not enough drama!

 it's late, and i was already tired a while ago, but i've spent the past couple of hours putting together messages for our current and future landlords and i'll send them in the morning.

...

last night would have been far less stressful if i hadn't seen the response from our current landlords to my earlier message, which was offensively stupid. i wish i hadn't seen it then, and i wish i hadn't read it to gd, because we were both shocked and furious. we rushed to get to our friends (soon-to-be neighbors) with the freshly baked challah-peño (it was a bit of a flop - great challah texture but unexciting taste), realized when we finally got there that we'd left the ice cream at home, so i rushed back to grab it and chatted with my mom along the way.

the evening was great, largely cathartic, dinner was excellent and i drank just enough wine for my nervous system to calm down a bit. mr smear had a great time with the kids, all was well.

we got home late, and sleepy, and everyone went to bed pretty quickly.

today:

this morning i got up early-ish, pretty much finished ping-pong (it's great) and got most of the dishes done. gd and i were both surprised when mr smear woke up and informed me that he wanted to go to the swimming pool. NOT by bike.

so i had a quick breakfast, grabbed my second coffee and off we went. it was a very nice walk there, through a park we weren't familiar with, and we spent about an hour and a half in the pool, mostly just splashing about. before we left the pool to brave the cold air between the pool area and the locker room in order to shower, mr smear told me he might be willing to go back to jiujitsu training if he doesn't have to do mma.

i'll take it.

the showers there are great. once we were done mr smear decided that he really wanted a laffa for lunch (breakfast, really), and the only place open was the shuwarma place by the port.

it was a loooong but entertaining walk to the port, and then we had two huge laffot, preceded by mr smear eating pickled carrots without complaining  (he usually hates carrots) and even about half of a really hot hot pepper.

[omg my hands are so freaking dry, my skin's cracking all over]

halfway through my laffa i had a suspicion that i may have overpayed - google pay doesn't show you the amount when it verifies - and after an only-slightly uncomfortable back-and-forth we determined that he'd charged me 200 shekels for an 80 shekel meal... at least i caught it while still there.

we both enjoyed the meal, but mr smear really shouldn't have forced himself to finish his. we had a long walk home (with a couple of minor incidents of being rained on), most of which was him complaining about a sore stomach...

gd prepared the bath before we arrived, and he warmed up and soaked for a long while. then scrapper's niece came by to pick up his bass guitar and amp, which i'm sad to say i've barely touched since he left it with me, and after sorting out mr smear's toenails scrapper called, and we both had a lot to talk about (during which time, i later realized, mr smear was sitting in his room, drawing and listening to tool on his phone). then it was dishes time, during which time we discovered a really gross mold situation that needed a lot of cleaning, and then i cleaned the area where the guitar had been sitting for ages and accidentally pulled out one of the hooks for the fibre cable.

neither mr smear nor i really needed dinner, so we ate some fruit and the three of us played pictionary for a while before he had to go to bed.

another really good saturday together, he said ^_^

now it's my turn. tomorrow's scaring me, hopefully i'll get some rest before it begins.

...

the situation in iran is horrifying. the fact that nobody's swooping in to help the persians is horrifying.

no alcohol part i

[this post divided retroactively]

chill out.
it ain't gonna be easy.
back straight.
love. cry. share.

these are the things that i need to remind myself. every day. every minute. not because i keep forgetting, but because i'm not focused on them.

...

the kennet shakespeare i'm reading has a very interesting note: lysander really is weeping. tears used not to be considered unmanly: before the recent cult of the stiff upper-lip, men were expected to weep for love.

no shit.

speaking of which: this is a spoiler for toy story 3 that made me want to see it... although armed with alcohol swabs to clean the 3D glasses :P

---wow. has it been so long since i posted? i don't mean from my phone.

i paid the doctor a visit, and he told me to get a full battery of blood tests and a urea breath test done. i complained about my eye, and he told me that i should get hold of an eye doctor and ask about glaucoma. fun.

i went to see my piercer, and she straightened me out by putting big balls in my mouth.
sorry. anyway, while hunting for smileys (we eventually found an anime smiley for the top, and a regular one for below) we came across a peace sign...
"that looks good!" i said. "not cool enough for you," she retorted. oh, well.

she's really sweet, and she made a thing about chilling on the bench with me afterwards where we talked for a bit. i was absolutely blown away when i noticed that she has a severely deformed thumb - i'd never noticed it in any of the photos, and when i went over them to check i was stunned. i didn't say anything, but was amazed at how much it bothered me. i don't know why it bothers me, and i'm annoyed at having such a childish response, but i can't quite turn it off :(

while there i was called up and asked by someone if they could see my apartment; i returned home and napped until i realized that they weren't coming.

