happy

1 when were on vacation, pam takes pictures of the sunrise, so i don't have to wake up early. (i don't know that that's why she does it, but that's the upshot) above is monterey bay as seen from our hotel room, several hours before i woke up.

2 when i talk on the phone with ronnie perkins, after about 10 minutes, i sound like i was born in palatka.

3 the opening guitar solo of sweet child o' mine.

4 driving through states that have mountains.

5 remembering the night at the herald when lawrence hollyfield and i went down to the second floor deck during a break in a bad storm, walked outside, and felt no wind ... until we walked around the corner and it was blowing so hard that it knocked us back five feet.

6 the fact that we kept going

7 walking through fantastic farmer's markets while on vacation, and seeing produce that makes me wish i lived there.

8 being outside without sweating.

9 the fact that ronnie and i met in atlanta one night to go see tom rhodes do his stand-up act, and despite the fact that i hadn't seen tom in a couple of year and he didn't know we were in the sold-out, jam-packed audience, when i laughed loudly at one of his jokes, he looked my way with a look of recognition, like he heard me and knew it was me.

10 planning my next vacation while i'm on vacation.

11 seeing billy joel live for the 20th time, at madison square garden, and it was the best one. it officially became the best concert i had ever seen as soon as i heard the opening chords of vienna. "and you know that when the truth is told, that you can get what you want, or you can just get old."

12 driving through gilroy, calif., and smelling the garlic the whole time we were there.

13 going to my 20th high school reunion (class of 85), and you could have never figured out who the guys were by their yearbook photos, but you might've guessed that the girls had had those photos taken yesterday.

14 riding up the escalator at the herald and seeing sean connery riding down, and nodding "hello" to him, and him nodding "hello" right back at me.

15 the terror i feel when i know 10-15-20+ people are on the way over, and i'm still cooking, and i'm not sure i'll finish ... anything. (for clarity, yes, that makes me happy. just later.)

16 the day ron brackett turned around when i was drawing 1a and said, "i have a headline for that centerpiece story that you can put on there." then as he turned around and saw the page, he read the headline that i had already put on the page, and said, "ohhhhhhhhh, nevermind." (that headline is one in the portfolio that won me a national award).

17 being a month out of college at the boca raton news, and hearing pam pfluke yell across the newsroom, dead serious, agitated, to no one in particular, "I NEED A SHORTER WORD FOR 'BREAST!!!!!' " and wondering if i would get fired if i laughed.

18 when andre agassi won wimbledon in 1992, i felt like i had won it.

19 when i pet my cats, they lean into it.

20 the smell of cypress when it is being cut. and walnut. but not so much zebrawood. it smells like a wet dog.

21 remembering the look that ted green shot me when a herald co-worker returned to work after a lengthy vacation with a head of hair that was not there when he left for vacation.

22 sitting in a denny's in boca raton at 2 a.m. with pam, lesley tarpinian and rick press, and laughing so hard that we couldn't breathe, and eventually started crying. and i have no idea about what.

23 when teams would walk mark merchant because they were afraid he would hit a home run, and mark hoffman would immediately start taunting the pitcher by yelling, "instant triple!" and usually, two pitches later, merchant was standing on third base.

24 watching scott townes go from unconscious to target-vomiting in less than a second.

25 that i knew i was going to go out with pam the day she interviewed at the boca news. i met her in a budget meeting.

26 my 1983 camaro berlinetta. i think the thing that i liked most about it was the fact that the trim piece that said "berlinetta" was all in lower case.

27 sentences that are written in all lower case.

28 the proper use of the word "another."

29 starbucks java chip ice cream.

30 the fact that i know a guy whose last name is rockhead (right).

31 walking through a cooking supply store and finding the coolest tool that i never knew existed, and it's like $3.

32 that i have drawn pages just so that headlines i wrote would fit in them.

33 dim sum

34 letting my sister plan the party, and i just have to cook something for it.

35 walking through the herald cafeteria, and acting on an inexplicable urge to hug dan lebatard, just because he looked like he needed it.

36 finding out that he did.

37 the look on my dad's face when he saw his brothers and sister walking in on his 60th birthday party. (to see it, play the movie at right.)

38 sitting at the dining room table with my brother doug when i was probably about 12. we were at my grandma brick's condo playing some board game while all the adults were watching an r-rated movie on hbo, in our complete view, and i was watching the movie more than i was playing the game, and my grandfather knew it, and didn't say anything until the movie was almost over. it was ... and justice for all, starring al pacino.

