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Monday, June 30, 2003

30/06/03

i have no clue what time we left the apartment this morning. all i know is that i got home around 6.30, and absolutely had to finish level 9 of starcraft. i got to bed at 7: i could barely see to turn off the lights... and the hallucinations were heavily upon me.
if there's one thing i resent this country for, it's turning me diurnal.

i woke up around 12.00, and couldn't get back to sleep. i was absolutely wasted, and still nothing doing.
so i accessed zanet - it's really exciting to finally be able to talk to people back home!

i went to work for the weekly status meeting, and i barely understood anything our boss said (always all in hebrew), and i kept nodding off. and then getting meaningful looks whenever i came around. i'm not sure that's a good thing.
i did some training, which was pointless (i knew everything already), and left as soon as i possibly could. the bus ride home was hell.

i then bladed to training - my legs have recovered and i was surprised to find that in spite of my severe lack of energy, i was able to make it there in decent time and without too much strain.
this health thing is spooky.
training was heavy, but i felt pretty good afterwards. i went home, had a shower, and then it was out for coffee with her. we spent a couple of hours sitting on the beach - a most pleasant way to end a day.

Sunday, June 29, 2003

29/06/03

*** yesterday ***

we watched x-men 2 last night - fuck me, that movie is the SHIT!! every few seconds it was "ohmigod, that's my new favourite x-man!".
i was worried that the trailer might have spoiled it, but not at all. it was pure entertainment and eye-candy all the way.

*** today ***

i woke up this morning to find that 28 days later has finally finished downloading - i've been waiting so long to get my hands on it that i'm still in shock and disbelief...

i just got off the phone with a guy from the wingate institution. he tells me that all the exams for the teacher's course will be in hebrew, and that it's difficult even for native speakers.
all i can think of is that if i'm going to learn all this stuff for the first time anyway, then it doesn't matter what language i learn it in.
also, he did say that i can bring in a dictionary.

today's the day for our organizational behaviour: leadership exam. i haven't a clue how i'll fare - all i know is that i'm paying out of my ass for the exam notes (about R150) because i didn't buy the book. and i have no way of knowing if they'll help me.

*** later ***

i didn't use the notes in the end (so i could save myself the cash), because a friend of mine (the girl who came blading with us) had her own version and allowed me a photocopy.
the exam sucked anyway - it was always going to be an exam writing tons and tons of crap, but i wasn't prepared for the quality.
after two and a half hours of writing bullshit, my arm was sore and my creativity was drained. so i gave up and walked out.
whatever.

after the exam i got home to find it infiltrated by my niece and her friend - their belongings were all over the place, and there were <things> everywhere. like books and cd-players and little bags of <stuff> (ie. crap), and all the dishes were done (none of them were mine, but anyway) and my closet is now PACKED. i didn't have any space left before - now i'm in negative. i have overflow - and i'm supposed to be looking after this shit for a couple of MONTHS.
i don't remember volunteering for this!

we went to a crazy friend's place, to chill by the pool. we did nothing of value, just sat around and then ordered nando's (yes, they have a version of that here), and chilled some more.

but now, horror of horrors, not said sarcastically, we have to go to the airport. we're going to be leaving after midnight, and i have no clue how much time we're going to spend there.
and my week is fully booked; i have to be up early in the morning, and i just discovered that our last exam is on thursday, and not next week as i originally had thought.

fuck.

Saturday, June 28, 2003

28/06/03

my god - i have watched a lot of movies today.

last night i caught most of mimic, which is one of the few horror movies that truly frightens, and repels me.
after that was lock, stock and two smoking barrels. turns out i forgot the whole damn thing...

i just watched solaris - not a bad film (ignoring the ten or so minutes of the cd that was so scratched that it would only play 3 to 4 seconds at a time - aaargh!), but seemingly pointless. i can only assume that it's about how nothing matters more than love? i dunno.

i've been trying since last night to download 28 days later, but i only succeeded in getting the trailer. looks good, but the download's still hovering around 500MB from 717, and i'm not sure when grootbek's going to come home and cancel it.
he always does that, and then claims no knowledge.

i've begun writing a multiplayer version of tron - i've been studying drivers (and learning nothing) for so many hours now that i just had to do some coding. it's really nice to be working in c++ again; i have to admit microsoft's system in vc++ for comments is nice.
respect where it's due.

as for the drivers, it's so hard to focus - it's all the same shit, and that which i didn't understand from the beginning has still not been explained.
not that i haven't learned ANYTHING.
i've learned to be a lot more patient with the system startup, and why i should be impressed when it takes so little time for the system to detect and install the correct drivers for things like usb mice.

not boring you, am i?

don't care.

so ja, my tron version is so far looking quite naff. okay, not visually. i have no clue what to do when i need graphics - i'll have to outsource. any volunteers that might be accepted will already have my email address. actually, anyone reading this who doesn't have my address should be shot on sight.

i'm planning some self-mutilation tonight - i'm shaving myself. my HEAD. no, the BIG one. i'm in shock over my haircut, still: if you haven't seen the photo's then go check them out. it's disgraceful.
never going there again.
and just think, that cost me the equivalent of around R70.
shameful.

i spoke to my taekwondo instructor today - i still have the go-ahead for the course, and i have to contact them tomorrow to find out when to go for my ecg. for some reason they think i might die on them. i don't get it.
surely, if you have a problem, you'd know about it?
and i thought *i* was paranoid.

i've got quite a bit of reading done today. i finished much ado about nothing, and although i didn't get every word or concept, i quite enjoyed it. i was wondering, though, about all the people on this planet who think that you have to be able to quote shakespeare word for word. i don't remember dick from hamlet, except maybe "now might i do it, pat". and i don't feel any less understanding of the story. in fact, it's quite sad just how much i DO remember.
damn school system.

i've begun reading count zero (william gibson), and the first couple of chapters are looking good.

and i spent some time listening to good ol' israeli music. i must admit, now that i understand some of them, the lyrics are really good. now i just have to understand ALL of them. so much WORK, living here.