---on my way out i stopped to create a facebook event calling for people to rock up at the rabin square fountains with sailboats and squeaky ducks.

it seemed like a good idea at the time, but in retrospect i wasted a fair amount of energy inviting people and when i got there today, at the designated time, i was very much alone with my ducks and my bubbles.

i should have known that my humour would be misread - i never learn. i made a reference to another plan to turn the fountain into jelly, and apparently a lot of people thought that that's what i was planning to do. all anyone had to do was continue to the end.

---i went to work for a few hours, to fight with flex and come up with workarounds... until i realized that the source of all my woes was a really stupid bug involving a missing '@' symbol. boy, did i feel stupid. (but i did earn a +1 debugging bonus)

around 7pm my pre-test fasting began, and i left work for danny gilboa's show.

---the sunset was beautiful and gco's phone call annoying. he was trying to convince me that i should join the march for gilad shalit even if i don't agree with what they're saying - "it means whatever you want it to mean".

no, it's means whatever they *say* it means. i want gilad shalit back, i want him back four gorram years ago, but i want him returned by force, or threats of force, and not by freeing a whole bunch of terrorists and demonstrating more weakness than usual to our loving cousins across the border.

---
urchin wasn't answering her phone, so i walked to the sublime instead of leaving my blades with her. on the way, i bumped into one of the vtm group, but his friends weren't interested in paying the couvert charge... [with what i'm earning, i wasn't either :P]

i like south tel aviv.

the sublime performance was the best of theirs that i've seen - they rocked! it was a bit irritating to sit at the bar unable to drink... not even water... but the music was fantastic and the vibe was great :)
he has fangirls, a number of whom i'm friendly with, and we had a good time. one of the waitresses is gorgeous, and i couldn't figure out if she was making eyes at me or if i was simply in her way :P

i took the 18 back home, walking in to find chc and her friend getting ready for the block party - i'd planned on going, right until i discovered that i had to fast :S

i haven't been in good spirits for the last week or so, and having her talk at me about dancing (is she stripping?) and asking me if she was dressed amazingly enough (so much for her profundity) didn't improve them. i spent the long minutes in torpor waiting for my bathroom back.

i sat on facebook for a while, showered and then pseudo-brushed my teeth (no paste allowed, even), and picked up my guitar for the second time in ages to make some noise before passing out.

[continued...]

student day - a taste of home

yesterday:

a bumpy shuttle with a driver who's into his horn – way to go, bright and early morning.

i didn't have much energy for work, so i snuck off a few times during the day to read wired, strum the guitar randomly and take short naps. i don't know if it really bothers me that my copy of wired arrived late this month. at any point in the month it's a welcome breath of fresh air for the brain :)

i went to the base store to get hold of some chocolate, and the kid working there was stuck into a book preparing him for the psychometric exams (the israeli equivalent of the SATs). he started asking me questions about my studies, and i took the opportunity to guide him regarding his choices. he was surprised to hear someone telling him to pick a course of study that interests *him*, and glad to hear that it's not normal to be 100% confident in one's choices – even after the fact.

i think it's important that everyone know that no academic studies, no matter how irrelevant to one's life choices, are wasted.

he got a phone call as the topic moved to zionism, so i left that conversation for another day :P

i thought i was going to have to eat lunch alone, but was suddenly joined by a few of the guys who ignored my call to arms. captain incompetent called me to assign me yet another task that he should have done, and the dinner conversation turned to how much the kinder and i can't stand him and his uselessness.
in fact, if he was merely useless it would be alright; the problem is that he's actually a hindrance to our section's efforts to succeed.

nystire's previous TL held her unit farewell after lunch, and it was one hell of a spread. she even organized marshmallows and guava juice especially for me :)
during the speeches, which were all fairly lengthy, an amusing thought struck me. vyomanaut had been going on for quite a while, so i entered the door code – surprising everyone with the door's buzzing as i tapped my watch at him.
luckily it didn't bother him too much, but i was a bit embarrassed and i felt myself turn a bright shade of red :$

i finally sat down at my desk with intent to get something done, when i was surprised by one of the secretaries walking in and beginning to vacuum. i mean, why would that bother me?

i went to the doctor – having waited two days for an appointment – only to discover that i didn't need a referral to see a dermatologist. i love how useful information travels so freely throughout the system :/

i was disappointed to receive a call letting me know that the interview i was getting excited for would be moved to monday... i was looking forward to it. in retrospect, though, that turned out to be a very positive thing – i was in time to meet wr and his girlfriend at tel aviv university's student day, and we had a grand time smoking nargila and talking stuff and nonsense over an acceptable excuse for whiskey.

when they left, i went to see eatliz perform, then milled around for a bit before heading home.

