Austin, TEXAS, January 20, 2006 — I'm considering abandoning the journal's daily format. It's a reach to say something at all interesting every day.

I like this form of communication in a lot of ways. However, there are times when the openness gives you pause. The occasional comment or e-mail can be dealt with at arm's length, of course. I create a new comment category occasionally to clear out the stack you see if you are reading the current stuff. A few days ago some crazy typed a diatribe on a old comment thread. It was incoherent and I couldn't really tell what triggered it since I keep one comment list for a month or more. I deleted the comment and banned the sender from commenting, but this sort of thing

always gives me pause.

I have started putting much less of the detail that I personally want to keep in the posted journal. This means I'm keeping a journal on my hard drive (and this is really crazy...backing it up encrypted over the internet for the current entries and to an external drive at the end of the month). I've been writing something or extracting something for the public journal every day.

This journal thing has evolved so many times I've lost count. Which is fine, of course, unless you are the obssessed creator trying to keep your addiction under control.

About the only thing I really have to say to the public today is that I saw Woody Allen's new movie, Match Point, and it's an interesting movie. From the discussion on imdb I beleive that Woody achieved what he wished with the film. It would be a spoiler to say what happens, but suffice to say that chance plays a big part in life and that people look right by the obvious when they aren't supposed to see things. Woody wants you to replay all the little scenes in your mind, add it up and see how messy it all is. Argue with each other about what really happened and even maybe argue about the acting. I do think Woody seems a little uncomfortable in London and environs as opposed to New York.

I saw that movie at the 5:10 feature. Which is an advantage of being retired. Although I saw people I know there who aren't retired. Still it's nice going to a movie early like that.

It's also nice running a few errands, having a late and leisurely lunch with a friend and doing a few errands after. (Including a serendipitious discovery of a parking place right in front of the place I wanted to go on Congress Avenue.) Not to mention briefly checking out the South Congress shopping. That's nice, too.

It's a good life. I'm just not sure I'm not tired of writing about. You know, here. In public.