Web Journal

4/19
Reflections: about ten, maybe fifteen years ago, I went with another Sagittarius to see my sister who was then living in Seattle. Weird trip, but I recall one afternoon with my sister, along Broadway up there, under a typical Seattle sky (clouds, almost rain, moderate temperature — if you're wearing clothes), and I thought, "This is pretty cool." It seemed like every corner was either ice cream, coffee, or sushi. Near the trailer park here, they're opening a new ice cream store, just down on Barton Springs. Of course, my heart (and waistline) goes with Amy's. But still, using my original definition of a civilized community, this place has it all. Which got me thinking, on my daily trek through town, along the shores of the lake, as I detoured off towards a bookstore — after going to the bank — does stopping for Amy's in the middle of workout negate the effect of work out? This came up in the news: Area 51 photos? I answered the phone last night at 8:00 PM. Reading. Beeper goes off, called back at 10, then one last call after 11. I was on the phone for 4 hours — non–stop. This is way too much like a job.

4/18
I got home last night, after 7:00 PM. That means I was up at 6, ready to go into their office at 8, and actually working on computers by 9, almost 10 hours of real, billable time. To make it even more interesting, as I was riding to work with one of the regular employees [she lives in the trailer park, you know], she confided that she was feeling rather unlike herself. "Irritable" might be the best term. To be fair, the store is right next to a donut shop which also offers some of the best breakfast tacos I've encountered in a long time. Just plain, good food, made fresh from scratch each day. I did swing by my office long enough to check for some promised moneys, but nothing has shown up yet. It was such a nice day, I don't know why I agreed to this work, just trying to help them set up a simple web page. Call the doctor.

4/17
Monday morning, bright and early — means I'm off to the office to be web whacker for a day. Onward through the fog. It's not like it's real easy or anything — the getting up early part. The work is relatively easy, but I realized I've got a deadline on copy for weekly scopes which needs to be met. And I have to make sure there are no "fat behinds" going out. Found one of my favorite Buffett links, a special tune for times gone by.

4/16
I've been working at this astrology stuff, and trying to use the stars to time my tax return so I don't suffer any more than usual, seeing as how the IRS hasn't lost me from their radar screen. Theory one: mail the tax return in on the 15th. Theory two: mail the tax return in when the moon is void of course. Theory three: if the deadline falls on a Saturday, then the next due date is really the 17th, so mail the return on that date. Solution? Put the return in the mailbox when the moon is void of course, on Saturday, but drop it in a box which doesn't get picked up until Monday.... Netscape 6 preview.

4/15
Tax day? Not really, but something to think about. The cool weather from parts north made for a Friday morning when all I wanted to do was stay in bed, and the cat was more than willing to accommodate me. At one point, though, I wandered next door to the Neighbor's trailer, and was hoping to catch a little daytime entertainment. "Man, you look like Death, all you need is a scythe." I grabbed his commemorative Dallas Stars Hockey Stick. "Hey, it's complete now. You really do look like Death." So this is why I don't run the web cam some mornings. The only buzz I had was the faintest echo from listening to Buffett music, and yes, I could even hear Margaritaville still buzzing — although, I wondered if that noise wasn't another neighbor's weed eater.

