The Book of Ashes

Getting insurance pay and bits for the IR machine... 8:22AM

We had run out of food last night so Dan and I went out for a meal as has become customary at least once a month. We have been exploring Wellington and trying out different resturants each time which is good. Went to Calizone last night and order a pizza with a bottle of wine. It was good food and we got into a good conversation so moved on to Hummingbird for a couple more drinks and a lot more talking. It ended up being quite a good night just sitting there working out lifes problems and discussing its finer details. The outcome of the night... be careful what you send out in emails as the other person will most likely keep a copy and so will you. Its what I call the cringe factor, when you recall an event that is sooo bad or embarrassing that it just makes you cringe. I have one or two but not too many. Dan is doing well. You wouldn't believe the stuff I have on him that I can't write up in the Abuse Kramer group as his mum reads it :)

This morning I awoke to a precise scientific experiment. I participated as I much as I could and the final outcome was most facinating. I determined that it was freezing outside. Now you may wonder as to the objectiveness of this statement so let me fill you in on the details of the experiment. Early in the morning I arose to get a drink and visit the bathroom. It was damn cold then (exact measurement). I hopped back in bed and looked outside. It was cold looking so I stayed in bed and read my book. My foot slipped out of the covers and became cold so I had to place it back under the covers and it was too cold to put my arms out of the duvet without them getting cold while I read so what more proof do you need? On top of that I got out of bed and turned the shower on HOT and just sat there under it, body so numb I couldn't feel the searing heat, burning my body to a bright pink. Nuff said about the cold, it wasn't THAT cold, I just didn't want to get out of bed. Tomorrow I remedy that. My alarm is set for quarter to seven and if its fine I walk to the top of Mt Vic to witness another fine sunrise.

Thomas came round before lunch. The news I had ages ago that I didn't write about was that I was likely to be receiving back payment for my insurance money. Now I forgot to factor in that insurance companies are renowned for being the slackest arse bastards in the world. Two and a half months after leaving work I have finally sorted out my income protection insurance and have been paid for some of my time off. To their credit the insurance I am now with are real good and have only taken up half a month of my time. The other two months have been with the OTHER company who suck and everyone knows they suck and even they know they suck. They dicked me around then denied my claim. I am better off without them but I wish they could have said that from the start. Now anyway things are better. Other news doesn't look like its coming through anymore.

So today Thomas and I went for a walk round town. We visited the library and took out a few books on serial interfaces to computers. Next we paid a visit to Dick Smiths where I purchased a soldering iron, an infra red sensitive diode, a screw driver, some solder and some other bits and pieces. I got home all excited and after drinking lots of coke and soldering up a few bits and pieces I was fair buzzing. Unfortunetly we require further pieces to complete our little experiment. Other than that tho we had a few cool coloured LEDs lighting up the room

The poets award, a prophecy... 11:23AM

Hmmmm.... received this email the other day from poetry.com for a poem I submitted there...

""Dear Ashley,

I would like to inform you of your nomination as Poet of the Year for 2002, and to personally invite you to read your poetry at the single largest gathering of poets in history, where you will be formally inducted as an International Poet of Merit and Honored Member of our Society for 2002.

Your induction will take place Friday evening, August 23rd, in the United States Capital, Washington, D.C., during the International Society of Poets Summer 2002 Convention and Symposium.

You will also be honored with two separate and very special awards for your poetic achievement at special ceremonies throughout the weekend.
...""

and so it goes on in this style for quite some while, informing me of the silver bowl thingie with my name on it that I will be recieving and so forth. So whats the catch you ask (cause you know I'm not THAT good), well it costs $500 odd dollars to attend. One very expensive way to pat your own ego. Quite entertaining though I might add.

Now you might mistake a poet for a prophet. Or two you might think were one. Yet none could say that two in a day are never quite more than enough fun. The answer comes in rhyme, a dizzying cloud of mental verbalisation...

""...a box, not wrapped, but opened soon, revels a message within your room. A riddle, of words, but taking time, to find a place of pertinent sign. Flowers or roses, the colours are bright. Sunset, sunrise, brings forth morning light. A table, a pillar, a place never been. A literal villa, a sight never seen. Clues form a riddle a prize waits on end. An earthquake will scare, a star shooting friend. Blood red is the sky when danger is past. But in the end cleverness will never come last...""

If its a nice morning, then tomorrow I arise early to see the new dawn break. All the kings horses and all the kings men..