Hello, all. Look, I’m gonna be honest with ya here. I’ve been working on another project EVERY night now for almost a week, so needless to say…I have nothing ready for a Space Monkey entry. I haven’t had a whole lot of time to sit around and any deep thinking like I usually do. Instead, I’ve been sitting in front of a computer screen erasing pixel by tiny little pixel from pictures that I’ve scanned in.

I’m not going to tell you just yet what my secret project is, some of you already know, but for those of you who don’t, let’s just say this is the biggest undertaking I’ve ever attempted as a website. Space Monkey X pales in comparison to the size this website is going to be. I’m estimating it will easily be well over 250 man-hours to get this site done and over the last five days, I’ve spent around 40. If I were charging someone to create this site, it’d be a $25,000+ job. Shit. Wish I were getting paid for this.

However, the reason I’ve been working so much on it this week is because part of it is rather urgent; a friend is helping me out and he will be visiting this weekend looking for the files he’ll need. So, believe me, I’ll be back next week with some witty commentary on…something when I’m not busting my ass on this other project.

Actually, I guess I do have a little news to report. Remember a little while back I told you about the Aunt of mine who was MIA in California? Well, I finally heard back from her! She emailed and seemed really happy to hear from me. So see, Kids, it just doesn’t make any sense to hold a grudge, now does it?

Speaking of this weekend, going to see some friends I’ll bet I haven’t spent any extended amount of time with in a good ten years. We’re going to a Cardinal’s game and dinner, so there should be plenty of time to catch up. Should be interesting to say the least. Maybe it will be a source of inspiration for an entry next week.

Hey, ya know those little sayings I have at the top of the page? Ones from Tyler Durden and others? Well, sometime this week – maybe Friday or Sunday – you’re going to see a few up there from your good old buddy Space Monkey X.

I’ve been reading the Tao-Te Ching a lot - picked up a little pocket edition that fits nicely in my car’s overhead visor - and I’ve been feeling rather philosophical lately. Last Saturday night when I hit a local jazz club, while listening to the wailing of the sax and the plunk of the piano, I wrote down some little philosophical quips. I’m not sure I should compare them to anything in the Tao-Te Ching, but some of them are sorta catchy. Hey! Maybe I’ll put some of my favorites from the Tao-Te Ching up there too! Brilliant!

Anyway, in case you haven’t noticed, those quotes at the top of the page change randomly every time you come to the site’s homepage, and I’m going to be putting a few Space Monkey X original quotes in there this week sometime. Next week when you come back for a better update than this they will definitely be done. Look for them and laugh at my simple little ramblings.

When I’m not working on my super secret project, I’ve been writing like my life depended on it. Almost finished a first draft of a near 30- page story I wrote in about two days. It was scary, I tell ya; I was like a man possessed. Anyway, it’s just a first draft, but when I get down to a thirty or fortieth draft like I usually end up doing (I’m a perfectionist to a fault on these things), I’ll post it for ya’ll to read.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned that I’m taking a ceramics class for fun and that, well, it’s been quite possibly the most stressful class I’ve ever taken next to Statistics (The only formula I know is “Math + Monkey = Bad”). I’m absolutely horrible at throwing on the pottery wheel! I’m not exaggerating either; the short, little school bus would come pick me up for class if I didn’t have a car. Can’t do a damn thing.

Well, Tuesday was the last night my group will be on the wheels for the semester and guess what? Yep. Figured out what the hell I was doing wrong all along. Luckily we have “open shops” so I can come in during off-class times and keep working on it. I am just bound and determined to make my set of four matching mugs even if they look like one or all of The Three Stooges made them.

All right. I think I’m tapped out. Yep. That’s about all I have going on. Again, sorry this entry wasn’t exactly taxing on your soul, but I am already starting to get some pretty deep rumblings for my subject next week. Maybe that’s just my Taco Bell kicking in? I don’t know.

Either way, thanks for being here and thanks for putting up with my slipping on the Monkey side of things this week. I swear next week will be better.

Space Monkey X