4/14
Texas weather is a fickle creature, at its best. And with the recent ups and downs in temperature, trying to guess what was going to be the best attire for the road trip was a gamble, and traveling with a Capricorn, especially one with Red Hair, well, the right attire is of paramount importance. I grabbed a pink Hawaiian print, what I believed was one of my better choices, and, at the last minute, at her behest, I changed into shorts. By the time we got her truck to Waco, it was starting to cool off. "You think I can wear cowboy boots with my shorts?" I asked. "First the wrinkled shirt, now this?" was her reply. As near as I could tell, the wrinkles were covered by the pattern. So there I was, changing into jeans in the front seat while the driver put one hand over her eyes — still navigating the truck at 80+, "Here, I'll cover my eyes..." It certainly expedited the wardrobe swap. We stopped in Dallas's Deep Ellum, long enough to hit a couple of shops, and just as we were getting ready to join Ma and Pa Wetzel for dinner, we saw this one couple. Their destination was obvious, the matching Hawaiian print shirts. As an observation, I was glad we weren't wearing matching clothing. For all the world, the couple's shirts looked like the Magnum P.I. edition. We arrived at the restaurant to meet Ma and Pa Wetzel, just a few minutes early. The cappy took a nap under the supervision of the valet guys while I took a short hike, more like stroll around the corner. I passed a row of houses converted to trendy little establishments, and on one patio, there was sea of folks dressed like me. "You going to Buffett? Whoo–hoo!" In reality, I dress like this most of the time. The only difference was a fashionable parrot earring in place of a fishing lure. The Cap finally got to meet the folks — "Your dad laughs just like you," was one of her early observations. [Which came first?] The show itself? If you haven't ever been to one, then it's pointless to explain. It's an amazing cult which seems to have arisen around this one Capricorn Star [Jimmy Buffett is a Capricorn — what I term a "Jesus baby" 12/25]. The big deal was it was his first show of the year, first public venue, and there was all the usual stuff. Fins up, folks. "Commit a little mortal sin — it's good for the soul."

4/13
Yesterday's "Thought for the day," as I was crossing a busy downtown street — against the light: A little civil disobedience is good for the soul. I had a rather enjoyable cup of coffee — Texpresso, "Only the richest, creamiest, most delicious cup of coffee [dramatic pause] in the world" — with one of my musician friends. And graduate student in physics. He can't seem to get his electrons to strip their shells when voltage is passed from one thing to another, in a vacuum. Physics, not for the feint of heart, I guess. His motorcycle also dropped a valve. Late last night, I was working on a quick web page for Bubba. He didn't ham it up as much as I was hoping, but we got a couple of decent stills, from the FGS Trailer Cam. "Drive-in/ Guzzle gin/ Commit a little mortal sin/ It's good for the soul." [Jimmy Buffet, Grapefruit, Juicy Fruit, 1973] — Or as one brilliant novelist suggests on the web notes: "What Jimmy Buffett knows is that our personal music history lies at the curious hinterland where Hank Williams and Xavier Cugat meet with somewhat less animosity than the theoriticians would have us believe." Tom McGuane Yes, I'm off to the Dallas Starplex theater to see him, tickets courtesy of red headed Capricorn. Road Trip! When I was poking around on the Jimmy Buffet web site, I realized what an influence two of his early albums were: A1A and A Pink Crustacean and White Sport Coat.

4/12
Weird things I saw yesterday: 1] guy in a wheelchair crossing Congress (I helped get him across the busy street) 2] guy with an oscillating fan tied to the back of motorcycle 3] rooster 4] some homeless looking guy with a cell phone. Wait, that last one was me. Then, after some dinner with the Virgo's at the usual place, two of us headed off to the mall, "I've got to get some work clothes, you know," was her statement. Funniest thing there? 5] A certain lingerie company had an ad for one of their bras, amply filled out, and the cut line was: "To have and to hold." Sure. There was a sewer roach scuttling across the floor of the mall, and I pointed it out to my Virgo friend, expecting a cry of dismay. "That little thing? Hon, I'm from Harris County — that's a tiny roach." I got home and got this in an unsolicited bulk e-mail:

Just makes me wonder, did this guy actually surf my site? Or was it just another scam? This is what happens when you don't listen to your astrologer.

4/11
Monday morning was difficult, at best. I was awake [witness kitty cam] before 6 in the morning, flush with dreams and ideas. I drank coffee, checked on the weekly scopes, answer some mail. Then I went back to bed. A little later in the day, one of the copy editors posted me a harsh note about some of my copy, a typical typographical mistake, and the copy desk was warning me about the term, "fat behind" when, in fact, I would never, ever use that term. It was "far behind" but the spell checker and the first copy editor missed that. Right. Enough females in my neck of the woods pack heat, like I'm about to use the term "fat behind." I shudder to think of the consequences. None, and I repeat, none of the females I know has a fat behind. Period. End of that discussion.

