wherever you're going, give 'em hell...

This morning Dallas looks more like England. Grey, drizzling skies and misty roads, with a chill in the air and that stillness you can only get from rain that seeps from the sky like an annoying headcold you just can't shake.

Today is Friday, and thank God for that. It has been a strange week. My darling wife R. got her new desk delivered, and I spent two hours on Tuesday putting it together. The instructions were supposedly in English, but seemed to have been translated from Japanese, with perhaps a stop off in Korea or Thailand where they seemed to have had some interesting linguistic adventures. The statement "Clasping the 'A' into ridge opening and sharp force. Snap should be heard." sounded more like an I-Ching reading than directions on how to attach the desk drawer to the runners. Perhaps those who write the instructions are frustrated Haiku writers and try and slip in a little oriental creativity wherever they can.

Once the desk was finished, we set up R's computer, which promptly got very pissy and upset at its new surroundings, and refused to open her email, or even operate in anything other than safe mode until we reformatted it and reinstalled Windows 98se.

Also, I got my midi-to-pc kit delivered on Wednesday. It doesn't work. The cables go from the back of the CTK-611 casio keyboard into the joystick port on the computer and then you install the software. The software would only install on Windows 98 first edition (which is fortunately what the computer in K's room (which has become the music room) uses), and then it wouldn't talk to the Keyboard. I tried it only my computer, and no joy there either. After searching for new drivers with no luck, I'm wondering whether I should spend more money, perhaps on a USB-Midi connector. Perhaps plug and pray has a better chance of working. What do you think?

I've ordered my black Tai-Kwon-Do Gi and I'm waiting for that to turn up. I have 17 yards of white cord that I have to convert into 6'4" of braided white cord, and I'm still waiting on my purple stole and first degree correllian patches. I would really like to get all of this done before the Isian Mabon ritual which is two weeks from this weekend. Here's hoping...

This weekend the Ninth Wave meets for the second development circle. I'm going to ask the spirits and entities that helped last time to kick it up a notch and see if we can get some decent manifestations going. I don't want anything too dramatic yet though - this is only their second development class, and too much too quick can scare them away.

What else? Lemme think...I have to construct a change of address Personnel Action in PA40 and teach a class on the entire SAP HR system next week. I have to manage this whole interface project which means attending a bunch of meetings today and writing up the project plan in more detail once I've got answers to some questions. I have about thirty bizillion other things to do, none of which I have time to work on but will just have to damn well make time for I guess.

We need to get both cars serviced. I have a class on Pythagoras to study at witchchool. I have book reviews I need to do for the website. And all the usual background noise kind of items on my 'to do' list that may or may nor happen in this lifetime.

Alright, I think I've yacked on enough today. Have a wonderful Friday, and I'll write sometime over the weekend...