I bought a wireless mouse and keyboard today. For fifty dollars. It's pretty tidy. Even seems to work. I can mouse along my arm even. Well, I can do that because it's optical.

I saw Kill Bill 2 too. I love it. I liked the first one more. But both are totally the bomb. Quentin is a champion.

Good commie puh. Kudos to Rob for the zjujie (that's how it's spelled I've decided) last minute email. Although I'm concerned about the name change to this so-called "Commie Pub". It doesn't have the same ring to it.

Anmol, Gem, Jem, Mil, Adam, Robert, Helen, Jo, David, Tom, Chris and I were all there. We did nothing much but chat. Fortunately we're all tremendously fun people, so that worked out pretty well.

But more important than all that..... oh actually. I have to talk about the huge conveyor belts at the racecourse first. Oh, and the piano tuner last night. Hmm. The piano tuner can wait until after I see Kill Bill Vol 2. But the other stuff I have to say because it's part of the odd story.

When I first started at uni there was a girl in my maths lecture who I thought was cute. And in the first lecture she just spontaneously started talking to me, which is unusual, but great. We never actually sat together, but we were friendly to each other. Then she started sitting with some other people. Every now and again I see her and I think "Oh she's cute, and seems nice and gentle."

This morning while we were waiting for the exam to start I went exploring, as you do. I had wanted to investigate the humungous "upward movators" they have there, to get people to the top floor of the stands. So I went up it, and it was pretty tops. It took forever, but was definitely worthwhile. Good view, and the rollers felt nice on your feet, wobbling them up and down. So that was pretty good. Then on the way down I saw this girl waiting on the balcony of the upper-tea house by herself. I thought I should go and talk to her, because she didn't have anyone else to talk to, but I didn't. I think she was gone by the time I arrived anyway.

Then in the exam she was sitting close to me, and I think was looking at me for a little while, until I looked at her. Then she stopped. I thought "I should go and talk to her", but I didn't.

After the economics exam we ended up walking out of the racecourse in the same direction, both by ourselves. I thought "I should go and talk to her", but as you can probably guess, I didn't.

I had three hours, so I walked and walked around. Eventually I stopped at the Kenso Cafe, ordered a coffee and read my book. I was there for an hour or something probably, but when I got up I realised that she'd come in and was sitting with her friend on the other side of the door. I kind of intended to talk to her, because it was funny that she'd gone to the same cafe. But for some reason, I didn't. I left, and even had to go back again for my jacket, but still didn't talk to her.

I walked back for the next exam, and we both sat in the same seats. We did the exam and I chatted to some other people afterwards, but not to her. Then, as we were all leaving she walked past, and I asked her something. She ended up catching our (I'd met another guy from my accounting lecture by then) bus, and we had a friendly nice, short, superficial conversation about matrices and exam techniques. The weirdest thing is, she actually started a conversation, which never, ever happens at university. No one ever starts conversations. Plently of people end mine once I've started them, but they never start them. Except for Ali, and a couple of people I know.

So that was all funny, but I probably only think so because I think she's cute and nice. To everyone else it's probably no more exciting than going up (or down) a standard-sized, boring upwards movator.

That ended up being long, and now I'll be late for my film.

Two exams in the same day. Hoy hoy. Economics wasn't too bad. I reckon I'll get 80ish percent or something maybe. Most of the questions were super easy, but a few were tricky.

But maths.... well.... after the exam I didn't speak to anyone who finished it. Everyone guessed a few. Everyone was remembering ones they'd done wrong as soon as they walked out. Bloody 3.75 minutes per question is totally insane. I spent 20 minutes on one matrix problem. I had the time to spare, because it was at the end, but I could have gone back and checked the whole paper again. I probably should have. Have I said that I hate matrices?

I got really stressed because I thought we had 60 minutes when we actually had 75 minutes. I was giving myself 4 minutes per question, and and trying to squeeze 20 questions into 60 minutes. It didn't work that well. Then with 10 minutes to go, I had two great bloody matrix questions to do, and I knew I didn't have a hope. Except out of the blue, Louis (the funny annuity lecturer) said "You have 25 minutes to go". I was so happy. I laughed out loud and people looked at me. I thought "I'll be fine. Plenty of time." Then I spent the next 20 minutes on the next (and second-last) question and felt stupid all over again. But I think I got that one right, and made a reasonable guess for the last one. I'll be happy if I get more than 60%. And over the moon with more than 75%.

