I’m back at the keyboard.

Nov 2, 2001

I’m back at the keyboard. Sorry for the hiatus. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, with school heating up for Erin, a trip to Atlanta, a surprise visit by Erin’s cousin Julie Braun and her husband, Tom Haines, computer upgrades and thermostat problems in the apartment. My computer seems to be running smoothly now, with the new Windows XP Home Edition operating system, more memory and a new cd burner. I like XP so far, since my computer is much more stable; it hasn’t crashed yet, though I do have a glitch whenever the screensaver kicks in and shuts down the connection to the Internet (I’m using Time Warner’s RoadRunner cable modem for access to the Internet, and while I’m extremely wary of the behemoth AOL Time Warner, cable modem access is fast and reliable). I see that Microsoft and the Justice Department have reached a settlement in the antitrust case. I haven’t read the details, but the way the Bush Administration is trying to give away the bank to large corporations makes me a bit jaded.

I came into the bedroom last night, holding little Anna, and I looked over to see a very large spider sprawled across the lampshade. My heart skipped a few beats while I stood frozen and staring. I snapped a picture with my digital camera (see the image at right), put Anna in the other room, and returned to smash the spider. I did so with a tinge of guilt going back to my childhood in Idaho, when I killed a harmless tiny spider with a book, only to flip the book and see that the title was Be Nice to Spiders.

This from my father, the world traveller:

If all goes according to hoyle, we [Dad and Dot, with Dot’s sons and my brothers Nick and Matt] will be in Costa Rica from December 19th to January 1, 2002. That means that our condo/rental unit with the two bedrooms, the bunk beds and the two big couches, the swimming pool and the red car are available for anyone who wants a Hawaiian vacation. We are only one mile from the biggest shopping center on the island, one mile plus from Waikiki beaches and one mile from the mountain trails. Let me know if anyone is interested. Jungle Joe.

Erin waited in line early last Saturday for UNC basketball tickets, and since her wristband number was very close to the lottery pick, she ended up getting good seats for the UNC-Indiana game November 28th. My brother NIck will be visiting us that week, so watch for Nick, Erin and me on ESPN. We’ll be sitting at one end of the court, and I’ll wear my yellow Cal hat (in a sea of powder blue).

Anton Zuiker ☄