For the first time in several years, I am travelling to Tallahassee without the Woodgate house to call my own for the weekend. Steven and Erik are back in Orlando, Claire and Ash are settling in to their new place in town (which I will get to see for the first time) and the new Woodgate tenants are moving.

In the absence of Woodgate's reliably generous hospitality, I will be staying with Erik's girlfriend Lauren who continues to live in the Capitol city. Her apartment is a hop, skip and jump away from the Florida State University campus so this weekend might feel more like my visits did back in 1999 when I started regularly coming to town.

I am looking forward to the FSU graduation ceremony I will be attending to watch Steven walk. Specifically the FSU English professor Mark Winegardner who has taken a leave of absence to author a new novel called The Godfather Returns. Apparently, this chapter of the story will take place between the first and second books. I am pretty sure I mentioned before how dismal the guest speaker was for Erik's graduation a few months back, so I hope this will provide some redemption.

In other news, I think I may have an ulcer that has been causing me rather regular discomfort. My original theory that it was my lactose intolerance worsening seems less valid on the basis of the various medical articles I have read about ulcers. As soon as I return to Orlando I will be using my newly activated medical insurance to figure this one out officially.

It amuses me how things in life sometimes unfold. For example, a while back I made some decisions in my life that I felt would be positive. The result? I kept my own promises, I tried to take my own advice and in the end I was finding myself happier in general.

After now having finished arguably one of the worst weeks in memory, the real test for my new system was conducted. It was not quite so cut and dry this run, but I think now that the dust has settled I can better reflect upon how things have panned out.

I think I am a stronger and a better person than I was previously. Letting go of some things really assisted in that process, but I think another component of that is simple evolution. People grow up and move on. Consequently they do this at a different pace, so incompatibilities arise.

I know this is probably making little sense so I think I will succumb to a bullet list to wrap-up some loose ends.

• Work is work and personal is personal. I have always believed this but sometimes it is good for people to take their own advice. In this case, everything worked out because the participants were adults.
• I really like my job and the company I work for right now. I think there is limitless potential for me here and am excited about the possibilities that exist therein.
• I got a bonus check with my normal salary Friday. I was not eligible for the bonus but my manager wanted me to receive one as a thank you for all my work so far.
• As much as you think you may have been hurt, you have no idea how much more you hurt me. I am not going to apologise if that is what you are waiting for because I did nothing wrong. If you would like to mend things I am open to it, but the ball is in your court.
• I am relieved to have taken a sabbatical from the scene and dating in general. This policy will continue indefinitely.
• That said, I wish this Thunderbird would come and "rescue" me.
• I have pretty solid plans to start an active work-out regimen with my best friend Erik who is returning to Orlando from Tallahassee where he has lived since after high school. I am tried of not being happy with my body and am going to do something about it.
• I am going to start playing Billiards again regularly. I want to get my game back to where it was previously and then advance it more. I think might purchase a cue. I like the idea of tournament play. I would also like to learn Poker and perhaps arrange a regular Poker night. I already have a few interested parties.
• I am happy.

My extremely busy work week is finally over and although I enjoyed the experience and perspective it offered, I am glad that I will now be returning to my daily routine. This week will also prove to be quite exciting for me as I will be moving forward with a major project I have been working on for the past month. Although I cannot discuss the specifics of the project, its success will be a positive step in the direction I would like to take my company now and again in the near future.

In other news, I have been somewhat captivated for the past few weeks (when I have not fallen asleep first) with Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. I have always been more a fan of blackjack, but after watching the Texas Hold'em game played during the course of this program I can say I am excited to try my hand, pardon the pun, at poker. Hopefully the opportunity will present itself shortly to learn a little more and perhaps even practice with some friends. Anyone reading this have any experience with this particular game?

My friend Chris has graciously invited me to attend the opening night performance this Tuesday of the critically acclaimed Broadway musical Cats at the dismal Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre here in Orlando. I am very much looking to this show as it has been a long time since I attended any theatre.

Finally, I will try my best to finish getting the pictures organised and uploaded to the Gallery as I have been promising to do for some time now. Offhand, I believe I have pictures from my Key West trip, the last party I attended in Tallahassee, Florida and a few from my Clearwater, Florida outing (though I believe that camera still has film waiting to be used inside).

Today while I was at the Universal Studios Royal Pacific Resort and Hotel for work I noted my mobile telephone switch from saying it's usual "AT&T Wireless" to "Cingular" and then back again. Twice. I know Cingular purchased AT&T Wireless but I still thought this behaviour strange. Has anyone else reading experienced odd occurrences with these carriers lately?


UPDATE: FAQ from https://www.attwireless.com/ocs/faq/cingularfaq.html

Q: Why does my phone read "Cingular" when I'm roaming?
A: We've already opened up some coverage areas with Cingular through our expanded roaming agreement. If you see "Cingular" on your phone, it means you're being covered by their network.

This notice is to inform you that Mount Sutro and all of my server-based technologies will be offline this upcoming Sunday, 11 July 2001 at 0000 until approximately 0600 the same day. This downtime will occur as the server I reside on is physically moved to a brand new data centre. The new location in Clifton, New Jersey (just outside NYC) was built and is solely owned by the company that co-locates server space and leases the servers. I am looking forward to improved connectivity at this new location and a greater range of options from a technical standpoint.

Any e-mail you send during this time frame will be delivered as soon as service to my server is restored. Any urgent communications should be sent to my mobile by voice, text or e-mail.