About 8 hours from now I’ll be on my plane to D. C. (actually Baltimore, then a train to D. C.) for the IHS conference, etc. I should be able to check e-mail and maybe even post to the blog while there, but if you want to reach me the cell’s the best way (832-326-6593).

Back in TX evening of July 5, back on the road to MI morning of July 7.

I’m surprised and pleased to note that just 18 days into June I’ve already had more unique visitors to this site than I have in any other month – 137 so far. That’s pretty good for a personal page that just started in May. A few of these visitors are robots/spiders, but most are actual humans.

What brings them here? Once again, the number one search word to call up my site is “condom,” as in the Condom Sense store in Dallas, TX. Of all the content here, that one mention of the store in the Deep Ellum tale brings in the most traffic (7 results).

Equally amusing, the second most popular search word is “slant.” Nope, not the humor paper I wrote for. This is people searching for slanted beds (4 results). I at least hope they find the experiment educational.

Conclusion: the people visiting my site who don’t know me are into condoms, slanted beds, or both. Not the audience I was going for, but I guess that’s how the Internet works.

From June 28 – July 4 I’ll be at Georgetown University for the IHS summer seminar on Globalization and Poverty. The one I attended last year (Liberty and Current Issues) was fantastic, so I’m very excited about this — especially since I’ll get to see some friends from last year there.

I’m flying into D. C. a few days early to look for an apartment. Hopefully I’ll have an internship at Cato and spend the fall semester there. In any case, I’ve already signed a leave of absence from Vandy, so I need to find some place to be and Washington is easily my first choice. Anyone has an apartment lead, be sure to send me an e-mail.

The seminar ends on July 4th, but I’m staying to celebrate that night in the city. I fly back the 5th, then probably on the 7th drive off with the family to Les Cheneaux, MI (taking my sister Casey to see some colleges along the way). Lots to do there this year: tennis, golf, two big sailing races, and my 21st b-day.

Yeah, it’s going to be a fun summer. It’s a good thing I’m taking off school to work in the fall or I might be feeling a little guilty.

I’m entering the 21st century now, but only for a month: I’ve started carrying a cell phone this summer, number 832-326-6593. That will last till sometime in mid-July, when the family and I become temporary Yoopers (Upper Peninsula of Michigan –> U. P. –> Yoopers = the bacon-eating inhabitants of the U. P.) and will probably not be able to get service. I’ll then get a permanent number in August and post it here.