Michael Braun's Blog

This entry was written at 2118, Saturday July 30.

Today I went up to Algoma to get my kayak from Megan’s parent’s house and also to visit with them. I left at 1115 and arrived at 1200. The drive up was very pleasant. I miss the area around Lake Michigan a lot and driving through it reminded me of this fact. Last summer, I did that drive several times, and the summer before I did it a few times a week. Algoma looked very nice as I drove through on my way north to Megan’s parent’s house.

When I arrived, her dad greeted me and I came inside to sit down. We sat and talked for a good two hours, the time just ticking by. I also was able to play with their pets, who I miss seeing. After that, Megan’s dad asked if I would like to have a car rack that he wasn’t using to put on my car so my kayak wouldn’t scratch my car. I said sure and went outside to take a look at it with him. It looked dirty and old but not so much that it wouldn’t work very well. He said he would clean it up some for me. I got my kayak down from the loft of their barn. I helped her dad put the rack on my car, loaded up my kayak, and was ready to go. I said good bye to them and was on my way. They reminded me that it was fine if I wanted to bring my kayak back to their loft and store it when I was done using it. I said I might take them up on that offer.

What was most notable about this visit is the feeling between Megan’s parents and myself. We always had a good relationship, and I always felt close to them. Would it have come about that Megan and I had married, I believe I would have called them ‘mom’ and ‘dad.’ So, while Megan and I are not friendly anymore and after her very cold treatment of me and after the situations described in my previous post, I was very happy to see that Megan’s parents and I are as close as ever. I really felt a good connection with them – like I belonged at their house visiting with them even though Megan and I are no longer together.

During the course of our great conversation, I also found it interesting that they seemed to know very little about me lately. This confirms what I wrote about previously – Megan does not ever talk about me. Despite the fact that she calls me regularly (or did before she found herself a boyfriend), she does not feel compelled to talk about me at all. Perhaps this is merely a character flaw, and she is not in the habit of discussing things about her friends. But I do believe that a normal person frequently tells people about his or her friends. Indeed, sometimes I feel that I talk about my friends so much and retell their stories, it may seem to some I have no stories of my own. Talking with Megan’s parents I also learned that they knew a lot about Megan’s friend Rachel who is getting married amidst a whole slew of questionable circumstances. So Megan does talk about some friends, just not me.

I guess Megan no longer considers me a friend. Or perhaps she feels pressure not to talk about me. Or maybe her parents just pretended that she hasn’t talked about me as a way to be polite. But I honestly believe that they had no idea how often she was calling me. In short, I believe I have gotten screwed. The one thing I asked her to do for me (tell people I was not making her upset, was a good guy, et cetera) she hasn’t done. She has not told her parents (the two people who I would prefer did not believe lies about me upsetting Megan) that I am very supportive of her.

They still seem to think well of me, even though I know there have been times when she has told them that I had upset her, even when this was not the case. So I was relieved that we were able to have such a nice time together. It is good to see I am still in their good graces, especially enough that they asked me to bring my kayak back to store there. I wonder what this good relationship will mean for any future boyfriend of Megan’s. Not to toot my own horn, but I do believe I am a high caliber of person, more well-rounded and better-spoken than the average person. I also know that Megan’s friends in high school tended to be people from a lower status than myself. These also seem to be the types of friends she has come to know better in Whitewater, and based on that evidence it would not surprise me if her new fling is a bit of a loser (his name is RUSTY for god’s sake!). Megan will introduce her parents to him in a couple weeks. Will he be able to beat the favorable impression I just left them with? I look forward to finding out.

This entry was written at 2300 Friday, July 29.

As I believe I previously mentioned in this blog, Megan has a new boyfriend, some guy named Rusty. I do believe that this is the soul reason she has stopped calling me. Indeed, I haven’t talked to her in sometime. I called her on the 23rd for her birthday, but before that it has been awhile since she had called me. This is a good thing, and I am glad that we aren’t talking much.

However, I can’t stop thinking about her and this new guy. I am not jealous, but I am upset. First, she told me that she wanted to be single and that is why she wanted to break up. It was the only really clear reason I could drag out of her. But, she has never been single. This new guy is just another in a string of guys she has been with, for better or usually worse. I feel lied to.

Second, I feel used. I feel like she called me not because she needed me or wanted my advice or even just wanted to talk to me. I feel like she called me only because she was desperate and reached out to me only to take something from me.

