is that a sigh of relief or of dispair? (or were you just breathing heavy and got confused?)

drinking my tea, having finished my bagel. Fairly happy today Well, certainly not sad And I read a post from many moons ago that mentioned boyce I associate the name, obviously with the spring, but also with the summer months in Austin. And, all of a sudden, I became really homesick for Austin. My old apartment off of Riverside, runs around Town Lake, late night skates around town stopping in assorted coffee houses to play cards... The smell of the air with humidity. The hot sticky feel after exercising in humidity and sunshine. Riding through the Greenbelt, reading off Mt. Bonnell... To no one in particular... Do you ever feel happy and sad at the same time? Odd how this came up so suddenly.

I guess that's me. Yeah, I feel happy and sad simultaneously. Well I got a contract on a house in Austin today. I now have 10 days to change my mind.

(all the time)

Wow, a house--that's a big commitment, Terry. Sometimes I think ours is a full-time job. Stacey, that happy/sad feeling; sometimes. More commonly I feel a persistent undercurrent of restlessness laying in wait beneath the surface.

yes to all of the above...

congrats on the house Paul! and as far as the brief trip into emotional uncertainty... there's nothing like a class full of rowdy boys to bring you back to the here and now! *smile* and nothing like a beer (or four) to make the day a mere memory!

whew! (spamified) found ramble in another conference... that I'd never checked before two plus years of... rambling. (worn out)

ramble rambles all over about 7 or 8 conferences. Ramble really rambles.

nite, all

afternoon...

Evening, ma'am, hain't seen ya 'round none too much lately. Ya'll okay and all?

fine. busy. frustrated with certain things but nothing catastrophic... you know how it is when you begin to vent... a trickle, a stream, a flood...

yes, I know... but, if I gotta talk to ya'll, then ya'll gotta talk to me *wink*

sure you wanna talk??? *wink*

yep, talk would be the correct verb choice (I'll even sit on my hands in case I forget) *wink-wink*

what should I sit on?!?! *grin*

to keep things "easy", my lap, since we already been there... do we need Terry to do the drivin' this time, or are we just gonna "park" while we talk? *crossing fingers*

okay. In an effort to expand our cultural horizons, let's each choose a different language to speak to each other in. (Kind of the way men and women relate anyway) You may speak whatever you like I choose body language!

No problema, mi amiga.

or, I could pretend you were written in Braille, but since I'm sitting on my hands, not sure how I would read you...couldn't guaranty that there wouldn't be a misunderstanding, you know...

Who is El Nino and what is he/she doing to me?? SUNSHINE..~~~*please!!

My sump pump has been going non-stop, too, Laughing Sky! I can only imagine what Noah went through (or those people in Malibu)

I have to say i feel for all of you who are being washed out. no rain here at least not that much. I will do my (rain please stop dance) for you. I was inducted into an indian tribe don't you know. guess i went to to many pow-wows and drank way to much booze. they named me sly fox with green eyes. by the cherokee nation and running deer by the chawktaws, and smooth as running water by the arapaho, yes I have gone to geronimos grave and even spent a night in his old jail cell. kinda cool. The first time I jumped from a plane I wasn't sure if I should call out his name after i landed I felt kinda of stupid for thinking about it while I was s anding in the door waiting to jump. you would think I would be wondering if my shut would open or not.... you know I think i am finished rambleing thank goodness. drool

Ha! Great story, Drool!:) I wish you would do a SunDance for us all! This LaughingSky's sky hasn't been laughing much, lately - more like, crying!!I can see that Autumn needs a good SunDance, too!~~~*

Definitely! It's below freezing here these days! :-( Spread a little sun this way!