4/10
I'm not sure I'm down with this work thing. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon, sitting in the sun, sitting in the shade, and sitting inside, reading charts. To be sure, it was a quick influx of business that the Tax Man suggested I get behind me, but still — all this work, on a Sunday afternoon, and with no rest in sight. Makes for some dull social life. I did get out to see "High Fidelity" the other night. It was a shame I didn't see it with Bubba who just as of late has quite working in a record store, "Man, all the people are going to compare me to that fat guy — and I don't have that many albums, or, I wouldn't talk to a customer like that, not lately, anyway. Maybe when I first started working there." I should write some long review, but having read the book, and having read more work by that author, I was impressed by the feeling the movie had — now it's been years since I read the book — but the screenplay seemed to follow what I could remember. Which brings up the part about how hard it is to adapt something literary to the screen, but I'll leave that one alone. The story did seem to drag, but my movie companion did suggest that the kid in the movie sounded exactly like Bubba, at least at one point. In keeping with the spirit of the flick, I suggested Bubba come up with the Top Five Reasons "that movie is not about me." No word yet. I wonder about cyber squatters, because, at last check, some one was sitting on "astrofish.com" and it ain't me.

4/9
I realize that cold weather is a welcome event to most people, but mornings when the sun is shining, but the thermometer barely hits 60 — it's cold, cold, cold. Almost back into long pants. The most exciting event over the last few days has to be new software, new astrology software for my Visor. It's a pretty cool program, and I figure it was worth the $18, just so I can have a truly portable pocket astrologer. I don't know if I can really trust a handheld to deliver what I'm used to, for working on a chart, but I do know it will give me a decent thumbnail sketch. Excellent for readings on the fly, I hope. And this answers that question. The story about the Ft. Worth Castle. I'm always looking for the next place to move to, and a castle in a cow town certainly fits my parameters. I can dream, can't I? Then I found this article about one of my favorite authors, Carl Hiassen, a man [apparently] devoted to proving Texas isn't always the home for weird characters.

4/8
One task a decent astrologer faces is trying to come up with the best way to describe the attributes of each sign. Pursuant to a discussion about "instant gratification not being fast enough," and "NOW is not quick enough," this came from the Gemini file:
>>How about, "it better be here before I even know that I might want it?"
I think we might have us a decent Gemini quote — nothing typifies a Gemini better. It was a busy day for the phone, with Mr. Sun shining outside the whole time, just begging me to join him. I got in a quick little hike, but since I'm not working at any event locally until June, I've got folks who keep calling me up for readings. Shoots my night life all to heck, this having to work stuff. Then there's the ongoing Mutable File, too, if it's not a Gemini, then it's a Virgo or a Pisces. Go figure. And remember, at Artz Rib House, the country Style Pork Ribs taste like pork ribs, not rattlesnake or chicken.

4/7
I was attempting to get some work down around here, yesterday morning, but the e-mail kept coming piling up, and then the day was so inviting, I felt I had to get outside, and folks kept calling me. I feared answering the phone one more time, but I did, "Hey, I'm free for lunch, wanna grab something? BBQ?" It was a Gemini buddy, and we took off in search of a repast. I was about to suggest Artz Rib House, but the Thursday lunch special is always chicken, "No man, chicken tastes just like rattlesnake." So it was Green Mesquite BBQ, literally, blocks from the trailer. [N.B.: C8H10N4O2 — and I'll learn how to put this in proper format soon enough.]

4/6
"His few bad words are matched with as few good deeds." [King Henry V III.ii.40-41] Funny old thing, dealing with one of my lawyers, working on the net worth of "astrofish.net." Without me at the helm, though, the domain name isn't worth much, near as I can tell, more like a liability rather than an asset. I was gradually toiling away on some upcoming horoscopes when my Visor (Palm OS) reminded me that I had a reading to do. I jumped in the shower, grabbed the razor and started shaving in haste. Mars is a funny old planet: he rules sharp, or in this case, not too sharp, instruments. There was so much blood, it looked like the shower scene from Psycho. Mars isn't exactly in a happy place for me right now. I met my reading at Threadgills, with me still dabbing my chin, and I ordered the special for the day: Santa Fe Veggie Burger. All I could think was it would have tasted a lot better if there had been about two or three strips of bacon laid across that sucker. Much better.

4/5
I headed off towards downtown, meaning to go by the office, and the bank, and stuff, but as the day got progressively more beautiful, minute by minute, my feet took me straight to the counter at the Avenue Cafe. After some lunch, I meandered up to Texpresso for a double shot of some of the best coffee in town, then on over the best escape bookstore I know: Adventures in Crime and Space. Now see: this is the hallmark of a good establishment: I asked one of the employees who the author was of a certain book, but all I knew was the protagonist's name. "Sure, that's over here, he's got three out so far...." A little later, having never made it to the office, I was about to make a call on the cell phone, always afraid this type of conversation would happen someday: "Hey, I'm calling you to confirm the fax I sent which was a response to your e-mail...." Then, back in the trailer park, overheard in a neighbor's trailer: "The movers got a big laugh when they lifted up her mattress — there was a .38 and a condom wrapper...."

4/4
It is a challenge to try and explain why the West is different from other parts of the country. So imagine this, I'm at breakfast with a couple of the readers, a group of hearty, strong minded, independent women. One of the readers, from just over the border in New Mexico, was making a funny comment, "Darn, I was in such a hurry, I forgot my bras and gun...." Like this is no big deal, like me forgetting pants. That was a morning in El Paso. After an uneventful plane ride home, I stopped by my neighbor's trailer, briefly, as there was a loud noise coming from the living room. Upon entering, I found three guys, half a bottle of Tequila, and a noisy, rather raucous discussion. I was going to faithfully transcribe the contents of the conversation, but after I cleaned up all the language, there wasn't much there — it's good to be home. Travel gear for guys like me? It's my third or fourth road trip, and this gear is the very best. Made by mountaineering nerds. And one heck of a cool customer service policy. Great stuff.

4/3
"Belize has no extradition treaty with the US." I'm always glad that Mac, the Aura Camera Guy, is up on the latest places to run to. Don't know why he keeps track of this information, but I guess it's useful. Showing up in pants, near as I could tell, was a step in the right direction. I've got learn to check the weather in distant parts before I take off on these business trips. And I suppose I should remember that Austin formal doesn't always apply elsewhere. But if I'm spending a day reading charts, I like to be comfortable. Last night, the dinner at Forti's was preceded by some heart stopping Queso. After much discussion, and some of the more delicate folks passing after only a bite or two, Grace's Bubba and myself polished off the bowl, only to discover Tony the Tiger smiling at us from the bottom of the dish. Now that's a class. Pack up the bag and head off to the airport....

4/2
I was worried, yesteday morning, sitting at the airport, turns out it snowed in New Mexico, just the day before. And in Amarillo, it was either three inches or three feet. Not that there's much difference. I finally heard the best line at the fair, "Her? She's on the cusp, ask her, her other sign is 'bitch'." Which reminded me of another reader in El Paso — this is the holistic community at its finest — sotto voce — "Wearing shorts, that's not very professional." What is the right answer? Let me see, last time I was here, I had on a tuxedo shirt, coat, tie, boots with a fresh polish. Another observation: why do so many of the Hispanic people get blue tinted contact lenses to cover up their wonderfully deep, brown eyes? Grace's husband, Bubba, did take pity on my pantless condition and he fetched me up a pair of jeans from home. I changed while riding in the back of Grace's Lincoln, Bubba on one side, and Cookie on the other side. Seems like it was the big thrill for everyone last night.

4/1
I was muttering vehemently, suggesting several unnatural acts for a particular web server because of the way they administrate their CGI permissions, effectively blocking the final few moments of glory from a day's work. I muttered to the machine, "Oh bite me." One of the girls in the office, was hollering at the other, "Kramer said I couldn't do that when he was here." The juxtaposition and timing of the comment had a comic effect. I did fish the Ft. Worth pictures out of the mail, yesterday afternoon. Might have to add them to the collection. What's worse, on a night before a trip — when I really need to sleep — I spend hours staring at the ceiling fan, slowly describe its arc in the dark.

