Hello, well it's been awhile.

I've been told this site's been messed up on some browsers after I had moved things around a bit, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to fix it, using articles on css and xhtml I had downloaded.

Then last week, on a break from meetings, I wandered into BIPC's technical library. A goldmine, I tell ya, a goldmine! I signed out several books on XHTML and have hopefully implemented something that has fixed it. Perhaps a kind visitor will send me an e-mail...?

For less serious matters, I've had a personal ad running for some time. I keep toning it down, as I've gotten more and more comfortable with being single and as each date was more disastrous than the last. Somewhere in the spring I wrote about my last 'real' date from the ad, with a guy who seemed nice but 'no magic.' Still, he was okay enough and I thought maybe he'd be a friend. A few days after the date, it freaked me to see him walking down my street, head looking all around. After that I took my ad even less seriously and I no longer even respond to a lot of them. Here's a response; one I received a couple of weeks ago:

i am 52 and live in Suburb...how about it? I am not an evil spirit but a nice guy who needs to have friends...how about it?

Well, how about it, bloggies? Here's my reaction: Thanks but no thanks.

And then, here's a more recent reply:

One of the reasons I contacted you was because our profiles seemed to be very compatible. But also, I could have sworn you were driving behind me last week in a silver Honda type car, with a girl in the passenger seat. I was on route X south, going toward Y from work (around 5 p or so). I was driving a [rugged he-man car] and tried to get your attention a number of times, but you (I think it was you) were in the middle of a conversation and didn't see. Plus, I didn't want to be too obnoxious, in case it wasn't you or even if it was, didn't want you to think I was nuts or something.

*sigh*

And even though I wrote *sigh*, in reality I'm having some difficulty controlling my anger. I'm not always sure what provokes it, it just starts bubbling from somewhere deep within and I can feel my throat constrict. Yes, I have issues. I haven't yet responded and am not sure I should or ever will.

So, perhaps I should stick with pickups in bars, as unfulfilling as that sometimes is -- and last Friday, I went out to a local drinking establishment. Awful! There was only one guy who I thought was cute in the place and as I was getting ready to move in and introduce myself, zwhoop! in moves Trick -- just ahead of me and whom I hadn't spotted. I hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks and I bet the last time was the last time.

So, I held back and watched. Maybe I would sidle over anyway, to see if they both wanted to hang out, as they say. From their body language I could see they already knew each other -- no tension. And I could see from their glazed and unfocused eyes as they ordered another round, that they were well on their way to potted. As they sat in a cloud of cigarette smoke, I decided it wasn't worth it.

That's an update on my glorious single life in Ohio. I know you're jealous!