July 3

Happy Independence Day's Eve!

Maggie, my Cairn Terrier, celebrated her 10th year of life yesterday. She might be 70 in dog years, but still gets around pretty well. I hope to have her playfulness and mobility as I approach her age.

Taking advice from my good buddy Kishore, I have been watching the Dell Outlet for a good value. I bit the bullet last night and ordered a "scratch and dent" Intel Quad Core PC sans the monitor. For a fraction of the price, I will have a brand new, modern PC at home for the first time in six years. Since PC technology moves so fast these days, there is never a perfect time to upgrade. I have been procrastinating a purchase for the last 24 months; basically, I try to time an upgrade where cost is minimized and bleeding edge technology is maximized. I have always bought components (motherboard, video card, RAM) separately and performed my own upgrades until now.

Instead of tearing apart my existing computer on the kitchen table and upgrading, I would rather bounce Daphne on my knee. The time factor is huge for me now. Seeing Daphne smile and wiggle made my upgrade choice an easy decision.

Big plans for 4th of July?

Hopefully our yard receives a sprinkling of rain before the neighbor children unleash the onslaught of fire and brimstone. Why do the neighbors always seem to aim their bottle rockets at my house? The Halloween and 4th of July holidays in my neighborhood really stink! Either way, your yard will contain several pounds of empty candy wrappers or the remains of exploded fireworks.

Each year Jennie and I discuss gathering all of the trash and placing it in the offender's driveway or on their front porch with a note. We always chicken out, but it's fun to dream, right?

Have a Merry July 4th!
Dave T.