*** later ***

it's now 22.45. at midnight, i'm going with some friends to see x-men 2, which is finally out in israel, and i'm right now trying to decide if i should shave or gel.
decisions, decisions.
on the weird side, i actually asked her for permission (to see the movie), as i told her we'd go see it together. there must be something wrong with me, as i've never done that before. and i knew that she didn't particularly want to see it anyway...

and finally, the starcraft news. i've had level 8 in the back of my mind for the past few days, because i've had no clue how to begin.
today, i thought i'd give it a try. not only did i manage to survive the first few minutes, but i totally wiped out the other side before completing the mission objectives.
that felt GOOOOOOOD.
i'm so proud of me.

Friday, June 27, 2003

27/06/03

*** yesterday ***

i managed to sleep around six hours yesterday. i got up, had a decent breakfast, and thought to myself, "i'm going to study today."
i proceeded to develop a major headache, and basically wasted yesterday trying to focus. okay, i kinda learned some stuff, but nothing substantial.

i had falafel for lunch, and forgot to pay. a friend of mine i haven't seen in a while rocked up, and i totally didn't notice.
and i got a really crap haircut. i've dealt with it using serious gel (the stuff you get in this country comes in an enormous tub, and turns your hair into plastic. literally), but i'll take a photo after my next shower, IF i remember.

last night she took me to see how to lose a guy in 10 days. there's irony in a girl taking her boyfriend to see this film. most of the movie is really disturbing - i was cringing in my seat and feeling like a caged animal.
the movie kept true to it's name, and i'd rate it 4 stars just for the experience. it's a horror film.

*** today ***

i just woke up (11.40), and i've still got the headache. i was meant to be in jerusalem for a fighting competition today (coaching, not fighting), but apparently there was a screw up in transportation. so basically, i'm going to go shopping, find a glossary for shakespeare's much ado about nothing, and maybe study a bit.
maybe eat even.
or sleep some more. yep, that sounds like the best plan.

*** later ***

i'm feeling much better. i didn't get any more sleep, and i didn't find any help with much ado about nothing, but i did some basic shopping (if my mother saw what i bought she'd have a fit), and watched vampire hunter d. crap quality, but cool movie nonetheless.
it was a lot less hectic than bloodlust (shouldn't watch sequels first), but still interesting all the way.

i just remembered that i watched the usual suspects yesterday. i'd seen the ending a long, long time ago, and everyone told me that it wasn't worth watching the movie anymore.
they were wrong - dead wrong. it's a great film, and in a way knowing how it ends makes it more fun.

also just remembered to add that last night, to add to the irony, was our 2nd month anniversary. two things are unusual about this: a) me being in a relationship that's lasted this long and b) the fact that i'm in a relationship where the date matters (even if not much).

i'm listening to ministry at the moment, the land of rape and honey and the mind is a terrible thing to taste. fucking great albums - i haven't listened to them in so long i'd forgotten how much fun they were.

Thursday, June 26, 2003

26/06/03

that was one long morning. it went okay though - i managed to appease some angry folk, and solve some problems - and i think i proved myself capable of doing it on my own.

and we got some quality pang! 96 time in. it's much more fun multiplayer, even if the keys do suck.

so aside from some new fridge quotes, nothing much interesting is happening, and i look forward to getting home and into bed (it's 05.10 already).

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

25/06/03

*** yesterday ***

last night i went to her place again - had 3 slices of pizza before bed, and i didn't have a problem sleeping! that's a first in a long, long time. maybe my body's regressing to it's natural state. hell, i've almost (almost) got my pseudo-sixpack back.
that's the point where i can feel at least some muscle under all the flab.

*** today ***

i woke up at 07.15, walked home, brushed my teeth, got dressed (properly), and took the buses to my army base. i went to get permission to do the taekwondo teaching course in july, and after speaking with both the officer on duty, and my commanding officer, i discovered that no-one has a clue, as of yet, as to whether i'll be doing any service this summer.
which means that if i do get called up, i can go to them and say they knew and okayed it.

then something really freaky happened.
i was walking to the busstops to go home, and who's sitting there, in army uniform?
JOSH.
muthafunsta disappeared on us three years ago, and no-one's had a clue where to. so we had a crazy catch-up session, and then spent the late-morning / early afternoon walking through tel-aviv.
he's set up here with decks and a mixer, and loads of vinyl, so i reckon i'm going to be paying him more than the traditional once-off visits.
he also introduced me to the owner of one of the biggest clubs in the country, nice south african dude, and a couple of his friends. nice, chilled people. good to know.

my legs hurt. a lot. after all the rollerblading i've done this week, my thighs are absolutely killing me, and i've tried stretching, massaging, and i've walked a lot today, but so far nothing's done any good.
also, we did gymnastics on monday night, and i hurt my neck again. it's quite frustrating.

i passed out when i got home, and woke up really tired and dehydrated. i have, like, four or five people i'm supposed to have called, since sunday, and everytime i get an opportunity i'm so messed up by SOMETHING that i don't get around to it until it's too late, and then the next day it's the same.

my niece is returning to south africa on sunday evening, so i'm expected to go to the airport with her.
the crap thing is that if i do go, i'll have no way to get back, and the idea of sleeping there does NOT appeal to me, at all.
and i'm sure that i won't be able to say goodbye at my place, cause she's got loads of shit to carry and that's not nice.

i'm hungry and no-one else at work wants to get food. and i really don't want to order by myself. it's sandwich time! if there's bread.
i'm working pretty much by myself tonight, for the first time. this should be interesting.
i hope it's not.

oh, and i just discovered that the japan section's being updated. there's a diary (oooh). thanks dude, i have something to read now too.

oh yes - i just updated the fridge quotes under mental masturbation.

well, it's concentration time. catch me on the flip side.

