Current:  "IPSec:  The New Security Standard for the Internet, Intranets, and Virtual Private Networks" by Doraswamy and Harkins.  There didn't seem to be a lot of my contemporaries that had a really good handle on IPSec, so I'm reading this to better my position.  This one is  a slow read -- I can only absorb so much in one reading (about the time it takes me to absorb a double tall Cappuccino at Starbucks).

Current:  "Never Be Boring Again: Make Your Business Presentations Capture Attention, Inspire Action, and Produce Results" by Douglas Stevenson.  I'm reading this in pursuit of being a better presenter.  I'm fascinated by his Story Theatre method and am looking forward to developing this skill.

Recent:  "Speak To Influence: How to unlock the hidden power of your voice" by Susan Berkley.  Susan is a world renown voiceover talent.  And I've had a few opportunities lately to do some voice work, so this looked like a good read.  However, it's geared more toward general speaking (telephone work, speaking in front of groups).  There were some hints that I found useful, but this is by no means a voiceover book.

Recent:  "Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel" by Scott Adams.  Ughh!  Boy am I glad that's over.  This should have been way more fun than it was, but toward the end it was just tedious.  It was like reading Erma Bombeck, who I can take only in limited doses because she makes me cynical.  It guess it's no wonder that a book on the weasel life would have the same effect.  This one's definitely going the way of Book Crossing.

Recent:  "Don't Just Do What I Tell You, Do What Needs to Be Done" by Bob Nelson.  This is another book long the lines of QBQ about taking initiative and being responsible for results.  Another quick read, but it reinforces some of the things I needed to hear.

Recent:  "QBQ" or The Question Behind the Question, by John Miller.  This was a quick read -- I managed to finished on a flight from Dallas to Omaha (OK there was a layover in Minneapolis).  I enjoyed reading the book and it was a reminder to be about taking responsibility for getting things done.  I like the author's assertion that if you ask the right questions, the answers are there.

Recent:  "Big Trouble" by Dave Barry.  Picked this one up for 35 cents at a Goodwill store.  It's the funniest thing I've read in a while.  It was a complex intertwining of five or six plots to come up with something that was laugh-out-loud funny.

Recent:  "Beyond Fear" by Bruce Schneier.  This was a actually a very good read about security in general.  This is not a computer book per se, but a generalized application of his security assessment methodology.

2003:  Rereading "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren.  The entire church is taking the 40-day journey.

2003:  "George Washington Carver" by William Federer.  This was a collection of his writings -- mostly letters he had written.  It provided an unusual insight into the manner, style, and wisdom of Mr. Carver.  I've always had the utmost respect for him, and truly enjoyed reading the book.

2003:  "Savage Nation" by Michael Savage.  Yeah, I know.  It's Savage.  What is it about Savage that makes him sound like the voice of truth and the voice of tyranny at the same time?  I actually enjoyed reading his book.  I can only take him in limited doses on the radio because of the ever-present anger.  I just feel myself tensing up listening to him.  He makes a lot of good points in the book and the treatment seems to be more evenhanded.

2003:  "Sirens of Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut.  This was another high school sci-fi re-read.  I had some distant memory of the machine Salo.  I think I was always facinated by his ability to see in more than just the visible light spectrum.  That was enough to make me want to go back and re-read it.

2003:  "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein.  This was a re-read of a book I had assigned in a high school science fiction class.  It was the 70's.  Sci-Fi was big.  Honestly I don't remember if I ever read this through entirely the first time.  But I thoroughly enjoyed it the second time.  Grok.  Fullness.  Waiting is.

2003:  "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren.  This is a 40-day journey to discover God's purposes for my life.  I am enjoyed going through this -- including the discipline to stay on track for 40 days.  Our church will be going through it in October.  I started it early because a friend of mine (EDB) recommended it.

2003:  "Breakdown" by Bill Gertz.  Gertz has a phenomenal amount of detail in his book about the intelligence breakdown leading up to 9/11/01.  At times that can make the read a little tedious.  However, it's still an interesting look at the complexities of intelligence gathering and the Washington bureaucracy.

2003:  "Bias" by Bernard Goldberg.  Bernie gives us an unusually candid look behind the scenes at CBS news and what it's like to work with "The Dan".  This is an enjoyable read, although not necessarily revelational if you've read "Slander" by Anne Coulter or listened to Rush for more than two weeks.

2003:  "The Business and Economics of Linux and Open Source" by Martin Fink.  Holy cow.  This guy has drank the Kool-Aid!  I haven't read anything that has contained this much utopian free love since high school.  And that was a long time ago.

The cancelled night express
startles the crossing keeper;
for unexpected hush
will rouse the deepest sleeper.

What just clicked off?  The fridge?
Was it the central heating?
Why am I wide awake?
Ah yes, my heart's stopped beating.

From "Tales From the Computer Room" by John Race © 1977

Aside from the third verse of the National Anthem, this is the only poem I have ever taken the time to memorize.  And by it's shear size you can see that wasn't such a phenomenal task.  Other than my love of trains, living in England such that I understood the charm of being a crossing keeper, and having a heart condition — I have no idea why I like this poem so much.  Maybe it's just the surprise ending!

We have a dog now (actually it's Kelly's dog).  I think of it as a prelude to grandchildren.  It plays, eats, sleeps, and poops.  Sounds familiar.