Thank you Susan of Book Ninja for this limerick:

There once was a fella named Chalk
who wanted a book with his bock
but inside Shenanigans
they don’t allow Flanagans
so poor Mr Chalk had to walk.

( bock .. a beer of course! If only i’d ordered a beer none of this would have happened. This is what happens when you go into an Irish pub and don’t get a beer. What was i thinking. )

Great commentary from George on that page too! He’s a fiery writer, worth reading. Big it up for the Canadian literary scene ..

This quote from a reader in the UK (The Register): “In the UK he’d get a bullet in the brain, Canada tasered until he stops moving and US shipped off to Guantanamo? He should consider himself lucky.”

Well honey, thanks for your blessings and the kind reminder.

i really do consider myself lucky. i’m living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. i’m alive, i have a working fridge plus a roof over my head, and i currently have a huge whacking degree of freedom. This freedom i am celebrating every minute, with every breath. Albeit somewhat nervously right now. A misunderstanding can really turn your world around.

Way too many other people haven’t been as lucky as me.

Many have fallen into the clutches of a horribly murderous cult, and given their lives to kill, which they were brainwashed into thinking was the right thing to do.

Many have died because of the (insanely misguided) actions of these people.
Many have fallen before the armies out hunting for the leaders of this cult. Many in these armies have died also.

A fair few have died from mistakes in the hunt for the cult leaders, and
Plenty have been locked up for time without charge, while
The rest of us are apparently living in fear.

none of that seems good to me.
So, yes i feel very very lucky. Don’t you worry about that Joh.

Lucky to be alive, lucky i didn’t get beaten up, lucky i never joined a cult. Lucky to still have my freedom. If i’d been reported to the security hotline, it seems unlikely but i could in theory have been detained for fourteen days without charge. With nobody knowing why i didn’t come back from Cairns.

I’d still be asking for my mobile phone, so i could send a text to my mum.

(Thanks Eric Kilby for the image “All your needs .. and Coke”, at flickr and Cowtools for “how to enjoy better meals”)
(There are some other funny comments on that Register page. Lot of people running down Australians for not being able to read.)

hey guess what, handing in thesis right now!!

yes i feel very amazing, totally thrilled and completely happy. Oh the relief. Now i can go out dancing every night for a week.

it was a chilly wednesday morning when i finally had the whole thing printed off and bound. Had to print several pages double sided with colour vs b/w. Hours at the office after work. Drove to Footscray, returned half a million library books, and handed over the two-inch thick volume. “Well that must be a relief,” said the head of department. Yeah. i’ll be feeling that relief for months!