ScottSevener.com

• Spent a great deal more time than I had planned on learning just how damn picky XML can be, but the good news is that ump-teen hours later, I finally did get a working RSS feed out of it. For the three people out there who currently appreciate RSS, check out: http://www.l7comix.com/newsletter/themuffin.xml
• And on that note, things are coming in line for Lori and I to bring the comic back, with any luck shooting for a new one to hit the ‘net Friday morning. I’m sure a nice, promotional e-mail will get sent out to remind everyone, but feel free to visit the website in the meantime to catch-up!
• Also, currently my apartment complex isn’t exactly on the best of levels with me – I’ve got calls into both the “community manager” and the “district manager” and neither has bothered to call me back yet. You see, I received my lease renewal letter last week and they want to charge me anywhere between $70 and $130 more each month…and this is after I spoke with the leasing office and was informed that rent wouldn’t be jumping up, despite all of the rennovations taking place. And believe me, the last thing I want to be thinking about right now is moving with everything else that’s going on, but like I left on the manager’s voicemail last week, why should I pay them more money when they can’t seem to fix the hot tub and the racquetball courts and the pool door as it is?!
• And while we’re on the subject, I read a nice article in the newspaper about our local utilities requesting approval to increase rates “because of increased transportation costs” – you’d better believe that a column is getting written up about this one! D.C. won’t let price gouging happen at the pump, but you just wait as everyone from utilities to retailers to even restaurants are going to start jacking up prices to compensate. Funny how these “costs of living” always seem to skyrocket in times of crisis, and yet if I were to request a “cost of living” raise from my employer, how far do you think I’d get? ‘Nuff said…I’ll save the rest for the column!
• It’s hard to tell after ranting over the last two bullets, but I’m experiencing somewhat of a writer’s block again…even though it seems to be more of a lazy man’s block because I’ve got tons of ideas, I just don’t want to sit down and write them out. And the longer I put it off, the more buried I get…I need some motivation already…
• Lastly, I finally started Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince tonight and it sounds like it might actually be pretty good. I only got through the first chapter because it’s late enough already, but I’ll probably shoot for one a night and pick up the pace as it gets more interesting. Here’s to just hoping it picks up a little faster than Order of the Phoenix, though…

• Found out this evening why it’s not ok to drive on a flat tire…even if it’s just “for a few miles!” I really should’ve taken a picture because figure if I couldn’t get it to take any air here at my apartment, that thing was toast – I mean barely recognizable as a tire altogether– by the time I made it to Oldsmar!Oddly enough, I think it’s more funny than anything else…certainly could’ve used the fifty bucks that I spent on a new tire for other things, but at least nobody got hurt. Next time, I guess I’ll take the extra fifteen minutes and put on the spare before I shred the rubber itself beyond repair…
• I was going to hop on down to the aquarium for some fireworks downtown this evening, but the car incident just proved to be too much for me – came home and ate crab salad, went over some project details with lil’ sis, and watched the season finale of Entourage instead. Maybe tomorrow…
  • P.S. Thank god that Vinny’s still doing Aquaman!!! I know that it’s just a television show, but HBO has a habit of throwing in all sorts of bizarre twists to transition between seasons and it just really would’ve thrown me off of this one. Fortunately they didn’t and I just might have to buy seasons one and two because of it – good show.
• After watching three episodes of 24 back-to-back on A&E, I think I’m officially hooked. It looks pretty cool and I would definitely like to watch the rest of the season, but I’ll have to figure out which one this actually was first because I’ve been told that two and three aren’t nearly as good as the first…or maybe that’s three and four. Either way, which one is the season with the nuclear reactors???
• And good news – it seems as though Lori and I might just be starting up the old comic again for another run! I always get nothing but compliments when I show off what we’ve already done, so it should be fun to get back into the swing of things and see where it takes us this time…
• Also, I finally feel like I’m making progress again with my other website – hopefully a good chunk of tomorrow will put even more of that behind me. I so can’t wait to start working on projects currentagain! Imagine that…
• Last but certainly not least … I finally bought ALF on DVD!!! I was meaning to pick-up season four of Curb Your Enthusiasm, but like Target, Wal-Mart didn’t have it, either, so I settled for season numero dos of my wonderful, cat-eating pal from Melmack instead. Mock me if you will, but ALF is hilarious and deep down, you know it, too.

“The only good cat is a stir-fried cat…”