Hey ya,

It is hard for me to believe that we're already in the third month of 2000.  I'm still thoughtlessly writing 99 on my checks.  Ah well, it'll come to me with practice.  Perhaps the problem is I haven't had enough practice.  I'd really like to go back to work fulltime, have a schedule, wrap my brain around problems and solve them.  I'm only really starting to be more aggressive in my job search.  (It is hard because I HATE the process of looking for work and this unfortunately slows down the process instead of speeding it up so I'm done sooner.)  At any rate, I am looking for work at a medium to large company solving problems by programming in C or C++.  If you know someone who I can talk to that might be looking for a good employee, pleasecheck out my resume and write to give me their name so I may follow up.

I've been keeping busy, though, in addition to the job search.  I'm taking a Java language programming class, ballroom dancing with C, and a pottery class as well.  I'm in the middle of about 5 good books (including Race: Science and Politics by Ruth Benedict, Stiffed by Susan Faludi, Woman an Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier, and The Promise of Sleep by William Dement) as well as diving under periodically for some good fast fiction.  C and I have been playing Baldur's Gate, though I'm more impressed with my brother's attempts to play with only one character in his party.  And we've been making a list of all the movies we've ever seen.

We've also found a solution to Pepper's constant begging for the laser pointer: give it to him.  He has amused us to no end for the last couple of evenings when we taped the laser pointer on and clipped it to his collar so it is always pointing in front of him.  He runs back and forth down the hall or between bedrooms, he stalks it, he lays down panting and keeps an eye on it when he gets tired, then he pounces at it and is up and running again.  For hours.  Sometimes it is only visible when he turns his head a certain way when it shines in his fur or on the back of his tongue, so when we take it off him he still looks for it, tail wagging, certain it will turn up in front of him shortly.  He doesn't need anyone for this game, he's happy as heck, and it is very funny to watch.  It is the high-tech version of chasing his tail.  Go, Borg puppy, go!

Smiles and hugs to you and yours,
No