I wrote this January 8, 2004.

Tonight I noticed in our living room a small picture of the Cogswell family. We haven't known the Cogswells long but they are good friends and they've helped us out a lot by babysitting from time to time. I looked at the back of the picture, finding the names of the children and the date it was taken: December 2003.

Apparently this little photograph was a gift to us this Christmas. Upon realizing this, I was struck with the understanding of what a wonderful family the Cogswells are and the beauty of this simple gift. It doesn't matter whether it came with a Christmas card or we received it some other way. For a moment I felt a deep, sincere appreciation for this family and admired the respect they have for each other. Bill and Vonda are successfully building something of great worth.

Tonight I also discovered that an experiment of mine had proven successful. Apparently, when I take out the trash, it's much easier for my wife to clean up the house. I should have known this earlier, but sometimes I lack common sense. In any case, I intend to make it a habit now, even if we end up buying trash bags more often.

I finally found the best reason for me to write a weblog. I love to read the weblogs that my friends write. It seems reasonable, therefore, that my friends would like to read what I write. My friends may even take some time to write back.

I'd also like to write about technical subjects and spread around some of the ideas I've been cooking. I don't have nearly enough time to try even a fraction of them, but I want to see some of the ideas mature.