Project Updates:

From the September 4, 2005 New York Times Magazine Column
Passing Strange by William Saffire

Spinster came into the printed language in 1362 as the occupation of a worker, almost always a woman, who spun wool into yarn at a spinning wheel. Men in occupations like weaving and brewing were called websters and brewsters, and proudly took the words as proper names, but the spinster's work was lonely and not socially elevating; by the 17th century, English law made the word the legal designation of an unmarried woman. Spinster carried less of a stigma than ''old maid'' or ''maiden lady'' (with ''maid'' connoting virginity), but not much.

The origin of bachelor, first used in 1297 by Robert of Gloucester in ''Metrical Chronicle,'' is a mystery. The far-fetched speculation is that it described a knight not old enough to display his own banner, called in French a bas chevalier. In the academy, a Bachelor of Arts was regarded as a university's lowest degree, conferred on a graduate who had not yet achieved the rank of Master of the Arts. Today, in general use, bachelor, once wedded to the modifier confirmed, is frequently defined as ''a male of marriageable age unwilling or unable to make a commitment.''

• There is a 3rd Thursday Festival on Guadelupe
• Scion is showing some cool independent films at the Drafthouse on South Lamar this month. I saw Freestyle last week.
• It's important to check in on old friends. A friend of mine turned 30 last week. I hadn't seen him in over a year. A lot can happen over a year.

• Cooking: I made Chocolate Cupcakes with homemade fudge frosting. I used a combination of recipies but they turned out ok.
  
• Soul Cleansing: I hung out with old friends for most of the weekend and reminisced. It reminded me that I've been too focused on moving forward. In other news, I think that I will be heading east to see the leaves change color.