One of the benefits (if you can call it that) of being unemployed is that I can sleep in. Of course, I cannot goof off all day, but I no longer have to wake up before 5:00 AM. This morning Rachel did not want to get out of bed to let the dogs out. Normally, she would let them out while I would get ready for work. Today, I figured I would let her sleep in and take the dogs out by myself.

I need a break. A few Fridays ago, Rachel started feeling sick. A few days later, I was also sick. I was out of work from Monday through Wednesday of last week. As I spent the majority of my time either sleeping or only marginally coherent, I did not accomplish a lot. Both my work and schoolwork suffered.

I was starting to get back to normal when my mother-in-law called Friday night. She was suffering from bad indigestion and was having a panic attack. Her indigestion medication only made problems worse. We ended up calling the rescue squad and going to the hospital.

On the way to work, I hear about an accident on the radio. The accident must have been a big one as officials blocked three of the traffic lanes. Sure enough, traffic halted once I was a few miles away from the scene. So, I sat back and watched other stupid drivers. Of course, there were the usual idiots trying to get ahead by driving in the emergency lane. I saw one driver drive across the median and head the other way on the freeway. On one of the on ramps, I saw a number of people either backup or make a U-turn.

Yesterday, Rachel and I were relaxing. The weather started okay, but quickly became quite windy. Apparently, remnants of hurricane Ike was passing through. A number of small branches and twigs came down.

We had the dogs out for a quick potty break when the wind really started to pick up. I said it was time to go in and we started to corral the dogs. I was not quick enough. A branch fell right on my arm. It did not leave any marks, but it is still sore today.

I live in Lorain, OH and commute to Twinsburg, OH (about an hour away) each day. For those familiar with the area, I take 611 to 90 to 176 (Jennings) to 480. On Monday, I was on 90 near the 176 exit. I hear a traffic announcement stating that the ramp from 176 to 480 would be closed until 6:00 AM. I decided to take a "slight" detour.

Rachel and I went to watch "The Dark Knight" yesterday afternoon. The movie was great. Heath Ledger did an excellent portrayal of "The Joker." I was a bit concerned that we would not make the movie in time. I had intended on doing my homework last weekend, but I ended up catching up on some much-needed sleep. Unfortunately, this meant I was up until midnight putting the final changes on my work before I turned it in. Of course, this meant that I also slept in.

Last Wednesday, I took the Microsoft 70-536: .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation exam. I was a bit nervous. The testing center is located at the Lorain County Community College. I had driven by the LCCC numerous times but had never ventured on campus. Since Rachel is more familiar with the area (and because I wanted some moral support) she came with me.

I switched to Vonage several months ago. It is about half the cost of using the local land line provider. Since voice mail is a free feature, I no longer have to use an answering machine. Of course, since my cell phone now rings simultaneously, I can answer calls that I would have otherwise missed. I also like that my monthly bill amount is fixed. In addition, as it is extremely easy to view my call history online, I do not even receive a paper bill.

This morning I received a text message from "1119" that stated, "Please login to VG to keep your account active." I do not know whom it is from or what it means. At least I was already awake at 5:30 AM when the message came through.

I know that gas prices are steadily increasing. The only solution is to stop using gas. One could use a vehicle that uses an alternative energy source (such as electricity or human power).

While filling up my vehicle, I made the hard decision to stop driving. It is costing too much not to mention the damage it is doing to the environment. When I completed the fill up, I could not even get back into my vehicle. I know that seems a bit drastic. However, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.