be vewy vewy quiet. i'm seawching the intewnet...

It has already brought us the best search engine in the world, revolutionised email (if you're not with gmail, what the hell are you waiting for?!) and is about to unleash Froogle - its very own shopping search. But surely this is Google's finest hour...

We all knew Google was available in almost every language known to man, but did you know that included THIS?

Sheer bloody brilliance. Next I want a specific Google in Donald Duck, Wookie and - most importantly - ELVISH (either Sindarin or Quenya will do)!


Huwwah!

~~~~~~~

happy birthday, lord of the rings

Yes, lovers and dreamers, it was on this day 51 years ago, that "The Fellowship Of The Ring" - the first installment of J.R.R.Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings - was first published.

So a big joyeux anniversaire to Frodo, Sam, Gandy and the rest of the gang! Where would we be without them? Enslaved under the rule of the Dark Lord Sauron, that's where.

~~~~~~~

the political compass

Check out this site: http://www.politicalcompass.org/, and take the test to see where you fall on the political compass.

It's a system that goes beyond the traditional Left-Right classification, and places individuals on an X/Y axis taking a social scale and an economic scale into account. Although still a little simplistic - the results are quite interesting. Turns out i'm sitting down in the SouthWest corner ~ Leftie-Libertarian that I am ~ with Gandhi and the Dalai Lama as my neighbours. Go me!


~~~~~~~

large radiance under the mountain

In other news, according to some website, my Japanese name would be:

山下 Yamashita (under the mountain) 大輝 Taiki (large radiance).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator.

God only knows how accurate (if at all) it is, but dammit I like the sound of it!

In fact, the whole website is pretty darn brilliant, full of funky personality tests and other entertaining/time-wasting titbits. And it has a cool name! Check it out: http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/ and take the "Historical Lunatic Test" or find out "Which Famous Homosexual Are You?"


日本猿に挑戦することは賢くない

~~~~~~~

the beast, the ice, a plait, a chase

~dream diary~

an alarm clock almost falls in the bath.

it is hot. this place is filthy. we are sick.

a trip to see "Beauty And The Beast - On Ice!" at the Myer Music Bowl.

not just the stage, but the entire floor of the auditorium is ice. we slip.

a young girl is trying to hang herself... with a noose of her own long, plaited hair... from a stop sign in the middle of the street.

she has been sexually assaulted.

i know who did it. i help her down and take care of her.

i am only in my pyjamas and bathrobe, but i will take her to the police station anyway.

we are driving. he is following. i must get her to the police station. the road seems to go on forever...

~~~~~~~

These were just a few of the key moments and images. My first very clearly-remembered, coherent dream in ages, and it has to be totally damned screwed-up. In fact it was pretty genuinely upsetting. I'm not going to write the rest, the connecting details, etc.

~~~~~~~

brace yourself for the true horror of brainless bogan celebrity love

Okay. I'm not going to give this too much fanfare, because it's utter appallingness speaks for itself. Just make sure before you continue, that you are on a ground floor, safely out of reach of sharp objects ~ because what you are about to read WILL destroy all faith in humankind and inspire thoughts of suicide (if not homicide, genocide, etc etc). Thanks to Snazzlepops for emailing this and thus inflicting it upon us all.

~~~~~~~

This is a "poem" written by Bec Cartwright, which she read aloud to her new husband Lleyton Hewitt at their wedding:

I really don't know where to start
but I definitely know you've captured my heart,
It started that night you called me up,
to see if I'd play in the Starlight Cup
Way back then, little did we know,
That our love for one another could grow and grow,
A text message or two is what kept us in touch
And I want you to know that I love you so much

It wasn't'til late in 2004
That I received another phone call
When we decided to meet,
we went up the street for something to eat,
From that day on I've been by your side
And look at me now,I am here as your bride!
I used to wish upon a star
that I'd meet the perfect husband- and here you are!

You're an inspiration to so many including me,
Anyone who's ever met you can count themselves lucky,
I'm so lucky I've found the one,
Being with you I have nothing but fun,
You are my best friend and my dream come true
And I'm so glad to be sharing all this with you

This is only the start of our dream together,
But I promise to love you until forever
I can't wait to start my life with you
,Just being together, our dreams will come true
I have no doubt I'm glad to be your wife,
And being with me is now a part of your life
I admire you for so many reasons,
I mean look at what happened at the Four Seasons!

We're about to experience the miracle of life,
but always remember I'm so proud to be your wife,
Having a family with you makes me so glad,
I know I'll never get sad,
Thanks so much for choosing me,
By sticking together we'll make a great family

Engaged and then married and now one on the way,
I'll take such good care of you every day,
It's safe to say I'll love you more and more
And marrying you today, I couldn't be more sure.
Rebecca Hewitt! I'm your wife!
I promise you one thing, stick with me and you'll have a bloody good life!


Oh! the love... Oh! the passion... Oh! the lack of taste... Oh! the utter fucking stupidity...

