The Long and Winding Road

Let's sneak this one in, and see if anything happens...

Well, I haven't written in this for what seems like an eternity (since before Coachella, which feels like forever ago!). There's been so much going on, including Drew and me visiting Austin the week after Coachella, Nicola visiting (Alcatraz, Mystery Spot, Santa Barbara...), everyone in the world going to Yosemite for a brilliant-sounding camping trip (but I refrained, grr), Dominic visiting, Bay to Breakers, my birthday, finishing work (last Friday—sob), Les Miz, Santa Cruz, other beaches, JavaOne conference...

Maybe I'll catch up on writing something about those things, but meantime, in the near future: Las Vegas and the Gran Canyon tomorrow, Washington DC and New York next week, then home! I'm looking forward to getting home but I'll definitely be missing this place, and all the things I've been up to this year. Soon I'll do my best to get a summary of the whole shebang for interested folks to see.

Ohohoh—Google Earth!!!

Current Mood: Musical

My Route Through San Francisco (Declan McAleese)

Current Mood: lazy
Current Music: Primal Scream, Swastika Eyes

I've been wearing my new (beige) t-shirt for 45 minutes, and I've already spilled vegetable juice down it. This better not be the start of a bad day.

*Cries*

Last night I was on the phone when an assault was carried out on my abode. Lewis made the fatal mistake of allowing a torrent of computing students into our room, all with well-meaning intentions to help Steve out of his Windows-rooted misery. Steve's laptop has suffered some anonymous form of death, resulting in an operating system that doesn't operate. So, during my phone conversation, my ears were pricked by our two Oracles, Mark and Andrew, vociferously arguing something about Windows blah blah blah.

So anyways, after making plans for this Friday, I put down my phone and joined the parade to find Mark, Steve and Andrew leaning over Steve's computer, trying to poke it unsuccesfully into life. Meanwhile, Lewis and Wee Steve, whose lives have been stolen by Sony and placed in a jar in a lab somewhere on the Orient, were rooted to the sofa crouched over their PSPs. Stepping out of my bedroom was like stepping into the infernos of geekhell.

This was all sorted by the disclosure of my special all-purpose-solve-it-all CD. It caused Andrew to shrivel up and wilt away, it provoked Mark to start chanting his "How goood"s, and best of all, it whooped Steve's laptop's arse. Lewis and Wee Steve magically disappeared as well. Brilliant.

To top it off, after I played a single solitary round of Frozen-Bubble (which Nicola will remember well), I handed the reins to Steve, who became instantly addicted. As did Marco, followed by Ulli. And I'm sure Lewis is just itching to give it a go. So this left me to have a relatively relaxed night, having managed to distract all sources of potential nuisance by wielding the mighty beauty of Linux (oh how I love thee).

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Eric Clapton, Layla

Yesterday, Marco and Nico were joined by two of their colleagues from the Technical University of Berlin. I'm not sure how long these guys are staying for, and whether they'll be leaving when Marco and Nico do, but it's cool to welcome new folk into the fold. How cliquey are we?

To welcome them we had a barbecue, and although we only decided on Sunday to have it, the turnout was quite impressive. Last year the hotel used to do a barbecue for their guests every Wednesday and it was the only food the hotel provided that I looked forward to eating. This year, despite the food being generally better, I think the evenings are long enough and the weather warm enough for free barbecue to start back up again. Give me burgers!

Of course, the evening was topped off with the 19th episode of 24, and Chloe rocks! More people should love 24.

Current Mood: content

I have a camera now :) And I'm going to take photos with it :)

Current Mood: surprised