Rumours of this blog's demise have been greatly exaggerated

As most things on here are.

So I'm back. Ish.

Not that I have anything much to say, I just missed saying very little. Very occasionally.

As always I can't finish anything. So this blog, much like my life, will limp along in fits & starts - that's the rhythm I seem to have settled into.

So, brief recap. I went to NZ for my 2nd Dan grading. I passed. Despite being comprehensively body-slammed in the fighting (thanks Darel!). Thank god that's all over for another few years..

NZ was lovely. Christchurch was lovely: autumn is the *best* season there. Caught up with many of my friends and their spawn. Fortunately less of the spawn-flaunting this time - I think the novelty is wearing off. So much so that some of them are having to have a second sprog to keep the interest levels up..

Now I'm back in Sydney, back at work, back into the grind.. Wheee..

On the plus side, in three months time I'll be winging my way to France to spend a month hanging out in Paris. Eating baguettes, drinking Beaujolais, and smoking Gauloises. Well, maybe just pretending to smoke.

So, yeah, not much to report - 'cept that I am alive. More soon.

Oh yeah, and May the fourth be with you.

the end of effing?

I don't know. Maybe.

Sorry for the lack of posting. Or replies to comments or emails. I just can't seem to get words out these days.

This has all become far too much hard work so I'm calling an end. Or at the very least a hiatus. Hell it's been so long since the last post it shouldn't be a surprise.

If I never come back, well, it's been grand and tragic and excruciatingly painful in equal portions. More than two years of blogging is far more than I ever expected. Given that I'm a nearly pathologically private introvert running a blog was a pretty crazy idea. I blame Eroica.

Anyway, after all this grand farewelling I may well return in a few weeks. After my 2nd dan black belt grading in Easter. Assuming I survive I might well have something to say about that. Assuming that I have the use of my arms..

Also, I plan to keep on posting random crap to the Third Drawer and on Flickr, just not much personal stuff (if any).

Ciao lovelies.

midlife

But no more crises than usual. Hell, life is all just one interminably slow crisis.

Anyways: I'm 36 today. Wheee.

Which, since life expectancy of males born in 1970 is around 72 years (note: this may be totally inaccurate), means that it's all downhill from here.

Which suits me fine, downhill's the easy part.

Anyone lend me a sled?

fours

I agonise over these things far too much..
(tagged by Michelle)

Four jobs I've had
Executive Projects Officer
Removalist
Aquarist
Lackey

Four movies I can watch over and over
The Princess Bride ("My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die")
The Big Sleep ("You better talk to my mother")
Ghostbusters ("He slimed me")
Bladerunner ("I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion...")

Four places I've lived
Vancouver (till I was three)
Christchurch (home)
Hamilton (don't do it.. just don't.)
Sydney (jury's still out)

Four TV shows I love
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer/Angel
Futurama
Six Feet Under
Frasier

Four places I've vacationed
Rarotonga (2 weeks)
Port Douglas (1 week)
Kotuku (many summer holidays)
Little Akaloa (often)

Four of my favorite dishes
Paella
Butter chicken with naan bread
Caesar salad (no anchovies)
Mango & blueberries on toasted fruit muesli (I have simple tastes)

Four sites I visit daily
Something Positive (utterly addicted)
Gmail (love/hate relationship)
Imdb ("Who's that guy?" "Hang on..")
Linkmachinego (homepage)

Four places I would rather be right now
In bed
Christchurch
Any really good cafe/bookshop
Alexandria, Egypt - circa 300BC

Four bloggers I am tagging
Claire
Jen
Sal
Harvestbird

What is your perfect major?

Major Mistake, truth be told. But according to the helpful people at QuizFarm:

You scored as Biology. You should be a Biology major! You are passionate about the sciences, and you enjoy studying cell growth and evolutionary concepts which enable living organisms to survive. Pursue that! Biology 100% Philosophy 100% Psychology 100% Sociology 100% Theater 92% Linguistics 92% English 92% Anthropology 83% Mathematics 83% Engineering 75% Dance 67% Journalism 67% Chemistry 42% Art 33% What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3) created with QuizFarm.com

I got in a four way tie-breaker and had to chose before it'd display the results. So I chose the fish. Natch.

Actually I'm a bit surprised to find sociology up there: as an academic pursuit it's like having your brain flogged to death with dental floss..

(props to Krimsonlake)

fishboy's year recap (late as always)

Instead of rounding up my achievements for 2005 (which, let's face it, wouldn't make for a very long post) I'm going to list the things I've managed not to do in the last year:

• I managed not to die skydiving. I'll be giving the grim reaper another chance this month hopefully... Geronimo!

• I haven't gotten a job I like, but on the plus side I managed to not kill anyone I work with all year. Despite grievous provocation...
• I didn't bash any wogs.
• Nor did I pay to use the cross-city tunnel.
• I wasn't arrested on sedition charges for calling John Howard a lying spineless manipulative cunt. I'll keep trying on that one, maybe if I painted it on the Sydney Opera House...
• I triumphed at not growing any tomato plants (if this were an achievement list I'd add that I succeeded in growing a garden full of healthy happy snails and lush weeds)
• I didn't break any body parts at karate all year, not for lack of effort by certain 4th Dan black belts.
• I didn't manage to see very many movies I liked, and didn't manage to like many of the movies I saw this year.
• I didn't win the struggle to bring my book-buying compulsion under control.. I also didn't manage to buy enough bookcases for all the new acquisitions.
• I didn't get pulled over by the police during the (lengthy) time I didn't have a valid drivers' license. Come to think of it, I still don't have a drivers' license..
• I didn't get eaten by sharks on the Great Barrier Reef.
• I'm a winner in the not-getting-any-more-exercise-than-I'm-forced-to stakes. And the not-using-my-gym-membership-since-the-first-month game too.
• I was a thumping success at not blogging very much.
• Similarly I've been an absolute master at not sending email or letters.

There are too damn many things I've not done this year.

I'd better stop there before I get morose at how crap I am and end up not posting this.

Addendum: So far this year I've been superb at not actually publishing the posts I've written. Will try harder to hit the right button in future.

2006

Happy New Year everyone.

I would write more but it's 45 degrees today..

Send icebergs! Please!

merry christmas? screw you..

Bah bloody humbug..

Actually my Christmas shopping (as always at the very last minute: I can't shop without a deadline) went relatively well this year. Well, I think so now; but the recipients of the presents will probably furnish me with a bewildered "thanks...?" and a 'what-the-fuck?' look. That's what Christmas is all about to me: wasting money on useless crap. God bless us, one and all.

Anyway, props to my girl-friday Eroica for getting me through the horror of shopping today. Cheers babe, next year I might even buy something for you!

Anyway, here are a few Xmas themed links:

D's London shopping expedition.

Those Catalonians are a bunch of freaky weirdos.

Pornolize your favourite felching xmas carol. Asslicker.

And a Scaryduck Christmas Tale. Although there's probably going to be a trouser-soilingly funny story up there tomorrow anyway.

Right, I'm off to bed: need to be well rested for all the eating and drinking I've got planned for tomorrow. I'll recap my NZ visit and all the babies I managed to avoid holding at a later date.

the Christmas spirit

In New Zealand. Having fun. Drinking too much. Will blog more later.

Meanwhile: Vote Chris Christmas Rodriguez to replace Santa!

bollocks to this:

I'm off to New Zealand.

Adios amigos!

Or in the native parlance: spot ya later bro.