---since wednesday night i've been very conscious of the fact that once again, i've relaxed my guard and my upper back muscles. do i need to memento myself, tattooing little reminders all over my body?

---how long have i been taking myself so seriously? taking life so seriously?

i suddenly realized something about my attitude yesterday: it's as if, a little over ten years ago, i stepped through the wardrobe and entered narnia. all of this is real, the adventure with its trials and tribulations, joys and jubilations, but at some point i'm going to find my way back to the wardrobe and step back through it – and suddenly be 19 years old again and with my entire life on this side of it as ephemeral as a dream.

psyched!

i picked up the guitar this morning, and my hands just weren't being useful. instead, i put them to work on my project, got somewhere interesting, then took a walk to the guys in charge of the shuttles while arranging for tickets to k's choice to be bought.

the cute blonde girl took a few moments to understand what i was getting at, but once she did she was quick to agree with me and sent out a memo :)

i sat with tahoma and nyah-nyah, eating delicious strawberries and sharing the shock of our pointy-haired boss' dodgy behaviour, then headed off base for the day.

i adopted a private for the duration of my travels (most of the way) to the psychologist; sweet kid, i hope he does okay.

i walked in to wait, then walked straight out to sit in the park for half an hour. even if i hadn't arrived early, i was ignored, nothing was clear and the waiting room was a furnace. eventually i was called in...

i don't recall how much time passed, but it felt like forever. the poor woman didn't realize how much i can talk - and this was just an introductory referral session. by the end of it, she was severely concerned that with my story* i haven't been using their services since i joined.

* or fragments of it, as there's a whole bunch i'm not sharing with her; as i told her, i see them as just as much a part of the military system as the suits

it was a bit relieving, even if we didn't get anywhere. talking cure? i wonder if the cure isn't in the act of putting whatever troubles one has into the therapy framework - now that i have somewhere to deal with it, i don't need to worry about it when i'm not "being treated".

i took the right bus in the wrong direction, got off at the next stop and waited five for the next one. once in tel aviv i walked a bit to catch the next bus - it was a lovely day - and was home with just enough time for a snack before going to physiotherapy. i missed every single bus on the way, but that gave me time to consume my falafel :P

i think it was a good physio session. i hopped on a bus to the university, and ten seconds after walking through the gate i experienced the "i'm home" sensation :D
wr sorted me out with a good cup of coffee while i browsed through his notes on post-modernism; i realize that i'm a bit ahead of the curve since last year's venture into hillman and in praise of doubt, and i'm gladdened by that.

when he was done working and we'd sat on his notes for a bit, we made to leave and were halted by a girl he knows and a friend of hers... we ended up sitting and chatting for about an hour, and the conversation spilled over into the bus ride home. it felt like half the bus was participating, all students and everyone still in study mode (or studying with books on laps) - a guy behind me mentioned "spiritual paedophilia" while talking to the girl next to him, and i couldn't hear that without context and not butt in to save myself an aneurysm: "what the hell is that?"

i got off shortly after the explanatory debate moved on to philosophical quandaries, completely on a high and excited to be rejoining that world ^_^

i didn't have much time before the guys rocked up for munchkin: it was a relatively quick and very high-powered game. i loaded the washing machine and showered when the guys left, began writing this and am about to get into bed.

---wow - i'm registering for tau and i'm already a fully-fledged member of the tau. who knew?

catching (almost) six

i was good today, didn't nap at all. i remembered to take my outfit to "work", too, for dress-up day.

we had to get off the shuttle at the last tel aviv stop, which meant coming in from the other end of the base. i was still feeling a bit hung over, and *had* to do the salt and vinegar chips thing. the owners love me, and excitedly promised that they would be ready in five... they chirped and chirped while the oil bubbled, and about half an hour later the rain began pelting down and i sat down with my fresh chips and bowl of vinegar. i wasn't going anywhere.

at least the rain didn't last very long, although it was incredibly heavy. nobody would really have cared if i'd been late, anyway.

