2/28
I got any number of untoward comments about the amount of "spurious" e-mail I got on Friday night, and I never did get a good a definition for spurious. It was intended as an insouciant comment. Saturday was busy -- first it was quick trip for a quick cup of coffee in a red convertible with a blond haired Gemini. Then my Sag buddy showed up and we hit a movie. She ain't seen "Shakespeare in Love" so I got treated to it one more time, explaining how the characters names are in other plays, and how the authors play with lines from Shakespeare, and so forth. Then today, it was another red car, only this was a monster truck, and it was Virgo. But it was Gospel brunch with a Virgo, then more of an afternoon looking at charts and people, and then yet another trip in a jeep with the top down. "Going topless!" was my comment, but it wasn't too well-received by the Red Haired Capricorn. "Glad the heater works?" she asked me. After the sun sets, it still gets mighty cold. I don't think I can take too many more laid back weekends with this much activity. But after a self-imposed Friday spent hammering out the last of this year's stuff, I need to cut loose a little. And it's now pretty much spring time in Texas. I did a get a special gift this weekend, from a Virgo, "I found this in Waco -- and I knew you had to have it." It's a Shakespeare hat, Shakespeare Fishing tackle, that is ("since 1897").

2/27
Friday night was well-spent. I cranked up a special pot of that Kona Coffee, hit the keyboard with a furious pace, and almost got the last of the 1999 stuff cranked out. Of course, by midnight, I was tired of responding to spurious e-mail, tired of the keyboard, and tired of looking at Y2K, and I retired to the couch and finished off by nodding out while reading Cormac McCarthy. I'm really starting to warm to his material because he catches a side of my country that I really like. He properly evokes what it's like to be in a place where an Anglo (White Boy like myself) is a minority. It is a beautiful day now, and I've got all the doors wide open, soaking up the Saturday morning sunlight, the clouds have burned off, and thinking about getting outside. I just have a few more paragraphs to finish first. It's an interesting rhythm -- write a horoscope, answer e-mail, write a horoscope...

2/26
I've got to go a little easier on the spicy food late at night. I don't care if I do have to listen to my strange friends with weird sad stories about their life. And I don't care if they are drinking white wine and chasing it with Whoppers. My Barbacoa came back for a visit. I really think it was the delicious and spicy green sauce, the cilantro, and the chopped onions. Or maybe the red sauce. So I figured I was going to have some strange dreams -- better than pizza dreams, even. But as I made my way through my action adventure video game dream last night, a face pops up and tells me I've advanced to the next level. Must be the spicy food, the special effects in the dream were great. Better resolution than my computer screen, that's for sure.

2/25
Coffee at Jo's. Ah, the day is getting a little better. Great, now I'm known as "that fish guy," courtesy of Magnolia South -- at least I got their web address. Then, later in the evening, I was consoling a buddy with a fractured heart. There are days when it's great to be absolutely single. But I watched as he consumed part of glass of white wine and a bag of Whoppers. This is a Texas, and I guess that what helps mend busted veins, if not the whole heart. Glad it wasn't me. Whoppers and White Wine -- the very thought of the combination, it's just not something I think I can do. It was a nice day in Texas, but there was very unsettled energy to it all. Cancer Moon? Sun Square Sun? Or is Mars slowing down? There is a cure, though. One word, works every time, and it's solid proof that I've lived in Texas too long. What comfort food did I reach for? Ordered me up a plate of "Barbacoa." Actresses may faint atthe sight of it, but it really, really works.

2/24
Pedestrian Rage. It's a new concept, but I'm warming up to the idea real fast now. It only makes sense. The traffic light changes. The little sign says, "WALK." I do what comes naturally, I walk. The rules of the road, from that little handbook I got from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the guys who issue my driver's license, says the pedestrian in a cross walk has the right of way. Now I don't want to sound like I'm ranting, but if this is supposed to be such a "bike friendly" town, how come us pedestrians are endangered. It's not like it's dark out, this happens in broad daylight. When I road a motorcycle, several of us would carry old spark plugs to toss at cars who violated our right of way. It's called being "proactive." As a pedestrian, what should I do? Toss bricks at the guys? "Last time that happened to me, I put a dent in the car," suggested one friend.