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

24/06/03

*** yesterday ***

i was completely wasted by the time i got home yesterday. the weather here is not conducive to moving faster than 1kph, or not being in practically direct contact with a fan or air-conditioner.
i rested for about an hour, and then went to taekwondo training.

when i got there, i had to have a shower BEFORE i could put on my uniform: and it was a waste anyway cause after five minutes of warm-up i was soaked again.
my new year's resolution is going to be to figure out how to stop sweating. i hate sweating - i get all wet and disgusting and it doesn't lessen the heat. stupid human body.

for the good news, i found out that i can get sponsorship for the NIS 5800 that i need in order to do the teaching course at wingate. the deal is that once i've passed the course, i can teach to pay back the money.
the only problem is that i have to make sure that the army won't take me in during the course, and also i feel uncomfortable with the fact that if i screw this up, i'd somehow have to get the money back some other way. and it's a LOT of money.

i spoke to the guy who was in the call of cthulhu LARP on saturday. i can take a character who doesn't speak hebrew - this could be a lot of fun. i'm quite amped about this, i haven't done it much, or in a VERY long time.

i slept at her place last night (the parents are away), and then i had to

*** today ***

wake up at 07.15 this morning. i had 45 minutes to walk home, in my sandals (i must admit i find these things more acceptable as footwear as the days go by: i wasn't even the least bit self-conscious about my flip-flopping today), brush my teeth, put on my blades, and get to the university.

i barely managed - and then it turned out that i didn't have all the information i needed, so it was all worthless anyway.
figures.

i have an exam at 16.00 (it's now 10.00), and i'm not ready. and i'm tired. so i'm going home now, to a) sleep, b) study, and c) try to find the information i need so that i can get everything sorted out.

and then tomorrow morning, cock-fart (AGAIN!), i gotta get on the bus to go to the base so i can speak with my commanding officer, to see if i can get permission for the teaching course. and i get this sinking feeling whenever i think of him - he hates me.
i suspect it's because i don't speak hebrew with him.
fucking DIB (Dumb Israeli Bastard)

*** later ***

i had to sweat heavily to get my exam grade for our course in marketing research, but eventually i did it:
67%!!
more than the 60% requirement! now i just hope that my assignment scores won't bring it down.

i just finished our macroeconomics exam - it sucked. i had to figure out the formulae on the fly, and there were questions requiring memory retention. which i don't have.
so i'm hoping for another pass.
that's about it - i desperately need sleep before i go to the army tomorrow; i'm guessing food wouldn't go amiss either. i'm really hungry.
but i'm feeling much, much better with this grade.
*riverdances*

Monday, June 23, 2003

23/06/03

*** yesterday ***

i did get a little studying done yesterday.

i had supper consisting of canned sweetcorn (you don't get creamed in this country, which is most upsetting. you'd think other cultures might have learned of this by now), and two baked potatoes. now, everyone's given me the same advice on these things: prick them and leave them in the oven at roughly 175 / 180 degrees (celsius, you foolish americans!) for an hour. now i've done that, both covered in tinfoil, and merely resting on tinfoil, and they always come out hot, but HARD.
not nice at all. maybe it's just another sign from the gods that i should stay out of the kitchen.
anyway, when grootbek saw what i was eating he asked if i was on welfare. i don't get it.

she and i went to play pool last night, which was quite enjoyable. expensive (yes, i'm still whining about paying per hour), but fun. i learned a new rule though - when playing a beginner it's "5 for 1", meaning for every shot you take they get five. it works, and it does make it considerably more fair, and considerably less frustrating for the beginner.

*** today ***

i had to wake up too goddamn early this morning for the exam, as it was held off campus. in a suburb far, far away.
the exam, as was to be expected, sucked. it taxed my understanding of the english language heavily, and was most pointless. however, i think i managed quite well, and i might have not sucked, which, within the context of MY university experience, is both meaningful and impressive.

umm. i finally managed to meet with the person who's supposed to be helping me with my social security, but she couldn't help me today. so tomorrow it's once again waking up at cock-fart in the morning to meet and arrange everything.

i'm fucking starving. it must be lunch time (14.46).

Sunday, June 22, 2003

22/06/03

and i thought i'd get enough sleep last night.
i went to bed around 1am, and woke up at 6am, and just couldn't get back to my dreams. although, that's probably a good thing - most of my dreams were highly cthulhoid and most disturbing.
i suppose listening to hard rock / speed metal while one sleeps isn't the best idea after all.

i did some studying after getting up this morning - please read my latest addition to the mental masturbation section.

the woman i was meant to meet with today cancelled on me again. her brother's just returned from australia/new zealand, so it's justified, but still annoying.
i've got some dread work to do, and then i'm going to find out if i have a chance of actually doing the work on the drivers...