An interesting very article about people's positive cognitive bias towards themselves.

How true is this. I do that damn it.

In a third study, in which Pronin queried subjects about what method they used to assess their own biases and those of others, she found that people tend to use general theories of behavior when evaluating others but use introspection when appraising themselves. In what is called the introspection illusion, people do not believe that others can be trusted to do the same: okay for me but not for thee.

I have to remind myself that, in general, I suck more than I think I do.

American forces launched new airstrikes against insurgents in Falluja on Wednesday and tightened their grip on roads surrounding Najaf, where a rebel Shiite cleric has sought refuge. Marines Keep Up Pressure With Attacks on Falluja (New York Times)

They make it sound like he has rebelled against the Shiites, but he probably hasn't. As far as I know, the main Shiite leaders haven't condemned rebellions against the US. I wonder if they phrased it that way on purpose. If they didn't, they should still be more careful.

The fierce fighting in Falluja in the past two days came despite a declared cease-fire intended to permit negotiations. An American commander suggested, however, that the definition of cease-fire was flexible.

Dear oh dear.

Thai Forces Were Ready for Attacks

"These are Thai internal affairs, and it is under control," Thaksin told reporters in Bangkok. He asked for patience as Thai forces continued their offensive against what he described as "bandits" and "lawless elements."

Dear me. 107 Muslim chaps were killed. Most of them teenagers I think. The Thai security guys followed them into a local mosque and killed 30 of them inside. Somehow I suspect this sort of stuff won't help the situation. Some religions don't like it when you conduct massacres in their holy buildings.

I bet the response will be "more control and a more pro-actively violent attitude". One day someone will try "being nice" or "giving the poor buggers jobs". That probably won't work either, but it would at least be interesting to try it.

It reminds me a bit of domestically violent husbands who say that what happens in the family is no concern of anyone else.

John Mayer - Room for Squares Michael Franti - Everyone Deserves Music Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy Creed - My Own Prison Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks Lenny Kravitz - Greatest Hits Live - Throwing Copper The Whitlams - Love This City

It wasn't so bad. Although the trial maths exam that is meant to take me 75 minutes, has taken me about me about two and half hours. Not super brill.

I used to think that hanging around at home all day by yourself and not doing anything was depressing. Especially when it's overcast. But it was mostly just because you were being unproductive and useless. But I've found that even when I'm being useful, staying inside all day is still depressing. I need to go out and do more stuff on my study days I think. I would go swimming, but I'm too frightened to go to the pool by myself in daylight wearing Speedos. And it's cold. So I need something else. I suspect the only fun, active sort of thing you can do on cold, wet days is hanging out with people. Except everyone is at work, or at university.

So instead, I'm going to eat a lot, to cheer myself up. Wish me luck.

Update: I put on some angry Christian music, and that has helped.

Update #2: Lenny Kravitz is pretty good too.

I love my friends. Last night was heaps fun. I wasn't feeling very social, but they're still good to spend time with.

Loved it. Oh so good. I'll never say a bad thing about Adam Sandler again.

I don't know if there is anything wrong because I don't know how other people are.

I'm downloading one of the songs from Koyannissqatsi, however it's spelled, from Bigpond Music. Songs are $0.99. And this song is 21 minutes long, so it's pretty good value. I've never heard it before, but I'm hoping it will be good.

Travis is the bomb. Maybe I should download their album so they get some money.

Matrices are evil. I hate them, I hate them. I've spent all day trying to understand them. I think I understand them, but I still can't do them. You have to do a whole page of working for some wanky little problem. And it's so easy to make mistakes. And you have to write the same thing over and over again.

The really sucky thing - they're meant to be extra important for economists. Maybe I'll have to be one of those economists that just makes stuff up, and never does any maths.

The Wiggles are coming to Hornsby RSL on June 7. Tickets are only $15. Shows at 10am and 12:30pm. Be there or BE SQUARE!

