• 08:46 The train wreck that For Better or For Worse has become finally ends. ping.fm/zJeCU Whew. #
• 14:53 1,800 words today, including gun play and a John Wayne reference. #

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• 12:23 128 words so far today. I'm a god-damn rockstar. #
• 15:35 1,001 words so far today, accompanied by classic 60s and 70s rock. PLUS written on an unholy abomination: WinVista on a MacBook! Bwah ha ha! #

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• 08:28 12seconds - angel o 12seconds.tv/channel/egriffith/21246 #
• 09:08 today, I believe I shall defile a MacBook Pro with Windows Vista Ultimate. Just cause I can. #
• 11:04 from GILF to VPILF, all I know is... Tina Fey has to do some SNL guest shots this year. she and Palin are practically twins. #

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• 13:27 TheWB.com: worth it to watch Veronica Mars season one. Again. And again. ping.fm/LIwLK #
• 16:50 I really want to be writing right now. #

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• 11:41 Most touching Broadway show tune lyric ever: "Everyone goes 'round a little empty inside." (Avenue Q) #

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Woah! There's a new short story called "Shade," by my Viable Paradise instructor Steven Gould (pictured) posted on Tor.com for all to read! It's set in the Jumper-verse -- the one of the books, not the meh movie, thankfully, cause I frickin' love those books.

I wish I did not have a deadline right now...

This is one of those stories I get to write that makes it hard for anyone to ever sympathize with any bitching I do, or to believe I have anything to bitch about, ever: I wrote capsule reviews of 17 comedy shows only found online. And it is certainly the first story I've ever written that includes a picture of grown men in their tighty-whities.

• 07:32 12seconds - free money! 12seconds.tv/channel/egriffith/19400 #
• 08:03 Finding it hard to believe that people drink all weekend and return to normal life on Monday ALL THE TIME. #

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Hey, DAD! Stop waiting for the damn paper magazine version, that's soooo 2005! My two latest PC Magazine stories are already online:

I wrote the Fun & Games and Health & Science sections for our Top 100 Classic Web Sites (witness me go on about I Can Has Cheezburger). You know you can't not look.

I also get to tell the world all about Airplane Wi-Fi: What You Need to Know. It boils down to this: don't expect VoIP. Voice is a no-no with Gogo. Everything else, even YouTube watching, you're okay. But you'll still get yelled at by flight attendants if you don't put your electronics away when coming in for a landing.

• 02:31 I'm at Shawn's house being told twittering is phoning it in. tinyurl.com/55296j - via Jott #
• 02:32 Shawn says that Twittering is like masturbating with a hot girl in bed. tinyurl.com/6o7q3c #
• 02:58 That should be Sean. Or Hap. who also says using a mac is like going to a whorehouse with a Teflon condom on. (that's a good thing) #
• 22:08 12seconds - purging for a nap 12seconds.tv/channel/egriffith/19307 #

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I just want to tell the world that my friend Jill is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, where she'll be casting a vote for the state of Rhode Island for the hope guy. You know the one.

She'd blogging about the experience, and you can read the Obama campaing site's profile on her as well. She rocks, and it must be big-ass fun to make history. Go Jill.

Haven't had time to write about the second night yet, as I'm still hung-over 24 hours later and had a busy day -- had my first live writing critique group meeting since VP! Mucho care travel! Outback Steakhouse! I drank a MILKSHAKE. I DRANK IT UP.

But I did get all the pics off my camera and uploaded the best of them -- most sucked as my camera is powered by meh -- to Flickr. I call upon anyone else who was at the reunion nights with a cam to upload theirs as well (keywords HHS, 88, and reunion should be enough for people to find them). Share your pictorial goodness. And see you all in 2018!

• 14:12 BIDEN! (I'm kinda happy. He's the one plagiarizer I like. Him and Helen Keller.) #
• 14:13 Day 2 at home in Hornell. Last night I had six screwdrivers, and only bought 1. Out until 2am. It's like I'm finally 18 at age 38. #

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I'm in Hornell, which is not the home of quality luncheon meats (ha ha, yes, we've all heard that joke, move the fuck on). I'm here for the 20 year reunion of the Hornell High class of 1988. I am old.

I'd been looking forward to this for a while, but by the time last night rolled around, I wasn't so sure.

Things were going to kick off around 6:30 at a bar named Vinny's -- which I've actually been to before, for Brett's bachelor party -- but I knew this was bullshit. The time I mean, not the bar. It's a nice bar, actually.

