Well done, on both counts. The new look is nice. Change is good. Congratulations on becoming one with another. This is a concept that I suspect only a fraction of those who are married, or those who are contemplating same have grasped. Our youngest will probably be going this route in less than a year. I have tried my best to make him aware how little "selfishness" can exist in a successful relationship. I very unhappily married fella gave me his view on the matter once upon a time. Although his perpective on the matter was wrong, he did give me some insight, which I wasn't able to utilize until much later. He said "Before you get married, you are a first class citizen. After you get married, you are a second class citizen, and after you have kids, you are a third class citizen". Obviously, his take was that he had been robbed of precious freedoms. When his words finally sunk in years later, I realized that its not what is taken away, but what is given that makes the difference. If you choose to give up "self" to a spouse, and later children, then, as always, the "gift" is returned tenfold. In the past 18+ years, I have had the priviledge of being a part of my wife and children's lives. Never have I felt that there has been a "cost" involved. I know that there is now way that I can ever put enough back into any of these relationships to settle the score, but I never give up trying. And so, the cycle continues. This is just my observation of this situation. Not trying to preach, but I am overwhelmed by the number of people I come across that never seem to be able to get enough out of their relationships. Go figure.

Keep us posted on the date, friend.

Be happy and careful

Well, I don't have access to a Starbucks type venue in my locale, so I have to visit my sister's house to check in as I am doing now. Other than that, the only thing that I have to say to the vast readership of this site is this: I am getting married. It's true. One of the mighty has fallen. You are invited. Exact date unknown, but as soon as we get the ok from the powers that be, it'll happen. Probably early September. We know it will be at 3pm on a Sunday, just not which Sunday. I will let you know. All 2 of you.

I will see what I can do about the large and annoying blank space at the top of this page.

I am here. I have been reading the white space for the past few weeks, and didn't see any need to respond. Agreed on the radio format formula question. Although, I can't really figure out the formula for Classic Rock anyway. Some have taken the liberty of designating anything no longer on the charts as classic. But, back to the original point - why NOT drop in a more current tune now and then that is relevant to a classic. Speaking of classic, I found that our local FM Country station, besides whetting my appetite for NASCAR broadcasts, actually plays a pretty palatable Classic Country mix.

Mark, I know you are out there, literally speaking of course. I also know that somewhere, not too far away Metro Harrisonville, there must be some sort of Starbucks that has WiFi. And I would venture (Maybe we should discuss the Ventures sometime) to guess that your slick new laptop has wireless. That seems to be a combination that would allow you to drop in on us and update the world as we know it, as only you can.

Over on the coffee and pie side of the world, I found out yesterday about a recall on Kitchenaid Coffee Makers. I called the number, found out mine was affected by the recall and told to unplug it IMMEDIATELY, and was given the spiel on how to get it replaced. This was at about 9:00 PM last night. Panic darn near set in at the Lane household. My lovely bride said "Whatever you do, don't throw out the leftover coffee from this morning." I guess she thought she was going to get it. Hah! I love her dearly, and would do anything for her, but she was talking about the last 5 oz. of coffee in a two-drinker family without a coffee maker. Wait. Into the pantry and digging through the "stuff" that was supposed to have been discarded months ago, I found an ancient aluminum, sit-on-the-stove percolator. A victory for the coffee drinkers here abouts, as well as us "stuff" savers.

Not much solid content here, so I think I will just put it down at the bottom of the white space.

Speak back.

Be happy and careful