Jem opens fridge "There's nothing to eat!" Short pause "Ooh baklava"

I went to the party of Mr Robert Schulz. It was fun. I chatted to some interesting people. It was good to see Robert again. And some other folk I haven't seen in yonks. Suzanne, Dan, Rustum, Greg and Dee.

The party had a lot of software engineers. Almost everyone I spoke to actually. I spoke to one girl who only wrote tax accounting specifications for software engineers to use. But she was the most un-software engineery person I spoke to.

I spoke to a marvellous woman who works for the CSIRO, which I love. She was smart, and techy, and is helping design the next generation of ubiquitous (or in her words "novel") multimedia file formats. Which is pretty tops. Tomorrow she might be going to her friends house to have a code fest. Which is apparently where they all get together and code, and help each other with their programming problems. She was so sexy. And so 35 or older.

Eventually some old guy who'd been sitting by himself all night (but had brought his wife) started chatting her up. Mostly by insulting me. He's going straight to hell for trying to cheat on his wife and, even worse, for his terrible pick up lines. It was a bit sad. What made it even sadder is, he'd been telling me about how he'd recently sold his little business for $4.5 million. When wealthy men are kind of desperate and pathetic, it seems even sadder. He had been reasonably chatty with me, but when I left he made a not very nice comment about me, while shaking my hand and looking the woman in the eye. All very strange. It reminded me a tiny bit of one of the chaps at Chris and Carolyn's wedding.

Despite that, it was tops fun. Even though I couldn't drink any abscinthe because I was driving.

"You must have arrived after me, because if you'd been here when I came I would have noticed you for sure."

There were 13 volunteers in the drop in centre, And the little one said, "Roll over, roll over. There are too many people in the kitchen." So they all rolled over, And one went to play cards or chess or chat with someone else. There were 12 volunteers in the drop centre....

As you can probably guess, tonight at Rough Edges there were thirteen volunteers. Yes, you heard me right (and guessed right)THIRTEEN. Wow. I know - that's what I thought. A lot hey. And it was too. But it was great. It was great fun. Everyone said funny things. We bitched and complained and made fun of each other's taste in g-strings. We prayed for other people's selfishness.... we didn't really, but it was suggested. I got to meet James properly for the first time. That was tops. Jane is trying to make us become best friends. I think she's depressed that things didn't work out with her last attempt at match-making.

I remember when I was in Newcastle. Andrew wanted me to meet his friend, but he wasn't sure if we'd like each other. He suspected we both might think the other was too cynical. So I tried really hard not to seem cynical. Perhaps too hard, because he laughed when I told him that I was studying economics because I wanted to change the world. We chatted for a while. And when it came time to leave, he said to Andrew "Remind me why you wanted us to meet again." It was pretty funny. It probably seems really rude just reading it like that. He wasn't being rude, although he wasn't trying to be polite either. Eventually he worked out that I was pretty cynical to, and we decided that we liked each other. But oh how I laughed. I just love people who say it how it is.

Dave (of A Street Sprituality) came up to me today and suggested to me that I had offered to help him build is website. James is helping him at the moment. But he thought it might be good if I offered to help, since we could "share the workload". At the end of the conversation, he asked me for the hundredth time what my name was again. Such a funny chap.

It was a good night tonight. Rough Edges fills me with joy.

David is totally in love with someone from Jo's party I reckon. He thinks he can trick us with his romantic geek code. But it's not going to work.

I made a new category just for David. It's called "David in Love".

Where are all the photos then you dogs? We've been waiting all day, and there's still nothing.

I almost couldn't eat my second muffin this morning. That's never happened before.

Was great. Ate yucky frothy food-drink that Jem made. Squashed into fridge cavity. Chatted with folk. Discussed mowing lawn. Ate pasties. Learnt how to use compass (the rocking one that Jo got for her birthday). Robert stepped in poo. Organised chairs according to 5 points on the compass. Decorated laundry with Thomas. Boys were rude to Sal in the laundry. Chatted with Helen. Guarded unlocked toilet door while Robert did his business. Failed to convince Tanya to get a blog. Played in a yellow pedestrian island mini-pylon. Chatted with folk. Made pudding. Ate pudding. Didn't much like pudding. Gave pudding to drunk 15-year-old boys on door step. Watched rhinos bonking on National Geographic channel. Didn't drink anything alcoholic all night. Not that hard at all. Came home.