I am hopeing that my sun dance has helped you, because now it is raining like a water spout outside my door there is a flash flood warning in my area. I think maybe I got my dances confused. maybe I called the rain to texas. Did the rain stop for even a little while where you two are at? I really do hope so you don't deserve that kind crud. me Im happy its raining it calms my nerves. besides Im an excelent swimmer. May the forces of creation and BIG CHEIF in the heavens keep you safe and dry. amen.... drool

Autumn, I will start my meditations today to try to get you some warmth. BURRRRRR it must be so cold your way. Try not to get fever. keep bundled up warmth will visit you soon.. drool

Well, the sun's been shining for 2 straight days, and temps are back in the 40s...keep up the good work! Now what can we do about all this mud?

Autumn, All I can tell you about thatone is WEAR BIG BOOTS ON LITTLE FEET. Brother sun will dry the ground, sister earth will give the water to the plants. If there are any others who need help however big or small let me know and I can try to help.. I have connections with the others I never wanted But I got stuck with them, I could put them to use. DROOL

No reponses since the 18th were oh were have all of you gone. does noone have a ramble in there hearts? Drool

Some of us do, but they usually spring from points south...

Hey, drool, don't you hang out in any of the other conferences? Ramble doesn't get much action comparatively...

Helllllooooo? Anybody home? The last posting was a summer ago so I thought Id leave a new one. Kinda like exloring the downtown after dark where the streets are empty except for a few urban explorers.... Its durn cold outside - near 8 degrees with a wind chill well below zero. I sure ain't going out... Guess I'll goof off around the house today. Listen to a little shortwave. Radio NewYork International is on tonite which should be good for a few yuks. The Hammarlund SP600 is older than me but still fires up. Little orange bits of light escape from vacuum tubes adding a warm glow to the cold chassis. Spin the tuning knob. Think about what new tech I wanna follow up on... What old junk a wanna pitch... Where Im gonna be in a couple of years... Yep, a good time to figure all this stuff out.... Happy Gnu Year Mike aka cosmo

Join us on 442.15!

8 degrees! Where are you, Cosmo?

Chicago, I think he said somewhere...

Brrr....How's the weather down there, Tex?

Jess about right...

"You've got mail"...

I saw...

(well, almost)

Chilly, willy. Brrrrr....

And greetings all.... Yep, near Chicago land. The temp is a bit warmer today: 19 degrees... We might actually get above 30 this weekend Woo Hoo! There is plenty of winter wonderland sports up here but I aint gonna go out unless I have to (i.e. work, etc...) I much prefer the warmer climes down south. Not many exciting ramblings to impart.... Hope to make a rave in Chicago soon so that might produce a few tales to tell.... Mike aka Cosmo

hi cosmo, welcome to the spring! i guess you get to spend a lot of time indoors in front of the computer with the weather the way it is up there.

It finally got above freezing today and melted all the ice. The kids were off yesterday and today, and Monday is MLK's birthday so we'll all be sleeping in again...

I hear that you have more on the way.

Cold Rain and Snow! Well, so much for sojourns into the outdoors. Yep, I spend alot of time indoors - some of it even in front of the ol' computer. Now, if I was in Austin, I would probably be at Shady Grove or Crown and Anchor Pub nursing a brewski. Of course, I would fit in a visit to Half Price Books to see if any new texts have shown up and FringeWare to paw through their bins as well. Even though Im cooped up, I have so many potential projects to work on that not many are getting done. Mostly dealing with amateur radio to some degree but there is also SETI research and trying to come up with my own Technomadic model to fashion (see the Technomads postings in 'Radio' in the Spring, of course..). This is turning out to be a nice virtual community and the topics are interesting. How many more days til Summer? Mike aka Cosmo

Uh...kids?

Well, I think about 64 days (give or take a few) till spring and another 90 or so till summer. Lesseee, roughly 154 days till summer starts. If someone wants to be more precise, please correct me as these are top of the head estimates. I'll check out the radio conference thing you mentioned, sounds neat. Glad you're so steeped in local lore. When did you live in Austin?

