These are the salty days, people. And me? I'm a salty boy. I just had this grand post all written up and ready to go and it was funny and I laughed and I cried and... my pc froze. Straight froze. That hasn't happened to me in so long. So, right now, I'm sitting here -- almost in tears. It just feels like everything in my life keeps going slightly wrong. Almost everything feels off, just a little off, but off enough to notice, I think. I think it's mostly the seasons changing. On the positive side of life, things are really really warm and fuzzy and lovey between Lins and me right now -- and I'm very happy about that. On the negative side, I'm not feeling overly happy about my job right now. I wake up in the morning and it's dark outside. I go to work and just feel completely deflated as soon as I walk through the doors and see the looming dark green wall that takes up the entire entrance area. It's just soul sucking, to have to have a job. But I have to pay my bills and try to save money and spend money and all that, so here I am. Rock me like a hurricane.

Okay, depressing stuff, you move aside. Briskly. Okay, what else is going on? Well, the Den of the Future is shaping up nicely, thank you. The walls are completely good to go -- 3 gold walls and one chocolate colored wall. The ceiling is nearly done. I'm painting it teaberry (a sort of darkish red). Who would have known that it takes 3 coats of red paint to get good coverage on a white ceiling? Not this kid right here. Not me. So I'm nearly done with all the painting. Yay!

I'm super excited for the room to be done if only for the fact that I'll be able to start putting things in place. I'm excited for the artwork. My plan is to have different sorts of themes for each wall, I think. Maybe. If it doesn't suck. In theory, here's how things shape up:

One wall will have 3-D Jesus artwork. I've already got a start on that, with 6 sweet postcard size 3-D Jesuses that I picked up for cheap on eBay. I'm keeping an eye open for larger 3-D Jesus things, too.

One other wall will have actual artwork on it. My friend, the Sauer, gave me a couple original pieces -- they both feature big fat hairy nearly nekked (they're wearing tighty whiteys, shoes and eye masks only) ninjas. Hee. I need frames for those still, though.

I'm going to have an Alex P. Keaton inspired presidential artwork (or photo) wall. I'm far far far too excited for this one. I'm all giddy. Look at me smile and shake ever-so-slightly. I have one piece so far -- a painting of JFK and RFK. Hee. It's so cool. We found it in an antique store in Iowa City this weekend past. The K&K Connection was with and Kate happened upon it almost right away. I saw it and I was jealous. I watched her walk around the store with it with, um, jealousy. Finally, as Lins and I are buying all our shit, I asked Kate how much she paid for it. "I didn't buy it," she told me. I nearly sprinted to the back of the store right then and there. Instead I walked briskly to the back of the store and prepared to pay about $20 for this beautiful little find. Instead -- sticker shock -- $7.50. $7.50?! Were they smoking crack when they priced this bad boy? The frame itself is worth more than seven fifty! So there's the presidential wall startup. If anybody runs across any other presidential art, feel free to let me know. I'm thinking Clinton, Reagan, Nixon, all the good ones. Ford and Carter stuff is good, too. Oh, hell, I'd even take some William Taft stuff if you've got it.

Oh yeah, there's still one more wall. It's going to be a personal photography display space thing. I'll make prints of my favorite photos, frame 'em and throw them on there.

Fun times.

What about furniture, Eric? Well, fine sir or madam, while we were in Chicago, at IKEA, Lins and I also picked up some fürni for the room. I talked to the fürni just yesterday and it is dying to get all set up in the Den of the Future. Just dying! The Noguchi-ish (but wood) coffee and end table, the sheepskin chair, they're all pumped up for the grand opening of the Den of the Future. Then there's the sexy curvy white mod tv stand. I primed and laid down the first can of Prairie Grass green spray paint on it Sunday. It's kind of a celery color, really. The TV Stand is more excited about the room than all the other fürni is.

Why, you ask? Well, friend, there are good reasons, trust me on that. Tuhrust. Me. First, the Dish Network hookup is all, um, hooked up and ready to go. I just need to eBay a receiver first. But it's ready. Second, the stand will be the home to... my very own XBox!

It has been far, far, far too long since I've owned a video game system that works. Almost a full year, in fact! I know, that sounds like not much, but, please people, please -- I'm a verifiable videogame junkie! A junkie, dammit! That's a whole season of NBA basketball games that I missed out on. Oh, this year I'll make up for lost time. Hee. I'll probably eBay both NBA Live 2003 and NBA 2K3. *drool* It's been too long, my friends. Far too long. It will be nice to have you back in my life.

Until the junkie-ness takes over and I've created a virtual "me" for every game, forever yours,
Eric