The Royce Files

NY Time Magazine did a story on blogs. I read only the first 3 pages. It seemed to focus on the youth culture aspects of keeping online journals. To me, younglings blogs seem a bit immature and rashly written. But I am person that perfers character over, well the gush of emotional seizures of youthful zeal and vanities. Let's keep them horses corraled.

Today I began a temp assignment at NDSU's own Varsity Mart. They sell everything- textbooks, paper, duct tape. A very enjoyable day. Will they someday be the size of Wal-mart? In soccer news, Berkovic leaves Man City for Portsmouth at the foot. Now I am sad to see Berko leave, but he's just not seeing any time on the pitch. Hopefully he'll start at Pompey. Now Macca needs to hit his stride, but who can topple Man U from the top of the table. There they sit 6 from Chelsea and 3 from Arsenal. In other news, I am planning a winter camping expedition in the near future. Nothing specific yet but it will be adventure at its best. One last commentary- Famous Dave's : I ate there again the other day. I usually go a few times a year. What do I like about this place? Well the food is good- my favorites are catfish fingers (yah its not BBQ), rib tips, and pulled chicken sandwhich. Ribs are good too but I don't usually get ribs. Shack fries and corn bread muffins!!! Supe...

At last I have returned from the Holiday and have plenty to blog about. It was somewhat bittersweet since my mother passed away in 2003. It seemed empty although I was blessed with a bounty of gifts. Once again spent time in Wells, MN with my roommate's family. A good experience. Most assuredly had a wonderful New Year at See You at the Party . Stayed in Morris, MN for the first week of the year and made two amateur movies which were well received by the locals. The past two days I got to toil in a warehouse and use a scissors lift. In order to do so I needed to pass a test and wear a harness. I looked like a mountain climber. Eat your heart out Reinhold Messner . Next up a stint at the Varsity Mart .

Today shall be my last trip on the Wells Fargo stage for 2003. I have worked much of 2003 for the behemoth of banking. Where to now- just riding into the sun.

Bolton is having a surprisingly good run as of late. They just drew Arsenal this weekend. Amazing. Go Wanderers, Go Wanderers! Ivan Campo plays for them. He's got hair on par with Carlos Valderrama . Unfortunately, the race for league champion is already way out for Bolton. Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United all sit enthroned by at least 13 points beyond 4th place Southhampton. The regulation race is yet to be determined. Although I would bet Wolverhampton will be relegated. Leeds is still in trouble but may have enough strength to avoid the drop. The typical rule has been that if in the zone at Christmas it is nearly impossible to avoid the drop. Aston Villa, Blackburn, Manchester City, Tottenham all face hole. Blackburn and Man City are 2 of my favorite teams. How about Everton making the drop- will Rooney stay or go? Manchester City plays today. Hopefully they will eek out some points.

I made it! Today I rode the m-40 (my mountain bike) to work. My record for 2003! Commuting until the bitter end. I had already broken the 2002 record by about 17 days. Now I have both a brush and shovel in the panniers- so winter by forewarned, I am ready for more! Essentials for biking in winter 1. Knobby tires - these should be wider than 1.90 inches. Don't use the street tires- you are liable to regret it. Cyclo-Cross tire may be good but I suggest only expert riders use them. I know they make some as tires as wide as 3 inches and even some tires with "studs". You can probably find a good set at NashBar - the ultimate bicycling clearing house. You can get just about everything on the list there. 2. Waterproof Wind Pants. I have used the style with mesh lining. You can get these cheaply at Target or Wal-Mart . 3. Brightly colored breathable shell. I also like having arm pit vents and few pockets. Look in the snowboard attire section for one. 4. Breatha...

Today was a hectic day (as was Saturday) with playing bass and teaching the childrens' church lesson (I do the sunday before xmas every year). I was up until 2:30 AM preparing - mostly for the craft which we did not even get to. Today's lesson hoped to teach the kids that Jesus' birth was prophesied long ago (2750 years ago to be almost exact) by at least 2 guys- Micah and Isaiah. We were pretending to travel in time to visit them. Well, it did not work too well. Things were in control but I had no solid lesson objective for the the time travel phase. I was a little depressed. Well special preparations by my roommates have been made to celebrate my life. Looks like an Italian supper. Well almost done with Christmas shopping. Talk to you all later!