I called Megan’s parent’s house today to see what time would be good for me to come and get my kayak from there. I left a message and her mom called me back a few hours later. We had a very nice chat. I have always gotten along very well with both her parents. But the interesting thing was that her mom knew nothing of what I had been doing with my summer. Now, I know Megan knows and I know she talks to her parents a lot. So either they aren’t asking and she isn’t telling, or she purposely is withholding information from them. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but when Megan was calling me a lot and feeling very guilty about it, I told her she could do something for me. I said, tell other people that I am a nice guy. She had been spreading mean rumors about me: about how I upset her, didn’t care about her, was trying to make her feel bad, and so on. These statements were completely false and completely unfounded, as anyone reading this who truly knows me can attest to. I would never treat Megan in those ways. So apparently she hadn’t really gone out of her way to tell her parents all the support I was giving her. Whatever.

The point is I shouldn’t be thinking about Megan and her new fling. These thoughts should be far out of my mind, but they linger anyway. I can’t help but think of her most everyday. And the thoughts make me angry. She left me, then called me constantly using me for support and giving me nothing. In our relationship she never gave me support either. She never recognized how supportive I was of her, how patient, how caring. She stepped all over me and then left for something more exciting, only to regret it and annoy me further with phone calls. Well, for once now, I am finally sick of it. If a new guy can immediately replace what I was to her then it cannot be difficult for her to find someone who provides everything I did. So the next time she “needs” me, she can bloody well go find someone else. I’m done with that scene and I’m done with her.

I have arrived back in Mishicot after a good, though not too successful trip via bicycle. I am typing this post using stolen wireless internet from our new neighbors who just moved in. It’s wonderful. Maybe I’ll start coming home more often.

I left Madison at 7 on Saturday and arrived here in time to go to sleep. In the morning, we made our plans. We would head out that night to take the midnight ferry over to Michigan (Manitowoc to Ludington). When we got there, we would ride to Ludington State Park, camp, then ride on north eventually ending at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore about 80 miles north. We rode to the ferry dock around 6:30 and got there an hour and a half later, laided with gear and ready to go. Then we realized that my dad did not have his tent. His gear had shifted during the ride and it had fallen off.

The ferry ride went well and we arrived in Michigan close to 6 AM. We rode to the Chamber of Commerce to get some county maps. We also ate at a restaurant for breakfast. When riding back towards the main part of town and the park, my dad had some bike problems. We found a bike shop and waiting another 2 hours until the opened at 10. The diagnosis was that my dad had a blown spoke on his wheel. It would take two hours to fix. We went to a beach and waiting. In two hours my dad went and got his bike and we finally rode to the park. We got a site, got set up, and went for a swim. Finally it seemed like things were going better.

We went to bed that night ready for a peaceful sleep. We planned to stay an extra night there, so there would be no responsibilites in the morning. At midnight, the thunderstorm started. This was a huge thunderstorm. It lasted for an hour complete with pouring rain and constant lightning. It kept raining and another storm came at 2. By then, I lost track of time and just tried to sleep. When I woke at 9, it was still raining. I slept another 2 hours and then got up. It was still raining. We discussed leaving and riding north. My dad felt we had to do it. We packed up, and by 1 were on the road. We were going to ride to a city 30 miles north. It was still raining.

I picked a route to get there not realizing that in Michigan, they don’t pave all their roads. In fact, they don’t pave a lot of roads. Unlike Wisconsin where you can ride around as far from towns as you like and not risk hitting a dirt road, Michigan is a chock full of them. My dad and I also seperated, planning to meet at a set point. I ride a lot faster so it is a bother to stay by him. I rode a lot on sandy, wet roads before finding a good one, then rode past our turn and meeting point to a place 3 miles away, rode back, and started waiting for my dad. I thought I might have missed him. Instead, 10 minutes later, he came down the road walking his bike. He said his legs couldn’t take it anymore. We decided to head back.

On the way, we came across someone who was willing to give us a ride (only 15 minutes or so) back into Ludington. I told my dad I would keep riding. He got a ride and I kept pedalling. Getting into Ludington was no problem. I was then, however, stuck on a road, Speed Limit 55, with no shoulder. It had a sidewalk of sorts, but it had curbs cut into it for driveways so I could not ride on it. I walked most of the three miles back to Ludington, only able to ride on a couple of stretches where there were no driveways.