39 the fact that eddie alvarez told me that the gunshot wound to my car was really no big deal, because it was small caliber and it hadn't been aimed at me. it was just random. like, oh ... ok. (it makes me happy now. then, notsomuch.)

40 getting a waiter who doesn't make a suggestion until i ask for one, and they they have and enthusiastic opinion. they are almost always right. if they aren't quick with it, and if they aren't excited about it, it's a guess, not a suggestion.

41 that my uncle eddie was really upset with me because i didn't know how to tap a keg ... when i was, like, 11.

42 getting off the elevator one day at the herald, and running into someone, not looking where i was going, and having three bodyguards converge on me. it was jeb bush.

43 the fact that the girl at the film developing place asked if it was ok that she had made copies of my photos for herself (the photos were from backstage at an reo speedwagon concert. ok, it was a big deal at the time.)

44 that when amy hollyfield smiles, she scrunches her shoulders a little. this happiness was multiplied 10 times when i saw alara hollyfield, about 18 months old at the time, do exactly the same thing.

45 that my grandma webster told me that the nurse paid her a compliment when she assumed i was her son.

46 that when he was 10 years old, i saw mark bellhorn, who now has a world series ring, score on the same play that he was walked.

47 watching becky bowers' eyebrows do calisthenics, until it makes me tired.

48 the sound of meat hitting a smokin' hot grill.

49 mitochondrial dna. and luminol.

50 cake batter ice cream at coldstone creamery ... before they changed the recipe to eliminate the uncooked egg-like product blah blah blah. stupid usda.

51 that tom rhodes, now making his second appearance on my list, did not cave when i complained that i was not on his.

52 the fact that i could make tammy james laugh hysterically by saying the word "yellow." or battery." any time i wanted to.

53 getting the opportunity right here to tell anyone who finds this that there is probably no on i've ever known more responsible for shaping my personality than tammy james. at least, no one that i'm not related to.

54 telling jennifer james stories about her sister, even if they make me cry.

55 hearing kathy laughlin call her husband "sweetie" so many times that when i randomly saw him once without her, i almost called him sweetie. in fact, i was momentarily unsure what his name really was. (it's michael.)

56 i once made dave barry laugh

57 "we try so hard, we rupture ourselves."

58 squeezing headlines just a little too much, but having it be totally worth it.

59 that when everett used to let us take cracked eggs home from meat world, he really thought we took them home. or maybe he didn't.

60 that pam and i were engaged before anyone -- possibly including us -- knew we were dating.

61 brain freeze

62 when someone gets my order wrong, but it looks good, so i keep it, and i'm glad i did.

63 the fact that my brother has three boys (left), and when the four of them stand in a row next to each other, it looks like someone ran age-progression software.

64 that when we went to the atlanta zoo to see the pandas, when i first saw them, i thought they were cartoon characters.

65 mocking hal's pal

66 "step out the front door like a ghost into the fog where no one notices the contrast of white on white."

67 getting off an airplane. doesn't matter where.

68 the day they announce the schedule for the epcot food & wine festival.

69 that i couldn't make valerie panou understand that the reason that they bounced her from an audition for a makeover show was because she was already the "after" picture.

70 and that i have an autographed picture of her foot.

71 black & white photos. or better, sepia tones.

72 once at ted green's house, i was looking at a framed photo he had on the wall. it was an old magazine ad for beer -- guinness, i think -- and it was an old british-looking guy sitting at the bar hoisting a mug. in the background, you saw a clock on the wall that said it was 8:30. "i like to think that's 8:30 A.M.," ted said, "because it makes it a whole different picture. (editor's note: ted informs me that the beer is schlitz, and the time is 11:45. i leave the posting as i wrote it as a cautionary tale of trusting my memory.)

73 fast-forwarding through the commercials.

74 the fact that i've accepted that i use "its" and "it's" interchangeably. somebody else better catch it, because i don't even care anymore.

75 "why are we even going after this idiot demographic?"

76 remembering the day at pittsburgh pirates spring training camp in bradenton that, after i had watched a parade of stars totally ignore kids that were clamoring for their autographs, bobby bonilla came out and signed a bunch, then lifted a little boy, probably 4 or 5 years old, over the fence and on to the field and play catch with him until jim leyland told him it was time to come into the clubhouse. then, he played catch with the kid for another 10 minutes until leyland came back out and just stared at him until he came in.