2/23
This morning, after spending far too much time trying to answer e-mail, I hit the lake again. I got about half way around the eastern version of the trail, and I veered off from my normal route. In fact, I spent part of the morning ambling through East Austin, a barrio -- so to speak. Houses that had shrines in the front yard, either to the Virgin Mary or the Virgin of Guadeloupe and a group of young guys working on a very late model car. I'm pretty sure they were lowering the suspension on it. I wound my way through the barrio on into downtown where I scooted by the bank, and then, as treat because it's such a nice day, I flitted through the coffee shop and got a scoop of Mexican Vanilla blended up with a couple of shots of Espresso. Some days, it just doesn't get any closer to heaven than this. Too bad I can't get any of "pending deals" to return phone calls today.

2/22
Monday mornings are usually reserved for rest and recuperation. Of course, I've got a few friends who are a little more insistent when it comes to getting a hold of me. The land lines ring, the fax goes off, the beeper, and finally the cell number -- and didn't I turn that thing off? Guess not. It looked like it was going to be nice day, but I swung open the trailer door, and it's a little too cold for my tastes. And after such a lovely weekend on the coast, too. The Texas Gulf Coast is largely undiscovered, except by some Spanish and French explorers a few centuries back, and the seasonal migration of fun seeking surfer types and so forth. But between the end of hurricane season, and the beginning of spring break, it's got to be one of the most ideal places in the world. I did manage to grab a decent cup of coffee this morning at Jo's, on South Congress. But the biting wind wasn't conducive to sitting around and enjoying a morning beverage in an idyllic outdoor setting. Back to work.

2/21
After a wild dinner party last night, I hit the motel bed hard and slept like a rock. The gentle ocean breeze wafting up through the open window was full of ideas, and I had a lot thoughts to records, bittersweet memories of this place, but I was just plain too tired. After the raucous razing about yesterday's Aura Photograph, I conned Mac into another one this morning. Now I know his camera is out of whack. Same results as yesterday, lots of white. Lots of it. Maybe I can scan these photos and post my aura photo on the web. It's either that, or this whole Aura Photography thing is a scam.

2/20
Corpus Christi looks dull and gray this morning, and the overcast is pretty thick. So is the atmosphere. I may be used to the Austin humidity, but this close to the Gulf, about three blocks, it's a lot more. More of everything. More oxygen, it feels like, and more water in the air. I wonder if it's possible to be more than 100% humidity? The ride down last night had a few amusing points, one of which was listening to the driver. He and I seem to see the same jokes on the net, so he would merely start out a joke, and I would finish with the punch line, leaving a gaping hole in between. Of course, we thought this was vastly amusing. Not everyone traveling with us was so amused. "I don't get it -- what are laughing it?" "I guess you had to be there." That would be followed by another snort and giggle.

Early on Saturday morning, I was fooling around during set up, and I wound up swapping war stories with Mac, the Aura Photography guy. I conned him into doing my picture, and I'm pretty sure that his camera ain't working right, and if it is, then all that Aura Photography is pretty much a hoax. That's the clear conclusion from what I see, and from what he said, and from what everyone who looked at the aura picture of me suggested, too. "You're deeply spiritual, and look at all the angels around you." "Dude, look at that vast amount of white, what were you doing last night?" "Who'd you sleep with last night, wow!" Maybe it's me, but I just don't see. Of course, this close to the ocean, hotel bill already paid, and I'm a happy person. Of course, I didn't do anything [or anybody] last night. But serene inner calm? I think the camera must be jinxed.

Dinner was BBQ at the County Line, and while that may seem a little weird this close to the coast, this particular place is a Saturday night favorite with my traveling crowd.

