I know that February is a short month. However, it seemed to go quicker than usual. As typical, we had a bunch of snow. Once weekend, the snow almost prevented us from leaving the house. I am still hoping for a true snow day. About a year ago, they closed the College for a day. Of course, they closed it at 4:00 PM, so that was a virtual waste of a snow day.

Recently, my wife and I were rudely awoken by a phone call at two in the morning. I sat in bed listing to half of an urgent phone conversation. It was something about my brother-in-law's vehicle. They found the car, but could not get a hold of Matthew (my brother-in-law). Huh? Was he okay?

On Monday, I was reviewing transactions on my bank's website. I noticed two charges at a local gas station that totaled over $540! I knew that they did not belong to me. I know gas is expensive, but I have never spent that much at a gas station in one day. As it was past banking hours, I had to call my bank on Tuesday. They closed our account. They also mentioned that whoever stole our information also tried to charge our account another time at a different gas station.

I have been baking bread recently. After doing the math, I found that it is not cost-effective to bake your own bread. At least if you buy the ingredients in small quantities. Unfortunately, the selection is limited at the local grocery store. But fortunately, there are a few warehouses and wholesale clubs. So, this weekend I picked up ten pounds of sugar, twenty-five pounds of flour, and a brick of yeast.

Not to be outdone by my recent bakery prowess (all of four loaves of bread), Rachel made some cornbread last night. It was very good. We have been trying to eat healthier. This means that now we actually have to make a concerted effort to plan and build meals. Rachel has spearheaded this initiative by selecting recipes and building an ingredient list.

Lately, I have wanted to make some bread. Rachel and I used to own a bread machine. However, I did not like having a gaping hole in one end of the loaf. As such, we sold the machine around the time we moved from California to Ohio.

Several weeks ago, I received notice from my school that they would be holding a programming competition. Yes, I enjoy writing code. But, in a competition? I was dubious. I know I can code. But, could I code within the required time frame? Eventually, I signed up. I figured that the worse thing that could happen is that I would lose; if nothing else, it would be a good experience.

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.

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.