I found my dad where we had planned to meet. He had taken a hotel room. We got inside, tried to get ride of as much sand as we could, showered, and relaxed. We walked to dinner a couple blocks away, came back and went to sleep. In the morning, we rode into Ludington to the feerry dock, walked and read the pass the time until the ferry would leave (about 7 hours), and then hopped on and came back to Wisconsin. We couldn’t get ahold of a taxi company to take one of us to Mishicot (we couldn’t ride because it was dark) so we took another hotel room. At 9:30, I rode home and got the car. After picking up my dad, our trip was officially finished.

Now, in retrospect, it seems the the trip was ill-fated from the start. The fact that my dad lost his tent would seem to have spelled disaster. Well, we didn’t see it that way. And even though we didn’t actually GET anywhere, I still had a good time. It was nice doing the little riding that we did, and I was glad that I could pack up my life in a couple of small bags and travel. And my gear worked well – tent and all that other stuff I bought (see previous post). I was disappointed that my dad was not fit enough to keep riding, but I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. Overall, I never got wet or sandy enough to feel unpleasant, and nothing of mine got lost or ruined, though I am going to take my bike in for one of two free tuneups I got when I bought it. And riding the boat was a lot of fun. I also took a heap of pictures. So, I had a good time.

I may have other news to post later in the day, but I seriously need a shower.

Alright, I realize that I left you all hanging about the outcome of Woodie’s birthday party which extending from Wednesday until today (Saturday).

Wednesday was the day before Woodie turned 21, so he was able to go out to bars for the first time legally at midnight. Of course, Woodie is old hat at the bars having used someone else’s old ID for a long time. We had people over here on Wednesday. Usually our crowd is a lot of minorities and I tend to be the only white male, but this time this was not the case. Why am I bringing this up, you ask. The white people that were over here are the kind we call “regulars.” They meet all the stereotypes of white drinkers. The group arrived at the dot of nine, a party faux pas, took one shot of alcohol and immediately became loud and belligerent. I found this highly uncomfortable. I am never around those type of people when they are drinking. I tried to stay far away from them. Anyway, one of these regulars was named Lee. Lee was in our dorm freshman year, and I never thought highly of him. He is an idiot, especially when drinking. He proceeded to try to get Woodie very drunk. He succeeded. Dan had very little to drink, and neither of us went out with Woodie and company. Dan and I did stay up until 1:30 (bar time) and then found Woodie to make sure he was okay. He wasn’t, but someone else helped him home, and he went to bed. We stayed up until three to get the few people who were here out. I then got up at 8 to go to work. Surprisingly I wasn’t tired.

Thursday was very different. Some female friends came over to cook us dinner. Also, Dan’s childhood friend and Megan’s college friend Antonio was over. I hadn’t seen him in over a year so that was really awesome. I commented to Dan that he and Antonio only know each other pre-college, and I only know the both of them in college. It means I can relate more to them now whereas they cannot do that. SO we ate and people headed out again with Woodie. Woodie barely had anything to drink and got home before 2. It was really nice.

Friday Anthony and girlfriend Kristine came up from Chicago. It was really great to see them. We also had two hotel rooms reserved at the Madison Concourse Hotel (read “plush”). We checked in there and then went to see the movie “The Island.” If you suspended reality, it was definitely entertaining. We then went to a restaurant called “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and had a great meal. After that, we headed back to the hotel, listened to some live jazz in the hotel bar while enjoying some drinks (for you non-drinkers out there, I highly recommend tonic water and lime juice; it was delicious). Around midnight we walked to the Majestic, a hip-hop club, for their 18 and up night since Dan and Kristine are still 20. It was pretty fun, though I didn’t really get to dancing until 1:30 or so. We returned to the hotel and went to sleep. In the morning, we ordered room service for breakfast and checked out at 11. It was a really fun time.

In other news, today is Megan’s birthday. I called her up to be nice after seeking counsul from my roommates who all agreed that it would be nice of me to call her. She seemed cold on the phone even though I was trying to be upbeat and cheery. She also said that she had a boyfriend now, this guy Rusty who she met… somewhere. She told me a while ago but I don’t remember. He had asked her if she wanted a relationship with him earlier and she said no because she said she needed to figure herself out before dating someone else. She then proceeded to feel really guilty about that. Anyway, so I guess they decided to date. It’s interesting how formal that seems. There was no courtship, simply a relationship. Anyway, try as I might, I still felt a little upset. It wasn’t that I was jealous, more that I was kind of upset that she has never truly experienced being single, which is why she told me she wanted to breakup in the first place. She has also had some guy in her life. When she doesn’t, she gets depressed and leans on me. Maybe this relationship will be a bit more productive and she can grow dependent on someone else. I would not mind that at all.