So i hung at home until almost 7pm, watching my nephews play Lego Indiana Jones, and was even later when I tried to go to Vinny's via River Street. The bridge is still out, so I had to go up to Main and then East Ave., to get to the other side of River and the bar. I parked about 7:07, my chest tight. For no good reason, I was a bundle of nerves. It as like a high school dance all over again.

I didn't have to worry. The first classmate I saw was Mike Sterns, a guy who was like a brother to me in high school, and seeing him almost made me cry, cause I didn't think he was going to be there at all. Next I saw Keith -- he and Mike were closer than any two real brothers I knew in school -- who I'd seen just a couple years ago but it still felt like forever. He looks amazing, a completely bald head and no glasses, where as 20 years ago he was all hair and lenses. I'm thankful his wife Jen dragged him. As soon as Mark showed up, it truly felt like the four of us had not been separated by so much time and space.

Of course, the fact that we're not the "Bennett Street Gang" anymore -- a phrase Mark came up with in 7th grade, when he found out that five kids constitutes a "legal gang," though maybe the term should be "illegal gang" -- is my fault. It's no big secret that by the time senior year rolled around, I'd had it. I wanted out. Out of the school, out of the city, out of the life I was living which felt like nothing but pain. College was my ticket out (I didn't realize the hormones would be coming WITH me) and I made no bones about it and was a right big dick about it, too. Mark's mom, a wonderful woman named Mickey who passed away several years ago now, once took me aside and told me as much -- that I was jeopardizing a lot with my attitude. It didn't stick. The stuff that was hurting my chemical-laden brain at the time had nothing to do with my friends, but I was ready to ditch it all for the change I thought I needed. I take full responsibility for not being friends with my friends. I hope, not for the last time, I can change that. (Now watch me slip right back into the basement and forget I made this pledge. I'm a creature of habit. Thank god I have Mark and Lt. Col. Bill that still talk to me.)

So, the drinks flowed, the laughs ever increasing. I only bought myself one drink all night (and I had plenty).

The names and faces came slow with some, quickly with others. There were people I hoped to see, some I dreaded. Among the people I talked with (mostly maiden names, and some probably not spelled right -- i don't have my yearbook with me): Phil Cavaletti, Casey Sirianni, Ken Green, Michelle Loper Flaitz, Kevin Bartell, Myron Secondo, Emily Schutes, Kerry Jeffery Davis, Carl Marino -- who's a god-damn model, and I jokingly said to him, "jesus, you look like a goddamn model, what are you doing." him: "Uh, I'm a model." -- Heather Gross, Arlie Harwood (he broke the knews that my high school girlfriend (who he dated first) would not be making it, to my utter relief), Dawn Reinhart, Van Chevalier, Bill Ormsby, DJ Capaluzzi, and I'm sure I'm forgetting many.

A couple of girls had emailed me a while back to see if I was going, and I spent a lot of time talking to them, cause they rock. Karen Hovorka came in all the way from Nevada. She is a total knockout in all ways. Tonya Swackhammer James came in from Boston area, where we used to be neighbors. It was great to see them both, and I'm looking forward to catching up more tonight.

Carrie Kochek (nee Robertson) had also emailed me (that shitty classmates.com site can occasionally be useful, who knew?). I don't know if she got my "The Picture of Dorian Grey" reference when I saw her, but suffice to say she doesn't look her age. Long time readers of this blog -- all three of you -- will no doubt remember my mentioning TGIWOW^TM. That's her. Of course, now she's been regaled by Mark and others about how just awesome this blog is, so she'll probably read it. Em-BARE-assing. Though it's not like it was a big secret to anyone with eyes and a brain. I was the only one who thought it was a big secret. Still, it's much easier to write about people who aren't reading it.

Mark-- apparently the biggest fan this blog has, proving again his lack of taste in entertainment -- thinks I Twitter too much. He likes the long boring posts. Mark, this one's for you! (And I'm glad you liked the post about your birthday.)

As the night wore on, the banter never ceased, and Carrie pointed out to Mark's girl-friend Megan how the dynamic, at least with Mark and I, had not changed much (I did point out that he's got a bigger vocabulary). Mark has decided that my (so-called) writing career to date is all because of him, pointing out that night of Brett's party, during which he drunkenly chastised me for blowing it when it came to writing. He called himself "my muse." (shudder).

That was 2004, and the turn around for my writing did come soon after, so maybe he's right.

Or it was a coincidence. I say we go with that. He will not be my Calliope. No! I want Olivia Newton-John, minimum.

Mike grew increasingly drunk, fell into a crowd of townies, and not long after that Keith and Jen walked him home. I hugged them both good-bye -- they won't be at the dinner tonight -- and felt like I was losing something again. Mark and I talked about the fact that we're not all that far away, we should get together once a year at least. And I hope we do.