~~~~~~~

life's like a movie ~ write your own ending...

Buon giourno!

It has been a very cinematic week for mindlessmunkey, with the annual advent of MIFF! That is - The Melbourne International Film Festival! In honour of my movie-filled time recently, you must all take ANOTHER QUIZ ...this one is about some of my favourite movies! Hurrah!

On Friday afternoon, I met with Madame Mu, Lady Lili and Ms Jen at the fabulous Stella Artois bar in the Forum Theatre (get along down there y'all) for a few cold ales before heading off to see Innocence ~ a surrealistic French film about a bunch of young girls at a bizarre kind of boarding/ballet/finishing school. The imagery was great and the story intriguing - leaving itself wide open for imaginitive interpretation. Unfortunately, the film was a little too "French" ~ i.e. ponderous and pointless. Thirty minutes cut from the running-time, a consistent protagonist and a more emotionally engaging/satisfying conclusion would have made this a great film.

Saturday saw the munkey trundling off by himself to the lovely Capitol cinema to see Mysterious Skin. But lo and behold, who should be there in the queue but Mr Chris Mac and his partner Mr Hao. Yay! So I had company while waiting in the line, and of course for the film itself. This latest work by Gregg Araki is a compelling, occasionally funny, often gritty and at times extremely unsettling exploration of two young men who suffered sexual abuse in their youth. This film has caused some controversy, and it's easy to see why people may be disturbed. However this is a poignant and important film, which I hope will be granted a release, so it can be viewed, considered and discussed.

A break in cinematic proceedings on Saturday evening allowed Mr Ryan and I to visit the house of Snazzles and Moodles to visit MR JOSH!!! Yes, lovers and dreamers, after nine months in the Land Of The Rising Sun, everybody's favourite thesis-avoider is back in the merry old land of Oz. Bearded and in great shape, he's as easy on the eye as ever, and wonderful company as always. After a couple of hours catching up, Ryan and I headed back to Richmondia to pick up Rye's friend Ms Nelufa, deposited her at a party in Malvern, before backtracking to South Caulfield for the Housewarming of DrDaveGoo. Mr Kenny (who I haven't seen in far too long) and his partner Mr Chris (who I had never met before) were there... and for Dave, Kenny, munkey and our respective beloveds, it felt strangely like a gathering of old friends. And I finally got to hear DrGoo perform Tori's Cornflake Girl ~ and a wonderful rendition it was too *piano-skills-put-to-shame munkey*.

On Sunday, Mr Ryan and I headed off to see Sin City. Impressive and stylish, I would have to say it is one of the most relentlessly violent films I've ever seen. Not only in terms of the frequent acts of brutality depicted, but Rodrigue/Miller's film is so overwhelmingly frenetic and loud, its characters so universally unappealing, and the subject matter so consistently unpleasant, the film itself is a virtual act of violence upon the audience. Like an horrific news story though, it's impossible to take your eyes off it, and impossible not to be drawn into the multiple narratives unfolding within this dark and dangerous world.

It was off to the Festival again that evening (after a dinner at Ants in China town) with Snazzles, Moodles, Lili, her mum Carole and Mistress Corrie to see the latest offering from the always-wonderful Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli - probably the most successful animé production-house ever. Howl's Moving Castle - based (one presumes loosely) upon a young-adult novel - is outlandish, beautiful, hilarious, and at times almost nonsensical. However, as I find with most animé, if you let go of your assumed right to understand the inner workings of the plot, and just go with it, the experience is visiually stunning, emotionally engaging and heaps of fun.


