I haven't been posting, so nothing must be happening right?

I haven't made a blog post in about a month. I guess this is supposed to mean nothing is going on in my life, but usually that isn't the case. Really, I just haven't felt compelled to write on any particular topic. That is true even today. Still, I do want to make a new entry just to help fill the void. With the help of my trusty online calendar I will review what has been going on of late...

One topic to discuss is the situation with my car. I impulse purchased a Beck 550 in January of this year. Now, here it is the middle of August and I still do not have the car licensed. This has been a long journey of car repairs and paperwork problems. A week and a half ago I finally got the last piece of paperwork necessary for me to get the car titled. I mailed it to the Missouri Department of Revenue and, as of today, they still haven't entered it into their computer. Considering the kind of luck I have had with this vehicle I half suspect the document that took me seven months to procure must have gotten lost in the mail.

Another small item of note is that I finally purchased an Iphone. It's as cool as everyone says it is. There is a part of me that realizes I should probably take a couple of weeks off and write an app for it so I can make myself a couple of hundred thousands dollars. Then, another part of me, realizes that probably thousands of other programmers are planning on doing the same exact thing. The applications currently available for the Iphone are generally quite lame with a relatively few exceptions. What is really unique about Iphone apps is that an individual can create a throw-away application, meaning an app that is something small and silly that sells for about the same price as a candy bar. Still, this one silly application can easily sell tens of thousands of copies. Many of the most popular applications don't look like they took much more than a few days or a couple of weeks to make.

It is clear to me that within a matter of months there will be such a deluge of content for the Iphone that it will be almost impossible to wade through it all and it will be a challenge for individual developers to get noticed.

Looking back at my calendar I can see it included a number of BBQ's and parties, as it always does this time of year. I hosted a BBQ for a large group that won the raffle we held at Wentzville Lodge. The day was a big success and my guests were able to celebrate a very special occasion. I also attended a number of installation ceremonies for both lodge and DeMolay events.

Just yesterday I hosted a BBQ and pool party for our neighbors and family. The weather has been bizarrely beautiful, in the high 70's to low 80's even in the middle of August. Usually we are struggling with brutal heat this time of year in St. Louis.

On Saturday I stopped by to visit my mom and dad. About two and a half years ago my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given less than six months to live. Well, he proved all those predictions wrong and was able to maintain a fairly high quality of life these past couple of years. Unfortunately, the end is finally drawing near. Dad will be entering hospice sometime in the next few weeks and is not expected to last much past that. He is in a lot of pain now and it is tough on everyone to deal with.

I didn't take any vacation time this year because I knew I would probably have to deal with this family situation. When Dad passes I plan to take a couple of weeks off of work to get Mom settled and everything squared away.

I was invited to attend a computer conference in a couple of weeks in San Jose. I'm looking forward to going but I am also worried about it if, perhaps, Dad should pass while I am out of town. Right now I'm still planning on taking the trip but I imagine that could change as the date gets closer.

This coming Saturday my daughter is going to throw her last party before she heads off to college on the 23rd. She will be a freshman at the Chicago institute of art. She is very excited but it is quite strange to have her leaving home. My son John is planning on moving down to Florida as well. Alex is now our only child still to be at home and he is a sophomore this year.

As I close this rambling post I would like to make the following announcement.

On Saturday August 23th I am going to attempt to show a film on my boat. I haven't done this in a couple of years. In fact, I often wonder if I shouldn't just sell my entire film collection. It is not that I have lost my enthusiasm for the hobby, it is simply that I need an audience for it to be worthwhile.

Setting up a movie showing on my boat, while it is still floating in the middle of the lake, is a huge logistics challenge. If for some reason I can't do the showing on the lake, due to weather or equipment issues, I still plan to show it at my home.

I am quite excited about the movie I am going to share. Call it 'Kung-Fu Theatre'. I own a pristine print of the original TV movie 'Kung-Fu' starring David Carradine. A friend of mine has promised that he can get an audience together and I'm really looking forward to the event.