77 the fact that bobby bonilla has a world series ring, and barry bonds does not.

78 that i spent an entire day trying to convince edwin pope that my bonilla story was 1,000 times more relevant than any story about him that had ever appeared in the new york daily news.

79 the fact that ben roethlisberger had his absolute, bar-none worst game as a pro, and still won the super bowl.

80 that i decided at the last second to go to game 5 of the florida panthers first-ever playoff series on a saturday afternoon before going to work. i was going alone, so i got a great seat in like the 10th row in the corner. and it was the corner where, in the third period, bill lindsay scored the most amazing goal i will probably ever see. airborne, parallel to the ice, and in the net. then, going to work and seeing dave bergman's amazing photo of the play. (right. duh.)

81 that i went to game 2 of the 1995 eastern conference finals in orlando, and i bought tickets from a scalper in the next-to-the-last row of the upper deck, and that before the game, i saw my friend kenny preuss, who was one of the guys who shot t-shirts into the stands during timeouts, and i told him where i was sitting, and he said he'd shoot a t-shirt my way. in the third quarter, one hit me in the hands. i didn't catch it, but it still makes me happy.

82 that after the last out of the 1997 world series, john parkhurst came running at me full speed, and i knew he wasn't planning to slow down. just before he hit me, he jumped up. somehow, i caught him without falling through the floor, and he started pumping his fists in the air. it was pretty much a re-creation of the scene on the tv at the time. but i thought i was going down.

83 the look on kathy laughlin's face as the above scene transpired.

84 the look on kristen walbolt's face nine years later when kathy laughlin ran at me in pretty much the same fashion. i was pretty sure i could catch kathy, tho.

85 that my mom called me one day and asked if i knew a girl named katie, because she had a dream that i married someone named katie. that night, i went to the horse track, and there was a horse named katie's dream. i bet $2. i won $180.

86 the espresso granita at zuni cafe in san francisco

87 the peanut butter pie at brennan's in houston

88 the cherry sparkler served as an amuse bouche before dessert at tru in chicago.

89 the white peach sangria at bolo in new york.

90 the guacamole at topolobampo in chicago.

91 the beet and goat cheese napoleon at spago in beverly hills

92 bamboo

93 anything made of bamboo

94 spending every saturday afternoon when i was a kid outside with the transistor radio listening to casey kasem's top 40

95 listening to pirates games on the radio when i was 9, while i was in the backyard throwing a baseball to my pitch-back, synchronized to the call of the game, pretending that i was the one that milo hamilton and lanny frattare were talking about. "here's the windup ... and the pitch ... STRIKE THREE! he's outta there. the crowd goes wild." i had over a thousand strikeouts one summer.

96 the fact that i had emeril lagasse autograph a book for me, and asked him to write, "pam, pork fat does TOO rule, emeril." after he wrote "does" he hesitated because he didn't know if it was "to" or "too." "ah, i'm an editor," i said, puffing out my chest. "it's 'to.' " i couldn't have sounded more confident. so that's what he wrote. and it's still wrong. (in my defense, it was really early and i had waited in line for like two hours. ok, that's not a defense. sigh.)

97 two words: pot luck.

98 when i was a kid, going to the restaurant where my uncle eddie worked because the owner was friends with four steelers, and they had set up a small gym in the basement. so i got to meet mike webster, jon kolb and larry brown, who had scored a touchdown in the super bowl. they were huge. now, i look at their old football cards, and i am several inches taller and several pounds heavier than they were. and they were offensive linemen. sigh.

99 that ronnie perkins has forgiven me for telling him that mike webster was my uncle, even though i didn't come clean on that story for about six years.

100 that deep down, phil leppert really hasn't.

101 that when i started this list, i was hoping to get to 100, and now that i'm there, i'm not close to done. go get a drink or something and come back. you deserve a rest.

102 watching willie stargell twirl his bat between pitches.

103 impersonating willie stargell twirl his bat between pitches.

104 driving across the golden gate bridge.

105 the pacific coast highway.

106 standing next to a redwood tree in muir woods that made me feel small. and it was so tall that i couldn't see the top. (right)

107 driving up sandia mountain in albuquerque and seeing road signs indicating that the road ahead was going to be in shapes i had never seen before.

