Trying to catch up on your lives. I began with (e:news) and went from there. Before I continue with reading, a few things first:

First: I hate missing (e:strip) parties. As always, it looked to be a fun gathering. Again, happy Birthday (e:terry) and (e:mike)! As many of you know, it is great to interact with those that you have been reading a little bit about over time. I've been to plenty of generic parties all over the place; generally amusing but bland over all. (E:strip).org parties are another breed. You have shared history, established familiarity and diversity...various levels of debauchery and a slew of other elements that add to the fabulousness that it is. But the main thing? It is the "epeeps" that really make these parties ones to remember. And when you miss one or two in a row, the sense of feeling out of the loop, missing everyone in general, and some in specific, really hits. *FEEL THE LOVE!* AND there are new faces, new lives, new peeps I've yet to meet. Anyway, I hope to do some major catching up with (e:peeps) soon.

Second: (e:paul), you are fantastic! Your talents and dedication continue to impress me. I know (e:peeps) agree; they wouldn't be here if not for your continued effort on this site, right?! :) While it is a symbiotic relationship, and everyone contributes to its success, it still comes back to *you*. To think that it began as a Masters project! And you didn't even have to do that, because, remember, you invented the internet, haha. Thank you. The statistics and user status labels are fun! Nice bronze medal, (e:jim)! and a shout out to our prolific writer/commenter, (e:metalpeter)!

Third: This weekend was *a lot* of fun. The things I learned about myself! I can't even begin to describe what it was all about. I camped at a private campground this weekend out towards Springville. This is a large event that takes place every Labor Day weekend. Bands, food, drink, various sorts of entertainment, dirt bike/4 wheeler trails, contests, and lots and lots of people and nature. I declined last year, for several reasons, but was keen on making it this year. The much anticipated weekend finally arrived and I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew but just a couple of people and there were hundreds. The tag line of this event is, "More fun than allowed by law"
yeh, I'd say; and I was pleased to take part in it.
I brought my camera but didn't use it.. Thinking back, maybe that was a good thing. hmmm, but I imagine someone took a few..

Although the best thing about going away is coming home, the worst part about coming home is unpacking and cleaning up. I'll do that later. I have some blogs to read!

Hope everyone had a fun-safe-happy-peaceful Labor Day Weekend!

ooh, I still have time to hunt down a fried dough at the local field days, if I get myself motivated to head back out the door. The nice thing is that it is just down the street from me. hmmmm fried dough, its been a couple of years since my last! yum!

Logging into (e:strip) has long ago become a daily habit. On most days I read the lastest entries. Occasionally I miss an entry when there have been multiple posts (by the individual user, or it was just a busy day on the strip).

To counter this, I have taken to clicking on the 'search' tab to check to see what people are saying about what. How interesting (and fun) to read peeps views and reactions on just about everything! This too is where I can see what entries I may have missed. Reading other peoples comments gives me a new perspective on the original post. Sometimes I misinterpret or overlook an aspect of the original content. Sometimes I learn something entirely new or my interest in the subject matter propels me to do a little research on my own; and sometimes I am just nosey. ;)

Whatever the case, coming to (e:strip) is a part of my day. I am sure there are a few of you who can relate, no?

Some days, when I just need to read more, I click on "random journal", which brings me to just about anyone who has written on (e:strip). Some people have only one or two journals posted, others, well, have over 2000 ;) But most of us fall somewhere in between.

(e:libertad) added to tonights chatter, a link to another journal. As he referred to it, "..my random journal finding". I don't remember the username to the link he provided, but it made me think of a recent "random journal" that I read and found entertaining and had thought about sharing-and had since forgotten to do. This reminder leads me to posting a link to "my random journal finding" --> (e:lowercase,1) titled, "the evolution of my palette" This user has not posted since. I wonder what became of them? of any of them? But here they are, here we are, intertwined among the written lives of all the (e:strip) members.

Its a long read, but in my opinion, a good one. It took me by surprise a little bit..

Enjoy the evening everyone.. the weekend is almost here!

Carey