This is what I thought about as winter became spring.

3/1/96 - First, this may be my last entry until March 7; I won't be in my office for a few days. I'll try my best to get to the computer and update this thing for you, though. Second, guess what. I have little to nothing to say today. I have great coffee this morning. I remembered to flip all my calendars. I said "rabbit, rabbit" first thing this morning. Oh, last night I was fed dinner by my apartment complex... that was pretty cool of them. They held a leap day party and gave everyone seafood salad sandwiches and chilli. It's not exactly a stellar combination, but I didn't have to cook. Plus they had coffee (Maxwell House). My hands are so dry... (How dry are they, Lee?) they are so dry when I snap it sparks. I froze my bananas thinking they would stay green longer that way (I like green bananas). Not only did they turn UPS brown, but when they thaw they're banana pudding; yuk!

3/7/96 - I trust y'all have survived ok without me for the past several days. I have yet to check either my phone mail or my e-mail here at work; At home I had 3 messages on the machine, one of which said "Red Wine, Red Wine...". In case you haven't guessed, I was away for several days; There would be no real way for you to guess that I was at a conference, so I'll tell you that. I learned some neat work type stuff (and, God knows, there is no place for that on this page), but more suitably I think I learned this: It takes endurance to hang tight at a conference. People work all day and play all night. The people that survive well at these things seem to be the ones that can live on no sleep; these people, from my observations, are those that work constantly (i.e. in the office early and out late) when they're not away at a conference (this has nothing at all to do with age). I am in awe.

3/8/96 - Ok, I left home. Outside my foggy windshield was a blinding (yet somehow puffy) snow. I drove. I watched in wonder as the blinding snow was replaced by the blinding glare of the morning sun off the slick road. Strange weather abounds in the fair city of Richmond, VA. It's cold as all get out again. Yesterday was warm in the morning but the day chilled as time progressed. New topic: Pop Tart comparison. Who makes the real Pop Tarts? Anyway, I bought a box and had the first bag for breakfast this morning. I'm used to the cheaper facsimiles (Food Lion Brand, Richfood or Winn Dixie brand); Strangely enough I prefer the cheaper ones. Let's define a index called X' (said "ex-naught") as the ratio of bread matter to jelly in a Pop Tart. Cheaper Pop Tarts tend to have a higher value of X' than real Pop Tarts do (which, to state the obvious, means they are "breadier"). I like those breakfast pastries with high X' (assuming, of course, they're frosted).

3/11/96 - Today I speak of the morning, specifically, today's. There was sun in my bathroom at the end of my shower; I haven't seen it there in months (I've only lived in this apartment for a month and a half, but I hadn't seen sun in the bathroom on Maple since late fall). I went to scrape the ice off my windshield (after dressing, eating etc...) and found a wad of gum placed between my wiper and the windshield, but HA!, the little gum vandal probably didn't count on the freezing temperatures ungumming the gum thus making its remove painless for me. Moving forward in time yet again, my drive to work was stained by a lousy detour routing me a completely different way. I don't really feel like writing today.

3/12/96 - Excuse me today as I write a social commentary. I heard on the radio this morning that 250 Richmond city school teachers have filed a class action suit against the school board for tightening leave policies during a recent basketball tournament. I do not know exactly what the school board did, but their motivation was keeping the schools functioning. Apparently, last year so many teachers called in sick during this tournament kids had to be moved into the cafeteria because there were not enough teachers to have one in every classroom. I completely support any action short of putting guns to the teachers heads to keep schools running. But this makes me wonder, what is wrong with these teacher's sense of responsibility? Why was the school board forced to make these teachers come to work? Aren't teachers paid to work? Aren't we compensated for the slight loss of freedom that comes with employment? Too bad the city can't just fire them all and get some real teachers. Do you want someone who doesn't understand responsibility teaching kids? Maybe we've uncovered a fundamental problem with the American educational system. (Note: My prediction is the teachers will win their suit. I base this prediction on an observation: The court system uses the actual letter of the law to undermind the spirit on which it was written. We need more judges like the guy on Picket Fences. There goes any credibility I had, right?)

3/13/96 - This morning I'm just going to relate some mundane happenstances from the past 24 hours of being me. I went running last night and I thought about my CD buying habits. I contrasted them to those of my friend Andy. I realized that our CD buying habits illustrate our difference in political views: I go for Wal-Mart (because at $10.88, you won't find CDs cheaper) and Andy goes for Digits (because it's a local business). Hmmm. At 10pm I got in my car and found a friend of mine is a temp DJ on the radio. I called him up and we B.S.ed and messed with other callers ("You want to hear INXS!? Get real; They Suck!"). Then, this morning, on my drive to work, I passed my sister on Derbyshire Rd. (She lives in VA Beach and Derbyshire is here in the west end of Richmond); I was confused. She called me (here at work) from her car and explained she has to be in C'ville for a meeting this morning and stayed with Mom and Dad since Richmond is closer to C'ville than VA Beach. Well, there you have 3 unrelated events from my past 24 hours; I'm not the most exciting person in the world, but I'm not dull.