We didn't clear out until after 1:30am. Go, Party-Eric!

So, tonight, the more formal dinner. Just as much drink. And an after-party. Then Sunday -- real life again. I dread that almost as much as I was dreading going into that bar yesterday, which turned out to be one of the best nights I've had in a long time.

• 07:24 12seconds - amazon nickel and diming 12seconds.tv/channel/egriffith/17888 #
• 08:37 got stood up this morning by the woman who usually cuts my hair. I get to go to my 20-year high school reunion as "scruffy." #
• 10:37 signing off the PC for the day. future tweetage courtesy of Jott as I hit the road to Hornell NY. motto: we're not the luncheon meat people. #
• 17:34 sitting in parent's guest room, checking non-existent email. This is also where they keep the kitty litterbox. You do the math. #

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• 10:50 12seconds - first 12 seconds 12seconds.tv/channel/egriffith/17221 #

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Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

• 09:35 End of era: eBay will no longer do auctions. is.gd/1LGu No shock though, the site hasn't offered an auction bargain in years. #
• 20:19 is it petty to request a 72 cent refund from Amazon after a price drop on a product I already bought? No, I didn't think so either. #

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• 11:07 faked Bigfoot in Atlanta? Turns out costume used was made entirely from MARK TWAIN'S BACKHAIR. #
• 11:16 1865: author Mark Twain visits Sandwich Islands (old name for Hawaii). In honor, people of Maui still eat Mark Twain backhair sandwiches. #
• 14:24 The material inside the magic wand of lesser know Harry Potter character Taintless McFudglebottom: Mark Twain's Backhair. #

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• 15:14 been a long time since I was this unmotivated. Someone motivate me. Or I'll start talking only about Mark Twain's back hair. #
• 15:20 Fine: Little known fact. Hair taken from Twain's back, in proximity to hair taken from Vonnegut or Will Rogers, will spontaneously combust. #

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• 09:03 if iRobot ever advertises, they need the Beatles:Now somewhere in the basement of my house There lived a young vac named Rocky the Room-ba #

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• 20:04 what my life has come to: spent an hour figuring out how to change default feed reader for subscribing when clicking RSS icon in Firefox 3 #

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• 08:16 Because there's other things to do at work besides work: the Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites is.gd/1mFr #
• 08:58 Cory Doctorow + DJ Spooky = CBLDF Benefit on 8/21 in NYC. ping.fm/L7tmE #
• 09:49 still Dark Knight ads on IMDB.com? That's just greedy, TW. #

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• 10:08 #080808 let it be known, I could give a rat's arse about the Olympics. #

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• 00:11 HDTV Day not a total bust: Just recouped $100 from Amazon price drops on 2 of the items I bought ($50 each on router and a/v receiver). #

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My latest opus is all about how to put RSS to work for you. It's my favorite kind of story for PC Mag, where I can write about something that I use or that interests me, learn some new things, and hopefully make it non-technical enough for anyone to understand. (Don't worry Dad, you're not just anyone!)

• 01:59 2am. I have just now finished setting up xbox and receiver in anticipation. I declare tomorrow HDTV DAY! #
• 10:49 Douche-bag of Liberty retires! Now, if they can take away his license, we'll all be safe. #
• 12:48 13 minutes, and the 1pm to 5pm window opens for delivery of my HDTV. I'm like a kid on Xmas morning. Weeee! #
• 12:59 already worried that I bought a HDTV that's too small. even though my living room measures 8x8 feet... #
• 15:20 okay, seriously. my patience is wearing thin as cheese cloth. Where the frack is my HDTV?? #
• 15:35 Hulu shows in HD. Including Dr. Horrible. New laptop has HDMI-out port. New HDTV coming today (eventually). Me=happy. #
• 17:16 it's here! it's HERE, do you HEAR?? #
• 21:03 HDTV Turmoil. Since arriving 4 hours ago, disappointment and puzzlement reign. Not sure if it's my fault or the TV's. I hope mine. #
• 21:03 1) Picture is bad on the old TiVo. No surprise. but also not that good with upscaled DVDs. What am I doing wrong? #
• 21:04 2) Trying to migrate data from one Xbox drive to new bigger one, but the cable I borrowed doesn't work. It's a one time use cable...forever? #
• 21:05 3) Somehow my Xbox scratched the living hell out of my Halo3 disk. Only Bungie can save me. Or I pay. Dammit. #
• 21:05 Time to order some HD service from DirecTV, otherwise this whole HDTV Day is going down as a bust. uber-:( #

