Okay. I admit it. My blog is not as visually appealling as some out there. Take a look at Erica's blog, or Statia's. "But those are girls' blogs..." That doesn't mean that a guy's blog can't be interesting. Take Chris' blog, for example. I just haven't had the time to play with mine yet. And I don't see it happening any time soon. I have so much on my plate already. So, if you are interested in the visually stimulating blogs, visit some of the one's listed on the right side of this page. Or visit the site of the Weblogs Awards, where you'll find some of the hottest blogs on the net. And don't forget to vote while you are there.

I just wanted to wish my mother "Happy Birthday" today. It's her special day, so be especially nice to her today. I'll probably see her sometime this weekend to celebrate in person, but I wanted her to know I am thinking about her. Take care.

I'm near the end of my class for tonight, and I wanted to see if I could log in to my blog and leave an entry. Class is going well, but I still have a lot to read and learn. We have about two weeks of class left before we start the next section. Somehow, I have to assimilate all of this information and take two MCSE tests: Windows 2000 Professional and Server. It would be nice to be able to take at least one of these tests before the next section starts. We'll see.

Gotta run. Class is about to get back underway.

Does anyone out there know how to replace the CMOS battery in an IBM Thinkpad? The nearest IBM service center is an hour or so away from here, and being an enterprising individual, I'd like to do the job myself, for my father-in-law. It can't be that hard, providing I can get the case open, which I have not figured out how to do yet. Once I get that figured out, it should be a snap. Anyway, any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated. You can leave a message in the comments of this entry, or e-mail me at the following address: Tim@therightersNOSPAMbox.com (Be sure to remove the words "NO SPAM" from the e-mail address first.) Thanks.

I'm in the middle of my second of seven MCSE classes. The first class, back in December, was a broad, quick overview of the Windows 2000 operating systems. By the time that class was over, I was thoroughly depressed with the idea of continuing my MCSE studies. But with Lori's support (and a three week break), I jumped into the second class with a renewed attitude. And so far, it is going better. I have a ton of reading to do, but I'm staying positive and I'm understanding what I'm learning in class.

I still haven't finished studying for the first A+ test. I need to get that done and take the test soon. My goal is to take it by the second week in February.

I'm making progress on cleaning out the computer room (which will become the babies' room). You can actually tell where I've been removing things. It's still a somewhat overwhelming project, but as I make more progress, it will seem less overwhelming. Baby steps, they tell me.

I received a call from my Congressman's office today. He's a Republican, by the way. Anyway, his aide told me that the recent 13 week extension is all that they plan to do to help the unemployed. That pretty much ticked me off.

He went on to say that Illinois has the 4th highest unemployment rate in the country, and qualifies for an additional 13 week extension on top of the recently passed 13 week extension, making it a 26 week extension. Still with me? This additional extension relies on the State Legislature passing a motion or bill, which they are supposed to attempt to do in February. Illinois' governor is a Democrat.

I'm putting my faith and hopes in Illinois' state government. Hopefully, they will make it retroactive for the people whose benefits expired on Dec. 28th.

As for me, I received a letter Monday telling me that I'm still qualified for benefits, for the time being. That was a God-send.

I received my DVD recorder in the mail yesterday. I am still torn between keeping it and sending it back. Lori wants me to keep it, since it was all I could talk about a month ago. It will definitely be the last major toy I get for awhile.

It's pretty cool. It's the Sony DRU-500A. It records both DVD+/-R/RW formats. It is compatible with everything except my Toshiba DVD player. At least, that's what I have read. Still, I can't wait to try it out.

It will be great for backing up my computer. I backup everything that's important to a second hard drive right now, which I will still do on a daily basis. But for weekly or monthly backups, the DVD recorder will be handy.

It will also be nice for recording video. Video of the twins, movies and TV shows that I want to keep, that sort of thing. Eventually my parents will have a DVD player, and I can give them copies of the video I take of the twins after they arrive. Plus, I can take digital photos and create a slide show for them. Assuming I have any spare time once the twins are born. We'll see.

Congress passed a bill providing for an additional 13 weeks of unemployment compensation for those that have used up the original 26 weeks of compensation. Unfortunately, that leaves millions of unemployed people, including me, without any assistance.

I personally can tell you that the job market is tight. Most of the jobs I have applied for have not even generated a letter in response to my application, much less an interview. I thought the problem might be the regional area that I am limited to, but the more I read about the unemployment problem, the more I see that it is happening across the country. Again, Congress is ignoring the larger picture.

Monday, I am going to contact my local Congressman and stress to him how widespread the problem is and how desperately we need assistance. I urge you to do the same, whether you are unemployed or not. When I find a good website to use to contact Congressmen, I will post it here.

Bush released his economic stimulus plan today. I swear, the more he talks, the more I align with the Democrats. His new plan offers more for the wealthy than it does for the middle class. Granted, there are a couple of items that would benefit me. But for the most part, it favors the wealthy. How can America actually support this bozo?!

I did not vote for Bush. Did not then, would not now. I firmly believe that Al Gore and the Democrats would have done a better job. I still cannot believe that the Republicans control the White House and Congress. The voting public are putting their faith in a group of people that are just going to end up screwing us all.

For years I have tried to not declare myself either Democratic or Republican. But the more I see what the Republicans have in store for America, the more I find myself listening to what the Democrats have to say. They just make more sense.

For example, before the Christmas break, the Democratically-controlled Senate proposed extending unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks. The Republican-controlled House proposed extending them for another 8 weeks. If you were unemployed, who would you support? Unfortunately, neither proposal passed. So now, I am twiddling my thumbs waiting for the fat cat Republicans to get off their asses and do something.

I urge you to get out and vote every time you have a chance. Too many Americans think that their vote does not count. They are so wrong. And if you have the time, ability and desire, run for office. Shake things up. Help get America back on track.

The week between Christmas and New Year's was fun and busy. My sister and her family came in from Ohio, and one of my best friends and his family came in from North Carolina. I was able to spend time with all of my family and my closest friends. It was nice.

I received more than I probably deserved, including a digital camera and DVD recorder! Now, I'll be able to post pictures to the web faster thanks to the digital camera. I've already taken about 75 pictures. It's nice not having to worry about film and getting it developed. The DVD recorder is on back-order. I'm thinking about cancelling the order, though. My computer is too slow to capture full motion video, or else I'm doing something wrong. I've got a month to think about it and try to get my system working more smoothly.

I also received some DVD's that I wanted, clothing and accessories for my air compressor, among other things. My mother surprised Lori and me with two blankets for our future children that she knitted herself.

My nephews received a new computer for Christmas. It's nice. It's a 2.4 GHz P4 Dell computer with a flat panel monitor and Windows XP. They're thrilled with it. I saw it today for the first time. I must say that I'm pretty impressed with what Dell puts together. And, after seeing WinXP up close, I may be adding it to my system in the near future. Win XP Pro would help me with my MCSE studying.