11 Sep 2000: I used to journal all the time, it started when I was in Alaska on a mission trip in 1995. I have on and off periods, sometimes I go months or even the better part of a year without writing anything, but I try to keep up with the really important things, like my sister getting married (or me getting married, for that matter... I'm only 8 days away from my first anniversary!). Lately it's been an off time, but I really enjoy (with a mixture of humiliation and general embarrassment) looking back on the ones from a long time ago. I know the kind of person I am means that I'll really like them when I'm 70 or so.

Cool things:

imood lets you share your mood with the whole world (or at least those who know your email if you make your mood public—mine is )

• I've been playing Space Ambush and CashWars a lot lately. Both of them let you make real money (funded by their banner ads) without paying to play or anything like that. I think that's cool, but I mostly play them because they're fun. I'm developing a resource site right now for Space Ambush players and hoping it will become wildly popular becaus I could really use the money from the banner ads. :o)
• Oh, I know there was at least one more site I wanted to tell you about... What was it? Well, I'll mention that Brinkster is really cool if you want to learn web programming with ASP. Mostly 'cause it's free.
• I know what it was! NameZero es muchos cool. You get a free domain name in exchange for an ad. Check out sarahlewis.net to see what I mean.
  
  
  05 Jul 2000: Wow, aren't you just getting inundated with rants all of the sudden! Betcha never thought that would happen! Well, I don't know how it is where you live, but I lived in Grants Pass, Oregon for 18 years of my life, and I can tell you, fireworks are not allowed in the city limits. Also, fireworks can't fly off the ground. Pretty strict, I thought, but not unusual. What's really unusual is Walla Walla, Washington (which really should have a Wal-mart, just because it'd be so much fun to say: Walla Walla Wal-mart), where I live now (well, nearby, anyway). Good golly! These people allow really big fireworks inside the city. I'm serious; these things were rivalling the real show, which was also pretty darned explosive. Feels like we're in Wyoming or something.
  
  
  03 Jul 2000: Wondering where I've been? Well, it's a little known secret (whatever) that I'm a bit of a book worm. Recommendations out of my recent reads:
  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
  Girl in Hyacinth Blue
  
  Go visit your local library! You know you want to.
  
  In other news, I've been Fedding of late. Federation is a game that was once upon a time on AOL and then went to the internet. I found it! Don't laugh at me just because I like text games. Come play.
  
  
  26 Jan 2000: Okay, Internet junkies. Two things: wheresgeorge.com, and PHP.
  
  Where's George is a fun and admittedly strange thing to do. You go to the site, enter in the serial numbers on your paper money, mark your money (yes, it's legal), and hope someone else enters it in after you've spent it. Then Where's George gives you all the info on where it was last entered, how many miles it traveled, that kind of thing. It's extremely entertaining to find that your five dollar bill has somehow made it all the way to a casino in Las Vegas, where someone won it. (Well, that happened to one of mine, another one just got given as change at the local Taco Bell.) It' really interesting to watch where your money goes.
  
  PHP: if you're a web designer and you don't know about this... get learning. Very very cool. Lets you do all sorts of things you would not otherwise be able to do, like using databases and creating totally dynamic web sites. Pretty soon (I hope) I'll have an example. Watch for it. Check out Webmonkey's section on PHP. Webmonkey is my hero.
  
  
  Guest rant by 27 Nov 1999: One of the things that perplexes me the most is that I have a $25 watch that has kept time within a few seconds for four years and a $2,500 computer that can't keep time worth squat. Why is it that computers can't keep time? You think that with all the technology that goes into the blasted things they could put a clock in 'em that works better than my watch. Maybe they could hook my watch up to my computer so it could keep time or something like that...
  
  
  21 Oct 1999: I just got back from a "Jazz & Java" evening at the Student Association Center. Wasn't actually jazz, but the name sounds cool. The performer was a guy named Dan Schwartz. He played guitar and sang--some stuff he composed and songs by other folks, too. Reminded me of Dave Matthews a bit (but I liked Dan's lyrics better) and also a guy who you've probably never heard of named Brett Barry (if you ever get a chance to hear him, do). Overall, very good, in my opinion anyway (and that's what matters, right?). Visit his site at www.danschwartz.net and see if he's performing near you. If he is, go.
  