2/19
Nothing like some Cowboy Songs sung by Don Walser to remind me that I need to be roaming around some, and I guess Corpus Christi is the next place to roam to. Sure makes it easier to hit the road. I'll keep a mental image of him singing the Cow Poke song to keep me happy on the road. Last night, I put on a clean pair of faded jeans, slipped on the cowboy boots, and snapped up a nice flannel shirt with a yoke cut and genuine fake pearl snaps. That's all it takes to realign some attitude. As I was walking up to hear the band, I couldn't help but notice three planets cavorting around the moon. I checked when I got home, I had assumed it was Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. Turns out it was Saturn, the crescent moon, Jupiter and Venus. I was close to being correct -- Mercury had already set, being the evening star version of Mercury right now. A quick shopping trip this morning yielded a used Garth Brooks CD-- hey, the price was real right. Now I've got friends in low places.

2/18
"Kramer, you seem to spend a lot of time listening to other people complain about their lives, don't you?" It was a comment from one of my little Leo friends. Sure I do. Part of the trade I'm in. I study people. And after that Leo left, I crawled into bed, exhausted from a day's work. I reached down and discovered I still had my pager on, so I unclipped it and set it on the headboard. It went off this morning -- before 7:00 AM. That is a little unrealistic to expect me to answer a beep much before noon. But by noon, I was a quarter of the way around the lake, this time determined to try a special figure eight loop on the trails. I made excellent time, and I must have covered close to seven miles. I guess two hikes for a week doesn't really count, but it's got to do because the next few days are really busy. I did stop at the post office and ask the guy behind the counter if I was redneck. Yes, I'm still hung up on that question. "Kramer, you look like anything but a redneck." This is also the first time I've felt a certain amount of ennui while getting ready for a trip. Normally, I look forward to traveling. But dragging out the show case, the backpack, and a briefcase for the computer just isn't as much fun as it used to be. Of course, I leave these bags partially packed in case something fun comes up, but this weekend looks like just another working trip. Pile in car, drive four hours, check in a hotel, sleep, work, sleep, work, drive back. Where's the fun in that?

2/17
I did manage a nice walk around the lake today, using one of my new routes, one I don't take too often, and it was an improvement. The Bluebonnets are coming up in hurry. I hope the route this weekend, the trail which winds down through South Texas is as beautiful as it's been before. Tuesday Night is rapidly disintegrating into a time spent watching King of the Hill. I'm pretty sure the fictional town is really modeled after Lockhart, where my good Bubba friend lives. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if all the characters lived there, just down the street. But I had to record one of the snippets of conversation because it so true, something during a commercial break, my neighbor asked where I was Monday morning, "We knocked on your trailer, went and ate tacos over at that place I keep telling you about. Where were you?" "Dallas." "Dallas, isn't that like a concrete trailer park?" Sure is.

2/16
I kept thinking about my buddy's girlfriend who gave me ride back to the Dallas airport after yesterday's meeting. This morning, I got an E-mail from her, worried that I would mention her in the journal. I wouldn't ever mention it! [She's such a shining example of what an Aries woman can look like: driving a red truck. It was too perfect.] Better, though, was the Capricorn at the airport in Austin. And Chinese food. I really need to hone the Year of the Cat stuff, now. My boss agrees. Despite the low, gray clouds scudding across the sky I did manage to get in a little bit of a hike today. Wasn't the full distance, and as I was coming back down Congress Avenue, a couple of conventioneers were paused in front of a cafe with a sign that says, "Avenue Cafe." To those of us in the know, and according to a certain Virgo former governor of Texas, it's a good place to eat. I paused long enough to gesture and tell the convention attendees that the food was good in there -- and I speak from experience.

2/15
It's the red eye morning. It feels like one of those mornings when I'm up before the sun, and as I was standing in the kitchen trying to shovel out some cat food, grind some coffee beans, and boil water, I couldn't help but notice that the sun was just poking above the horizon, awash in a ruddy glow. It's the same sun that I usually see when I head out of town, and as fate would have it, I'm getting ready for an airport run. Dallas for a lunch time meeting, and then turn around as fast as possible to get back here. One client once told me that, "Dallas is over dressed and underbred." Another author suggested that Dallas was like the lobby of a fine hotel, warm and welcoming if you had lots of money, but cold to the dispossessed. I'll come up with my own analogy soon, but that does set a frightening tone for the day. I wonder if this is what holidays like this are all about.

