Decided to go onto the bat homepage and take a trip back in time to the start
of my blogging since it is far easier to read cronologically versus the blog
view command here in the mud.  Wow, reading those early posts put me back into
my old test engineering days.  I'm really glad now that I took up this
blogging now.  I look back now and see all of the misery and complaining I had
while working in that department and it makes me oh-so-happy now to be gone
from that group.  In fact, I chatted for a minute in the halls today with an
guy who stayed in test eng. that I worked with, and he was talking about how
he was working 80 hour weeks now due to short deadlines and lack of personnel.
 Wow, I sure don't miss that one bit.

Then I was scanning through other blogs and one person's comment about lurkers
on blogs.  In particular, when you know the person in RL and reading their
blog, and not letting the blogger know you are reading their blog.  That
person brought up some interesting points about how it freaked them out that
the person knew more than they were letting on.  I don't have a good answer as
I'm guilty about doing the same thing.  In my defense, I don't want that
person to feel they have to hide stuff because people they know may read their
blog.  I just have a feeling that if someone knew me in RL were to trip across
this little ole blog, I'd have a second or third thoughts about some of the
stuff I've posted, and in particular a few certain persons would definitely
make me reconsider and possibly remove a couple of posts.  By nature I'm a
private person, so as long as I think I'm anonymous, I'm more likely to be
more open.  Not too surprising of a revelation, I know.  I'm just comforted
knowing that most people who know me in RL don't know about Bat or could
connect me to this character or even know that I blog at all.  Fortunately,
the few that could put all of these connections are people I can trust or have
long sinced moved away from Bat or from me in RL.

Wow, this stock market  snide of late is rough on my 401k.  Even with my
meager savings so far, it is scary to watch it bounce a thousand bucks in
value a day.  I guess this is why they call the stock market as "legalized
gambling".  However, I can afford to let it ride for a while, since I'm
playing with the house money now after all of the gains from the last few
years.  I just hope I don't have to give it all back now as oil prices,
interest rates, and world events don't push the market way, way down.  Sad
commentary that the only way I can afford to retire is to gamble on stocks
since pensions and social security are not viable options.  Well, I also have
the farm which, knock on wood, will always be a yearly income source, but I'm
in the minority with this.  So with some good years in the stock market, maybe
I can retire at 65.  

What's thi?  Some interest, some flirting?  Intriguing.  Much ado about
nothing?  Let's just wait and see.  Tonight's blog brought to you by "Foxy
Foxy" Rob Zombie