Converting Date.toString() back to a Date object for compare

Question

I know this is beating a dead horse to death but I have wasted a whole day trying to get this to work. Here is the problem.
I need to convert a Date().toString (format returned: Dec 19, 2006 3:39:58 PM EST) back to a Date object. What I am doing is writting this string a text file and then revisiting it to compare later to a current Date object to find the difference in the two stamps in milliseconds.
J2SE 1.4.2 being used
Date date = new Date();
String newDateStr = log[1].trim(); // entry from log file
SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss");
Date logDate = dateFormat.parse(newDateStr);
// get difference between the two
long timeSpan = date.getTime() - logDate.getTime();
if(timeSpan > 60000){
    // TO DO
}So should I look at a different approach at either:
A) Storing the date/time stamp in the text file
B) The conversion back to Date object is wrong
Really appreciate any insight on this.
Thanks
JLW
Message was edited by:
jlwestsr

Answer 1

Then my friend you are in the same status as Tim.:o)
I don't know as much as him and I don't care to write
an elaborate reply most of the time. :D
Merry ChristmasSame to you.I don't pretend to know that much, but When I see something I do know, I tend to give examples.
Most probably that is because at the present time I am in a situation where most of my time is spent waiting for a call from the customer, and the app I am supporting works so well that those calls are few and far between. Lucky for me, they pay me for sitting around and answering questions on a forum.
At least it is a java forum, where I can justly claim that I am improving my knowledge of java.
~Tim