2/14
The problem with living in this trailer court so close to the river, is that it's right on the hike and bike trail. Normally, this is a good thing. Normally, though, there isn't the Austin Boston whatever marathon going on, too. I was rousted out of bed by helicopters and throngs of cheering people, it's really an obnoxious situation and guaranteed to irritate just about anyone. My neighbor wandered out of his trailer with a beer in hand, looked at the sun, looked at the runners, and decided that the folks were trying to catch whoever took the rest of their clothes. I had breakfast before doing some readings, with one of my buddies, and he's got the perfect shirt for right now, seeing what day it is and all, "Chicks hate me." Couldn't have said it better myself.

There's always a lucky break, and it's when you least expect it. I was walking down South Congress Avenue on a beautiful Valentine's Day afternoon, having completed my business rounds for the afternoon, and I was in a good mood, a little change in my pocket, some satisfied customers, lonely, but doing all right. Now, I'm used to getting honked at. Happens a lot. Folks see me out on the street, and wave, or holler at me, or sometimes I get some kind of Hawaiian salute, but I'm used to it all by now. But a little white four door car pulled over, and it was a dear Sagittarius friend. "I thought that was you, where are you going?" We made a fine afternoon of it all, catching up on old times. A happy ending to the day -- including a light dinner at Magnolia South, just in time to act romantic. But she is a Sagittarius, and you know how they are all fire.

2/13
There's a Dwight Yoakum song about heartache, and since I was trying to accomplish something last night with computer code, I was attempting to listen to something a little more soothing than the usual fare. It just didn't work. I couldn't get the computers to do what I wanted them to do, and the instruction sets were a bit too arcane, even for me. So we still have heartache by the boatload, and it's another lonely day in Austin. Not exactly lonely, my neighbor's parents showed up, and they hauled us out to lunch. Then another buddy came by, and we spent the afternoon working on story line ideas that involve astrology. Personally, I think he's just amazed that I have the audacity to ask just about anyone what their birthday is. When I got back from the lake, as I was passing my neighbor's place, I noticed he was watching TV, so I joined him for a quick episode of "Cops." There was this terribly cute victim with the nicest arm band tattoo, and I remarked about getting a date with her. "Man, I already have this one on tape, so I can have dinner with her tomorrow night," my neighbor suggested, "it's my TV, I saw her first."

2/12
Still no date for the big day, but like many of my friends, we're all beginning to develop that brittle, bellicose, belligerent, bitter and biting way of looking at marketing hype. Instead, I think I'll undertake one final programming project for the web site. Lots of work, but I think it might be worth it. It just depends on my programming skills right now, and I'm not so sure I want to devote that much time to learning an other new language. English is a second language for me, and UNIX is something I still have problems with, especially the verb tenses. I seem to have trouble with "grok" and "grep". Near as I can tell, "fgrep" is the past participle of "grep" although, another definition comes to mind. And after listening to a few friends, I'm not sure that a relationship is such a good idea. We got heartache by the boat load around here, or so it seems.

2/11
I was returning a call to a client today, and I got a hold of her secretary, "She's on the other line right now, can I get your name?" "Kramer, just like the guy on TV. BUT I'M NOT LIKE HIM." "Phone number where we can reach you?" "512/209-2200." "And who are you with, Mr. Kramer?" "Okay, I know this is a sad fact, but I'm not with anyone right now. Bad news with Valentine's this Sunday, but there you have it. And Kramer's my first name." I was moderately depressed today, one of those days when it's cold and gray outside, too cold for a decent walk, and while I'm waiting on a friend for this evening, I just sit here and starve myself. I finally broke down, and got out a can of tuna. Of course, now the cat thinks it's for her. I've been avidly reading Duane's Depressed, laughing at most of it, until I get about two thirds done with it, and suddenly, I'm beginning to think I'm depressed, just like Duane. Must be the sudden cold front that blew in. Glad I didn't change the flannel sheets yet. Of course, an Aquarius (or is that a Capricorn with lots of Aquarius), some country music, and big old plate of Threadgill's vegetables always makes me feel better. Seems like there were a lot of road songs this evening, at least in the first set.