i made a pretty psychedelic background for my workstation, with "RELEASE ME" boldly pasted over it in a random yet funky font. after coffee and a little bit of time with the guitar, i got my work environment mostly set up and then changed into my outfit. everyone loved my spy disguise, and the fake 'tache i wore suits me; i don't think i could grow such a strong one, though. i reminded myself of the stranger.

i didn't speak to the discipline officer because i was dressed amusingly. our SC was terrified that i'd go out of my way to make him feel bad because i was proven 100% right in my assertion yesterday. i told him that if i'm not to file that complaint, then i can at least make sure he knows he has to inform his brethren in the Cabal of the Unrefined that they have to stop that shit.

an exchange of snow stories with one of the guys who just got back from a week at les arcs (where we were last year), and i'm aggravated that it doesn't look like i'll be able to go this year, all because of the weird situation with the army.

suck.

as my mom said, i'll have to make up for it either during the summer (argentina) or pull a serious stint during next year's academic vacation.

lunch was quick, and the whole "carnival" thing was less atrocious than last year's. they had tekken - i don't know which post-tag one it was, and i was beaten twice by some average kid with a shitty attitude... i'm so used to certain basic moves that i was completely thrown when they didn't work.

oh, well.

i spent the afternoon getting back into the swing of working on my project (at least something productive's possible), playing secretary and whining about the fact that the entire unit now has access to whatever munchies are on my desk; that, and whenever someone comes into the office i hear a buzz and a bang right behind me and my nerves are going to be shot if i don't get used to it quickly.

from the base we went to one of our section-mates' new apartment - a cool, refurbished hospital room in sisters' quarters. there was blood pooling in the corridor. while there and drinking (i forgot i was in uniform :P), we watched youtube videos, laughed about ordering pizza online (the user experience is excellent), and talked quite a bit. i left when the guys put a movie on, to catch a bus back home so that i could get some sleep.

if i hadn't been so wrapped up in the news, i would've been in bed ages ago.

an interesting story: prohibition poisoning

octopus using tools: i dunno, it doesn't seem to different from the hermit crab. thanks, nystire :)

a brief glance at the x prize plans

i'm meta-linking to the gore op-ed that says we can't wish climate change away

anti-valentine

i quickly post before hopping to the comfort to jump around a bit, still waking up from what was supposed to be a power nap on the couch and felt more like a nightmare on the couch - imaginary creepy-crawlies eating me and not even managing to complete watching the colour of magic.

now i need to bounce even more to make up for it.

---i *just* missed the bus this morning, but was fortunate to make the second bus and was only five minutes late to meet with our pointy-haired boss, who was kind enough to wait for me.

for someone who'd slept only two and a half hours after feeling terrible all weekend, i was doing just fine. breakfast with nystire was alright, and was completed by brownies one of my virtual team-mates made (i'm not certain how i fit in organizationally anymore). i spent the morning chatting [including to wr, who surprised me with a call] and practising with the guitar.

[i paid a visit to the doctor, and walked out having received both good news and bad news]

---i heard that one of the base discipline officer's cronies (a civilian "contractor") was holding one of our soldiers' id cards, and took offence. it's not only an illegal thing to take place from both sides, it's bloody stupid because without it a soldier on duty's got problems. i walked into his office, and asked him to show me the directive that makes his action legitimate.

"it's definitely okay, don't worry."
"show me."
"they're doing it on other bases, too."
"then that needs fixing. show me."
"okay, okay. here - i'm sending an email to verify."

i got him to cc that email to us, and if he can't back it up he's in deep shit. *and* i'll file a personal complaint, i don't like it when people lie to me. i don't like it at all.

---lunch wasn't particularly good, and the effects were felt almost immediately. i was still a bit lost (swimming in a sea of slipping consciousness as my digestive system was taxed to the max) when gn1 called. it had taken me forever to formulate an appropriate sms.

it then took forever for us to get through a breakup talk that was really painful for both of us. i think more for her than me, though. she had me feeling like a bit of a heel, actually.

i got a terrible haircut - counting off one closer to the last i'll have in the army - and was surprised by what appears to be the new trend. for the first time, i managed to explain to the guy not to "tidy" my fringe and temples and be understood. he didn't even try to trim them. however, without warning he swiped a blade between my eyebrows and temples - an area i definitely didn't need touching. frack, next they're going to start offering bikini waxes and shit.

