12/3: Had ice cream and a great chat with Jim T, who somehow remained my friend when I selfishly swooped in and snatched his ladyfriend away in the mid-90s. Although I've only seen him once since, we've remained cordial, and kind of grown in similar ways, making this a relaxed and interesting and pleasant opportunity to catch up with one another.

12/2: Went to the Coolidge Corner Theatre for a midnight show that began with a live performance by Black Cat Burlesque, which was made doubly sweet by a full frontal wardrobe malfunction. That's what I love about pasties... Then came the main feature, Let Them Eat Rock, Rodman Flender's entertaining rockumentary about local big hair rockers the Upper Crust and the weeks leading up to their 1995 national television debut on Conan O'Brien.

11/26: Spent a very temperate day clambering up the sheer granite cliffs of 3165-foot Mt. Monadnock with Janine. It was my first time up the mountain, and it was definitely a steep, rocky, difficult haul, but well worth the exertion and subsequent muscle aches. Full writeup & photos

11/23: Went over to Janine's for Thanksgiving dinner, which was quite the feast!

11/18: November's issue -- DargonZine 19-8 -- contains an eerie standalone story called "Fears" by Dargon veteran Dafydd, and the third chapter in Nick Wansbutter's ongoing Great Houses War series.

11/13: Kicked off the new job with some of the much-promised travel to exotic destinations as I spent most of the week in scenic… uhh… Boise Idaho on a new client project. With all kinds of crazy mountains just outside town, it looks like an awesome place to bring a bike, but definitely not the kind of tropical destination I'd hope to spend my winter in!

11/6: Started my first day of work as a Senior Creative Developer at Optaros, a downtown technology consulting and integration firm that specializes in designing and developing Open Source and Next Generation Internet solutions.

11/3: Finished reading David Gordon Wilson's classic "Bicycling Science", which provided a unique look at aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, balance and steering, and materials and design, all as it relates to cycling and other human-powered vehicles.

11/2: Attended this year's Pan-Mass Challenge check presentation ceremony, where we presented the Jimmy Fund with it's largest single donation ever: $26 million, which is more than twice what any other athletic fundraiser in the nation has ever achieved, and half of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue. This year I set a record, as well, raising $6,260 and becoming a PMC "Heavy Hitter". Press release

10/30: Weekend trip to Maine.

10/29: Spent over four hours on public transportation in order to see my friend Janine sing "Somehow I Never Could Believe" from the Kurt Weill opera "Street Scene" at a benefit that the MS Accelerated Cure Project didn't want to put on.

10/28: My nano died just hours after its one-year warrantee ended. After going a month without an iPod, I finally gave in to Apple's faceless corporate might and replaced it with a 30GB standard iPod. Hopefully this one will last more than 12 months.

10/27: Had a nice farewell lunch at On The Border as I completed my last day at Bus Innovation. It was a great place to get back into the industry, and I enjoyed my 18 months there, which included business trips to Dallas, Seoul, and ecom hotspots like Scranton PA and Goshen NY. But it's also a relief to have some time off right now, too.

10/21: I wasn't about to miss the Bentmen's 20th anniversary show at the Middle East, parking right on the edge of the stage, rocking out, and getting viciously slimed. I even got a hug from Larry Dersch for wearing my Concussion Ensemble kit. Photodump here.

10/21: Checked out the Mit Press Bookstore's annual loading dock sale and found a copy of "Bicycling Science", which has been on my wish list for a long time, priced 72% off!

10/17: Only a few weeks after founder Stuart Moore stepped out of his co-CEO role at Sapient, co-founder and CEO Jerry Greenberg and longtime CFO Sue Johnson resigned amidst allegations of stock option mismanagement, leaving Alan Herrick at the helm. Who'da thunk it? I guess “Built to Last” didn't cover dubious accounting practices...

10/14: Made a long-awaited pilgrimage down to Foxwoods, where I spent five hours at the blackjack tables, closing out down about half my pocket cash, and also joined a number of old friends for lunch and a brief gathering of New England Where's George enthusiasts.

10/13: Former DargonZine writer Mark Murray was in town, so we spent the evening catching up and lounging around Crossroads: an Irish pub that hosted one of the first gatherings of DargonZine writers back in 1995.

10/11: Having interviewed there the week before, I happily received a job offer from Optaros, a consulting services & integration firm focusing on Next Generation Internet and Open Source solutions.

10/7: Went out to see Boston's best reggae band—Pressure Cooker—at Harpers Ferry with Janine, and picked up their newest album: Future's History.