2/10
It's a sign, a symbol fraught with foreboding consequences when I have to consider the fact that I was coerced into turning on the Air Conditioning for a little while yesterday. First Bluebonnets, then AC. And it's not even Valentine's Day yet. Today starts out gray and cloudy, and I'm sure it's all that moisture which I could detect on yesterday's breeze. Even my desktop feels like it's damp right now -- and I haven't spilled any ink or coffee. Yet.

I knew the foreboding was about something. The Texas State Comptroller wants to collect a $50 fine for late sales tax. Get this, the amount I miscalculated was less than a dollar. Imagine that, a $50 fine for less than fifty cents in error and and in arrears. But I paid the miscalculated amount. And, after talking nicely to a "customer service representative," I managed to talk them into waiving the $50 fine. It did seem a bit excessive.

2/9
I did manage to get in a decent walk today, I figure it was well over five miles, maybe even six, but since it wasn't one of my usual routes, I wasn't too sure about the distance. The sun was brilliant, and the temperature was such that I was sweating by the end of the work out. Of course, I did detect a bad omen. Starting out, I saw about three little bluebonnets poking up through the soil along an embankment. By the time I had doubled back past that same spot, there were six or seven bluebonnets pushing upwards. It means that it's spring time. And if it's spring already, why is this happening before the middle of February? Hot summer?

I had one of those busy Monday's, one where the cell phone doesn't stop ringing until I turn it off, the pager doesn't shut up, and one little disaster after another. My timing on the color change was almost right. But not quite. Fredlet was leaving town so I got a quick breakfast with her, then it was a quick reading at Threadgill's, then a quick dinner there. I finally got a moment to relax because we went and saw a movie.

2/8
>Who messed up the website?

I did. I like the "normal" color scheme. Makes it a little more straightforward for upcoming changes, too. I'm attempting to get it all on one color scheme, too -- make everything uniform. The days of this being a weird place where links are strange colors isn't cool anymore. My astrology is weird enough without having everything else be strange as well. I'm attempting to show some good design ethics. Or display some semblance of taste. I just didn't realize that there so many files in there. I've got to cut down on the late night coffee. It does strange things. I wrapped up a day at the bookstore yesterday, caught some dinner with batch of friends, then some other friends showed up, and it was a weird night, to say the least.

2/7
The serious problem with having fredlet around is that I get a chance to discuss the fine art of web design with someone who won't make me feel like a dweeb. I've been kicking around color schemes, and trying to figure a way to get away from the annoying black and white idea. I know what web sites I frequent, and I know what I like to see. And the colors should be easier to print, another frequent request. I just hope I got it all.

What a strange day Saturday was. There was an overlay to the day, sort of like being in a smoke filled room, where everyone is having a good time, and talking loud and off in one corner the television is blaring, but no matter what you do, you can't seem to concentrate on anything anyone is saying. Nor can yo make out the news on the television. Or the comedy. The highest point of the day must have been listening to a friend from Scotland get intoxicated. When he's about halfway through his second or third tall boy, he starts to get rather amusing. He can make an effort to imitate a Texas accent but it's delivered with a Scottish brogue. I'll admit, it's one accent that I can't duplicate. As Lady McDuff says, "To bed, to bed, there's a knocking at the gate..."

2/6
The Cancer server curse is back. Last weekend, in El Paso and New Mexico, every waitress was a Cancer. It just worked out that way. I had dinner with fredlet and her beau, and the first waitress was a Cancer. Somewhere, someplace, somehow, something is trying to get a message to me. I think I'm going to stop asking, "So what's your birthday?" Got Pa Wetzel off to his reception and had a nice afternoon cruising around Austin with the parental unit.

