The writing is OK for a start, but the Sole Proprietor doesn't like it much and realizes if he's serious, he's going to have to write a lot more before it starts to make any sense. That takes time and that's the decision he must make, devote the time required to learn to write a coherent sentence or not? Maybe not.

He's been reading some of the other journals and noticed that many of them are "anonymous" journals, not so much the members of this Ring, but a fair number of others who want to express themselves "fully" without offending family or friends. That's not a bad idea, particularly if you want to talk about your affair with the next door neighbor or you don't want your boss to learn about the leather fetish or the collection of handcuffs in your closet. The Sole Proprietor assumes your significant other is reconciled to the leathers and the closet, but maybe not so happy about the next door neighbor thing, altogether better to keep it quiet.

Although most of the people who read this journal (all three of you) really don't have a clue as to who the Sole Proprietor might be (or really care), there are people at the Sole Proprietor's place of employment (all two of you) who do know who the Sole Proprietor is, and so, any revelations about his leather fetish, handcuff collection, membership in a motorcycle gang, prior convictions or participation in the federal witness protection program could reach the people who write his payroll check. He doesn't need to have people turn pale whenever they pass him in the hall and he does, in fact, rather like that payroll check.

Which is OK. The Sole Proprietor is weird mostly for being a technology geek, much like some others he works with, and for spending his time futzing with his keyboard and camera on the web. These things are known so what's to hide? This really isn't a Journal or diary anyway. You can pick up a lot about what the Sole Proprietor is up to from its pages, but the idea is more the writing of a column or commentary you might find in a newspaper than a "tell all the world about what you're up to" opus.

Writing every day helps put pressure on the Sole Proprietor and pressure brings progress (headaches and sleepless nights) and makes you try new things out of desperation, many of which work. If the Sole Proprietor, for whatever reason, really wants to write, then this is one way to go. Wasn't there a story about a guy who pushed a boulder up a hill? Or was that a beetle and a ball of dung? Well, if he really wants to push a boulder up a hill, who is the Sole Proprietor to remark?

The digital camera may have to wait. He signed up for a PhotoShop class for photographers yesterday and blew his budget big time for at least another month. He does want to keep the journal when he travels to Seattle on the train next week, but he'll post the pictures after the fact and rely on film to chronicle the journey. He'll continue to write 'til then, but he doesn't guarantee daily production.

Life has other demands. His recipe collection, for example, poor poverty stricken orphan of his site, could use more attention. He pitched one of his co-workers who's into desserts on posting some of his recipes with comments ("yup, mixed the stuff up and put it in the oven"), so maybe that will give that section a needed push. He's got some things on there that need testing and although he's been pretty good about the kitchen recently, all the dishes are washed, for example, he hasn't yet grown tired of frozen pot pies and the microwave still works.