**What to Say?**

School has started, work days returns to the 14+ hour routine. It is hard to find time to blog with everything else in my life crammed into the 3-4 hours of non work time that I am actually awake.

Classes began today. Didn't feel much of the usual excitment, but I am working through my own "sending the kid off to college" at the same time I am taking under my wing some else's kid who was just sent off to college. That duality makes for an interesting experience.

Hurricance Katrina's aftermath appears so much worse than expected. Epic really. I have added to my site a blog maintained by two journalists who weathered the hurricane and offer some unique insights. I will post more as I find them.

**Blazing slow DSL**

It is 10:35 pm. I started a call to Verizon DSL technical support at 9:30 pm. After thirty minutes I heard a human voice. Another 30 minutes have gone by and I can barely load a web browser page. A test of my DSL shows it an utter failure. Originally, I called to find out how to hide access to my wireless signal. I figured things had slowed down cause I had users on it. Now after running some "tests," nothing seems to be working.

I am on hold again, while my "technician" speaks to a "network" guy. I think my modem is crap.

And to boot, Word is quitting on me unexpectantly, all the time. Maybe something is wrong with my new OS. Here's to the Tiger.

**"Empty Nest" Coming to a theatre near you soon**

This Sunday evening at the same time my sister and her family board Jet Blue for the red eye back east, I put my oldest on the red-eye for Miami. After arriving, she boards another plane for Ecuador. It will be 8 months before I see her bright eyes, unless I manage a trip to visit. I am used to her not living at home, but not used to what is likely to be intermittent communication at best.

Then the following Wednesday, I hop a plane with my son and take him to college. So even with his spring semester test run in Italy, I am struggling with the "real" empty nest that I face this fall. It has been so busy this summer I have hardly noticed that my kids were gone most of the summer with their respective jobs. Maybe that busy feeling will continue and I won't miss their absence at the molecular level like I fear. Again I ask, where are the other parents going through this?

**Family time**

So long overdue on the update. But the excuse is company, particularly company that I haven’t told about blogging, so I tend not to do it when I have visitors like that.

Most of the past week has involved entertaining. My niece is visiting. She is a remarkable young lady. Quiet, but a deep thinker and quite observant. At the tender age of 14, she is better read than me when it comes to literature.

Part of the real fun of having her around is showing her my favorite places. It is fun to experience them again through her eyes.

And then there is the joy of being an aunt instead of a parent. I remember well, my sister poking fun at the “video game-free zone” that was my house and sending Game Boys to the kids for Christmas. So it is pay back time. My niece now knows how to drive... A clutch to be specific. For two different cars.

She is good.

She also has been tasked with watching selected R-rated movies. We started her on "Dogma."

Then there is the slight shift away from nonfiction literature at my prodding. She has now read "Fast Food Nation" and is starting on "Nickled and Dimed."

I kid with her saying my goal is to insure that her parents never again let her come spend part of the summer with me.

It doesn't seem to be working, cause her mother doesn’t seem to mind….:)

Now the rest of my niece's family is here and our days are spent picking up, feeding the kids, running the dishwasher, tripping over piles and piles of shoes, picking up, hiking, feeding kids, laundry, picking up, watching "Meet the Fockers" 50 times, and more picking up and feeding kids.

I am having a blast with the house full. Just powerwashed the outside of the house. My plan is to do the same inside when everyone goes.

**An Unfinished Life of another kind**

I saw a preview for the upcoming film "An Unfinished Life." Starting to see the hits on my blog increase, probably because people are looking for information on the movie. It stars Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and others, who, frankly, I don't care about. Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford are two of my favorite actors. Add to that list Nicholas Cage and John Cusak (who was starring in the movie I actually went to see: "Must Love Dogs"). Quick observations cause blogging time is limited:

1. Even thought Redford plays a drunk and, with makeup, looks as old as he ever has, I would abandon my career, kids, and so forth for him. What can I say?
2. Starting to feel the same way about Cusak. Dang his on camera awkwardness is appealing.
   
3. "Must Love Dogs" had many moments that struck uncomfortably close to home, but I really liked the movie, if for no other reason, see number 2. above.