While I am still looking into taking a flight or perhaps the train, I posted the following advert in the "rideshare" section of atlanta.craigslist.org.

I will be helping a friend move to Athens on 08 August 2005. After staying for a few days I will need a ride back to Orlando. I am willing to help out with fuel costs and/or take turns driving (standard or automatic). I am 24, male.

Please contact me if you will be driving to or through Orlando from the Athens/Atlanta area at any point during the week of 08 August 2005. Thank you!

To those of you who may read one of Mount Sutro's RSS feeds: is it annoying that frequently updated features — such as the Refer Blacklist and E-Mail Blacklist — cause those entries to reappear as unread? I have been playing with RSS functions recently and noted that the above is true. Thank you!

Have you eaten at Taste yet? Taste is a fantastic restaurant featuring California Small Plate dishes for lunch and dinner in a hip and trendy environment. Their wine selection, general ambiance and service are all stellar as well. Located at 717 West Smith Street in College Park, Taste also features local artists' work in their gallery.

Incidentally, Taste is my newest client and I am advertising now (on my own accord) because I have just completed designing new print menus and a website for the restaurant. You can look at the new website and learn all about the restaurant by visiting tastecp.com.

If you do decide to stop in and give the restaurant a try, mention you came from Mount Sutro and tell them how much you love the new menus and website. And also please feel free to comment here with any feedback.

PLEASE NOTE This information is out of date. The menus and website are no longer of my design.

The residential community I live in fifteen minutes north of the City of Orlando contains just shy of one thousand (1000) single-family homes. Situated in what used to be Native American land, the subdivision borders the Little Wekiva River to the west, giving the layout of the streets an interesting design. As a consequence of this, there are few four-way intersections.

The four-way intersections that do exist are prone more and more to running by careless drivers. This is not an emergency situation, but the amount of people who disregard stop signs — in particular, the one at the centre of the neighbourhood — is on the rise. Especially at night, it seems.

Fielding complaints from concerned homeowners, the Altamonte Springs Police Department promised to step-up their patrols of the area to catch these stop sign evaders and those driving in excess of the meager twenty-five miles per hour (25 mph) speed limit. In the first week of the increased police presence, the homeowner's association reported in their newsletter that numerous offenders were caught and issued expensive tickets.

Now while I have no doubt certain law enforcement campaigns exist only for the purpose of raising capital for the organization, the mission here was honest — and in my opinion as a member of the community — completely necessary.

Driving home late one night a few weeks back, I was in a little more of a hurry that usual. I had stayed out much later than I planned and was very anxious to get to sleep. In my haste, I did something very unusual for me — I came to only a "rolling stop" at a four-way intersection. That is to say, I slowed down and nearly came to a full and complete stop, but upon surveying the area determined that acceleration was safe.

And then the lights came on from behind.

The officer was very polite and simply enquired as to why I felt stopping fully was unnecessary. I gave him a brief synopsis of the above and revealed the irony of the situation. After suppressing some mild laughter, the officer retreated to his patrol car to check my driver's license and whatnot.

Returning to my window, he simply asked me to drive safely and have a pleasant evening. I wished him the same.

The folks over at Best Gay Blogs, a site that accepts submissions for the people's choice of the best gay-authored weblogs and content, have selected Mount Sutro for the News category. Hello to you readers from Best Gay Blogs!

I must admit surprise over the selection considering that Mount Sutro does not focus on gay-themed news and politics, though it does come up from time to time. The article that caught their eye as the dealmaker was my discussion over the controversy surrounding the children's music video featuring cartoon characters — including SpongeBob SquarePants and his sidekick best friend Patrick — and the song "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge.

The Focus on the Family group, founded by James Dobson for the purpose of acting out against actions and opinions they feel are opposite their conservative and religious beliefs, was very vocal about this video stating it was another plot by the "homosexual agenda" at placing pro-gay propaganda in public schools.

After reposting the original BBC article on the subject, I went on to discuss the gay rights movement versus those in opposition, comparing and contrasting other civil right actions in history. A lively conversation came forth in the comments, as well.

It is an article I am quite proud of and am happy to have it recognized.

And just yesterday, I was called "the media." I wonder what is in store for tomorrow.

Note: some of the Best Gay Blogs site's content and advertisements are for adults only. Browse with caution.