2/5
My father arrives in a little while, and he's in town for an overnight visit. Going to keep me busy bussing my father around. Fredlet coerced me into buying her lunch yesterday but the really good news we got some shots with her digital camera and now there's a new set of pictures up on the web. I'm just a little worried about what she might do with the out takes. She's dangerous when she whips her digital camera. I made second trip to the airport to pick up the owner of the car I had all week. It's strange when I'm used to arriving, and for a change, I get to watch people deplane, collect their luggage, and get carted off. Must be strange, I'm there with my fishing hat, and faded pair of jeans. Even Friday evening offers a lot of business travelers. Even when I travel for business, I tend to dress a little different.

2/4
My Sam's basket had more than just groceries -- I noticed that a Larry McMurtry (yes, he's a distant relative via a long and extended family tree thing with roots in West Texas) book was on sale so I did the Sagittarius thing and tossed the book in the basket. Duane's Depressed is the title, and it's the third book in the "Last Picture Show/Texasville" story. While I was waiting for the slow AOL connection to hook up, I picked up the book and read the first page. Almost didn't make it to Bubba Hour last night. I forgot just how close he comes to actually catching the idiom and nature of the people I know in West Texas. The first time I read some of his stuff for a class, the professor assured us that the characters in the book were caricatures, grotesque and slightly fantastic in their abilities, nature and actions. But from what I've seen in real life, these people are very real, and not some unrealistic character drawn out of proportion. Up until now, Texasville has always been one of my all - time favorite novels because it catches just what I've seen in West Texas. For what it's worth, I think the main character Duane, is a Pisces and his wife must be a Capricorn, but I'm not too sure just yet.

2/3
I have a new theorem about marketing at Sam's Wholesale. I ran by to do a little grocery shopping, and I was noticing that there was a rather attractive young lady handing out samples of corn. Now this not yet tested theory is simple, the cuter the person hawking the wares, the less appetizing the demo stuff is. I'll get back with more results as they become available. Must be the Virgo Moon. I did get a chance to hang out with the mighty fredlet [www.fredlet.com] for a little while yesterday evening. There's a fine line between too much coffee, man, and not enough. I danced along the edge of that wire, most of the evening. I missed the usual Tuesday night gig, but that's not a great loss, not since fredlet and I got to split a huge Magnolia Brownie with ice cream dripping all over it. I ate the Blue Bell ice cream, she ate the brownie.

2/2

I'm beginning to warm to my title, "Cool Arrow." But I wasn't happy about my ride home from the airport yesterday. My fine Capricorn girl with Red Hair left me her car while she's out of town. It's one of those, "pick it up in the remote lot" deals. So much for the good news. My voice mail message from her was, "You're going to kill me, but I forgot to write the row number, but it's one of the ones which angles up ...." So I got to spend the better part of an hour wandering amongst the "South 40" of the remote parking lot, trying to find a vehicle. I've got this key, now can I just find the right car for it...

2/1
It was a long day, and I didn't get a lot of sleep before I hopped on the airplane home. El Paso is a strange place, less a part of Texas and more part of something else, and I can't quite put a finger on just what it's a part of. While I was running around town with Grace the KLAQ radio psychic, I listened as she made a point about where it was she lived. "One mile south is Mexico. One mile north is New Mexico. We are at the very tip of Texas." Maybe that's the important distinction. I did a chance to steal some material from my good buddy the Aura Picture guy. Mac is the funniest guy who works the same circuit that I do. I was there first, but you know, he has the Capricorn humor that is so good. Since he lives in Utopia, Texas, he was, for a while, the resident hippie. The constraints of a wife and new baby sort of changed that. Personally, I'm glad he got a haircut. I don't like having to share my long hair with other guys on the same trail I'm on. Upsets the stage show, you know.

I had a brief and delicious lunch fixed by Grace's Taurus Mom. Chili Colorado, everything dripping spice, and that extra special warm feeling that only comes with a Mother's home cooking. Grace's parents were so impressed with me, I was repeatedly called a "Cool Arrow." I think it's a play on a Spanish term, something about being a cool guy and a straight arrow. "Cool Arrow," it's my new title.

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