Also, she seems to find guys very quickly, whereas I have trouble finding women who meet my standards. I wouldn’t say they are too high, but I am looking for a certain set of values that the two of us can share, specifically about religious and moral issues. I haven’t found someone who holds that set as I do. But, I keep looking, and who knows what the school year will bring. I will try to let Megan be happy and not think about our breakup.

Tonight I am leaving to go home. My dad and I will leave Sunday for Michigan via the Lake Michigan ferry. We are talking the midnight boat, which will but us in Ludington at 5. We will then bicycle north for two-three days before heading back south and back again on the ferry. I am really excited for this trip, though I need to get to packing. Expect silence on this blog until I get back, but by then I will surely have a lot to tell.

Here is a link to another article that confirms many US parents are not offended or worried about their children viewing violent content but are deathly afraid of sexual content.

This article talks about the re-rating of the popular game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” an amazing game (called by some critics the best game ever) where players seek to gain back their neighborhood with the use of violence. The game had explicit sexual content that could be unlocked with a modification widely available on the internet. The rating would change from M (Mature) to AO (Adults Only).

Anyone who has played this game or others in the most recent series of GTA titles knows what the game contains: killing, blood, guns, drugs, whores, fast cars, and so on. This is why many people play the game, me included. The sexual content is usually limited to implied sex acts.

What I find astounding about this is that the gamemaker has reduced its anticipated earnings for the next quarter, expecting downturned sales. This implies that parents would have bought the game for their children when it was rated M, but not when it is rated AO, although there is issue with some retailers refusing to carry the game with the changed rating.

I find it amazing that violence, which in reality is relatively rare in our lives, is considered fine. A game that many parents would say glorifies violence, including shooting police officers and innocent people, is considered appropriate. When sexual content arises in the game, however, it is not appropriate. And the game isn’t glorifying sex either, there is simply an unlockable animated scene. Different from violence, sex is obviously extremely common. It is also great. And sex WILL happen in 99.999999% of all people’s lives. A natural act is dirty, while an act that harms others is considered fine. America has gone crazy.

So stupid Hilary Clinton, raging against this game, go fight a battle that makes sense. Parents are responsible for their own choices, and the industry does a good job of policing itself. Mature is not different, in reality, from Adults Only. Let’s get our heads right about this issue.

Since I will soon be leaving (well, Saturday) to head home and get ready to bike with my dad, I realized I had better take Wednesday morning to do some important shopping. I headed out first to Gander Mountain, an outdoors store with camping and hiking stuff (and also a lot of fishing and hunting equipment). They had the tent I wanted. It’s a two person backpacking tent, which means it is small and light. I had initially thought just to buy a one person tent. The one person tent that I found and thought would be ideal turned out to only be available online (no local stores had it) and was more expensive than the tent I bought. Also, there may some day come a time when I have a second person I would enjoy sharing a small tent with. I also bought a fleece sleeping bag and a camping pillow.

I then headed out to REI, a similar store only with more high-end and expensive stuff. There I bought a camping towel that absorbs a lot of water and dries quickly, a bicycling rain jacket that was on sale, and some small travel bottles good for holding shampoo and other liquids.

When I got back home, I put my pannier bags on that I got from my mom. They are the same bags she and my dad used when they biked across the state twice, back before I was around.

I also put on the bag for the front of my bike. It went on very easily. I had a lot less trouble than my dad did. It seems to have a lot of storage space and compliments the panniers well, in that I will have a lot of room for a lot of stuff.

And I also took a picture of myself, which turned out pretty well, I think.

Tonight is Woodie’s birthday (it’s tomorrow, so he turns 21 at midnight). So we will have people over tonight and then they will head out with Woodie. I have to work tomorrow, so I will not head out. Also, Dan is not 21 and has no ID he can use, so he can’t go out. I think it will make him feel better if I am not heading out either. But I may go out with Woodie on Thursday. Either way, it will be nice, and I am excited because Woodie has been waiting for this moment for the last 20 years, 364 days of his life.

