OK. So I'm not going to get to do the big-time update I promised myself before Christmas rolls around.

Some time around new years, OK?

It'll have:
- house moving adventures and life changes
- why work is (still) shitting me off
- why some people around here have been shitting me off more than I would like (A Bit of a Rant)
- various other odds and sods.

Oh, and probably pictures from Japan and elsewhere.

But, to keep you amused, once more, the great Russian Tit-Grope.

This is a little bit ridiculous. Last update a year ago, having just gotten back from Japan.

Now I'm just back from Japan again, and updating, finally.

If I'm good, I'll even update again, before Christmas, with pictures and everything.

In the meantime, this is kind of awesome.

Got back from Japan a fortnight or so ago. Almost 3 weeks there, moving between Osaka and Tokyo and Kyoto.

Many great experiences, much great food, and lots of wonderful sights.

Best bit of TV watching turned out to be a kids' show, Pitagora Suitchi. It's brilliant and clever. On every episode (or so it seems), they feature the "Algorithm March."



In this example, there are curious dolphins. (Obligatory "Curious dolphins FTW!")

Pictures under spoiler

More fun with animals ... cats playing pattycake.

We had the SGAU Ball a few weeks ago. It was great. Hot ladies, handsome devils and great costumes. Check us out.




Meantime: how to learn English while getting fit.


"I've Got A Bad Case of Diarrhea."


"Take Anything You Want, Spare Me My Life."


"How Dare You Say Such A Thing To Me."

Enjoy.

Important matters of state.




I'm off to Canada for the first time later this week. I'm so looking forward to being away. Too much shit going on at work here to deal with. I need a break, desperately.

Bah. This is silly.

I'm in an airport lounge at LAX, waiting to fly home. Been in Atlanta for almost a week. It's Monday night here and by the time I get home it'll be Wednesday morning. Combination of trans-Pacific flying time and international date line.

I've been wondering what to update with to try to make my life seem otherwise interesting. It hasn't been. Just work angst and more work angst.

If I had the pictures from the SF/NYC trip last November I'd post those. I should get on that.

Anyway, I really feel like I have nothing interesting to say here, that's not totally self-indulgent and grumpy.

Oh well, I saw Grizzly Bear a few months back, during the Sydney Festival. And then Echo and the Bunnymen, who were actually quite good! I met Thistle and her fella, with Elichrusos, and that was enjoyable.

Jeebus. What a FML entry. I'm not that miserable, el-oh-el. I just feel like I have nothing worth talking about. I hope I don't leave this entry up for weeks and weeks and weeks.

This is my placeholder Christmas-break update.

TheFuckOffGirl and I went to the US (specifically San Francisco and New York City) in November, and had a wonderful time and I managed to meet some very cool SG members, including people I've talked with and admired for several years. I also made new friends. Longer expanded version of trip-story next time.

We're having a few weeks off, visiting family and hopefully having a coastal vacation in the new year (remember, northern hemisphereans, it's summer here).

I plan to relax, and read, and swim and whatnot.

I hope you have a lovely time, and give and get some great gifts, and share nice food and love and laughter and all the usual stuff. Family arguments are optional.

See you all in 2010, folks!

So, my monthly updates seem to have degenerated to annual. This is not good. Well, it is what it is. Last update was this time last year, when TheFuckOffGirl and I were about to head out on a week's holiday on isolated Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia. It was warm but wind-blown and we walked on beaches and cooked each other food in our rented beach house and saw sea-lions and cliffs bashed by huge waves at the far end of the island and read books and watched on TV as the US Presidental election results came in.

This time, we're about to head off the US for a fortnight-and-a-bit. If you're in SF or NYC you likely already know we'll be coming, and I look forward to meeting those of you that I can.

I have been cajoled into updating more often. (To which I ask, why does anyone care? But, at the same time, it's either impolite of me, or else just boring, for me to be so slack.) So why haven't I?

The monthly blogs became regular updates-of-my-life-by-category. And it was a non-trivial task to think of what was happening in each category and make it sound interesting.

The problem has been, more and more of my life has been consumed by work, and not always in a way that made me happy, and not in ways I wanted to talk about here. SG became more and more of an "escape" where I didn't need to think too much about what else is nagging at me in my life. And I don't want to vent about it here. I like keeping SG life and day-to-day life a bit disconnected.

This isn't me whining, by the way, just reflecting on why I don't feel like I have anything worth saying on a regular basis. If I do get back to updating regularly, it might just be short entries containing trivial shit, whcih come to think about it, is probably just fine. Hey loook, funny Youtube video! That kind of thing.

But all in all, life is fine. The girl and I are very excited to be heading east and north over an ocean, and I'm very pleased at the chance to meet people from the site I like and admire.

So, until next we meet, or chat in here, or elsewhere, may I play some music for you?

This video makes me ridiculously happy. I found it by accident. It's The Breeders, doing Guided By Voices "Shocker in Gloomtown" in a shed, and the boys from GBV wander around outside the shed trying to see in. For some reason, I think that's brilliant.



I only found this video recently, but its from a CD I lost in a break-up years ago. I wonder why this wasn't some kind of a huge hit, because it seems to me it should have been.



I have become slightly obsessed with this video. Jesus Christ, what an amazing, captivating performer. I'm in awe evey time I watch this. I love how the whole video descends into chaos, all the way up to that final little pout. Swoon.



This is verging on magnificent. (The girl emailed me at work one day. All that was in the email was a link to this. Isn't she good to me?)



Maybe some travel pictures next update, yeah?

Take care.

xo

"It's Time".

That's an interesting slogan to be hearing now, for anyone familiar with modern Australian political history.

I might talke about that some more when I get back. (I've been pretty sucky at the updating thing lately, eh?) Meanwhile, I'm out for a week. Kangaroo Island, here we come!

You kids play nice now.

Well, by golly, it must be time to update.

I was doing pretty well with the monthly update routine but it's been getting hard to manage. So, y'know, forgive me'n'stuff. Or not. As you please.

Here goes.


1. Airports and Hotels

2. Work Dramarama

3. Ner Fus Nar Gool

4. Miscellany