On Monday, Mr Ryan and I took advantage of his morning off and my RDO, to organise his Passport application, so we are now a step closer to New Zealand. Olé! After Rye headed off to work, I lazed about and played the Sims for awhile (the Madame Mu Sim has returned from outer space, the Mr Rye Sim seems to have a penchant for leaping unannounced into his neighbours' hot tubs, and my own Sim has made friends with Jeanne D'Arc and Gandhi). I then met with Ms Snazzles and Mr Josh to see Screaming Masterpiece - a documentary about the music scene in Iceland. As a documentary, it was a bit of a mish-mash: quite aimless and random, with not all that much to say for itself (although I distinctly get the feeling some of this was due to VERY poor subtitling - the interviewees often seemed to talk for minutes and minutes, prompting only one or two sentences of writing on the screen. Very frustrating). However it was more than worth the price of admission to see some absolutely wonderful live footage of Icelandic favourites like Björk, as well as more obscure acts like Múm, Mugison, and slowblow... and of course my beloved Sigur Rós in spine-tingling form. I am very much looking forward to next Wednesday night!

Well, the Festival continues, so there will doubtless be further movie-related rantings from your favourite munkey in the not-too-distant future.

And remember... everytime you see a 120 minute film at the cinema, you spend an hour staring at a dark, blank wall. Cheerio.

~~~~~~~

the passion and the poison

On Friday evening, Federation Square hosted the premiere of Visionary Images' latest project: a short film / animation project entitled Pause & Effect. Ryan has been a memberof Visionary Images for several years now, and has spent over a year working as part of the collaborative group which created Pause & Effect. So it was great to see all their efforts come to fruition, at the first screening of the film on the huge screen at Fed Square. Quite a few people gathered in our fair city's hub for the occasion, Rye made a nicely succinct and to-the-point speech, the work screened, and was very well received. I think the whole V.I. team were (rightly) proud of their achievement, and very pleased with the great public response.

Myself and the irrepressible Ms Nat (whom I will never DARE neglect to mention in a blog again) were invited to join les artistes as they headed out for a beverage or two to celebrate, before a magnificent dinner for all at the Shark Fin in Chinatown. When Rye, Nat and munkey finally stumbled back to Munkey Towers, it was the wee small hours of the morn.

It was off to the movies on Saturday with the lovely Mr Adrian, to see My Summer Of Love, a subtle, mysterious and intriguing story about the relationship between two teenage girls in northern England. The film was very good - economically written, and nicely underplayed with excellent performances from the two young leads. After the movie, we enjoyed lunch there in Camberwell *all-day-breakfast munkey* and then headed back to my flat (after receiving a parking ticket GRRR!) for coffee and chat.

After bidding Mr Adrian adieu, I drove back to Ryan's house to help him shift some very heavy tropical fish - that is, the tank was heavy, not the fish - to the home of his friend Jess, who had purchased them but had yet to take them off Rye's hands. That bout of physical strenuousness completed, I jumped in Oli and trundled off to the family home for dinner with patermunkey, Ms Cait and Electroboy. It was great to see the fam again, especially my siblings, as I seem to see them so rarely nowadays.

Ryan had headed off to a Masquerade Ball with people from the Lord Somers Camp he attended a year or so ago, so I came home from patermunkey's and settled down for an early night. Sometime after 1am, I was awoken by a frantic buzzing of my flat's intercom, and was alarmed to hear Mr Ryan on the other end, very distraught and needing my help. I rushed down to find my poor beloved huddled against the wall, scared, sick, sad and sore. I quickly paid for the taxi which had dropped him off - as he had lost his wallet somewhere in transit - and helped him upstairs. Make no mistake - Rye and I have drunk much alcohol together; I have seen Mr Ryan Mac very intoxicated. But I've never seen him anything remotely like this. He was terribly upset and barely coherent. This was more than drunk. To be honest with you, lovers and dreamers, I was really worried and just overwhelmed by the need to make him safe and well. As he calmed down, and felt less disoriented, memories of the evening floated back. He had only had five or six drinks. He had collapsed on the dance-floor, and spent around an hour unable to stand up in the toilets at the reception centre. He had tried to make his way outside and fallen down the stairs. He had spent some time unconcious in a garden outside in Albert Park. He had been kicked out of one Taxi for being too "drunk" (it was at this point that his wallet had gone astray). He had finally managed to get into another taxi, and remember my address.

This was not just a case of over-indulgence. As more info came to light, it was obvious that some fuckhead - probably merely as a "hilarious" prank - had spiked Ryan's drink with something at the Ball. I can't tell you what a horrible feeling it is to realise that someone you care about has basically been the brunt of a cowardly attack, for the amusement of someone else. And I was also mad as hell that none of his friends at the Ball had bothered to find him or check that he was ok when he became unwell. They all simply trundled off to the after-party, doubtless walking right down the stairs Ryan had fallen down, and right past the garden where he was lying, on their way to a fun evening... while he lay sick, crying and in potential danger.

At any rate, the important thing is he managed to get back to me *florence-nightingale munkey*, and by morning - or afternoon rather; he slept a good 13 hours - though still a bit sick and in pain all over, he was on the improve. And, lo and behold, there was some good news to come out of all of this: a kindly gentleman, while walking his dog early that morning, had found the wallet, and returned it still containing its cash to Rye's house. I guess, for every evil fuck in the world, there is a good samaritan waiting to balance it out. Anyway, long story short, Ryan has submitted a statement and blood samples to the police regarding what happened, and is ok again - although will be wary of drinking in public for some time, i think.

With that unhappy and emotionally draining episode in the past, I headed off to work once again, and then last night attended an event at the State Library Of Victoria, organised by Lady Lilikens: Neil Gaiman. Now, for those who don't know, Neil Gaiman is a writer extraordinaire, having written novels for adults and teenagers, childrens books, films, television, and - perhaps most famously - created the Sandman series of comics / graphic novels. It was great to hear him speak and get some picture-books signed by him for Ms Cait. Oh and the other good news is that Mirrormask - a film written by Gaiman, directed by his long-time illustrative collaborator Dave McKean and produced by the Jim Henson company - is finally in negotiations for an Austrlaian release. Hurrah! For fans of Gaiman and McKean, or of the darker side of Henson films such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, this is definitely one to keep an eye out for. And can you balme me for purchasing and having Neil sign a fully-illustrated book of the complete Mirrormask story-boards and screenplay? I think not. Okay, I'm meant to be saving, but it was soooo pretty!

Well, take care of yourselves one and all... for starters, DON'T EVER leave drinks unattended at events! Speaking to several people since Ryan's horrible experience, it's frightening to realise that almost everyone has a story of themselves or someone they love being assaulted in this way. So of cousrse, life is for living and bars are for drinking, but please be careful. And hey, you bastards, if you're out with friends or even just acquaintances, and they become unwell and go missing, LOOK AFTER THEM FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!! This has been a mindlessmunkey public service announcement.