I will leave for Mishicot on Saturday and return maybe next Sunday or Monday. It will be a nice vacation, but then I will be back to working on my aunt’s house Wednesday after next. I am STILL sanding, but hopefully that will be done soon and I can actually start painting and be done by the 15th of August. We will see.

Well, my sister and my mom got all packed up today to head back to LaCrosse. I was able to meet my sister this afternoon around 1:45 and take her on a tour of campus. While we walked I helped her make a map and tried to show her how the roads of campus all interconnect. I think she got a much better understanding of how campus works than the people who took the general tour. The general tour, which I took three years ago, was entirely useless. I have no recollection today of where we went, even though it seems like I should have gotten some sense of what campus is like from a tour designed TO SHOW ME CAMPUS!!! Alas, no.

It’s interesting spending time with my sister. Growing up, I would never have called us close. There were times when we certainly got along, played together, and the like. As she grew older, however, she became more belligerent and bossy, and I became less tolerant of that. Thus we rubbed against each other like a rusty break router and an axel. It didn’t help that she and my dad had a period of not getting along very well, which I also blame on Katie’s belligerence. They get along better now too. The thing I can’t figure out, however, is if Katie has changed or if I have just gotten more tollerant. One interesting thing to note is that I believe Katie really looks up to me. She is often doing things that I do, such as starting to go to Famous Dave’s with her friends and listening to hip-hop music. She said that she liked the hip-hop station in Green Bay – Wild 99.7, my favorite hip-hop station in the world. I was shocked by this admittion, because just a couple years ago she hated hip-hop.

Whether she has actually changed or not, we certainly are able to do things together. I don’t know how this will translate into time spent together during the school year. I am certainly very put in my set schedule during the school year and my activities don’t vary much. I study, spend time with roommates and friends, and go to class. I don’t know where Katie fits into that kind of schedule. I guess we will see. It would be great if we started spending more time together. On the other hand, bringing her into my world means that her perception of me (the high school me, I guess) and the college me (the real me, now at least) are somewhat different. I don’t know how she would feel about seeing my interactions with my roommates, which are much different than my general interactions with friends from high school, though, I guess, not THAT different. Also, I like to keep my friend groups seperate. If you mix your different groups of friends, pretty soon your friends start doing things together and not with you. That sounds really bitter, but that’s not my intention. It’s just something I have observed.

Anyway, time will tell. There is nothing else to do but wait and wait I shall. Hopefully Katie will be able to adjust quickly to college life, make friends, and all that good stuff. I want to see her have a successful college career. Lord knows it was hard enough to make sure she went to college in the first place.

My sister arrived this afternoon here on campus for SOAR (Summer Orientation And Registration), and I got to see her for a little while this evening after taking her and my mom back to my grandparent’s house where they are staying. Tomorrow I will take her on a tour of campus and try to show her the sights and get her familiar with at least the basic layout of campus.

Seeing her reminded me of how I felt when I first arrived on campus. There was a sense of newness to the place, something I no longer feel. I navigated by pointed directions and street signs, knowing mostly that something was “that way” rather than where it truly was. I navigated by landmarks and building names. I felt like campus was a big place and felt like I could lose myself in it. When I would walk by a new spot I would stop to gaze and try to take it in, to remember it so I might return later. Walking by the lake was always a joy, so too was the city. The peaceful benches and busy streets kept my head turning to look at everything.

They say you can always tell a freshman because they are looking up as they walk rather than straight ahead or at their feet. I wish for that wonder again. At the same time, I know my knowledge of this place will help my sister appreciate it that much more. She can arrive on campus and look around, remembering where she has been. Soon, she will call this place home and feel that she knows every bit of it as well as I do. I wonder, then, will she feel the sense of loss I do now? Will she wish for that new feeling, of infinite possibilities and brimming confidence? Perhaps she will never lose it at all.

Woodie finished Book 6 at 5:00 this morning. We have discussed it briefly, and both feel like we want Book 7 NOW! I heard a rumor that it was finished already, but there will still be significant waiting time even if the rumor is true. The end is such a dramatic departure from previous endings. It does not let you rest and wait for another summer to pass for Harry before real business starts again. I believe that Book 7 could start exactly where Book 6 left off and fit very naturally in the series, unlike the previous books.

In an effort to meet the demands of a rampant public, I have created a discussion group for discussing Book 6. You can see it at discuss.thebriz.org under the Arts grouping. Warning – this discussion group best serves the needs of those who have already finished the book as it may reveal plot elements slower readers may not have gotten to yet.

