Phutu...a little at a time.

12/25/2003 It's been a rough week for this website. I renewed the domain name registration and paid the hosting fees only to find that my dim-witted hosting company had taken the site down anyway when the old registration expired. I don't mind so much when the site is down for technical reasons, everyone makes mistakes, but it really makes me a little upset when things are messed up and someone takes advantage of the situation...so if you came here at one point you might have found a search engine that register.com put up in place of my site. After I screamed at them over the phone that they were pirating my domain name and that they had no right to do it they took that down as well, and the site simply didn't respond for a couple days. I might have to change my hosting company in the near future since I still have trouble checking my e-mail on a semi-regular basis...but you the reader will probably not notice the change.

I was pleased to have Elia and Jane and a few others stop by this last weekend before Christmas. We had a little wine and cheese party and they did a little touring while I was at work. Dory and I actually deserted everyone on thursday night so that I could take her on a surprise date to see Cirque de Soleil under a big striped tent in the parking lot of PacBell Park. I was entertained by the show, and astounded at how it could be simultaneously so different yet so similar to a traditional circus.

I had a great Christmas and Channakah, the latter actually started the same day that Elia and company first arrived, so we made latkes with applesauce for everyone to kick off the party. Dory gave me some bonsai tools, a book about Oak trees and a receiver componenet with a couple speakers so that we can have a little better sound for movies and also listen to the radio during the day. My sister came through with the biggest surprise gift which you can see in one of the photos. It is a writing journal similar to one that I already have, but a little bigger, with an embossed leather cover depicting a magnificent oak tree, and a metal button with a leaf and acorn on it that you wrap a leather strap around to hold the journal closed. The date to the circus was one of Dory's gifts from me, as well as a couple other small gifts including a book and a yoga mat.

It was quite refreshing to have four days off for once. Last year I had to go the entire season without anything more than two in a row between summer vacations. I have to say thought, that the only work I got done on the house was priming the stairway and putting a new lockset and doorknob on the front door. A couple weeks ago I did manage to start work on a cabinet that will go in the stairwell. I've included a photo of it sitting on my tablesaw in the basement. And I also managed to put the trim around the kitchen window and the inside of the back door.

12/13/2003
11/18/2003
10/26/2003
10/13/2003
9/20/2003
9/14/2003
8/13/2003
7/29/2003
7/19/2003
7/8/2003
7/1/2003
6/3/2003
5/29/2003
4/22/2003
3/18/2003
2/27/2003
2/18/2003
2/15/2003
1/31/2003
1/21/2003
12/18/2002

The list grows ever longer.

e-mail Eric