3/31
Dot Com Cos. running out of cash? Good thing this site is a Dot Net. And we're not running out of money, just low on expendable cash. Of course, the universe did toss a little web work my way yesterday and hopefully today. It's just the getting up and being ready to go at 8:00 AM makes me wonder. And spending ALL DAY in an office. I can hack this, maybe for a day or two, but after that, I'm ready to roll on. "You sure are quick with that mouse pad thing." Then there's the recurring problem of, "Show me how to do this with my computer...." Only to get interrupted, halfway through an operation, "Wait, I've got to get to the data file for something....." Guess this is why I'm supposed to command the big bucks. Bubba's Live Bait and Web Page Design, in action. There's an impending Uranus/Saturn Square coming up, along with a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction. Wonder if this means anything to the electronic commerce business.

3/30
I thought I was going to have a quiet morning yesterday. Didn't much work out that way. I hooked it over to the east side, and for a change of pace, grabbed some lunch (breakfast, really) before I started on the rounds I had planned. I wanted a change of pace because it was such a beautiful day, the clear blew sky, the air washed clean by the rain storm the night before. Sitting there, in the tacqueria, my phone rang, I fished it out of my pocket and heard from my friend in Forth Worth — she missed the tornados by minutes. Then, as I was heading back, trying to go a different direction — change for the sake of change — the phone rings again. The girl from New York City was passing through town, and hoping to catch me for an afternoon reading, and could she pick me up on the trail? Sure. Then, as I was part way down the street, heading to meet her, some guy waves at me from a car. It's a local DJ, and he stopped long enough to chat, "So, you're waiting to get picked up? Times that bad? You make good money at this?" Might be better than a late night shift on the pop [alternative] station. So it was then me, and two Gemini's, having coffee at Texpresso on Congress. But if I was trying to name a flavor for the day, I'd lean towards Capricorn — the DJ, the regularly scheduled reading, and one of the managers from magnolia was around. Two Gemini's or three Capricorn's. Tough call, but the Moon's in Aquarius now — let's go with Cap — it was Cap Moon at the time.

3/29
I keep a "back" e-mail account, one which is used for junk, a place to check what goes out on the joke list, and I do a little web development there, too. I hadn't checked it in about six days. There were approximately 25 messages, 18 jokes, one from my own message board, and finally, five Unsolicited Commercial E-mails. Seeing as how this isn't a published address, I wonder where all the spam comes from. I was just heading out of the trailer park when I caught the UPS truck. We have just about the cutest UPS driver. She had the second web camera, and I had to forgo a workout long enough to determine that I could play with it. Much easier set up. I took an extra long hike yesterday afternoon, office, bank, Texpresso on Congress, the Gemini dudes kept burning up the airwaves on the cell phone, and then, just as I was getting back to the trailer park, the first of the rain. I remember getting up in the middle of the night to shut the windows. And as I've been playing the web cam, I've had the hardest time getting the cat to cooperate — she refuses to pose. Looks like this 14.4 modem ain't fast enough for video.