*** later ***

well, let's see. i finally replaced my cd-rom drive. with a burner, for which i now need to find the correct drivers (oh sweet, sweet irony). i bought extra ide cable so i can add an actual cd-rom reader, now i just have to install the damn thing.
i hate working with hardware.

i played an hour and a half of starcraft multiplayer with sammy. my god, even he kicks my ass! although not as badly as hido or sandman. i actually got a chance to build up and attempt to defend myself.

i have seen command & conquer: generals, and it is good. i now have a copy in my possession. it remains to be seen if it will, in fact, install.
i doubt it though.

i have to go shopping now, and then it's back to studying. tomorrow morning's the crap exam - i'm really not looking forward to it.

Saturday, June 21, 2003

21/06/03

i am absolutely exhausted.
i got some studying done today - i learned a lot more about drivers, and i understand some more macroeconomics. the only use for which, at least that i can see, being simcity 2000.
but i don't know why i'm so sleepy - nay - lethargic.

her exhibition starts in less than an hour, so i'm about to get ready; i only hope i won't do anything embarrassing there. like passing out cold to the floor.

finding call of cthulhu stuff is difficult.

*** later ***

the exhibition was nice - i'd already seen all her photo's, but i didn't expect to see so many interesting ones - some of them were absolutely crazy!

so now i've got to get some more studying done. i'm really not enjoying this. it's still hot at 22.20... and humid.
yippee.

actually, i'm feeling much better now, so i suppose i really don't have too much to complain about. i just can't think of much to write, and i feel like writing. but i have neither the time, nor the material. or, at least, my material's spread out so thin that at this rate it'll take years to produce a couple of paragraphs.
feel sorry for me, please. after all, that IS what this is all about.

Friday, June 20, 2003

20/06/03

as was to be expected, nothing happened today.

i watched goodfellas last night (first time - ag shame), and i must say it was most pleasing. very long, but very good.
so i got to bed around 2, or 3am. i woke up around 10am, and finished reading othello.

HEY! i just realized why the game (reversi) is called othello!!
anyways, i must admit that i'd kind of ignored the fact that it's called a tragedy. i was expecting a happier ending. but it's still a great read, and i do feel more educated.

she came over for a while. and then i went shopping.
i bought blueberry, uhh, confiture (konfyt). why can't they just call it jam? there must be a good reason.
so i'm stocked and ready for the weekend. i'm expecting some heavy-duty relaxation, and maybe i'll get some studying done at some stage - i have two exams this week (monday and tuesday), and although i'm not ready for them at all, i'll be sure to do sweet bugger-all anyway.

i just remembered i need to find call of cthulu rules and stuff. beginning search...
search in progress.
hmm. found some interesting looking stuff.
thank you kazaa.

i'm going to take a nap.

Thursday, June 19, 2003

19/06/03

what a mess! i came in to work this morning, intending to check mail, brush up on what i learned the other day, screw around, and leave around 13.00, in time to sort out the trouble i'm in with my social security.

that's not how it happened.
it's now 15.00, and instead of learning how to handle event preparations at work, i had to do the damn thing for real. and i ran into a few problems, and got stuck here sorting them out.
on the plus side, i now know exactly how to do it, and i've repeated the process four times so i can be considered experienced.
wonderful. i'm so excited.
but it does mean that i actually earned the money i'm getting for today, which is always a satisfying feeling.

so now it's time to find out if i can rescue my day.
*SINKING FEELING*

*** later ***

well, well. that sinking feeling was intuitive - the person i needed help from (with the social security) was in a meeting all day, so that idea got blown out the water.

basically, every month they're adding on NIS 300 (R450) because i haven't paid them for the months that i wasn't working (because those dipshits don't realize that i wasn't earning any money).
they told me to send them a form to clear the debt (because they know it's bullshit to charge interest on nothing), but the longer it takes to sort this out, the more i owe, and i just can't get hold of them.
and nobody understands why some people just snap and go on machine-gun rampages.
so i see lots of screaming over the phone in my near future (they're lucky they're in a different city). but DAMN i hate beaurocracy, and DAMN i hate stupid people.

fortunately, the person who was in a meeting has graciously invited me to breakfast tomorrow morning, after which we'll sort this out. the reality is that i really shouldn't deal with this myself, as my command of the hebrew language leaves much to be desired - especially under pressured circumstances.
speak softly and carry a big stick? i want a BIG FUCKING GUN.
and a bullhorn.

i'm off to get some food and then i'm probably (around 90%) going to taekwondo.
which i'm not in the mood for. i just wanna chill.

*** later ***

my god. taekwondo almost killed me. i'm completely, utterly exhausted.
on the plus side, we didn't do any work on flexibility, so i can still walk, but we worked hard nonetheless. we fought for more than half an hour, and then we practised technique.
i need a hot shower, and then a masseuse with some fragrant oils. but that last part just ain't gonna happen.
*sob*

i just wish my training outfit didn't smell so bad - i have nowhere to put it. i'm blaming the climate for my being this disgusting... i actually found it strange when i trained in south africa, because i'd go hard for an hour without so much as breaking a sweat.
damn desert.

*** later ***

i just KNEW i was forgetting something important. i've been informed that i can sign up to play in a call of cthulu LARP in the streets of tel aviv!
ohmigod!
that's so cool!
the guy who told me about it is going to help me sign up, and then i have to learn all about the "other" great lord of the dark. the LARP's divided into three parts, and he's already played in the first. the description he gave was most enticing: i really hope this'll all fall into place.

and there was one other thing... mmmm....
nope. can't remember. good night.

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

18/06/03

i'm still feeling messed up - i think i'm getting dumber as each moment passes. i'm beginning to worry that i'm rapidly losing brain cells.

the ddk shite is going quite well: i actually understand the basics of how drivers work, and now i'm moving on to the how-to's.
i tried to play multiplayer rogue spear today, but it sucks on the ps.
i did play a lot of tekken though. my studies are going so well!

i just got back from a show put on by grade 9's to celebrate their leaving middle school. it was definitely interesting, but i've forgotten what it's like to be a teenager.
weird.

