So, the year's getting rolling. It is, of course, more of the same essentially. There's no new insights as such. I've got more of a perspective on fuel use, which was an interesting prism through which to view Bush's State of the Union, which was - from that perspective - two thirds concerned with securing energy sources. The very warm winter in the States has also driven cynical merkins to suspect that there's something going amiss with the climate, and even concede the faintest possibility that they may bear some responsibility for the situation.
If I were an astrologer I'd be tempted to look for something or other in retrograde or occulting or eclipsing or whatever. There seems to be change and strife and disruption around - or perhaps that's just me? At work, at home, looking around me, there seems to be shifting sands and uncertainties, disruption, change and dis-ease. It's nebulous, difficult to put a finger on, but I feel there's something tangible too - something coalescing into events.
In many ways, this is the typical weekend - not like last week, when I finally put the floor in our bedroom. We do have a party for Esther on Sunday coming up, but that should be fairly chill.
Of course I watched the ski jumping last weekend. Jan Mazoch had a horror fall. To be honest, I'm surprised he's still alive. I thought he was done for when I watched it.

Reasons to be cheerful...

So, the Aussies finished their hammering of England in the early hours this morning. Goodbye then especially to Warne & McGrath. They were bloody awesone, and even if England were rubbish this series, those two have been bowlers beyond comprehension.
Noticeable was that Shane & Pigeon & Justin Langer were all tehre with their kids in arms, running around on the ground, that their fathers wanted them part of the experience. Of course I understand that - if I was in the same situation I'd do the same. But it's only in about the last 10 years that this has been acceptable - that men, and especially sportsmen show that their life is about their kids and not just a narrow focus on the sport. It probably started with Bergkamp & Beckham - at least that's when I noticed it - but now it's standard practice for a young dad. For the English team, fathers have been given leave from Tests, even flown back from Asia, to be there when their kid is born , and that's something inconceivable a decade ago.

Other reasons to be cheerful: plastic semiconductors and 100 dollar laptops. Greening in the Sahara. Climate change actually moving up the Western political agenda (Gordon Brown says it's one of the top two, the Democrats are talking about it).
I think we have to move beyond politics, beyond revolution & representation: we're into survival realms now. Preconceptions to the wayside and let's see what happens.

It's going to be a long hot year.

Time flies but aeroplanes crash

New Year's Day too done and dusted for another year.
I used to wonder why people said that time went quicker as you got older, but the last few years it has done just that. I think this is largely to do with the lifestyle though - the married with kids, working 47 weeks a year, 9 to 5: well, who wouldn't get hypnotised into a sort of daze living like that? Days seem much longer when you go to bed at 4 in the morning and lurch from hangover to hangover. Luckily, I booked a couple of days extra holiday from work again so I don't start back on the treadmill till Thursday.
Should be off to the pool tomorrow, but looks like the kids might be getting sick again. I swear we have our own private germ unit here.