I spent a nice weekend in Kansas City, where my family threw us a couples wedding shower. It was nice. The theme was BBQ.

I was happy.

Tonight I did something I'd never done. I went out with a group from my church that gives blankets, coats, candles and batteries, and hot food to the homeless.

It was eye-opening.

A major project at work is occupying my time. I mean, I want to write about Bill Gates calling me a pinko commie--yes, it bugs me that Brian scooped me on that--and I want to write about that new not-an-Imac that's two inches tall and only takes up 36 square inches of desk space, but I find I'm having trouble concentrating when I do sit down to write.

But as soon as my head clears, I'll be back with a vengeance.

Tom Gatermann caught me hard at work this past weekend at the National Museum of Transport in St. Louis, inside the cab of a UP Big Boy.

I know the real reason why railroads made the transition to diesel locomotives in the 1950s and scrapped those huge, magnificent-looking steamers. The chairs in the diesel locomotives are much, much more comfortable.

The site's been down again. As far as I can tell it didn't stay up for very long on Saturday, but by 8 PM last Saturday, my DSL connection was the least of my concerns.

I got the phone call nobody ever wants to get. My girlfriend's father was in the hospital and wasn't expected to live.

They patched him together long enough for his closest relatives to get there, but Jerry died at 12:45 Sunday morning.

It's been a long weekend and I'm exhausted, but I like the situation my girlfriend finds herself in now. She has an apartment in the Holly Hills neighborhood in south St. Louis.

Unlike Colin Powell, I haven't canonized my rules for living, but there is one of my rules that I think is worth wasting electrons to publish.

Don't go to movies based on video games.

I'm sick again, so I'm back on the Numotizine Cataplasm, which is Dr. Farquhar's secret weapon against a cough. No, I'm not playing doctor. My dad and his dad were, and it was what they used.

Use at the first sign of a cough. You won't regret it.

I don't name my computers or much of anything else, but for some reason I name my cars.

Actually, they kind of name themselves. I never understood when someone told me you can't just give a car a name. But I do now.

I went on vacation and I guess my DSL connection got jealous. As far as I can tell it died two days into the trip. Figures. So that's why the site's been dead.

If it interests youm I'll tell you about my trip.