3/28
Breakfast yesterday was at the Paris Coffee Shop in Fort Worth, "It been here since 1926, I mean, it's been in business that long. It used to be located across the street." With a Virgo, of course. Then, sitting on the airplane, the woman sitting next to me struck up a conversation, and I asked what her birthday was. Virgo. Lunch was Austin, it was an Amy's Ice Cream Mexican Vanilla shake made with coffee, then, as a special treat, I got Kevin (Virgo he claims), to put a dollop of the signature Butterscotch syrup on top. My cat isn't a Virgo, and it looks like she was partying some while I was gone. Of course, she denied everything. It's late March, and air in Austin feels soft, the green blooms of Northeast Texas are still running in my mind. Fort Worth was founded on the banks of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. And even to this day, a river runs through it. Not quite as majestic as what we have in Austin, but still, it's a green touch. And as long as I'm surrounded by Virgo types, I printed up the manuscript last night, and I'll have some of them go through it — might as well have the copy edited. It is weird, looking at a manuscript — something I haven't seen for more than five or six years — usually, all this is done via the web, electronic mail.
3/27
There was a chance for an echo, that idea which would suggest that Fort Worth is still stuck in some kind of a bizarre time trap. First of all, there's the museums, world class museums. Nope, that's not a time trap. Then there's Billy Bob's. A little bit of time trap as it's both. And there's the Caravan of Dreams, a wonderful venue for live music. Maybe it was the breakfast at Nick's place, a which reminds me, for al the world, of Little Gus, and that goes back some length time, back to time when $2 was a lot for breakfast. Guess either age, or faded memories are showing now, but it has been a long time since I've been in Fort Worth. The nice thing, now I've got a place to stay when there's a good show at Billy Bob's. Last time I was there, it was the Texas Tornados, and I always liked to drop the fact that me and the band were the only people in the place (and it really is cavernous) who had hair past our collars, much less halfway down our backs. I went in search of a descent straw hat yesterday, and the journey wound up at the flea market. I was vacillating between two different models of a straw hat, but the prices kept changing. One place, the hats were $10 in the the morning, but due to the vendor's consumption of beer — the only observable variable — the price went up later in the day. "Those? Those are $35. The $10 hats were last weekend. We don't got your size in a $10 hat." I finally selected something from different vendor just because I liked the style, and the little Panama weave felt better.

3/26
Sunday morning in Fort Worth, Texas. Home to Billy Bob's, the world's largest honky tonk. I've been hearing about Joe T. Garcia's for so long, I finally got it written into a contract so that I could sample the food. Apparently, it's a great place to take a tourist. Of course, not being an ordinary tourist, I was not quite as thrilled as some folks. My host was even less enthused, "The Margarita's are like limeade." But dinner late last night was a big improvement, William's Steak House, out on the old Jacksboro Highway. The main feature on the menu is Angus Steak. Wouldn't know about the trimming, but this place felt a lot more authentic than the rest of the places I've visited. I wouldn't know about the trimmings because the green beans I ordered as a side dish — they looked a little like sad, canned vegetables. My host ordered the fried okra, and that stuff was amazing. I had one nibble, the okra was fresh, crisp, green under the thick layer of batter. The Aries waitress assured us that the fried okra was the beast thing, next to the steaks. My host was a little disturbed, I managed to clean my plate of all meat related products and by–products, much to her chagrin — and her dog's. Fort Worth is a town which feels like it's a little stuck in time, a place that's about to make it big, but the old themes, the old feelings, the old ways still survive. Watching a thunderstorm roll through the town last night remind me that this is prairie, plain and simple, the bald prairie, and it stretches from here clear to Amarillo or Lubbock, or someplace.

3/25
"Let there be gall enough in thy ink." 12th Night [III.ii.50]. Right, that came up first, a nice one from Sir Toby Belch, as I was trying to figure out why my dear, sweet Ma Wetzel always insists on trying to load me down with food stuff, whenever I pass through her house. When I got back from Pa Wetzel's office, there was one of my uncles, sweetly chatting up my ride. She later confided that she was pretty sure that charm ran in the family. I vehemently denied this judgment.

3/24
Barbies — three of them. I'm sure it was a gag gift, and I didn't know exactly how to use these three Beach Barbies — one of each flavor, Brunette, Red Head, and the ubiquitous Blonde Beach Barbie — but with the upcoming web cam, I figure these three lovelies will make good desk top studio material. And from the web logs, I can tell one person is hitting a dead link back to the table of contents. Let me know about the dead links so I can kick me some web master butt. From the slash dot site, a link about astronomy. And this e-mail got me thinking:

What it got me thinking about was the various outlets for making more money, like putting together a day timer or almanac, especially printing it up for individuals. Sure, nice idea, BUT, this is an astrology source, not a print shop. It's to the point where I spend enough time writing, so I can't spend all my time printing. That didn't sound right, but it's the gist of the idea. It's like this: I've barely got time to proof read and correct the one manuscript, and keep up with all the columns I write, and answer e-mail, and try to have a life. Maybe the life thing is overrated. I was wandering down Congress Ave., after dining [and reading] at Magnolia again, and there, on the marquee, Three Penny Opera was playing at Shaggy's. After listening to a set, some old, some new tunes, I started back down Congress towards Shady Acres. Just as I was passing another intersection, a guy with bright blue hair went past me, headed up the hill to Magnolia, the late night host. With all the changes in old South Austin, I'm a little worried that there will be no place for guys with blue hair on bicycles. Or redneck Elizabethan astrologers.