~~~~~~~

fire & ice

Aloha!

The working-week finally drew to a close, and the mad, stressful dash to reach a place of peace and quiet began! (Sound ironic? Then grow a brain, Alanis, and look it up! Sheesh!) Yes, dearest readers, another weekend away at the sacred sanctum of Jamieson was underway.

So I picked up Mr Ryan Mac, waited while he packed (!), went to my place, picked up my stuff, went to the servo for fuel and firewood, went to Rebel Sports to hire Rye's snowboard, went back to Rye's to grab his camera which he'd forgotten, then FINALLY made our way to Vic Gardens to meet up with Dame Snazzlepops, Madame Mu and Lady Lili. After a quick circuit of the supermarket and liquorstore, we were on our way!

We stopped in Yarra Glen for dinner, and Mansfield to hire tyre-chains, before arriving at my little house well into the evening. Alas, when we arrived, I foolishly had left the gas tank running when we left last time, and it had all seeped away *forgetful-jones munkey*. Thus there were no lights, no stove and no hot water for the first night. But we were able to light a fire, and had brought plenty of candles, so all was well.

Ryan and I trundled off to visit Scary Servo Scott - who was in a remarkably good mood - bright and early (in fact, we were there before him and had to wait for opening time), and got our gas cylinder swapped for a full one, hooked it up with the trusty ADJUSTABLE WRENCH *in-joke munkey* and it was all systems go. We had a quick breakfast, rugged up in our warmest, and headed off to THE SNOW!!! It had rained all night in Jamieson, and had been very cold, which were all good tidings for a snowy Mount Buller. And, pip-pip-huzzah, snow there was... in abundance! The drive up the mountain was truly beautiful with the meandering boughs of the eucalypts highlighted by bright stripes of fresh white, and the entire forest floor coated in fluffy snow. True to the TAC's instructions that Learner drivers need experience in ALL conditions, Ryan carefully braved the slippery slope behind Oli's wheel - the L-plates prompting an amused outburst from the parking attendant. I suppose it's not every day one sees a Learner negotioating a blizzard.