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

17/06/03

taekwondo never happened last night.
starcraft never happened last night.
learning ddk never happened last night.

what did happen is

*** yesterday ***

i got home, fell asleep for about an hour, and then when i tried to leave my apartment i almost passed out. my head was spinning and i was feeling really drained, and then i got semi-delusional.
so i decided i was sick and went back to sleep.

she came over late and brought a huge container filled with tortilla chips and doritos, and stayed with me for a bit. when she left i passed out, and

*** today ***

woke up this morning, around 8/9am.
i started looking at the ddk, which is a hell of a lot more complex than i expected - but so far it seems manageable.

i also played some starcraft: i'm on level 7! all by myself! with no cheating!
this is a first for me, so i'm a little excited.
and not in the least bit embarrassed about being so. so there.

i also finished the latest wheel of time book, so i'm going to begin reading shakespeare (finally!).

i'm right now at the university, sorting some stuff out, and then it's off to collect some belongings from my previous apartment, where there're new people moving in who don't care for my needs.

which means i'm about to lose even more space in my room, where i can barely move as it is.
great.

*** later ***

it turns out there was very little for me to take, as i fortunately get to leave my fridge and oven there. i had to take my posters, which i wanted to get anyway, and two whiteboards, which i kinda needed. to go with the markers, of course.

when i got home, i found to my dismay that i was still feeling all messed up, and reached a conclusion (a tad late, but then, i'm a tad slow).
i have sunstroke.
from sunday.
and of course i'm feeling shitty. at least i've been drinking plenty of water, but sleeping hasn't been helping and i was getting worried.

as for the ddk: i realized after studying the stuff for a couple of hours that while i understand the language (it's pretty much standard c++ with some funky macros and pre-compiler trash), understanding precisely what these things are doing is a bitch. it seems that i actually have to understand ALL the details of how drivers work even to get the general idea of these things, so i'm stuck reading the (un)help(ful) files.
thank you, microsoft.

on a slightly different note - i've run into an obscure problem. i'm currently on level 7 of starcraft, and one of the mission objectives is to drop raynor off somewhere. but i kinda lost him. i think he's dead, but then it's supposed to tell me i failed the mission. so now i'm just confused.

i've been on a diet for a few days now - no sweets or chocolate, so i rewarded myself tonight by eating one of these tiny hamburgers made of chewy gum. it was most pleasing.

grootbek got bitten really badly last night by mosquitoes, so now that it's agreed i'm not the only one vulnerable, we're chipping in for a zapper.
yay!
and tech tv and the music channels are back. so i suppose it's been a good day, all things considered.

Monday, June 16, 2003

16/06/03

gosh, darn. my body hurts. like hell. hell hurts. i think.

i woke up this morning at 07.30 or so because my niece was coming to drop some stuff off with me. because she's going to south africa soon.

i'd complain, because i don't have enough space for my own belongings, but the truth is i'm rather happy that she's dropped off a beanbag, which i get to use for a while.

i just finished training at work - i got it all without any trouble, but i now have to hang around in order to make up hours, and all i've done with the potential writing drivers job is install the development kit.
at least it's a step, but i was led to believe that there's some time pressure, so i hope that i get a chance to play with it today.

on the plus (sic) side, i discovered last night (about 1am) that i remember c++ completely. i was worried that it'd been so long that i'd forget.

*** later ***

well, minutes later, even.
we just got back from lunch, which consisted of (for me) two eggrolls and corn soup. rather nice.
my brain's kinda shut down... i don't know what it is. maybe it's the lack of sound sleep that's finally getting to me.
naaah.

i just remembered that i still have to finish that contract i was doing - just started checking the site. i kinda haven't touched it in a while, so i hope that the guys aren't mad at me. especially seeing as they've paid me already.
DUM DUM DUM (scary soundtrack here).
i'm definitely, definitely going to have to get some sleep in before taekwondo tonight.

Sunday, June 15, 2003

15/06/03

we bought a hub, but the flatmate (we've begun referring to him as grootbek) with the internet connection is running windows xp, so no dice on me having access from my machine.
and he's being a prick right now, so he won't let me use his, so not only can i not check email frequently, but i can't update this from home.

*** yesterday ***

i went to bed early on friday night, and woke up about 3am. i couldn't sleep - my body was killing me after the seminar. i also had the munchies, so after lying in bed for ages pondering, i finally got up for a midnight snack.
and watched the late show with david letterman. i've never seen it before, and i have to say that it's really not that funny.
kinda sad really. but then, that's americans for you!

i woke up around 09.30, and spent the day studying. with one short excursion to the beach. and we nipped into the mall to play air-hockey, and they had pang!! i haven't played it in years, and had forgotten the name, but i used to play it every day after school, and i've missed it.
check it out under fun stuff on my favourites page.

i got a call yesterday morning from a guy who wants some work done with drivers: i've been trying to figure out how to make them for a while now, and he's sent me the development kit so i can play with it. neat, huh?

*** today ***

my exam in marketing research begins in little over an hour, and i KNOW that i'm not ready. so i'm just going to pray and see.
on the plus side, however, no matter how badly the exam goes, SxS and i are going to the skate park today. we've decided to rent the protective gear, and we both reckon there's going to be some broken body bits, but i'm rather excited.

<BONG>
<BONG>
<BONG>
there are bells tolling in my head. i'm gonna go see if someone can help me.