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• 08:06 exciting way to start the morning: smoke detector alarm before I even show. the furnace room had filled with smoke. Repair guy coming. #
• 08:55 older dogs mean it's time to buy stock in Nature's Miracle. #
• 12:49 I love Morgan Freeman. the guy taught me how to read. Him and J. Arthur Crank. #
• 13:03 if you don't know who J. Arthur Crank and Easy Reader and Letter-Man and Silent-E are, you were probably born after 1978. #
• 16:52 Furnace fixed. A stupid exhaust pipe had come loose, I didn't even notice it. Could have fixed that myself. Grrr. #

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• 15:20 Reading Artemis Fowl book five #
• 20:33 marathon viewing of Diners, Drive-ins & Dives tonight... time to clear some old stuff off the TiVo before I trade up to an HD DVR #
• 20:38 Always best to watch DD&D on a very full stomach, so fried cravings are kept to a minimum. #

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I spent the day yesterday in nostalgia. First I went to the state park nearest the town where I grew up (Hornell, NY, home of another dead Ponderosa!) and hung out with my friend Mark and his family for a few hours. It is his birthday in a week. When I was in high school, his family was like a second one for me, including his god-mother, Josie, who was our English teacher in ninth grade (I think... I remember the horrible classes like math with more startling clarity, to be honest) and an all-around nice woman, period. His sister was there (also her birthday), and all her kids, many of whom I used to baby-sit. And a couple of her kids I didn't know existed, born after I left town 20 years ago this September. Too bad his dad, Magic Bill, wasn't there, but he was in Myrtle Beach, apparently at the same camp ground he used to take Mark and I back in the late 80s.

After that, I went to see my parents to give them a couple of my precious, low-cost HDMI cables to hook up their new HDTV. Sad to see how few HD channels they actually get. Nice TV when it is in HD though. Narrowly avoided getting a ticket in front of the house I grew up on for having the criminal temerity to have parked my car facing the wrong way.

(How'd I avoid it? In part be cause my dad, AKA "Captain Subtle" comes rushing out on the porch and yells to the cop, "Can you maybe give him a break since his brother is a cop up in Alfred?" Oh yes. But it worked. Nothing is stronger than the brotherhod of blue.)

My parents and I went to see my grandmother. I don't think she would have known who I was if Mom hadn't told her ahead of time. But maybe that's the fun of being elderly... everyone is new, and sometimes they give you stuff!

I ended the trip with a ride-around in a cop car. My brother was working an extra shift so I drove up and watched him be the only cop on duty in town for a while. That included a quick trip to the home of his mother-in-law's boyfriend (yeah, it's complicated), who I've never really talked to before. Nice guy, and builds a nice house, and cooked me a nice hotdog, so I'm sure I'll talk to him again. He's also got a pit bull who was a total mush. Looked like he could take a bumper off your car with his jaw, but all he wanted was to lean against people and get a rub down. Oh, and I pantsed one of my nephews when I turned him upside down, and almost dropped him. Whew.

All in all, it was a nice day, especially for two reasons, both related to jobs. Mark is an eighth-grade social studies teacher now, and having always been a history buff, it was actually exciting to see how... excited he gets when talking about history. In particular his passion around the real reasons behind the Civil War, reasons he says he will now teach differently after having his eyes opened at a lecture earlier this year.

With my brother, we didn't get into too much cop-stuff while I was there, but he did pull someone over for a dead tail-light. He could have been a dick about it, but he was the epitome of the friendly, small-town cop, laughing and chatting with the folks he pulled over. I don't know if I'd have been as friendly with a 40-pound belt and a Kevlar vest on. Sweat makes me cranky; they didn't wear that shit back in Mayberry! I'm sure it would have been different if he'd checked their tags and been told something other than everything with legal. That would have been fun to watch, too.

It was a nostalgia and memory filled day, under the lens of how everyone has to change after 20 years. I forget that sometimes, having moved away so long ago, like Hornell is still under a bubble crafted in 1988 and that those who remained are unchanged. It's good to frequently get the reminder that's not the case, and it's usually for the better for those I care about.

• 22:44 back from a day in Hornell. Birthday party, visited grandma, rode in the cop car. Full report tomorrow on www.squishedfrog.com #

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It started as a small story for the mag, but when we went to online first, I let it morph into a behemoth. It's what I do.

If you want to become an online retailer, check out my daily checklist of all the things you have to consider, called 31 Days to a Web Storefront. It won't tell you how to code the HTML, but it'll get you thinking about what to ask. (And my thanks again to my friend Michelle; without her this story may never have been finished.)