The top of the mountain was turning on it's most spectacular wintery weather: huge powdery flakes of snow falling in torrents and blown horizontal by the howling wind. Mr Ryan headed off into the elements with his snowboard, visiting the summit and getting his arms and face encrusted with ice. Meanwhile the ladies and I got out of the weather, enjoying lunch and booze at a couple of the mountain's bars *holdays-are-NOT-for-physical-exertion munkeys*.

When the weather settled a little, we donned our cosy clothes again and ventured outside to create a snow-creature... unsure of whether it would be man, woman, beast or muppet. Our creation turned out to be "Tatiana": a saucy Russian ice-queen with sturdy arms, herbacious hair and perfect perky breasts. After several hours of fun and freezingness at high altitude, we piled into Oli again at last, and trundled home. Back at the ranch, we thawed our bones and clothes by the fire, had a hearty-meal courtesy of Mr Ryan, drank gallons of alkyhol as usual and played Trivial Pursuit long into the night before collapsing into bed.

The following day, we lazed about inside (perusing guides for the upcoming MIFF - hurrah!) and went for a walk down to the River (now flowing high, fast and very very cold) before the gals had to head off home. Rye and myself were able to stay an extra day *RDO munkey*, so we went into Mansfield, explored the town a bit and had dinner there, then headed back to the house for an evening by a roaring camp-fire. More alcohol was consumed, the fire poker was subjected to further impromptu blacksmith work, and Ryan demonstrated his talents at fire-twirling. Even munkey, with some trepidation, had a go with the fire-stick. Fun fun fun!

On Monday morning, we reluctantly packed up and headed home (this time making SURE all the gas was closed-off tightly before leaving!), bringing with us another weekend of lovely shared memories in the high country. Alas and alack, dear friends, that we cannot spend every waking hour enjoying hilarity and hijinx amidst the beauty and peace of the country-side. Here's cheers to wonderful company in fine surroundings! I luv yous all!

~~~~~~~

munkey's-eye view: THE FLAMING LIPS ~ THE SOFT BULLETIN

~~~~~~~


Will the fight for our sanityBe the fight of our lives?

~~~~~~~

The Flaming Lips have never played by anyone else's rules. In 1997, while Radiohead were dragging popular music kicking and screaming into the future with OK Computer, The Lips made even that masterpiece seem run-of-the-mill by creating Zaireeka - an album released on four CDs that could only be heard by playing all the discs simultaneously on four separate stereos in the same room. Needless to say, Zaireeka went largely unlistened-to. Two years later, Wayne Coyne and his Oklahoma partners-in-crime released what is arguably the pinnacle of their career to date: the complex, lush, cinematic work of symphonic-rock genius that is The Soft Bulletin.

From the catchy-yet-disturbing opener "Race For The Prize", via the hallucinogenic vastness of "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" to the blissful poppiness of "Buggin'", The Soft Bulletin is nothing short of genius, and without question one of the greatest albums of its decade. Featuring countless alternative-rock classics and peppered with hypnotically beautiful instrumentals, the album is nonetheless more than the sum of its parts. The cover-art reminiscent of a film-poster is oddly appropriate; this is a collection of tunes which seems - while not being a "concept" album as such - to form a cohesive whole, through the thematic reach of its lyrics and the consistently evocative effect of its music and production.

Indeed the work of producer Dave Fridman (producer to Mercury Rev, Jane's Addiction, Sparklehorse, Sleater Kinney, Mogwai, etc etc), is truly brilliant here - placing The Soft Bulletin up there with Dark Side Of The Moon and the aforementioned OK Computer among the best-produced albums of all time. Fridman and the band have created a breathtaking melange of instruments and sounds, blending electronic with organic to create a diverse and constantly suprising aural spectrum which swamps and swarms around the ears in tantalising use of the stereo format.

A sonic exploration of dark and twisted themes, a dynamic experiment in the potential of rock music, a soundtrack to the most humanist science-fiction film never made - this record sees The Flaming Lips enter a very exclusive club: the pantheon of true mad-geniuses of indie-rock. The Soft Bulletin is one of those rare albums that truly stand as aural beacons, illuminating the path that the music of the future will tread... at least we can only hope so.

5 (out of 5)

~~~~~~~

turn! turn! turn! ...and a time for every purpose, under heaven

Here is Mr Munkey, trying to keep his eyes open and type something coherent. *insufficient-night's-sleep munkey* It's far harder than it looks, lovers and dreamers.