When I reached the end, I cried. I was moved beyond words, beyond movement. I laid on my bed and stared out at the wall. Moments passed before I was able to move, to Woodie’s door frame to tell him how incredible the book was. He still reads, so I couldn’t tell him much, but this book was incredible.

The books have taken a new step. The first five offered incredibly entertaining stories in a world of unbelieveable completeness and imagination. Book 6 offers that as well, but suddenly there is a weight pressed upon the reader; the book reaches a wholeness not even properly foreshadowed by the previous five. We all know, probably, where this series is leading, but Book 6 made everything real.

If you have read any of the Harry Potter series and were debating whether to continue, whether to buy this book, or even whether to buy it now or wait, I have only one bit of advice for you. You need to go and immediatley purchase this book. You need to read it, and you cannot afford to wait any longer. It is that amazing.

OH MY GOD. That is all I have to say. I have 50 pages to go, and I am speechless. OH MY GOD.

I took a break from reading this afternoon to go see the movie “Wedding Crashers” with Dan. What an enjoyable movie. Absolutely a silly summer comedy, the writing and comedic acting were extremely well done, especially by the two very likable main characters played by Own Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Devoid of bathroom humor, the witty dialogue, light use of physical comedy, and amusing situations left the comedy much funnier than most I have seen recently. I highly recommend it.

Woodie picked up his copy of Book 6 this morning, and he and I have been in a mild read-off. I must say I am far ahead of him – page 450 to his 300, so I doubt I will have any trouble maintaining this lead and thus able to spoil the ending for all you readers as quickly as possible. Overall, this book has yet to disappoint. Intriguing characters, great backhistory, and plotlines still kept in the dark – I am frantically turning pages.

I do believe I will be able to finish the book by tonight with no trouble. Depsite a legion of adult readers, the books are still geared for children and thus I don’t find myself having to look up words and reread passages. Although, this book does take some risks. I was shocked to read the word “slut” on one of the pages. I do believe some interesting conversations could result from a child’s innocent question about the meaning of that word.

Upon arriving home and reading some after making my last post, I found myself more tired than I had anticipated. Indeed, with the arrival of my dad the next day, I felt it would be best to retire. Come 1:30 I did so. I was awoken by my cell phone ringing at 8 – my dad was having car trouble and would not be arriving as planned. I took this time to read for an hour and a half before sleeping again until 11:00. I have just now started reading again for the day.

On page 193 occurs the first reference to the mysterious half-blood prince. I will not give away any details as to how this reference occurs because I know there are many of you loyal readers who plan to read the book yourself.

So far this book contains more mystery than any of the others. Rowling has hinted at several storylines that she plans to reveal slowly leaving up is great suspense. There seems to be a lot of inside information that she is purposly withholding. I do believe these elements could possibly make this the best Harry Potter book to date. Since I felt 5 was the best when it came out, I will be happy if 6 turns out even better. I am going to go back to reading now, but I will surely keep you posted on my progress.

In the end, Woodie skipped out on going to Barnes. He told me – Michael, it’s a Friday night! – as if that explained it all. I half-jokingly reamed him out. It was true, though, I was disappointed. That night, however, Dan stepped up. He told Woodie that if Woodie went, he would come too, even though he had no vested interest in coming along. Woodie turned this down as well. Dan then told me he would come with my anyway. I was shocked and honored that Dan would do that for me.

I went to stand in line at 8:50 this morning to get my wristband. That took 45 minutes because the line was long. Then Dan and I arrived tonight at 10:20 or so and waited. We ended up meeting with a woman with whom I had stood in line this morning. The three of us enjoyed many humorous chats. She was in her 50s, I think, and a very nice and funny woman. In the end, we were out by 12:10. It was an efficient system, to say the least.

The book looks very nice. I have read the first couple sentences and wanted to write in here before I start my serious reading. I plan to stay up pretty late, but am not concerned about finishing it by tomorrow, though I may anyway. It is shorter than the last book. I’ll keep you posted.

So I’m here at the BioResearch Fair in Memorial Union. Set up started around 9, I got here at 8:50, no surprises there. My boss Bob said he would meet me here at 9, and I assumed that the other guy who is going to be here with all the equipment and so on, Bill, would be here around then too. It’s 9:05 now, so maybe I am over-reacting a little, but seriously – is no one ever early anymore? The room is already bustling, so I guess some people do come early, but I’m getting a little bit annoyed here.