108 thanksgiving dinner. cooking it. sharing it.

109 "the price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings."

110 getting advice on what restaurants i needed to go to from wolfgang puck (cafe ponte and salt rock grill, if you are interested. and he's right.)

111 deciding that we didn't feel like paying $30 each for a boat tour of boston harbor, then finding a water taxi that basically did the same thing from right outside out hotel for $3.50 each. and getting the best photos we took in boston during that ride. it wasn't narrated. i knew what i was looking at.

112 oviedo, in retrospect.

113 miami, in retrospect.

114 my favorite teachers, in no particular order: dotti digiorgio, gretchen white, howard mabie, robert gustaffson, louis tulp and rick harris. (no college professors were named in the making of this list. hmmmmmmmmm.)

115 letting people try to convince me that tofu is a reasonable entree, and knowing it isn't me they're trying to convince.

116 going to a vegetarian cooking demonstration once where they were telling us that a portobella would be a great substitute for a steak, and seeing the look on her face when i asked why you wouldn't just put the portobella on top of the steak.

117 that i swore i never, in a bazillion years, would ever never ever eat sushi. and now i love the stuff. if you haven't had it because you assume you hate it, more for me.

118 watching kelly klukis learn math by osmosis.

119 that saddam hussein is behind bars (UPDATE: well, you know the update).

120 that sometimes he's right and sometimes he's wrong, but george w. bush is always underestimated by the media. and they'll never figure it out. (UPDATE: i stick by this one in principle as a statement about the media, but w has made me sad since the initial making of this list.)

121 any use of the word "hopeful," even if it isn't necessarily grammatically correct.

122 that shaq won a ring without kobe.

123 that dwayne wade can reasonably be called the "next michael jordan" because of the way he plays, not because his shoe company and marketing department say so.

124 20-year-old taylor fladgate port

125 stressing a point with italics, not ALL CAPS. sometimes i don't have the option.

126 "the following takes place between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m."

127 standing on the patio at sterling winery, overlooking the napa valley, and looking all around at the mountain peaks that go in a circle all the way around me, and coming to the stark realization that i'm standing in a volcano.

128 that when we went to animal services to look for a kitten, i made the decision that any cat that would let me pick it up and then crawl up my chest to sit on my shoulder would be the one that we took home, because my old cat, razzle, used to do that. we found one that did, so we brought najah home, and lo these many years later, she hasn't done it again. and that's fine.

129 imdb.com

130 "i didn't think that was very damn funny." (yeah, but i did.)

131 dennis miller. he's so cerebral. some people don't get it. even people who like to think of themselves as cerebral. (two people get that.)

132 that my tivo remembers to record my favorite shows, even when i forget. (UPDATE: stupid directv and their stupid own dvr. not very happy about that one.)

133 the sadly departed manhattan chili co. (UPDATE: last i heard, it had re-opened, and is now in grand central terminal.)

134 knowing that those vane, imbecilic morons in the hair-replacement commercials who sound like they're just gonna die if they don't grow some hair, probably have bigger problems that rogaine can't fix, if you know what i mean.

135 that meeko, right, regularly beats about 25 percent of the people in the ncaa pool every year.

136 that in the song streetcorner symphony, rob thomas seems to think the words "brother" and "color" rhyme.

137 that in the song all you want to do is dance, billy joel seems to think the words "cheaper" and "speaker" rhyme.

138 that in the song look out any window, bruce hornsby seems to think the words "sea" and "see" rhyme.

139 that i can't decide if bruce hornsby is right.

140 hwy. 128, mendocino county

141 ronnie, pam and i hiked to from a parking lot to an isolated beach at point reyes national seashore, and i had estimated that we walked about a half-mile to get there, but figured that meant it was really about a quarter-mile. so, without telling him my guess, i asked ronnie how far he thought it was, and he said "i'm thinking about a half-mile, but probably really just a quarter-mile." (at left, ronnie is near the beach end of the trail.)

142 ronnie, alan and i are walking through the farmer's market at the ferry building in san francisco, and at three consecutive vendors, we ask a question, and each time the vendor did not know the answer, but a guy in front of us -- the same guy all three times -- did know the answer. after the third time, i asked him if he thought it was weird that we were following him around and asking questions about fruit. without flinching, he shrugged, and said, "eh, it's san francisco."

143 oh yeah, the farmer's market at the ferry building in san francisco.