...

i gave nyah-nyah her first guitar lesson, which went well. my TL rocked up, and discovered that the cd i needed to begin working was already sitting on the keyboard next to me, so i could've been productive from the morning already. if the idiot who'd organized it had *said* something about it to us, it might've been useful.

before setting up my new pc, i went shopping for myself, nystire and the kinder - i managed to leave wearing my undershirt and jacket only (regarding the top half of my uniform), and i'm really lucky that the discipline officer didn't catch me shirtless. especially after the morning's incident :/
i'd also forgotten that there aren't any plastic bags at the local, so i had quite a time trying to carry all the orders at once :P

setting up was amusing, i'm now sitting at the unit commander's secretary's desk. the makes all of us feel awkward. at one point i had to return a cable to nystire, and i threw it at him from the other side of his partition shouting "snake!" - which suitably freaked him out :)

a quick chat about the breakup with my TL in earshot, and he made a very good suggestion. on it, i've written a short list of the basic criteria for any girl i date, and i should probably [not] present it to any potential suitor in the form of a written questionnaire.

it poured with rain most of the day, and a few of us were caught in it trying to leave the base. as soon as the rain slowed, the sun came out for a gorgeous sunset. i went past dizengoff on the way home, bought a costume for tomorrow's base celebration (i'm dressing as a spy), and walked home (again in the rain) to try to nap before going out.

now i'm going out :)

exploding sheep

i don't know where to begin, so i'll start with last night's horror: [the news links i posted are no longer valid, so here's the wikipedia entry]

everyone is shocked, the community is angry and frightened, and all i can think of is this:
any monkey can pull a trigger. not every monkey can communicate. what can we expect from a country where education is replaced by laws or religion (which is the same thing, really)? what have we done to ourselves?
and to think that last week we mourned the destruction of both temples, the primary cause being "senseless hatred".

my morning's response:
johnny's a bit slow, can't tie his own laces
so give him velcro instead

he can't handle a knife and a fork
let him eat with his hands

our johnny will never go very far
maybe just as far as the local pub
he'll never be a shining star
nor president of the debate club

the poor kid just couldn't manage to read
so put him in front of the telly

he'll always be a little short on love
he thinks he knows what he deserves

and anyone can use a gun

---
a thought struck this morning: how can one be successful when one has developed a culture of dishonesty?

my upper arm's been hurting randomly, and i don't know if i've strained something or if it's got to do with my neck - and my neck's been very sensitive of late: i'm constantly terrified that my slipped disc is going to press on an important set of nerves...

ha, that reminds me that the man in a suit recommended i go to a chiropractor :P

the pilot episode of house got stuck in my head :P

this morning was spent pulling off the craziest prank - we totally got him. half the unit participated, i captured some brilliant footage (he didn't even realize he was looking at a camera, i was distracting him with my other hand ^_^), and i got into character completely and didn't even feel like laughing. the guys are still giggling whenever someone quotes from my little speech halfway through :)

nystire and i ate lunch on our old unit's base with his first SC, which was quite pleasant. i was surprised to be brushed off by the kid's brother, but whatever...

i got back in time to teach the new kid about my first big project, and spent the rest of the afternoon getting so much work done that my eyes were sore when i left the building.

---i don't know what came over me, but wr and his cute new friend were here and they began reading my latest: why would i try playing it for them? i suck! and i was super embarrassed. oh, well, back to the beginning of that story:

there was a small march and a vigil held at the gay community centre, and i met wr and a girl he met on the bus on the way to join them. it was a very sombre experience, and afterwards we got coffee and went to sit in the park. the conversation got very interesting, including an amusing misunderstanding - blow-up sheep / exploding sheep sounds the same in hebrew - hence the title of this post.

anyway, i'm undergoing surgery tomorrow to remove something from my leg, so i should be getting to bed soon. i'm annoyed that i'm going to miss training :(

survival of the week

wake-up yesterday was a far sight better than wednesday! i didn't even need coffee, let alone the energy drink :) [although i took it with, just in case]

i actually enjoyed working again yesterday, and got a lot done. i even managed to sneak in an hour on a project whose lack of completion has been embittering me for months. in fact, the only downer of the day was coming up against the wall of visual studio 2008's network security management: why can't it just use the user's rights automatically?

i've been focused on a sort of a diet that i'm not quite sticking to. i definitely need to exercise this belly off! at least i can be proud of myself that the two guys i've been doing push-ups and sit-ups with weren't in and i still did mine... usually the lack of external influence brings about the "gym contract effect".

i know that the kinder has received the gooey package, because he sent an sms asking me to thank everyone and letting me know that he hadn't opened it yet. i'm going nuts, i can't wait to hear his response!!