*** later ***

oh my god! that was AWESOME!
we went to the skate park right after the exam. just so's you know, the exam sucked... i guessed about 3/4 of the questions. on the plus side, it's multiple choice so there's still a chance i passed :P.

anyways, we got there and skated for about an hour. a gruelling hour, as it was upwards of 33 degrees, and the sun was blazing. i actually got a tad burned.
i didn't really hurt myself much, a couple of scrapes here and there, but i learned how to do the basic "go up, turn around" on the half-pipe, and i'm feeling pretty chuffed.
i absolutely sucked on the rails - i just can't seem to slide. i even had to push myself with my hands :).

unfortunately, though, i didn't have the guts to try to drop into a ramp. too damn steep for me. next time - it's just that i've been so scared of doing it since i was a kid, and i'm still afraid.
although i did do one thing today that scared me: i went backwards over some stairs. that was okay. i was shaking horribly afterwards, but i did it.

the bottom line though is that i had a lot of fun - it was well worth the NIS 40 (about R80) for entrance and protective-gear-rent. but we're going to start going frequently, so i need to get my own.

afterwards we went to our friend's place with the pool, and swam. it was really refreshing - the guys got upset with me for the stupid grin i was wearing.

then we took the girl who came with us home to tel-aviv. she lives in this really naff apartment, overlooking one of the main streets. i dig that. we had some food, and watched tech-tv's x-play, which i reckon is the best place for game reviews: you actually get to see them being played.
it's 20.00. i just got back home (grootbek's not here), and until she visits (she's setting up for an exhibition at the moment, i'm sure i mentioned that she's an excellent photographer), i'm going to be playing starcraft and sleeping.
a wonderful combination, in my book.

so, for anybody who's had a crappy day today, i have only one thing to say:
sucks to be you.

Friday, June 13, 2003

13/06/03

*** yesterday ***

i left work at around 14.00 - 15.00 yesterday, slept for about 45 minutes, and then i bladed to taekwondo. where we stretched so much that we cried.
and then began training.
i got home late last night, after walking (well, blading really slowly) one of the kids from our gym back home. he doesn't speak much english, so it's good practice for me.
i had a shower, she came over for a bit, she left, i crashed.

*** today ***

i got up around 11.00, went shopping for the weekend, and went to a black-belt seminar in kfar saba.
which sucked. i was hurting so badly before, and it's amplified now. i had to rollerblade back from ra'anana because we finished at 17/18.00, so there were no more buses.

and now that i've quite finished abusing the internet, i'm going to bed.

good night to all, and to all...

Thursday, June 12, 2003

12/06/03

last night i went with her to see the matrix, and i've updated the mental masturbation section to that effect, and added to my journal.

i went to bed around 01.30, and woke up at 08.00, and then again at 09.00 to come to work. where i am now. working.

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

11/06/03

*** yesterday ***

i woke up early yesterday morning (around 9/10am) to study. i was having breakfast in front of the tv, and the power of one came on, so after i finished eating i alternated between studying and watching all the interesting bits.
i read the book when i was a kid, so most of the movie wasn't quite the same, but the intense bits, and the fight scenes, were great.
plus it's south africa, and i am a little homesick.

i studied for most of the day, slept maybe an hour and didn't play any games (okay, aside from 20 minutes of tekken after lunch...).
then last night i discovered a section i hadn't heard of, so it was frantic note stealing time.

*** today ***

i just finished writing the exam, and the notes i stole didn't help one iota - i had to leave out 20% of the paper. i really hope i passed, as i can't imagine anything worse than rewriting, but also as i don't think that the army will give me the opportunity.
i've pissed them off enough already.

i'm off home now to go and wash this icky "investment theory" feeling off, and then get some rest.
and maybe play games even. or go rollerblading.

anything but start studying for sunday's "the other big exam".

*** later ***

i didn't get to shower. i got a call from SxS as soon as i walked in, and we went to the industrial zone to rollerblade.
we went to the skatepark there, which is really not bad, and it costs NIS 25 (about R45) for a day. only problem is we need all the pads, or no entrance. :(
we then went to a friends place, swam in his pool, played frisbee, and generally chilled until the friend got home :D.

had drinks, and i was going to eat mielies with them, but i had to come home to shower and get ready - in a few minutes i'm finally off to see the matrix reloaded.

at least we remembered to book tickets.

Monday, June 09, 2003

09/06/03

*** yesterday ***

well, kind of yesterday, anyway. before going to bed last night, i received an sms telling me about the metallica concert on mtv last night. it's the first time i've ever watched them live, so i was really excited, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

*** today ***

i woke up early, bought a scouring pad and attempted to remove act ii double butter stains from our microwave, and this is not an easy task.
quite frustrating, really.
the good, nay, great news is that i finally got starcraft to work! and sammy has a small lan at his place, so we'll begin playing as soon as neither of us are studying.
half-life, too. it's so nice to know i'm not alone.

i received a call at around 11 telling me that i had to come to work today, so i'm there now, but hopefully i'll be able to go home soon, as i've only studied for about half an hour today.
this is not good.

*** later ***

i had to stay at work till after 5, because the guy who's training me got hold of me (for the first time in weeks) and taught me stuff. at least i got paid.
went with her to the park for an hour; got some really good ice-cream and chilled. afterwards i went to sammy's for some half-life. it was fun, but there was a lot of lag, and it took me a while to begin fragging.
i will beat his ass next time. what made a huge difference to the game was that there were only two of us, and we could see each other's monitors. so it was a bit strange... we'll have to fix that.
and now it's study-time again.

i hope i learn enough to justify today. i have no clue how this exam's going to go, but i'm not going to get any more stressed - i'm just gonna do this thing, hoping for the best.

