Here are some things that have happened in the last 27 days since my last post.

Girlbert (I'll keep calling her that until I know it's okay to use her Real Life Name online) from several posts ago is still in my life, and will be for the foreseeable future. I'm perfectly comfortable saying that I love her. Strong words, I know, but true. Me and her took Eva and Scarlett to a farm to pick pumpkins last weekend, which was oodles of fun. Eva is getting really big. She was only four when I met her, and she celebrated her eighth birthday a few months ago. She sill wants me to pick her up and give her shoulder rides, which I will do for as long as I'm able, given their departure for Bosnia next year. Scarlett is getting older, too, and learning to assert her independence. She's right in the midst of the "I can do it!" phase, which is adorable, especially when she can't.

Tour with the new artist goes well. I have the pleasure of being able to specify my own rig for a show December 10th...and the company is pushing MAC IIIs and VL3500s. Uh...yes please. My only restriction really is that there's weight and hang point considerations, but those aren't going to be difficult to work within. Only annoyance is that it's an outdoor show, so I'll be asking for two MDG Arena hazers to get enough on the stage and pray for no wind that day.

I finally realized that I want nothing to do with Timmons anymore...mostly because he's been a massive ass to me for the last ten years. The breaking point was the sarcastic "Oh boy..." he gave me when I told him that I had met my girlfriend online. It wasn't a statement of "I'm happy you found someone.", it was "Oh great, little nerdy Craig has found himself a cyber-geek that he can talk Star Trek with. Look out world!". Yup. Because that's the thing to express your happiness for someone. Especially someone he asked for free concert tickets. He had a bet years ago that entering my details into the server of an online dating service would crash the server since I'm "so weird". I've never forgotten that - it was the most unkind thing someone I looked up to has ever said to me.

It was then that I realized he has consistently spat on my every attempt to be kind to him for ten years. I spent years running around for him, trying to do everything in my power to make his job easier. I lent him money just because I wanted him to like me. Looking back now it's...pathetic. More than pathetic. So after mocking him with math that he couldn't understand and a check he couldn't cash, I told him that I didn't want to hear from him again. Good riddance.

I started volunteering at the Nashville Science Center - I'm a "docent", meaning a volunteer science educator. Four hours were spent Wednesday teaching kids about fire. Because...yay fire. It was fun. I'm going to keep doing it.

Also, tie-dye lab coats. That is all.

Exit, stage left. Sparks