i went to the bank, but the interest rates have dropped to the point where i'd need another 200k to earn .1%. apparently i'm not the only person passing on that one.
i bought a non-slip mat for the shower... and managed to get it right! now not only am i not worried about sliding, but i get a foot massage at the same time :)
i went to buy a spare battery for my cellphone, but they didn't have in stock. so i bought a super-funky orange-spiralled phone cover instead.

my fingers and my guitar are beginning to talk ^_^

i slept for an hour and a half, and the trauma of getting out of bed after midnight more than made up for the morning's ease :/
wr and friends picked me up and we went to a fetish party. the music was excellent - there weren't very many people though, and only about ten actual fetishists... i only caught one "show", which i found to be kinda sad. at least a perfect circle - hollow playing in the background was appropriate.

we missioned off to the party at helga, had a lot of fun and more booze, then went back to the fetish party and walked in to tool - eulogy, for which i was in an absolutely perfect place and mood and mindset - that actually made my night. we left a few songs and a bit of rum later, back to helga where i *think* ptsd finally got the idea that we're not, haven't been and won't be sleeping together.

wr offered the mystery girl a lift home this morning, so i now know her name and the fact that although she looks early-to-mid 20's she actually 36... he's now quite smitten :P

i'm trying to decide how to begin my day... my neck's quite sore from the last few days' action and i'm always too lazy to clean, but it's needed.

fresh start

yesterday morning i read for a bit before passing out again, then woke up a couple of hours later and almost bust my fingertips completely. new strings, newbie, frighteningly sensitive. but i do feel like i'm making some headway :)

the kid and i watched lots of how i met your mother, interspersed with good food and ice-cream*. it's been too long, and damn that series rocks! the bits with ted's mustache and robin's giggling nearly ruptured my spleen!

* going out for ice-cream was a good idea, as we realized what a great day it was and missioned down to the beach. we didn't stay until sunset, but it was a pleasant walk and it's always good to have sand between one's toes. and a breezer in hand. and eye candy in front.

i talked with my mum for a bit, and then left the building to meet up with egg. we walked to levontin, had a drink, made an awkward escape from some guy who just didn't *get* that i wasn't interested in him, and returned in time for einav jackson cohen's performance.

she's great, she's really great, and the only problem is trying to stay awake with such lulling music. and maybe we drank too much. and maybe having a drink with wr at the smith bar on the way home wasn't too good an idea.

what was a good idea was washing all the dishes and shaving before going to bed (1.30am). that was a fantastic call!

getting up at 5.30 this morning hurt me just as i'd expected. i had the most horrible hangover, and was absolutely exhausted, and i still haven't recovered.

our new team-member arrived, she seems really quick and she's pleasant, which is an excellent start :)

my quote for the day: "one what-the-f*** is better than six"... but i managed to find a few more as the day wore on :(

i got a ride home with my favourite SC (not mine, obviously) and another couple of guys from our unit, and it was educational. when there're organizational problems, it's always better to know you're not alone.

before leaving the base i left an instruction with my agent to stick to her guns, and on my way in to the apartment she called back - with a reasonable final offer. since speaking to my mom i've called her back to let them know it's acceptable, and now i'm really excited and i can't calm down long enough to get some much-needed shut-eye :/

i really hope everything goes through smoothly! and that i can sort out most of it before disappearing on sunday!

glorious, neck-twisting sleep

i lay down after publishing my previous post and passed out reading the hebrew comics - i find that reading hebrew makes me sleepier far faster :P

i expected to wake up in time to enjoy the evening, but it was only about 1am when i roused myself, acquired some chocolate and sat down to read news (?) and play around with my guitar.

i can't decide if i should name it "fingernails on chalkboard", or "TIA" because that's the feeling the acronym inspires in me.

i only tired out around 4am, and have been lying awake since 7.30am not wanting to get up, but unable to sleep.

seek irony - singer sent me a link and although the first song on their page didn't impress me the rest were rather good.

battlecorps: aside from news and plucking the guitar i read one of the short stories, and the material is top class. another good link from tycho :)

from io9:

they're making a movie of the men who stare at goats? the kid still calls it "the minister of goats", refusing to read it because he didn't realize that it wasn't trying to convince him that he could read minds.

donald soffritti is a balony-an an artist from bologna whose work includes retired superheroes, like a fat, smoking wonderwoman and an incontinent spiderman.

these are some weird-ass slugs - national geographic has done an exposé on the colourful alienness of these deep sea gastropods.