Just a personal note to you, the blog reader: It's really neat that you are reading my blog. Even if you weren't here reading my blog, this effort would still be worth it because it is like being able to stick your toe into the pool of writing to decide if the waters are okay. But it is so much more fun knowing you are out there reading this, keeping up with me. So feel free to leave comments here and there if something I say sets off a chain-connection for you.

So if there were no readers, I would still be keeping this blog because it's a great format to put some thoughts out into the world without having to have a publishing contract. Someday though I want a publishing contract and want a cover to wrap around my writing...so I'm putting that request out there for the Universe today, 7-7-07. Is it a lucky day? I bought 2 quickpicks to tonight's lottery thinking that maybe it is a lucky day. But I think our dating and calendar system is more our invention than the Universe's invention so it is hard to say that today has the same meaning for the Universe that it has for us. I'm open to good luck, regardless of the day.

I've been running an informal science project on the gas mileage in my standard car. As much as possible this last week, I've tried not to get the RPM about "2." I've gone through one tank of gas running this experiment and got about 25 more miles to this tank than I normally get. So I will keep trying.

Troy and I were the guests of Denise and Katherine Renter last night at the Dallas' Young Artists performance of "The Music Man." We knew 3 young artists in the play: Katherine Renter, Meredith Moore and Chloe Clark-Soles. Wow--these are amazing young actresses and it was a great performance. Although we did not know the actor personally, we experienced an amazing rendition of "Shipoopi." (Just in case you are not familiar with this rather effeminate song sung by a male character in the play, here is Family Guy's version of it.)

Speaking of Troy, we are about to walk out the door to go have dinner with some friends...so, I will post this blog and add my parabolic twist to the story later on. Happy Saturday evening!

About 9:45 pm on Saturday evening -- This is the PS to this blog posting. We had a great dinner with our friends. They have an 18-month-old and so it is so much fun seeing how parenting works and imagining what it might be like for us someday. When I got home tonight, I decided to read the paper, where a "Late Metro" brief on page 2A caught my eye: LBJ-Kingsley crash kills father; 3 kids hurt. About 11 pm last night, a fatal crash happened on westbound LBJ killing a young father and injuring his son and two nephews. It's just interesting how stories overlap. We were on westbound LBJ and passed under Kingsley last night, about 10:50, on our way from the Young Artists Performance to meet two friends for late-night coffee and dessert. Life is so precious and you just never know. May peace surround those families.