3/23
I had just the worst time yesterday morning — first it was not enough coffee — then it was too much coffee, man. I went blowing out of the trailer by noon, hitting the trail, hoping that the rain clouds would dump some more rain, just not on me. It was a Libra day, as the Moon had just switched sign, and I heard from three Libra folks, two clients, and Pa Wetzel, adjusting his schedule so I can give him more computer lessons when I pass through Dallas. I did make fredlet happy, I booked a room and a got a plane ticket for her wedding date in July. I must admit, I'm just a little jealous. If I were to ever get married again, I'd want to do it her way: on the Eiffel Tower, in Las Vegas, married by an Elvis impersonator wearing Spock ears — it just doesn't get any better than that. It looks like it's going to be a long and tiring day. Looks like I'll get the web camera thing figured out pretty soon, though, and that's a hopeful note. Trailer cam?

3/22
The dilemma: free ticket, expires soon. Solution? Pop up to Dallas on an expensive, last minute flight and see the folks then wander off to Fort Worth to see about computer. Then I'm out of free tickets for while, but there will be great happiness in the world. I got a call yesterday from my PO, "Where have you been?" "Dude," I said to my PO, "just check the web journal, you'll know that I've been very, very good." It's one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes strips. And I finally got the clue about some of the new design ideas — the architecture of information. I'm worried — buzzwords. I was in Half Price Books last night, briefly, and I finally broke down and picked up a web design tome — at a lot less than the cover price.

3/21
I was trying to talk Bubba through a Mac network problem, and he was complaining about his sister at a local net start up: "Yeah, well the VP drives a BMW Z3, but in a year he may be driving a Hummer or he may be managing a Wendy's. Welcome to the Austin High–Tech world." Seems about right. It was a picture perfect day, of sorts. Lunch at Magnolia wherein I played a game with the waiter, seeing as how I was too late for the lunch special, I tried to order from the menu, sight unseen, "it's that plate, over on the right page, inside the menu, down about three quarters of the way — something with pineapple." "And what kind of sauce?" "Chipotle." "Good call." So it wasn't what I was thinking about, but it was good. So maybe I don't really have the menu memorized. An editor from the paper sent me an e-mail, letting me know that my services would no longer be required. This didn't really come as much of a surprise as the paper hasn't run anything of mine in a long time, citing space as a problem. Which is an echo of my design decisions, too, as the normally weekly columns I write average 1500 to 2000 words apiece. Newspapers and magazines allow about 500 words for a decent column length. As a reader, what do you want? More? Less? It's apparent from feed back I get that less is okay, as long it's someone else's sign that gets cut short.

3/20
I followed a couple of web log entries towards recommendations for books on web design, interface function, how to build a better web interface, what the end user is looking for. And as I've cruised other astrology web sites, there is a common theme, one where most the daily and weekly scopes are put into a separate page, usually something kind of spare, but with plenty of room left over for advertising. Now, I was doing that for while, and Easy Scopes Dot Com still has my web site linked that way. But about six months ago, I went with a different format, one where all the scopes for the week are in one place. Made sense to me. I was writing four different weekly columns, all variation on a theme, but still that was way to much. And updating the weekly, from wherever I might be, making sure that all the files are corrected and proofed, it was too much. One file, one spell check, one proof reader. Sure makes sense from a logistical point of view. Now the problem: end users — according to several sources on web design — end users don't like to scroll. I put as much effort into a Pisces scope as I do a Taurus scope, therefore, why should the Pisces have to scroll to the end of the text file to read their bit? This is the problem. As it stands, two file have to be uploaded, and the two file are identical, except for minor format information. One is the archive, and the other is ever changing weekly scope. But the text has to be scrolled. And, at best, there's only one ad view versus a potential for 12 in the other set up. But the web is a fluid medium, and that means it can change real fast — given market conditions.