3/14/96 - I really should write down the great ideas I have so, when it comes time to make my journal entry, I can write something good instead of going on about how I have nothing to say or talking about how much I love coffee. That's was a pretty darned long sentence. Woooo! Skynyrd (did I spell that correctly?) on the radio. I used to be a huge classic rock fan, then I got into college music and then everyone got into college rock and the name changed to modern rock or alternative. Then the record companies, seeing what a market they now had, signed every two-bit alternative band thus glutting the airwaves with crap music from crappy bands. I still prefer quality new music to old hat, but compared to most new music, the quality stuff is the tried and true, big, dumb classic rock. Besides, I haven't heard it in so long it almost sounds new. Outta here.

3/15/96 - Basketball. I'm not a fan, but, like NFL Playoff time, it's sort of hard to stay uninvolved in the NCAA Tournament. I entered a pool. I picked strictly by the seeds (except I went to the AP Poll for my final outcome). After last night I'm doing ok with 10 of a possible 16 points. The only place I'm really hurting is in the southeast; I picked UCLA to win a second round game but they're gone. How did UCLA end up in the southeast? It's not like their campus is in former Confederacy. Nor are they playing in the southeast (Indianapolis). The logic escapes me. Hey, How 'bout them Hokies?! A Virginia team made it to round 2. Whoa, and the west? Several of those teams are from the southeast. Did the same people that came up with Quark flavors name these divisions? Strange, Charmed, West, Southeast; they all mean something completely different then what you'd think.

3/18/96 - Boxing, editing, sun, photos, music, fun, friends, driving, eating and much much more; That was my weekend. I saw Bruno and Tyson fight (boring), but I also saw two women box. That was interesting. I wouldn't want to P.O. anyone, but I really wouldn't want to P.O. someone who's likely and able to deck me (not that decking me is hard). These women looked fierce... Yipe. My family and I had a portrait taken. This doesn't sound fun, but, for some strange reason, it was a blast. The photographer told my mom she was scaring him. We lost it. Sunday the band recorded more rhythm tracks for our album. James caught a spelling error in friday's journal. I subsequently fired my editor. So, I'm writing sans editor today. I accepting applications for the position if you are interested. Well, I gotta go now; see you later.

3/19/96 - Remember the Sex Pistols? I really didn't hear of them until my friend Carter really got into skateboarding; this was 5 years after Sid Vicious was dead. Anyway, they (minus Vicious) are reuniting for a tour. I could have guessed these guys would have the guts to be honest; According to Johnnie Rotten they're motives are: 1) Respect and 2) To make the money they should have made in the 70s. Yeah! I'm there. The other day I looked down at my keyboard and saw a horse and a cow. The outline of the keys themselves are important, but I'll draw, as best I can, the animals I saw:

Horse: This is a profile shot showing the ears ("), the left eye ('), the left nostril (?) and the mouth (/).

           "
           '
          ?
          /

        {    }
        [    ]
          "
          '

3/20/96 - Here I am. I have a high X' faux Pop Tart (Yum), coffee (ahh), and I'm doing my job (watching the telephone lines upon which no law students are currently registering; they can if they want to; I checked). There is no point to any of that. I think I'll tell you a story. When I was in college I ran Cross Country. One of our long runs went from one town to another and back along the Maury river. The trail crossed through fields where cows hung out and behaved like cows (which they do very slowly). Sometimes the cows would be hanging out right in the middle of the path; We'd run right through their midst (strange phrase) and they'd scatter like behemoth birds. I was always afraid they'd chase me or bite me so I'd make up escape plans. I never executed an emergency cow evasive maneuver.

3/21/96 - I stayed up way late last night (and it was worth every sacrificed second of sleep) to see the best band within 60 miles of me. They are Agents of Good Roots and they put on the most painfully excellent show I have had the fortune to see in years. Live, the songs were charged, unexpected, funky (have you ever seen funk played on a distorted nylon string acoustic?), playful and flawlessly executed. The music is full of time changes, stops, dynamic shifts and the people playing it (all 4 of them) are fantasticly talented. I shan't be able to utter enough praise for these folks. Oh, did I mention superb taste in cover choices and arrangement (e.g. "Romeo and Juliet" as good as Dire Straits ever did it)? Now for the CD (last night was their CD release party), I am just listening to it now. Their year old demo tape is what first attracted me to the band, so far the CD isn't as good as the demo and, unfortunately, doesn't come close to the energy of the live show (did I say it was the best live show I've seen since... Dave Matthews when he used to be the Flood Zone's Wed. night guy?). In conclusion, Agents of Good Roots, see them. The CD (Where'd You Get That Vibe?), so it's not up to their live work, who cares? Buy it; support the best Richmond band and learn the songs. Hell, these guys are going to be huge; jump on the band wagon early.

