I was going to go to bed without writing anything tonight (now early A.M. tomorrow morning). That was until I stumbled across an old MIDI file from 1996, one of my very first attempts at musical composition, a very short 12-measure piece.

Back when I first got a computer of my own, in 1996, I shortly thereafter experiemented with some MIDI editing software that allowed me to enter notes into the computer by hand, and then would play them back to me. I had a blast! I think I went a little crazy.

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Ok, since I'm one of those single guys, those bachelors, that Brigham Young is purported to have said are a menace to society, holding a Family Home Evening, as counseled and as President James E. Faust recently reiterated in the First Presidency Message in the June 2003 Ensign can prove rather interesting. Sometimes I visit my parents in nearby Hurricane and participate in their Family Home Evening. Since I'm no longer in a singles ward, I don't belong to a Family Home Evening group. Thankfully, I've got an LDS roommate who wants to be obedient, and who gently reminds should I forget or think to shirk. So we hold Family Home Evening after all, my roommate and I, joined by our mutual friend.

That's what we did tonight, the three of us, after a dinner of Subway sandwiches.

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My sister's kitten plays on the bookshelvesWell she did it! I don't know how, but she did it. My youngest sibling finally triumphed. For a very long time now, my father has been adament that cats were outdoor pets only. My teenage sister wore his resistance down, and now she has a cat, a kitten. And it's fun to play with, sociable and friendly, soft fur, sharp claws and all.

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It's my brother's birthday today, so here goes: Happy Birthday, Andy! Andy's been not only a brother, but a friend since we grew up together. Now he lives in Georgia with his wife and five kids. Though I do miss spending time together and visiting, he's the kind of brother and friend that when we do meet or chat on the telephone, we just pick right back up where we left of. Andy has also been a great example to me, of patience, diligence in doing what's right, and listening and obeying answers to prayers. Thank you, Andy!

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This evening (Saturday evening), I read some of my earlier web page entries out loud to some family members. Eeek! I made a painful discovery! You see, I'm one who appreciates excellent grammar, correct spelling, and good writing. I discovered that this this web page was a perfect example of what I dislike, gross grammar, sad spelling, and wretched writing.

So please forgive me should ever I chide someone else for poor writing skills, or point my hypocritical finger at another web site. And please, feel free to laugh at my mistakes, or if you are generous, point them out to me (see below).

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I am definitely my father's son. Or so my dad told me this afternoon, when I told him how I cut my finger.

While I was visiting at my parents home in Hurricane, Utah this afternoon, my sister pulled her Pontiac Sunbird into the driveway, home from work in Zion National Park. The other day she'd noticed that her car had a small coolant leak. After parking in the driveway, she opened the hood of her car, looking for the source of the leak. Soon she came inside the house and announced she'd discovered the source of the coolant leak. It was a radiator hose -- it had a hole in it, spraying a hot mixture of antifreeze and water into the engine compartment.

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Holy Bananas, it's hot in them, thar, ahem, valleys -- if you mean the valleys in and around St. George, Utah. While I totally love living in this southwestern corner of Utah, a dry but spectacular red rock desert, the summer heat in the 100s and even 110s (degrees Fahrenheit, that is) is just too much. And having recently returned on Monday afternoon from a long, lazy, wonderful Fourth-of-July weekend in the much cooler environs of Pine Valley, the heat seems somehow hotter.

Why am I complaining? I don't actually have to earn my living like my ancestors, trying to eke out an existence from the dry soil, physically laboring each day out-of-doors, exposed to the vicious glare of the desert sun. I have it easy! I work each day in air-conditioned comfort, fingers flying across the computer keyboard. Somehow, just looking out the window into the glaring afternoon sunlight is enough to remind me, it's HOT out there. And somehow that thought offends me, or at least taunts me, whispering to my mind, "Ha ha! You can't come out here, you can't go walking or hiking, or else my mighty heat will swat you down and sap your strength in seconds."

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The U.S. flag flaps in the warm summer breeze in Pine Valley, Utah on the Fourth of July, 2003Here I am in the beautiful community of Pine Valley, nestled against the imposing Pine Valley Mountains. The air outside is cool, cooler than in St. George. Before it dipped below the western horizon, a crescent moon graced the clear, starry sky, a night sky unpolluted by too many street lights, though there was a thin haze of smoke from the Apex fire, still burning in the hills and mountains west of St. George.

About that mountain -- please don't call it Pine Mountain like some uninformed folks do -- the official name is Pine Valley Mountain or the Pine Valley Mountains (even though the name is something of an oxymoron). I suspect the mountain was named after the community, Pine Valley, nestled in the arms, rather than the community taking its name from the mountain. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in my conjecture, since that's all it is, a guess.

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Why is it that St. George, Utah doesn't have a Chinese food restaurant that will deliver? What I wouldn't give for some Chinese food right now, so long as I don't have to leave my house... It's probably a good thing, 'cause I'd scarf down too much.

You see, I just got back from the St. George Rec. Center where I got some great aerobic exercise, and I feel wonderful. You know, that relaxed, pleasant, all-natural endorphine high that comes from exercise. The problem is, after burning off those calories, my body wants 'em back, NOW! And with interest!

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Yes! PHP 5.0.0 Beta 1 is here, and I'm trying it out on this site right now. At last, some decent, real object oriented and exception handling stuff is available with PHP. Check out the announcement over at the PHP home page if you're into geeky stuff like that. I think I'll move my homemade blogging scripts to PHP5 (even though they currently run just fine as is without any changes, at least as far as I can see) before I attempt to add any new features.

Well I've put it off too long. I really, really need to get more exercise and activity in my life. Working all day in front of a computer just isn't a recipe for a healthy lifestyle. So I'm gonna cut this short and head over to the St. George Recreation Center and use the fitness center before it gets any later.