After arriving home from Palm Cove, I headed out with Ryan to see Batman Begins at Gold Class (hurrah for freebies!). The film was great - not at all a prequel to the existing Batman film saga (which Joel Schumacher destroyed), but rather a whole re-imagining of the myth. Apart from a couple of cheesy moments (only to be expected in a superhero film) it is dark, gritty, action-packed, character-driven and well-crafted. Even Little-Miss-Scientology-Convert-2005 couldn't spoil the show.

On Monday night, I visited my beloved Snazzles and Mu at the Hill of Clifton so they could lavish affection upon my return from The North. I crashed a party of Ms Snazzles's former screenwriting classmates, Dr Chris, Simon Diamond and Sweet Jane, for an evening of pizza and Spaced. For those of you who've never seen Spaced, all I can say is: if you're a fan of whacked-out British Sit-Coms, and have ever been a (wacked-out) 20-something with little-to-no prospects, go out and see yerself a bit of this show right now.

Our Weekly West Wing Fiesta continues also, as we rapidly approach the end of the Second Series. It's all very tense! Will the administration survive the revelation of Bartlett's dishonesty? Only time will tell! Luckily, Lady Lili has already purchased the Third Series so we can plunge straight on and avoid any unbearable suspense. *dvd-junkie munkeys*

As the week progressed, the clock ticked down to the scheduled time of Mr Ryan's departure from my house. So we packed his stuff and moved it back to his freshly-renovated house... and Munkey Towers is looking significantly more ordered, as a result. It turns out I have carpet in my bedroom! You would never have guessed!

On Saturday, after splashing out on stuff for our New Zealand trip at Katmandu's 50%-off Winter Sale, we headed to Narre Warren for the going-away of Ms Lucy. Lucy is one of Ryan's former housemates and closest friends, and she's going away to Darwin. After only knowing the Lighthouse crew a few weeks, it's already clear to me how much she'll be missed. Safe travel, Lucy.

That night, we also dropped by at the birthday party of Mr Chris Mac's boyfriend Mr Hao. Although we didn't wholly participate, the event was a EuroVision party, with the dress-code: Trashy. There were some truly mind-blowing outfits to behold and Mr Chris's sparking wit and infectious laugh were in great form as always. Congrats, Chris, on your new job, and here's to many more years of your company in the merry old land of Oz.

On Sunday, Rye and I were off to the movies once again, this time to see the other half of the TomKat publicity orgy in War Of The Worlds. What to say about this movie...? hmm... Mr Cruise is actually quite good, playing a somewhat passive, desperate non-hero, who's basically shitscared for three-quarters of the movie, and even cries several times. It works for him far better than his usual overbearing self-confidence. The film has some truly mind-boggling sequences of genuinely palpable tension, and special-effects that are very well executed and mercifully restrained. And Dakota Fanning once again proves herself to be one of the most accomplished young actors around. (Let's hope she follows the Jodi Foster path, and not the Corey Feldman path.) However, Spielberg proves once again that he's utterly incapable of creating a satisfying ending. After the second act descends into a frankly absurd sequence involving a needlessly over-acting Tim Robbins in a basement, the third act suddenly sees the film end with no hint of a climax! No action climax, no emotional climax, nuthin. Suddenly Morgan Freeman's voice-over chimes in to effectively say, "and that's the end!" Boooo! say I.

So, while Ryan has officially moved out of Munkey Towers, he has still been spending every night there. In fact, for the last two nights we have also been hosting Ms Nat, *land-lady munkey* since their own residence is still in something of a state of Chaos. So I'm sure, sooner or later, I'll be back to my solitary little life, but for now I have an abundance of company. Meanwhile, our trip to NZ is all-systems-go, as all the accomodation, the car-hire and the sky-diving have all been booked. We are also planning another little weekend trip to Jamieson, this time along with a few friends as well. So all is sunny in MunkeyLand, and there is plenty to look forward to.

Adios amigos. May the love in your hearts warm your flesh against the icy cold of the world's unkindness.

~~~~~~~