Sunday, June 08, 2003

08/06/03

today sucked - piles.
the good news is that i can write the exam on wednesday. the bad news is that i have to write the exam on wednesday.
at least the university's okay with me financially...

our fridge is officially dead, although still on life-support. and none of us can bring ourselves to flick the switch, but we all know the truth. some of the food has come out in protest, but other, more responsible items have been helping to keep everything peaceful and orderly.

i suck at starcraft, which i'm playing for the first time. and i can't play counterstrike online, so the most fun i can have with it is shooting the training targets over, and over, and over again.
whoopee!

Captain Butt Seriously, the studying is breaking me. i have spent so much time trying today and learned so little, it's as if my subconcious mind doesn't WANT to understand this stuff. funny that.
hmmm. i'm going back into the trenches now.

Saturday, June 07, 2003

07/06/03

*** yesterday ***

yesterday... was... friday. yes, i think that's right.
i slept for most of it, read a bit more of robert jordan's tenth book, crossroads of twilight, and ate really badly (bread and spaghetti pretty much cover it).
oh yeah, and i downloaded simcity 2000 special edition and started playing around with it. i haven't played that in years, and it's still a great game.

last night i watched dogma for the first time. i really enjoyed it.
she came over, and we watched orgazmo. she didn't enjoy it.
funny that.

*** today ***

i was meant to be studying today. i have this major exam coming up, for which i'm most definitely NOT prepared, and i just can't sit down and concentrate! it's really frustrating.
i downloaded and started playing starcraft (i never really got into it before), and was just beginning to have fun when the game crashed out, claiming a missing sequence file as the fault.
i can't seem to find any help online, so if anybody reading this has a clue, please send me the aforementioned clue so that i can be happy and fulfilled.

so basically, it's a beautiful day, which i'm missing for absolutely nothing, but i can't go outside because i need to study. this lying to myself is both pointless and painful. but i really do need to study.

bleah.

*** later ***

i just finished watching back to the future part iii, and DAMN, it's hard to believe that they made those films so well back then, that they still can't really match them these days.
they just have a certain feel to them that's so right, even if the special effects aren't, by today's standards, amazing.
where did we go wrong?

before that, my mommy called and gave me an injection of "stop fucking around". she's 100% correct, i don't have enough faith in myself when it comes to studies. all crap aside, it's time to get down and get this shit into my head.
i WILL pass this exam.
let's just hope i still feel this way tomorrow. anyway, if i don't update this site for a couple of days, you'll know why. although the chances of that happening are slim to none. it's just an excuse for me to be lazy.

Thursday, June 05, 2003

05/06/03

i woke up this morning bright and way-too early. i had a big, wonderful breakfast, and then ruined the mood by going to training.
after about two minutes training i managed to lock up my neck, completely. so my range of motion has been reduced to "forward".
but i had to carry on: i trained from 10 to 12.40. i was hurting badly by the end, and was absolutely drained and drenched. we're currently experiencing temperatures upwards of 30 degrees (celsius), with high humidity - so let's just say running around and fighting in these conditions (not to mention with a lot of neck pain) is not quite desirable.

so i had sambusak ("sum-boo-suck", a strange form of pastry) and ice-cream for lunch, and ran into a couple of friends. chilled in the shade for a while, drinking virgin colours (it's so nice to have those here now), and talking loads of crap.

i went with her to a barmitzvah today. she was the photographer - it was an interesting experience. it was a very pleasant place, and the food was okay, so all in all it was worth the mission.
after we returned, i finally showed her this website. and she finally agreed to a photo - go check out the photo gallery!
i actually have more, but i had to promise not to make those available to anyone... so sorry.
and we have some fridge-quotes: i've put those up under mental masturbation.
it's now 02.12, i think maybe i should disappear.

*POOF*

Wednesday, June 04, 2003

04/06/03

i finally bought the hub, and we got ethernet cable.
wonderful.
now if only we could get the damn systems to talk to one another, everything would be just peachy-fucking-creamy.
bascially, our genius homeboy from new yawk is running xp, so my 2k system can't log on or use internet connection sharing.
so today's the day the geeks on campus actually provide some real assistance.
that'll be a first, mind.

last night, tekken happened. my flatmate and a friend of ours keep playing, more than i've ever played, yet whenever i join them they can't touch me.
last night our homeboy got all excited because in one of the last rounds i didn't perfect him.
that's fairly sad.
on the crap side of that, SxS still beats me fairly consistently, although i've finally begun putting up a fight (it's only taken roughly a year and a half).

i finally figured out how to finish the counterstrike training mission this morning. i feel like such a putz. but i'm ready to try online - i just need to get net access from my machine (my little pony?).

*** later ***

rant: well, i'm at home now (22.30), and i'm missing THE party of the year for my university.
and i so don't care it's not even funny.
i find it sad and uninspiring to go to parties where lots of snobs and losers get horribly trashed listening to crap music. and i know that everyone who was there is going to tell me i missed something really incredible.
yeah, incredibly BAD.
i almost feel sorry for myself, knowing that there're few parties that i can go to that will satisfy me.
and cheesy house ones are definitely on the list of those that won't.

i got my watch strap adjusted today - and after two attempts it's still too big by a notch.
rhymes with crotch.
i don't know why i felt like saying that.
i'm about to upload a pic of it to My Stuff in the photo gallery. anywho, i went with sammy (a strange nick, but a nick nonetheless) to the mall, and we went shopping for a desk and a mouse. the mouse we found, the desk we didn't, but we came across two things that stood out in my mind.
1. a really naff chair, real leather (i think), with wheels that make it a fine contender for nascar. only prob is the NIS 800 (+- R1500) pricetag.
2. a game called dogs of war. oh - my - god. this looks like THE game. it's a real-time strategy game that can be played from any point of view. and it's beautiful. go find a movie now, the address is in my favourites. (two months later - note: address removed due to crapness of game. pretty, but crap.)