  
  11 Oct 1999: Long time no rant! And no wonder! I just got married and came back to college for my last year. Life as a married woman is different in some ways, but feels mostly the same. We have our own apartment now, which is very nice, after two years in our respective (very much NOT-co-ed) dorms and a summer spent at his family's home in Colorado. So much more relaxing. We have our friends Keith and Jen (who caught the bouquet and garter thing, by the way) over almost every night and pretend to do homework. Think about it: we get to live by ourselves but still get financial support from our parents. Yay for college! Then again, we figured it out once and we're working, between school and work, about 70 hours a week. Maybe this isn't such a great deal...
  
  
  01 Aug 1999: In a mere three and a half hours, I'm getting my wisdom teeth yanked. I'm not all that concerned, but maybe I should be. I've had a lot of oral surgery in my 19 years, more than the combined members of most families. I've had just about everything possible done to my teeth, the reward being a transformation from the most messed up mouth you've ever seen to ordinary looking, braces induced, straight teeth. This doesn't mean I like oral surgery; I still dislike shots in a very passionate way. However, I'm used to it. I just hope that this surgery is as (eventually) forgettable as those which have come before. That and I hope they give me some Tylenol-3. :o)
  
  
  14 Jul 1999: My mom forwarded me a story which made a real impact on me. Read Clean Blood now if you haven't yet. This story made me cry, and it's one of the few things which has really hit home. I want to have a more real relationship with God. I don't know how exactly, but facing reality is a good start.
  
  
  09 Jul 1999: I was at a web site the other day, and the author offered to send viewers a postcard (a real one). I thought that was a great idea, so you can now get carded on this site. Not only did I think it was a great idea, it's also one I'd like to encourage, so I set up a webring just to link sites that offer postcards together. If you're interested in doing this on your page, please do, and if you feel like it, submit your site to the Carded webring.
  
  
  01 Jul 1999: I love cats. I was sitting here at my computer, working away on this site, when I heard a strange sound. Now, you must understand that I'm in the basement; there are ground level windows all around the top of the room. Outside one of those windows, the neighbor's cat was stalking around. So I called to it, which I suppose was somewhat mean, given that there was no way for it to come to me. It started piteously meowing, and, being the feline enthusiast that I am, I ran upstairs and went outside to it. The cat happily hopped on my lap, where it sat, walked, circled, flopped, lay, and otherwise enjoyed itself for the next half hour. Unfortunately, I was wearing my pajamas still, which consist of shorts and a tank top, so the cat's claws became somewhat of an issue. A very odd cat, too, it wanted to be held like a baby, and it would squirm around on my lap but didn't want to get down. After a while, I went and got the digital camera and took a few snaps of the then-whining cat. I wish the apartment where Daniel and I will be living allowed cats. When I finally live somewhere that does, I'm getting one.
  
  
  24 Jun 1999: Hullo, friends! I'm working on this site as I'm writing this. It's not online yet but of course it will be when you read it. I'm also on the phone... on hold. I've called up the tech support at MindSpring because I'd really just like to know what the newsgroup server is. I'm not a total idiot, I just haven't used Usenet before. I went and looked on their web site and the instructions they give don't um... work. It just said server not found. So now I sit at the tail end of a 15 minute waiting list. If I were them, I don't think I'd say what the expected waiting time is. That's one of those things that shouldn't be mentioned unless you're proud of it. Otherwise, don't say, and the people who really want help (and have no lives) will stay and wait, and the ones who don't, well, they don't deserve help. Just kidding. :o) Besides, when they say "expected wait time is 15 minutes" I just sit here thinking, "it's got to have been 20 by now." If they don't tell me how long I have to wait, then when they finally answer the phone, it will be a great exciting surprise. "Wow, there's really someone there after all!" Truly, though, if you have to sit on hold for 15 minutes (which is not really a huge deal but I'm really wishing I had one of those headset-walkman phone things), MindSpring is a good place to do it. They have this very nice, soothing (probably a strategic move on their part) classical music which really is quite pleasant to listen to. I'd listen to it on purpose... Hey, they just answered! Let's see if their solution works (if not, I'll wait until Daniel, my genius fiance, comes home because I'm not calling back... my poor neck couldn't take it).