144 the mushroom store at the ferry building in san francisco (far west funghi).

145 cowgirl creamery.

146 the santa monica farmer's market.

147 the look on rommie johnson's face when he tasted the elyse cabernet with the wagyu/angus beef at the french laundry. he just started laughing because everything we had that night was great, and it just kept getting better with every course.

148 the rush i got at the french laundry when they brought the wine out for dessert, and i immediately recognized the bottle before they presented it as one that i had bought at the winery earlier that day. i'm not sure i have ever felt smarter.

149 driving up the side of a tree-covered mountain to get to ladera vineyards. red mustang convertible, top down.

150 taking a whale watching tour from monterey, and being surrounded by so many large, jumping dolphins that i couldn't even try to count them. it almost seemed like they were attacking the boat, they were so close. the company's web site said we saw about 2,600 dolphins and 8 humpback whales that day. it was awesome.

151 fante's kitchen wares shop in the italian market in philadelphia.

152 the gnocchi board i found there. i'd been looking for one of those forever. whether i ever use it or not, i have it.

153 sur la table, anywhere

154 deciding that the taxi fare from our hotel in philadelphia to a restaurant was too high, so when it was time to go back, we walked three miles down the franklin parkway. an excellent walk. we should've worn different shoes, tho.

155 spending the whole day at jazz fest in new orleans dodging the rain, then it stopped, and we went to see counting crows, and they opened with rain king and thunder road.

156 sitting in cafe ponte, having lunch with lawrence, when michelle bernstein walked in. where others go ga-ga over actors and musicians, i am left speechless by the sight of famous chefs. i stopped talking in mid-sentence when i recognized her, and i think that alarmed lawrence.

157 when i went up to her table as we were leaving, she enthusiastically said "Hi!" like she knew me. and when i told her i had a reservation at her restaurant, she asked what date, and seemed happy that she would be there.

158 the ginger-caramel milkshake at taylor's refresher in st. helena, calif.

159 the hoisin-glazed squab at cyrus in healdsburg, calif.

160 the frico at lidia's in pittsburgh

161 primanti bros.

162 the carbonara with a fried poached egg at herbsaint in new orleans.

163 the beignets at cafe du monde in new orleans. (left)

164 the frozen cafe au lait at cafe beignet in new orleans.

165 half-size orders at michy's in miami.

166 baja fresh

167 kayaking on the rainbow river on my birthday, and seeing otters.

168 trying to decide when to stop to have lunch when we were kayaking down the russian river in sonoma county. then we crashed into a tree limb and flipped the kayak. so we stopped and had lunch then.

169 standing outside the washington street ale house -- the name is important, so pay attention -- in wilmington, del., and hearing a woman on her cell phone say, "yeah, i'm at the washington street ale house. ... it’s downtown. ... no, i can't figure out what street it's on."

170 adding to this list.

171 the kitchen aid mixer pam got me for christmas more than a decade ago. she bought it for me after i had broken a hand mixer during the holidays every year since she had known me. i would go buy a new one, and break it the next year. i think the kitchen aid paid for itself about 6 years ago. and it's still running strong.

172 alton brown once did an in-store promo ad for kitchen aid mixers which said something like, make sure you get the right color, because you're never going to need to buy another one.

173 the "right color" changed for me. and when it did, my brother-in-law took it to his paint shop and gave it a custom paint job.

174 the color: gold-flecked black. the same color as my old saturn.

175 when pam asked me where i wish we could have a second home, i said napa.

176 then i said, "no, wait ... clearwater."

177 she said santa monica, and i'm ok with that, too.

178 the duquesne incline (right)

179 "funicular railway" (also right)

180 we checked into a hotel in orlando, and our room had a view of the tennis courts. i was stunned to see that they had grass courts, and wished i had brought our racquets, because i would love to play on grass courts.

181 when we walked down to see the "grass" courts up close, we found that it was actually outdoor carpeting. i have never really wanted to play on outdoor carpeting.

182 when the self-propelling feature on our lawn mower broke, i fixed it. i had no idea what i was doing but it works again. and good thing, because that grass is not getting cut if i have to push that thing.

183 jeremy bowers will do you huge, money-saving favors, and act like you're doing him a favor by letting him.

184 when alan rittner starts a sentence, "i don't know very much about wine, but ...", then follows with something about how a rainstorm on the northern face of the pyrenees late in 2003 led to a finer-than-normal bordeaux in 04. i made that up, but it's not far off.