Welcome Cosmo. I have two sisters in Chicago. I'm so used to warm weather, they insist that I not visit them for Christmas because the last time I did they said I bitched too much about it being 18 degrees. I'm going back up there in Sept. for my niece's wedding. (She's getting married on my birthday.) The C&A is still a good place, especially the Sunday import special. I also recommend Lovejoy's (on Neches just off of 6th St.) Half-Price books is still the best bookstore in town, especially the one on Guadalupe. If you're in Chicago, please don't be a Cub fan. I'm for the Sox.

oh George! You and I would get along famously irl just hanging out in my old fave Austin spots (although we'd have to break for that coffee high every now and then!)

I'd say Book People would give Half Price a pretty good run for the money. That is one of the world's best bookstores.

Book People's pretty good, but my heart belongs to Half Price.

Hi Yall Well, its been down right balmy lately - 30 to 40 degrees and almost hitting 50! Spring is in the air! Well, I have seen Book People when cruising down Lamar (across from Waterloo if my memory does not fail me...) Anyway, I have not ever been there but I will add it to my list next time I visit. I like Half Price - picked up some neat texts there that I doubt I could find elsewhere. I also like Fringe Ware especially since they expanded and have mucho more interesting books, cds, zines, etc. Crown and Anchor is still one of my fave neighborhood taps. Especially when I lived down the street... I also liked 1.5 pint nite at the UT Union (at least it was there back in '89...). I also liked Mad Dogs (RIP) for the food and atmosphere. Anyway, enuf pining... Need to make a trip back in the spring or summer so I can go to Zilker or Hamilton pool and genuinely goof off. Counting the days.... Mike aka cosmo

Balmy, it was downright hot in our house last night. Furshell had me turn on the a/c for a while. Ooops, did i turn it off this morning (not)?

We enjoyed some 60 degree temps this week too, but this weekend it's back down in the 20s. Will the groundhog see his shadow? We're all on tenterhooks...

hi cosmo!

And howdy gang! Well, back again for another installment to the ramble page.... Anyway, been comtemplating just what constitutes an enlightened community and/or work place to be in... Yea, weird topic but its Saturday nite and aint much going on up here in the northern IL burbs. Yawn. For one thing, I think that this medium (i.e. The Spring) is a pretty good starting spot for some enlightened banter. Anyway... One goofy thought was to move out to the desert and set up a modest sized dish and do some combined SETI/radio astronomy research. Small problem in the fact that there are not many good pubs out in the middle of the desert. I still have to post a statement to the technomadics thread over in the radio section. Working up to it. Maybe tomorrow... For starters though, I wonder how those people who made the leap and cut the strings and are now out there roughing while still connected to the net are doing. Seems like an interesting concept but I still have way too much junque (high class junk) to even think about being mobile. Well, off to the radio room to listen to 'The Planet' on 7425 khz and take in that pirate radio vibe for a while. Now, here is a thought... Chicago could sure use a KOOP 'cause the commercial radio choices are high in cereal filler and low on substance. The exception is WNUR (college station) which is about as close to KOOP as we got. Problem is that their power levels dont quite make it well out to the burbs. The other campus stations have even less range - almost gotta be at the campus to here them. Guess I should get real audio loaded on this box so I can get some decent tunes and some 'alternative' broadcasting. Anyway, thats the scoop.... Mike aka _cosmo_

and a very nice scoop it was!

I'm sooo happy Valentine's is over!!!

Come on Mother's Day!!!!

thanks, Autumn, that rank's right up there with Valentine's and New Year's Eve for restaurants...

And Im glad winter's gonna be over soon! Im ready to do some bike riding and pack away the sweat shirts. Although, I have to admit that seeing those big fat snow flakes coming down today was kinda nice in that goofy Halmark greeting card way... Mike aka cosmo BTW, its nice to see some ramble activity too!

well, at least in the appropriate topic...

Ya know, the first baby born in the year 2000 will probably be conceived on April 9, in 47 days from now. Can you imagine the accolades and worship that first born baby in the new millenium will receive? The next Savior? Sweepstakes winner? That baby will be huge! So if you're planning on conceiving, mark your calendars.

Thanks for reminding me to keep celibate.

I say test the product before buying it. But be safe about it!

But you'll probably have to have the baby birthing in Fiji as this will be one of the first places to enter the Millenium and the earth turns. So, book your Fiji flight now, as they may be crowded with Millenium Baby couple wannabes.

Welcome, GreenOne!

Ya know, if the world's travel structure craps out at the Y2K roll over, Fiji sounds like a nice place to be stuck at. Nice beaches....

And a great place to have the birthing of the First Child of the Millenium.

The next meeting of the State Committee of the Socialist Party of Pennsylvania will be Sunday, March 28, 2-4 PM, in the upstairs cafe of Borders Book Shop, 8701 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. All are welcome.

You do have socialists in the US? I thought the last resident socialist was gone when Jack London finished himself off? And all others were expats these days?

We have everybody in America, Alexander...

No, you don't! You don't have me, for starters, and I think that's - on a general basis - rather fortunate for me, too. And you don't have others - you drive them out of your country, or you kill them, or put them into containment, etc. "We have everybody in America" - you might fall back on the assumption, that you got some of all sorts, e.g., but not everybody. Or is very everybody is, America (which would explain the unlikely turn of events on all continents). Is that supremat�smo or what! ARRRRRRRGH!

I knew I'd get a good response from you on that!!! *hehe*

(Oh, man, keep on going like that, and you might end up like the last salmon entering my premises!)

tease...

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."

(it's easier to subjugate you if you live here...)

Please expand this thought for me. Oh, and aren't you curious what happened to all these innocent fish? I bet you are, and just try to act cool on it. Betcha!

The fish thing is easy...they were fried and served with fries, cole slaw, and tartar sauce...

Hey, bub, I'm not talking yall guys small warm-water shrimp! I'm talking DA SALMON! The BIG one, from Norway, too! AND: we're not talking Sauce Tatar (can't stand the eggs in there). Lemme just say: I used Big One and Finn, the Finn Knife (a genuine Marttiini from Finland), and moved fast, too... Still, expand on your Response 581 for me, if you please.

oh, just generally commenting (in a sarcastic manner, of course) about the United State's habit of Americanizing the world by helping everyone in their times of crisis...

Well, ever been to Germany? Kids here dress up in ways they think very american. If they ever make over to you guys, I bet they'll pop out of every crowd for their, ahem, interesting dress-code. And this time of crisis around, you're not alone - for the first time since the End of the Last Big One (war, that is, not knife or fish...), german military personnel participated in an armed military conflict. "Achtun---k! Wi'rrre backkkk!" Wonder what people make of this... (Might be okay with you, Wer, as they probably soon start issuing cool medals again... Might make http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/collecting/14 more lively... Still, I'm a bit disappointed that you don't even comment my proper use of a Marttiini on a whole fresh salmon... )

(disappointing, unfortunately, is an innate talent of mine, Alexander, so please try not to take offense as it is usually not intentional...)

(But aren't you looking forward to the new batch of german military decorations? Must be some coming ahead, now that we've started killing folks again...)

(some things just aren't worth the cost, you know?)

(Glad you noticed; sorry I tried to tempt ya. Anyway, special offer this week - the official letter of condolence sent by the genuine German Minister of Defense to the first dead-in-action German soldier's family since 1945. Guy was in the Navy, of the Jugoslav coast, and drowned, when his dingy took water... Special Price!!)

(*shudder*...I just hate it when my dingy takes water...)

this post is a test

so far, the tests are working!!!

okay, some of the tests are working... at least it's not a complete flop yet...

and to test again...

check, check, 1...2...3...

4 (hey, that worked...)

1,2,3,4,5... 6,7,8,9,10... 11... TWELVE.... twel..el...el..el.elve! 12!

huh huh huh... testes, testes, one, two, three... uh huh huh huh...

all right Beevis! (howdy ray!! how's it going??? I'm gonna start a how to plan a wedding conference and I want you to go to town posting... okay?)