The Book of Ashes

Checking out computer prices 6:19AM

So I went out at lunch time to Quay Computers and checked out their prices. They are getting about $200 cheaper each month (for the same hardware, you always want faster better components the next month as well). RAM and hard drives are especially cheap. Cool. I will have to buy a new computer soon. Went you require it, the money will come. After that I met up with Jo and we went and paid for our ferry ticket. It was going to cost me $150 but Jo owed me $50 because she had sold a voucher for a wine trail for me. Story here was that for her birthday we went on the Martinbourgh wine trail. We turned up there only to find our bus wasn't waiting for us. After a lot of ringing round and waiting they sent one out but and we had the best afternoon but Jo wrote a letter to them and complained and they sent us a voucher each to go again. Now Jo went on the Saturday of my birthday so I couldn't go which was lucky as she ended up spewing so badly she couldn't make it to my party. But anyway she sold my voucher to some of her work mates which was cool so now my ferry ticket is $100 return. Sweet. Thats gone and paid for so now I just need money for petrol, accomodation (so far $18) and food along the way. Its going to be a rocking trip.

After that I wondered back through town and stopped in at Damians place to do a little work on the server. I tidied up a few things, you may note a little bit of a different look on the title and the disciples pages are caught up, their next and previous searches now find the next and previous entries rather than the next and previous days.

After that I was wondering home, trying to swap the batteries from my discman with the those in my digital camera so that I could listen to some music when I heard my name called out. I had just walked past my sister without realising it. I guess that is just how observant I am though. So we wondered home, catching up, wondering what to buy Si for his 21st and we decided to go see The Mummy Returns. I shouted her a ticket and we just wondered in. Nobody at the door to check our tickets, we might as well not have had them. Anyway it was a pretty action packed movie, good to occupy the imagination for a while. I liked. Oh yeah I had to stop in to Sweet Temptations on the way and get one of those little alcohol chocolates. I think for me they are like chewing gum for those giving up smoking. And I guess the other thing to note is that when I was working on the server I looked down and there on the ground was a book called Magician. Char had been telling me it was one of her favourites but she couldn't remember who had written it. Wow, I guess I was meant to read it, maybe it contains some cool idea in it. Anyway its now sitting next to my bed, next to the other 3 books I have to read, not counting the Bible which is a long term read. So now I'm home, cooking up a healthy frozen diner, I will probably go for a run then go to bed early and try read some of these books. Good night every one..

Chews (Tues) 9:17AM

I burnt my thumb a while back, boiling water from a pot splashed over it, scolding it, damaging the outer cell layers beyond repair. But we must give them credit, they tried to repair, new cells grew inbetween the old ones, forming a hardened barrier of thick skin to protect against the same thing happening again. I had learnt my leason for the mean time though. The hardened skin couldn't sustain itself and is now deteriorating, flaking and peeling off. Soft new skin lies underneath ready to take on the world. All is repaired after intense damage. Such is the cycle of life, that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This is true of the events in my life. I've had a few to make me realise my place and I'm sure I have a few yet to go. I remember when I was at university I used to be a little paranoid. I used to think people were talking about me or weren't my friend for some reason. It was dumb and based on nothing (well probably based on my own insecurities in life) but I got over that and in fact learnt from it. I don't know what it was exactly that changed my perception in life but now I always assume the best. If someone walks past me and (aparently) snobs me, its not cause they're snobbing me its cause they didn't see me or else they don't know me that well and were a bit awkward and didn't know if they should say hi or not or maybe some other reason. Its best just to assume they didn't mean anything by it and continue on as if it didn't happen. I've even gone further than that. If people are to tell me that I'm a suck looser computer geek with no friends then I don't really care. Its not too nice of them to say that but if they're a good person and say that in the heat of the moment I'm not going to not be there friend cause of that. Not that anyone has ever said anything like that to me. But anyway I have become easy, you will have trouble affending me and you shouldn't have any trouble telling me anything either cause I don't judge. Why? Cause I believe I've experienced much of life and know what its like...

Anyway gotta go to my development meeting

Saying 9:19AM

""When spring comes you burn the flaxes down to incourage new growth. We should probably do this in life, but I don't want to burn."

Tribute to David for stopping smoking 10:35AM

Full tribute to David, a developer at work who one day just stopped smoking. Most of us developers don't smoke so he decided it was time to stop. He didn't tell anyone and we didn't notice for months but he deserves credit for being able to pull it off

Poem: Suddenly seen again 10:58AM

Suddenly seen again

From the darkness he shall step, unknown and unseen until now.

With his cloak removed, he is no longer the illusion of perfection and of power.

So now he stands naked before the devouring flame,

Enveloped in others emotions and constant writhing pain.

He shall endure, as was pre-ordained by fate,

stripped to the bone, this process removed his residule hate.

Now in purity does he live his life,

No longer dependant on material objects or any particular vice.

He spreads one arm to the left, and a woman reaches for it.

He spreads the other to the right, and the world starts to benefit.

Children now play and follow in his wake.

Scholars write stories and make theories, purely for his sake.

Having mastered all there is he begins to fade.

Then the sky turns to blood and the Earth to Jade.

He is lost from this world now,

yet others will follow on...

Maybe one day you will remember,

and you'll sing his hollowed song.

Of chocolate fish and taste 11:21AM

Appologies for the wussy touchy feely stuff thats been sneaking in lately. I've been trying to cram too much in. I find I walk the streets these days thinking of things to write. I have too many. Maybe by the end of the year I will have run out but probably not. The total combination of ideas I could put together is astronomical and still for every entry I write up here theres three that I thought of during the day but forgot about. I am going to meet Jo in 45mins. We shall go pay for the ferry ticket for our Wanaka wedding trip. It will be good to get that out of the way as I have a feeling I will be strapped for cash in a month or two. Speaking of which we found out we got a bonus yesterday. Its coming on Friday but should be round the $100 mark. Thats not too bad, a little bit of pocket money to go spend. Our manager gave us a chocolate fish for participating in our meeting today. Chocolate fish are good. That reminds me of an invention I was talking to Gerry about the other day. I probably scare her a little with all the weird ideas I come up with. This idea was founded on the fact that most things that taste good are bad for you. But what if you could get the taste without the actual food. Of course possible theoritacally considering that taste is just a signal to the brain that could be reproduced somehow but the question was how would you do it. My idea was this. The tounge consists of sensors that take food and translate it into an electrical signal. There are different taste receptors in different areas of the tounge for picking up sweet tastes or sour tastes etc. So why not stick a plate on the tounge with thousands of tiny pins that penetrated the tounge and sent signals straight into the electrical system there. If you sent the right signals (with a little bit of trial and errror) you could reproduce a chocolate taste on your tounge without actually eating any chocolate. This would be great. You'd just sit there enjoying all these tastes and eating nothing. Of course it would be every females dream, but anyway I would make millions. Unfortunatly I am not a maker, just a thinker so someone else make it and give me some credit. Cheers guys.

Do you know how totaly different old English used to be ? Check out this translation page