The Book of Ashes

Ola 11:20AM

Nothing much happened in this day. I have arranged for Martin to meet me on the night of my party and come with me so I'm not the only one waiting there by myself when it starts. I wore a small gold mask pinned onto my suit jacket today. Not many people said much. They probably thought I thought it was cool or something.

I cooked an awesome chicken pasta with veges and a cheesy mushroom sauce. It was all good. I took a photo so that I can prove that I can cook when I want to. I might set up an area here with all my best meals cause that would make me look real good. I might get prospective wives messaging me then though.

Gerry's friend Susan (doh! I introduced her as Sarah tonight) is staying. She is pretty friendly and good to talk to. We sat around playing cards and talking. I told Gerry that my auntie was going to bake me a chocolate gatto for my birthday. She said that her and Fiona had planned to bake me a cake. This is the stuff good friends are made of. I will have to give them both a big hug on my birthday. They are getting on really well which is funny. I haven't known Gerry that long but we also get on really well. Fiona came over with some muffins she had baked. They were REAL good! They had a big dollop of jam in the middle and I was impressed. We played heaps of cards and I taught everyone a few games, sevens, up and down the river, golf, bastard, etc. Fiona seemed to get really good hands all the time and won a lot of games for her first time at playing most of them. I am the most scientific, skeptical person you can ever meet but I almost believe that some people are luckier at things than others. I know for certain that I suck at dice rolls and being dealt good hands at cards in general. Statistics says that some people must get (on average) worse luck than others. When you are that person though you don't like to believe in statistics.

On another matter, I have secured a way of making my million dollars that I was to earn by 25. I have a lotto ticket which I will check before midnight Saturday night, hence making me a millionaire before I'm 25 (if only by a few hours or so).

I am most affirmatively tired so I shall sleep now. Tomorrow harbours big things, usual development meeting, coffee with my mother and sister, costume shopping for my party, helping my cousin out on a web site (he has, I believe, a good chance of winning a computer), plus if I have time, go for a run and or a blade and do that big pile of dishes and maybe kill a lion (not Aslan tho)

PineHaven 12:09PM

I have noticed a small improvement in the running, not a lot, but a little. This is good. The run I do is like a kilometre up an average sloped hill. From my place to the top of Mt Vic is quite a climb and I shall be able to run this without stopping by Labour Day (or the end of this year (or the end of my life)).

I went into work today and stuck up some more photos in the disturbance area. Also here is the driveway to the first house I ever lived in...

Winchester Ave (Pine Haven)

and here is the house...

Pretty tripy. It is now imortalised forever in digital form. Can't wait till they bring out the true 3D in which you can move about in. I then went shopping and brought a few decorations for my party. I came back home and found the girls next door talking about what they were going to wear. They are getting pretty excited and are going to go full out. They wouldn't tell me what they were wearing but probably ball dresses or princess costumes or something. It is pretty cool that people are getting into it so much. We went to the pharmacy and found an excellent selection of masks as well.

My mum had come back from a trip to Auckland so we went out for dinner at Calzone with my sister. This place has good food, real nice pizzas and pastas and everything. We discussed what stories we could tell about my brother Thomas for his upcoming 21st. We have a few, like how he ticked YES for the Have you been bankrupt before on his student loan application then couldn't work out why it had been declined. Or how he could eat a whole banana in one mouthful. Of course after the meal I had to pay for everyone. My sister has just got a new job (starting soonish) but still has no money. I can't wait till she's earning so we can share costs.

I finally tidied up that pile of letters and bills that had been accumulating for the last month or so. So thats pretty much been my weekend. I am back to work for a week then its party time, then I'm officially old and I can no longer stay up past 11pm. You will probably notice a difference in my writing style from next week onwards. Things will be toned down and quite boring I imagine.

So let me leave you with one of my embarrassing stories. Our family was out tramping somewhere and us four kids where in a room in a hut in bunks. I took the top bunk (cause that was always the coolest as a kid) and we started to drift of to sleep. I fell asleep with my feet hanging off the end of the bed and then in my dream slowly came to the realisation that I was hanging upside-down, by my feet, off the end of the bed. I panicked and awoke yelling out HELP ME!, HELP ME! After a few seconds stunned silence (in which time I had gathered my senses and realised where I was - not at all hanging off the end of the bed) my sister asked, a little worried, Are you alright Ashley? Embarrassed, I promptly replied Shut up! After further questioning I explained what had happened and they are quite happy to remind me on occassion about this event