I had an entry written out last night at work, but when I went to post it, our network had gone down. (Nice computers don't go down.) In the short time it took me to write a little more than this box's worth of words, our network had gone from running smoothly to "Socket Error." So I hit the back button, saved what I had written, and left it on my computer at work. I should've saved it to my e-mail so I could've posted it now, but it wasn't all that important - and it doesn't mess with the chronology of this journal - so it's alright.

I was so tired last night, I don't know if I could've made it to Jersey City or Edgewater if I wanted to. I barely made the 20-minute drive here, to my parents', I don't see how I was going 50 or 60 minutes to north Jersey. I brought my stuff inside and managed to set up the only light in my room (a desk lamp that was attached to a shelf on the wall, now that my desk has been disassembled) and attach it to the side of my bed (a loft) so that I could read in bed without having to climb down to turn out the light. I started The Hobbit in my continuing effort to read that AND The Lord of the Rings AND see the movie by Oscar time. Then, once I'm done with those, I will feel relieved from the pressure of keeping up with pop culture for a while and I can read something more of my own choosing. I have The Best American Travel Writing 2001 to tackle and I'd like to get back to some Kerouac (it's been more than a year since I last read On The Road). Hopefully I'll get through The Hobbit. I didn't like it in sixth grade, and it's certainly not as easy a read as the Harry Potter books. Potter I could get into more - it was real people with wizarding powers, set in the present, with cars and TVs and PlayStation and all that. These hobbits live in the ground and the time period is unknown - it's more of a fantastical stretch. If you really let your mind wander, it's more believable that there are wizards living among us and we just don't know it than to think there are hobbits in that hill across town.

Anywho, I read the first chapter and could barely keep my eyes open, so I turned off the light at 1:15 a.m., quickly falling off to sleep. At 2:20 Casey called, having only just then returned from the city, an hour later than she'd expected. The phone woke me, but I have no idea how long it had been ringing. She said hello and told me what time it was when I asked, then we said goodbye and I was asleep again inside of a minute. But I still managed to miss her in that short time.

Today's a brilliantly sunny winter day, with not a cloud in the crisp blue sky. I'm at my parents' to do some laundry and hang out with Dave B. while Jaime and her mom shop for wedding dresses. With the weather so nice, albeit in the 30s with a wicked wind, Dave and I might do some mild hiking before I have to go to work.

That or watch American Pie 2 on DVD.

And then, after work, I'll be off to Jersey City and a nice warm bed with my girl. Then tomorrow, it's Notre Dame and Seton Hall at the Meadowlands. Go Irish!