I'm so stuffed and so tired right now. I just got back from The Life. We had tacos and Cheesecake factory cheesecake.

We've been talking about the discipline of solitude, and I'm trying to integrate that into my life. Even though I'm far from home, family, and ... friends@home, I'm finding plenty to do here and my schedule fills up. So strangely, I guess, I haven't really missed people at home. I talk occasionally with a handful of people at school, on-line. They too have their own busy schedules, like always.

I'm sick again, unfortunately. I was sick about two weeks ago and never felt totally over it; now it's back full-force.

I desparately need to get my passport application in, so I can spend New Year's with my brother. Now where to get two recent identical photos with their super-specific height and width specifications. What about people who have abnormally large head width:height ratios??? Can they not travel out of the country?

Uncle Sam nods his in approval. Or is he condescendingly looking down his nose at me? I'm not sure if he could get a passport, with that big hat of his.

Nick's Corner 2.0

So I'm curious about what kind of balance I'm going to be able to strike up between publishing my real thoughts and feelings versus putting up whatever I want everyone to see. :-) I don't have have a problem with not doing the former... I certainly don't want to have that kind of transparency with the internet.

The thing is, I've always had this problem where once in a... oh... once every four months or so I have some desire to put pen to paper. Maybe more like eight months. But anyway, it doesn't happen often. Maybe the web log will make it easier to do that and will let me quickly vent some frustration or praise or deep thoughts or mindless nothingness. Or maybe it will just be a good way to kill time.

I think I suffer from the Rob Thomas syndrome. It's not that I Feel Stupid. No, I'm not going to start a band with a number in it then after some initial success begin spelling out the number because bands that have numbers in their names that aren't spelled out don't do well. I meant that I tend to write when I'm upset or things are going wrong. That's why most of his songs are all so depressing. When he's having a good time he doesn't want to sit and write. Makes sense to me.

Thank you, Mr. Rice, for trying to Smell the Color Nine, and telling us about it.