185 fahrenheit. celsius, not so much.

186 when people ask me for recommendations for restaurants to go to in other cities, some of which i haven't even been to.

187 that i almost always have something to suggest.

188 when they come back and tell me that they loved it.

189 cost plus world market. i always buy something there. and it usually involves bamboo.

190 the stuffed cabbages at the poland kiosk at epcot during the food & wine festival. they remind me of my grandmother's.

191 sitting in the front row during an andre agassi match at key biscayne. it was the last match of the afternoon session, and the stadium was half-full. we had decent tickets, but no one was sitting in front of us, so i moved up.

192 sitting in the press box during the pete sampras-andre agassi final, i think in 1995, when agassi won 19 points in a row.

193 sitting in the press box, watching tennis with ed pope.

194 that carlos ojeda is the coca-cola christmas polar bear.

195 that i've learned to trust that when the steelers choose not to resign a key player, its usually because that player is done. even if that player doesn't know it yet. and it will only become apparent to that player's next team. (sorry dolfans.) it used to make me mad, but they seem to know when players are done. i really hate that they're about to let alan faneca go. but maybe its time.

196 actual headline that almost appeared in the boca raton news: "Firm Bork pleases Reagan."

197 when i type "st. petersburg," i almost always spell it with an "h" at the end and have to go delete it. everyone knows 'burgh's have an h.

198 underwear that is sold in packs of seven. brilliant.

199 a torn hamstring did not diminish my 40 time ... at all.

200 melanie starkey: cover girl (right).

201 watching melanie dance from place to place, where other mere mortals would just walk.

202 that it is possible to make a living as a dry-witted smart ass.

203 that the glass separating the dining room from the playroom at chik-fil-a is pretty much soundproof. whew.

204 i like my lasagna. i don't like restaurant lasagna. my lasagna is all about the noodle. restaurant lasagna is all about the sauce. i figured i was the one doing it wrong. now the happy part: when we went to the hollyfields for christmas dinner, and his aunt -- a very italian italian woman who was born in italy and speaks italian -- brought a lasagna ... and mine is very similar to the way she made it. i realize that isn't actually a sentence. deal.

205 when we picked up our new kitty, jaz, left, at friends of strays, they gave us a dvd with tips on how to handle a new pet. i saw on their shelf, they had a version for cat adopters and one for dog adopters. the dog one was called training your adopted dog. the cat one was called your adopted cat. you don't train cats. the cat trains you. it was nice to see that acknowledged.

206 "billy pilgrim has come unstuck in time."

207 quantum leap.

208 any book, movie or tv show that deals with the present-day consequences of changing the past when you go back in time. you have to be careful back there, people.

209 inspiring dan puckett's happy list! read it! (though i suspect that dan would not be happy about the use of two exclamation points in this item.)

210 the dessert shot glasses at seasons 52.

211 home depot

212 10% off at the home depot.

213 woodcraft.

214 turning the planks of cherry i got from west virginia into a picture frame for cyndi. and i'm still looking forward to turning the black walnut from that trip into some shelves in my kitchen. any day now. the wood had been sitting in a mill in west virginia for 20 years. it was rough sawn and naturally dry. and it was free. when the husband of pam and cyndi's cousin (i think that’s who it was) heard i liked to do a little woodworking, he went over and got it from his friend at the mill. awesome.

215 watching the time and effort pam puts into the dvd's she puts together for birthdays and events.

216 watching people react to them.

217 pollo tropical.

218 the fact that i willed them to open a pollo tropical here.

219 john forester still refers to me as jim "4-for-4" webster, acknowledging the closest thing i had to an athletic highlight of my life.

220 that when you ask john forester how it's going, his answer is, "i'm living the dream." and he means it. and that is totally in the spirit of this list.

random

the first 220

if you read the first installment, you can skip down to no. 136, because the first 135 are the same as before. but you can stop and look at the pictures along the way. thanks again to tom rhodes for inspiring this.

ok, so you made it to the end. you get the idea. now go write your own. you’ll never believe how good it feels. write two or ten and post them in the comments of the blog item that got you here. or, do like dan and put them on your blog and i’ll link to it. if you get really excited and do a bunch -- i highly recommend it -- and don’t have a blog and want to post it, send it to me and i’ll host it. i’m serious about this. get busy, people.