June 9, 1958. That was the day that Charlie Brown was called a "blockhead" for the first time -
http://www.snoopy.com/comics/peanuts/meet_the_gang/meet_charlie_brown.html

But as we all know, it certainly wasn't the last time!

There's even a book called Charlie Brown: Not Your Average Blockhead -
http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Your-Average-Blockhead/dp/0067575188

I guess being a "blockhead" isn't such a bad thing. And so (for now) I will continue to write for no money.

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About a week ago I finished reading Jimmy Buffett's A Salty Piece of Land -
http://www.amazon.com/Salty-Piece-Land-Jimmy-Buffett/dp/031601429X/

I actually stumbled upon the book in a store in The Berkshires (Stockbridge, Massachusetts). I wouldn't exactly call it a bookstore; or a gift shop; or a country store. They had a little bit of everything it seemed. But sitting on a shelf on the second floor I found about 8 copies of A Salty Piece of Land.

I've liked Jimmy Buffett's music for as long as I can remember, but I've never read one of his books.

A Salty Piece of Land follows the adventures of a cowboy named Tully Mars. Tully, originally from Wyoming, is now working as a tour guide and lighthouse keeper in various tropical locales -- the Bahamas, Key West, Mexico.

It's a work a fiction -- slightly hard to swallow at times -- but extremely entertaining.

I definitely recommend it!

Being a novice writer I asked an old friend (someone whom I consider to be an EXCELLENT writer) for some advice on how to get started.

His response? A quote from Dr. Samuel Johnson - "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

Interesting. Not exactly what I was looking for. But still interesting.

Being naturally inquisitive, I can't help myself. I can't possibly mention this without examining and wondering if there's any truth to it.

I surely cannot help but wonder what Dr. Johnson would think if he were alive today to see the volume of e-mail, instant messaging, blogging, and text messaging.

It seems to me that people love to write... for no money. Are they all blockheads?

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I am a software developer (a web developer to be exact). Like many software developers (aka 'Computer Programmers') I enjoy reading Dilbert.

For those of you out there that write code for a living, here's something you might appreciate. I'm sorry that it's 16 months old, but hey, "better late than never".

Working for Dilbert's boss -
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/11/01/45OPrecord_1.html

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As promised, a few words on my thoughts, ideas, and fears.

Approximately 10 days ago I was having dinner at a local Italian restaurant.

There was a couple sitting next to me. Based on the information available through observation I would say that they were both in their early- to mid-40s, divorced (not from each other), and dating for more than 2 weeks but less than 1 year. (I apologize for not being more specific).

Somehow the subject of Global Warming came up in their conversation. She apparently believes that Global Warming is real and something needs to be done about it. He on the other hand doesn't believe that it's real.

My opinion? I think it's real. I think it's very real, I think we (the people) are responsible, and I think that we (not the planet) will suffer in the long run.

More to come on that...

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!

So lately I've been thinking about starting a blog. Imagine how cool it was to discover that I started one nearly 5 years ago and Blogger was kind enough to save it for me. Thank you Blogger!

I spent a decent amount of time yesterday and this morning trying to get started, wondering what I should write about. I found an article entitled "How to Start a Blog". It offers this advice - "At first, it will seem tough to figure out what to write, but once you get into a routine of daily blogging, you will find it addictive. Write about your day, your thoughts, events, ideas, fears, pleasures, the news, current affairs, art, or anything you are interested in!"

So that's what I intend to do. I will share my thoughts, my ideas, and my fears. I will discuss the news and current events. I will ask questions in the hopes that someone might actually read my blog and post a response. (perhaps in the beginning I should stick to rhetorical questions)

Speaking of the news, did you know that Yahoo has a page dedicated to Odd News - http://news.yahoo.com/oddnews. Definitely worth checking out if you have some free time on your hands.

Moving on to another of my interests -- cooking -- what if I told you that you could make delicious Fettuccine Alfredo with just 5 grams of fat per serving? It's true! Although the recipe is amazing (and simple) I offer just two suggestions -- use 1% milk instead of skim milk and use lowfat yogurt instead of fat free yogurt. It makes the dish slightly richer and creamier without adding a significant amount of fat. You can find the recipe here - http://recipes.stonyfield.com/recipes.cfm?action=details:recipeID=1449.

Anyone have any thoughts on Daylight Savings Time arriving three weeks earlier than it has in the past? Apparently the federal government changed the law to help save more energy by creating another hour of daylight in the evening when Americans consume more electricity. Every year when we turn the clocks ahead I can't help but wonder how many people are going to be late to work, to a kid's soccer game, to a lunch date, etc. Wouldn't it be nice to compromise, set our clocks 3o minutes ahead, and then just leave them alone?

Well, I think this is a decent start. I doubt I have anyone glued to their seat waiting for my next posting, but it's a start and I feel good about it.

Good night!

PS - If you're interested in reading the entire How to Start a Blog article you can find it here - http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog