At gun point:

The neighborhood we live in is neither great nor awful. It's not a high income neighborhood, but aren't really high-income people.

But it's comfortable. Not a place you really feel unsafe in.

Last night Elizabeth and I were robbed at gunpoint.

We're both okay. The guy didn't get much: My cellphone, her purse, bank card and about $30-$40 in cash. As you would expect the pyschological effects of having a gun pointed at you are much worse than any property loss.

I never really felt that our lives were in danger. The guy didn't come off as a psycho, he was nervous and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

Despite the fact that I wasn't nearly as scared during the robbery as I thought I would be, I still find myself in a lingering bad mood, alternately angry and depressed.

I'm pretty sure that if I ever saw the guy again, I would do something stupid, like try to run him over.

Eliz is pretty rattled too.

The police say that there's been a recent spree of such incidents in the area from Fulton and Hurley up to our Alta Arden and Fulton neighborhood. Now we know.

vacation time!

It's not like I've been posting a lot lately, but I'm about go off for a two week jaunt to China (Beijing and Xi'an, specifically). The next post from me will probably be form some smoky, ill-kept internet bar in China.

Cheers

a good vintage

2007 was very good to me.

I got married in June (the photos are days away from being ready!). My parents did the most incredible job of preparing and all the help and support made me feel that I have a lot of very good, very dependable friends. Since then, I have had six wonderful months of marriage to my beautiful wife.

In February, I started a new job as a data analyst for an EEO-consulting firm, which has been challenging, added a lot of new lines to the ol resume and added a little bit of money to the bank account as well.

I saw my sister graduate with her Master's and start down the path towards teaching ESL in Taiwan, something I couldn't be more proud of her for.

In years to come, I will look back fondly on 2007.

long pause . . .

Turth be told with a wedding coming up and my workload only barely slackening the posts will probably not be raining down for any approaching time period.

Still there are a few things that America has been blathering about tediously that I wish to sound off on. Hang in there, friends . . .