For those of you curious, bored or something else, here is an 81-page PDF detailing my iTunes Music Library, totaling 24.82 GB.

Specifically, that’s 4,805 songs, or 12.8 days’ worth of music.

Meet Tony Dreibus.

Tony and I met my sophomore year of college at UNO in 1998. I was editor in chief of The Gateway, the student newspaper. I was 19 years old and didn’t know shit beyond AP Style. Tony, being three years older than me, wanted to write for The Gateway but wanted to talk to the person in charge; or, as he puts it, “anyone but this child standing in front of me.”

So I hired Tony and we became the best of friends. And as our lives moved on, as lives often do, we maintained certain of our shared journalistic futures. Our plans were that we’d often meet up in major metropolitan airports on our way to covering a big event or big story.

Today, Tony works as the feature editor for DTN, while I, as you know, gave up parts of my reporter’s soul for a job in public affairs.

I think we’re both happy where we are. And when we meet for lunch, as we did yesterday, it’s as if no time has passed. We still openly talk about money and our careers, only now we have additional topics to discuss: marriage (Tony’s married), pets (he has two dogs, I have a cat) and where we’re headed (anybody’s guess, really).

It’s good to have friends like Tony. I’d highly recommend finding a Tony of your own.

Here’s a perfect example of what would happen if Microsoft attempted to repackage Apple’s iPod. What a sad, sad state of affairs that would be.

I have a little Irish in me (insert your dirty jokes here), so I can authentically say Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Now, who’s ready for a cocktail?

While volunteering at the Omaha Public Library’s used book sale last Saturday, I was fortunate enough to discover a slim book hiding on the shelves. For just 50 cents, the book became mine in a heartbeat.

“The Writer’s Quotation Book: A Literary Companion,” edited by James Charlton

“A room without books is like a body without soul.”
— Cicero

Just 10 random items, in no particular order:

(1) Used book sales.

(2) Red nail polish.

(3) Talking to my sister in California about her boy problems.

(4) Johnathan Rice and Jenny Lewis performing at the Scottish Rites Hall.

(4) Ketel One vodka and cranberry juice.

(5) Car washes.

(6) Starbucks.

(7) The Catholic observances that occur during Lent.

(8) My job. My job. My job.

(9) Margie, the woman who cuts my hair.

(10) Being awake early enough on Saturdays to witness the sunrise.

My boss and good friend, Summer Miller, is also running in this year’s Team in Training fund-raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Care to donate? Here’s the link for details on how to do just that: http://www.active.com/donate/tntne/tntneSMiller

I’m receiving this award from my college next month and have to give an acceptance speech. I obviously want to inject a bit of humor throughout. Anyone have any good (read: clean) jokes I can use? Or, perhaps you can suggest a book or Web site I can reference for ideas?

Graci for your support.

So tonight was a first for me. It was the first time I went to the Y at night, in the year-plus I’ve been a member. I have an early morning meeting tomorrow, and Tuesday is one of my exercise days for the week. So rather than skipping tomorrow’s workout completely, I exercised tonight.

Now, my observations…

(1) People who workout at night are a bit more serious and intense than those I see at 6 a.m. They’re younger — read: not senior citizens — and a bit more intimidating.

(2) I saw more iPods tonight than I do in the morning.

(3) I saw someone I knew and spoke to tonight. That has never happened while running at 6 a.m.

(4) I have a bit more energy working out at the end of my day as opposed to the start.

(5) Working out tonight gave me just the excuse I needed to eat a few Girl Scout cookies and some frozen French fries (with ketchup) for dinner :-)

{You’ll be reading more of these as I post them. Enjoy.}

No. 274: Leave everything a little better than you found it.

No. 393: Learn how to operate a Macintosh computer.

From “Life’s Little Instruction Book” by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.