it appears i'm in deep shite as far as my exams are concerned, as in i may not be able to take two of them, which pretty much implies army service beginning july.
which i don't want. i want to go in after my degree, but this is looking to be less and less of an option.
i'm so dramatic i scare myself. literally.
so i've been doing the productive thing: i downloaded all the course material for my exams, and then read webcomics.
for around an hour and a half. maybe two hours, tops - i swear!

it's late for supper time, but i'm going to have a go. tomorrow morning training, bright and chipper. goody, goody, gumdrops.

Tuesday, June 03, 2003

03/06/03

today is a REALLY sucky day.
in fact, i would just love to get hold of a decent firearm and go nuts throughout the city.
let's just say i'm a tad annoyed.
nay, a mite.

i stayed up until around 2am trying to do the marketing research homework, but eventually i gave up because not only am i lacking in excel skills (although i did learn some nifty shit), but i have absolutely no frikkin' clue how to answer the question.

i then woke up at 7.45, exhausted, hurriedly put on some clothes (including my newly done shirt), and walked to school.
the class (marketing research) was fuck-off boring, and i learned that i'd approached the problem in exactly the wrong way.
great.

i then discovered that almost noone had done the investment theory homework, so everyone was scrambling to copy from those few who had. i have this really dumb thing about only copying what i understand. so i ended up handing in complete and utter crap.

it now seems that i might not be able to write the exam, and automatic failure where it counts the most is not good. so i'm depressed, and frustrated, and aggravated.

our class in corporate law was cool though - not only did i understand, but i could even get in my two-cents' worth... it appears i might be getting a really decent grade on THIS paper at least.

i whiled and wended (sic) my *merry* way home, went shopping for washing powder and spaghetti (staple student diet), and had lunch. i'm now catching up on some webcomics, and should soon be on my *merry* way to buy a hub, so that i can have net access from my bedroom.
we should have done this months ago. we're cheap and lazy.

i'm hoping i can add some good news to this pile of crud soon.

Monday, June 02, 2003

02/06/03

i woke up today at around 10 or 11.
or 12.
one of them, at any rate. i finally got through to the doctor's phone, and discovered that the tests i did on 05/05 all came back, and that i'm not only healthy, but i don't have HIV. good to know!

i bladed to the bank, and discovered that i'm actually going to have money this month, so i can cover my bills and eat AT THE SAME TIME.
wow, that feels good.

off i rolled to the university. this time i'd remembered to take iron-on transfer paper: i printed out the vampire smiley from life of riley.
there wasn't much else to do there, aside from drinking the staff's hot chocolate and learning bits of flash from the guru who resides there.

i then payed my bills (my most annoying flatmate was on campus - and i DIDN'T hit him, as much as i'd love to most-times), and went off to ramat gan to a meeting for all us very important helpdesk operators.

these meetings occur weekly, nobody ever says anything important, and what they do say is in tones to make a lullaby-singing mother jealous.
so i earned some cash, cleared some email, ate a free sandwich, and promptly left.
it's a really nice place to work.

i swear it took HOURS to get home, kinda like in the movie contact (with jodie foster? i never remember) in the transporter-thingy.

i've begun doing the homework for marketing research, which involves an in-depth understanding of regression analysis and ms excel.
neither of which i have.

i took a break, and ironed on my transfer (doesn't that sound weird?), and it came out quite nicely. a picture will be arriving in the photo gallery shortly.

considering the sheer unpleasantness of my current homework situation, it appears i will not be going to training tonight.
hurray.

Sunday, June 01, 2003

01/06/03

*** yesterday ***

where was i?
oh, right. i remember now.
i never went rollerblading. i didn't help out my friend with his ms access homework. i studied, a bit. read comics online, and i've now fallen in love with life of riley.
yesterday evening i went with her to watch the matrix ii.
but when we got there half an hour early, a week after opening, there were no tickets left.
which sucked.
so we decided to watch another movie - and settled on phone booth. which was an absolutely WICKED film. really messed up, brilliantly done.

*** today ***

i woke up this morning with all sorts of things to do, and i kinda started on getting them sorted out. mostly to do with the amount i owe my university - more than $6000. which i don't have. and if they won't let me write the exams because of this then the army will take me, and then i DEFINITELY won't be able to pay it.
what a great situation.

so i'm waiting and seeing. i went to our macroeconomics class, and even though it was stuff i couldn't follow it was just as boring as usual - nodded off at one point, and woke myself up by snoring loudly.
that felt wonderful... fortunately everyone was ignoring me, so i didn't feel too bad.

now i'm supposed to go home and study, but i'm not sure that's going to happen. i'll probably pass out and wake up late for taekwondo class.
oh well.

*** today ***

it's 02.24, time for bed. a shower first, and then bed.
taekwondo was good, i had a private lesson again. i stretched and i fixed some mistakes, and learned some more korean.
i also received some good news.

i may be able to get a scholarship for the teaching course in wingate, which was a concern. also, my instructor tells me that she'd be happy to give me permission to teach others, so if i can find students then i can train and make money at the same time.

sweet.

we had a major tekken tournament when i got home, and now we're on our way to get hamburgers, so it's time to go.

and i think i forgot to mention - i finally got hold of counterstrike, so i can get some gametime in.
it's been a VERY long while.