3/25/96 - I took friday off. I was going to do some fun stuff, but it turns out I couldn't; I got sick. I was sick from midday friday until I got up yesterday. Yesterday my band finished recording the rhythm tracks for our second studio venture. We don't have a title yet, but several members are leaning toward "The Flying Lumber Incident" due to... well, um... two giant lumber window plugs that were shot from the studio windows like cork from a pop gun during our first session. As far as I know, Brian, the only human victim, has suffered no permanent damage (I'm sure the emotional scars will remain for the rest of his life). Basically Brian was peacefully sleeping until a 50 lb board box plopped down onto his head and arm. That was a month ago. Now the band moves from bass and drums to guitars, vocals and other assorted sounds (some of which Brian is slated to produce). Doggy play, doggy play dead.

3/26/96 - Yesterday my boss asked me why I don't talk too much about work here on this page. "Hmmm" I said "I try to keep work separate from the rest of me." "You don't talk about running" was his reply. I guess I don't. Running is mostly boring unless you, too, do it, then you can compare. As I said yesterday, I was sick this weekend (Yes, Susan B., I'm feeling much better; thanks for asking); yesterday was my first day back running (since last thursday). I, Fatigue Boy, raced the clock. I was kicked. Out O' Shape Lee, the me prior to spring training, runs this 5 mile course in 34:14; Fatigued Boy completed the loop in 35:23. The loop in question is mostly grass. I start at my complex heading north, then I turn west toward the setting sun (well, Goochland) then I turn south toward suburban land which I wind through for 2.5 miles before hitting my little match box apartment (which I have named "Casa Circa De Nada"). There you have it: Running with Lee.

3/27/96 - I decided this morning that I'll win the lottery tonight. The pot is up to 20 million bucks; that works out to around 600K a year for 20 years... Zowwie! What will I do with the dough? First off, I don't need 600K a year. I think I can live comfortably on 100K a year. I've always wanted to play the stock market. I have to say something unselfish; I'll give some to the Daily Planet and the Bainbridge Community House. I'll do something nice for my family. Now back to me. Vacation... I'll get a two seat convertible and go tour California and the Grand Canyon. Here's the tricky part: If I'm financially secure, what will motivate me to work? I'll have to really dig inside myself and find out what makes me tick, then I'll pursue that. Perhaps I'll open a coffee shop that has an open mic for musicians to come in and play. Maybe I'll become an astronomer. Maybe I'll open a Star Wars museum. Or, I could combine all three ideas into a giant coffee shop with a Star Wars/stars theme. Hmmm. Even when I win, I'll continue coming in and writing this journal... at least for a little while.

3/28/96 - I decided to let the lottery jackpot get bigger and win then. I saw Agents of Good Roots again last night... excellent as always. I got no sleep last night and am therefore slightly tired so stock car racing is on my mind (this doesn't happen every time I'm tired). I'm not a fan; What would it take to make me one? How about if they had to drive backwards around the track? That would be funny. I wonder if I could drive all the way from my apartment to work in reverse gear? The cops would probably not like it. Back to racing; What if, instead of stock cars, they drove stock rental trucks (the big kind)?

Announcer1: " Coming into turn 3 we see [driver's name] taking some chances."
Announcer2: "Yeah, he needs to, Billy Bob. But he better watch his speed real good and close like. I've seen worser drivers tip a 15 footer at 27mph on that there turn."
Announcer1: "Yee Ha, I 'amember that! I laughed so darned hard I spilled my beer and some of it came out my nose; that hurt painful bad."

I might like to watch something like that on TV, but I'd have to turn the volume down.

3/29/96 - I was running 10 minutes late this morning and got caught in the rush to get kids to school. There's a private school on my route to work; I didn't realize how little time there was between when I pass (normally around 7:15) and when parents load there kids into the minivan and cart them, fighting (I saw this), to school (around 7:25). I tend to be a fast driver, but my car just doesn't have the steam to reach it's top speed in a short amount of time. Some of these minivans are fast off the line, but the drivers, probably because they are smarter than I am and don't want a ticket, stay about 2 mph below the speed limit. Not only did I have to wait forever for the minivans of fighting kids to turn left into the school, but I got behind one early and spent half my drive to work with a front row seat to the fights going below the speed limit. We'd get to a stop light and the road would widen so I'd pull up beside the van. The light would go green and the minivan would blow me away thus getting in front of me as the road went back to one lane and I was trapped... Ahhhh.

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