Not dead, not dead! My lengthy absense isn't without excuse this time. This time, I've been in Montana for my grandfather's funeral. A touching service, that was. They had a color guard and firing squad, as he was a war veteran, both World War II and the Korean War. I had never been too proud of my grandfather, because he drank and smoked way too much, and he had a large collection of porn, which we had known for a while, but didn't learn the expanse of it until we cleaned out his trailer. But during the service, I gained a lot of respect for him. He may have had his faults (which ultimately ended his life quicker), but all in all he was a good guy, as I learned from those who spoke of him there. I was very sad throughout the whole service, but the line that got the waterworks flowing was when the war veteran leading the color guard took the flag, handed it to my dad and said "On the behalf of the United States Government, we present you with the colors of our nation, which your father proudly served." Those words will always stick with me, those words will be what I remember most. The way the veteran said it, the way he handed it, the look on my father's face. It said everything, and can still bring me to tears now. It was a very simple service, and my grandpa would have liked it that way. Rest in peace, Papa Dean.

I'm thinking of adding a little more umph! to the site, maybe beginning with a new witty (I hope) tagline every week. My commitment to that will at least keep me coming here. Also, I'll probably add a weekly top twenty-five songs list thing, just so that it's known what I'm jiving on. Or something. The main thing is that I need to keep posting. Because I really do want this place to thrive, even though this site's purpose is just to give me writing practice. It's fun to have an audience. What's the point of writing if you're not writing to anyone?