edit: none of this exists any more, but I'm keeping it here for posterity

OK, have a new layout (again) and a new way of doing this now. Quick bits, everyday thoughts, whatever strikes my fancy will be here, on the main page. The reasons for this are two fold. 1) I can get quick thoughts down, and take up less space. 2) It'll keep the front page of my site more interesting.

Let's face it, if you're here, it's because you a) Know me b) Know someone who knows me c) Are just some freak who surfs Blogs all day and nothing else. Whatever the reason, when people come to this page, I want them to be able to see what's going on right away, rather than have to wade through some complicated menu.

For the more astute among you, you have noticed that I have a Journal menu item up there as well. What that will be used for is rant/raves/deep thoughts/introspective moments. I will take the time to go through, spell check, check for grammar, etc. Those will be longer than these (hopefully) short bits on my front page here. So, having said that, enjoy! But, and this is just a minor point, none of the links up there work yet. Soon though!

I hate Windows. Microsoft's Windows that is. I hate it I hate it I hate it. Currently, my Windows machine is rebooting. For the 4th time today. And that's a slow day. (I'm writing this from my Linux box. I like it more and more everyday.)

Gonna go kick my machine s'more.

Trying to finish something I've started seems to be one of my biggest flaws. I never finish anything, whether it's a webpage I'm working on, a certification I'm going for, school, something at work...whatever. I find it extremely annoying, and dis-heartening. I know it's not good for my self esteem, for my work ethic, even in general.

I promised myself I would try, that I would at least finish one project. But then I think about it. And I get listless. Or something more important pops up. Or I have to do something else. Or I need to watch the paint peel. Get the picture?

I tease Gail and call her a freak often, because she works at a new age store, and she is interested in crystals, and tarot cards and stuff. She gets her fortune told, and her palm read. But I have to wonder some days. She had a reading done for her last week, and the lady doing the reading told her that I wasn't happy where I was, and that when an opportunity came, I should take it, even if it means leaving my place of work. I've been here for over 6 years. I'm familiar with it, and I'm content. Not necessarily happy, but content. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't go to work each morning dreading the time I have to spend sitting at my desk (well, at least not that often).

But I'm not passionate about it either. I don't find myself ever saying "OK, what cool thing am I going to do at work today?" But is that a bad thing? I can honestly say I don't know that many people who are absolutely content AND happy with their jobs. I think most people work at jobs that are so-so, but they do it, so they can have the money to do the things that make them happy when they're not at their jobs, whether that's going on vacations, going to the movies, out to eat, to the bookstores, whatever.

I'm tired. And I'm whiny. And I don't wanna do anything but sit here and do nothing. Perhaps that's part of the problem. That's what I'm doing.

I'm feeling so lethargic right now. I don't feel like doing anything at all. Even if my boss came in and said "Shad, take the rest of the day off, and go home", I couldn't say that I would go home and do something productive, like yard work, or fun, like riding my bike. I'd probably end up in bed. I'm SLEEPY.

Getting back into the habit of writing stuff down is harder than I thought it would be. I keep finding myself putting it off, with one excuse after another. So why do I bother? Well, I like reading what I was thinking prior. I'm also trying to get into the habit because I want to keep a journal when I go on my trip to Sturgis this coming August. My buddy Jeff and I are riding there and back. No trailering of the bikes will be happening here. It's just something I've always wanted to do. And I want to record my thoughts about the trip as I go. I think I'll have to resort to keeping my journal the old fashioned way, with pen and paper, but I'm going to write in it every night. And take pictures. I want to take lots of pictures.

I think it's also time to redesign the site. It is spring time after all, time to do a little spring cleaning. I think something simple, brighter, and easier to maintain will fit the ticket just right. No idea when I'll get to it though. Still have to finish Harleyroads.com, my brother wants me to do a Tribes2 site for his tribe, and I need to get on the ball and get Gail's site, and her DAR site up and going.

Damn, now wonder I'm so tired. I never have time. And dang...just remembered Cody has a baseball game tonight. Ugh.

I think I need a pillow in my office.

You know, there are just some really strange people out there, with really strange notions of what's morally right in the world.

Case in point? Americans For Purity: Winning The War On Masturbation 2020 Edit: dug up the archive.org link because it's just too damn funny

Now, how stupid is that? At first, I thought it was a joke, and perhaps it is. But this person speaks with such conviction that I myself am not all that convinced. It's amazing what happens when stupid people have a medium for expressing themselves. Granted, everyone has that right, but geez man...why pick on something as harmless as masturbation?

You know, maybe if this guy yanked his crank a time or three, he wouldn't feel so uptight.

And mom, if this offended you, I apologize (Though I really doubt it did anything of the sort. She's probably laughing her ass off)