Is there a mouse in the house? No, but there's a moose on the loose!

I've finally finished my social science project thingo. I handed it in this afternoon. I had to spend $30 buying printing cards to get it printed, but at the time it seemed like a small price to pay to have it over and done with. So yay.

Today was pretty fun. All the classes and tutorials were good. Accounting has so much in it. I got my results for accounting back. 85%, which was pretty average. That puts my overall university performance so far at 88% which I reckon is probably about normal. But that's alright. I'll do better in the exams next Friday.

I've got six glorious days of no university and nothing but exam preparation goodness. So that's pretty good. I might the next three days to each of my commerce subjects, and then allocate Monday to the beach. Although it will probably be overcast, because most of the days I allocate to the beach are.

I chatted a bit to Jenny today. She's the lass in my social science tutorial who I decided I was going to like on the first day. She reminds me a touch of Celia. She's very alert and articulate. And seems generally good.

Frisbee was tops, as always. I like it a lot.

I reckon HECS should increase. I would increase it if it was up to me. And when I increased it, I'd increase the HECS payment threshold by a lot. Which is was has happened. And that's good.

I don't want some poor Irish immigrant brick-layer with a bad back paying for my education so I can wander off around the world being and economist. I don't mind the Irish brick-layer paying for a nurse's education who will one actually help him, but she'll never earn more than $35,000 anyway. The point of Whitlam's plan wasn' t to give everyone free education, it was to give everyone equitable access to education. And if the only way he could do that was by making it totally free, than that's what he'd do. But if someone comes up with a way of letting anyone who wants it have it, but still getting them to pay for it, then that's tops. I reckon. Yep.

My feet are super cool. I think they do that to nuclear reactors or something don't they. Super cooling. Not sure. Anyway, my feet are really, really cold and it's all the fault of my university. I've been sitting in my chair all day reading things for my project. And I haven't been able to move around enough to keep them warm. Maybe all the blood flows to my hands to help with typing, and my feet get forgotten. I'd like to think it was my brain. But given how long I've been sitting here for, and given how much I've written, I don't think it is my brain.

But oh. Such cold feet. I'm not sure what to do.

I just want to stop writing.

The rats were running around the roof again tonight. They are so cute. Don't anyone tell mum, but I kind of like having them here. I feel honoured that they want to live with us. How is it different to having owls in your roof, or a blue tongue lizard in the backyard? Except that these rats are heaps cuter and more huggable than owls or lizards will ever be. I don't know how mum could want to poison them. Ugly animals.... sure, I can understand wanting to kill them. Emus, those storks in the Botanical Gardens, or frilled-neck lizards, I wouldn't mind poisoning*. They're ugly and deserve to die. But rats.... I just don't get it.

• I'm just being silly**. I actually would a lot. Poison sucks. ** I'm not being silly about the rats. They really are cute. Just being silly about the ugly birds and lizards. I do think they're ugly, but I don't think that that means they deserve to die.

I sent this email to Ugg Australia and Deckers. They're threatening local sellers of ugg boots and the Macquarie Dictionary with legal action, because they apparently now own all the rights to "ugg" and "ugh" (although not sure about "arg", "ug" and "uggg"). What's funny though, their whole website is about how it's a real Aussie", true blue, "Down Under" product. They even tell the story of the lonely Aussie surfer who originally brought the idea to America back in the 1970s. What's even funnier, they don't sell them at all in Australia, so Australians can't buy ugg (or ugh) boots anymore. Hilarious.

Dear Ugg "Australia" and Deckers

I think it's disgraceful that you have patented the "ugg" brand and are denying Australian producers the right to sell an Australian icon under the name. And suing the Macquarie Dictionary for listing the word??? Particularly considering you have no presence in Australia at all, so I couldn't buy a pair from you even if I were to feel like giving you money.

Seeing the name of Australia on your website, knowing you're a 100% American company makes me feel kind of ill. There wouldn't be an individual in this entire country who would wish you well.

It's nuts - on your website you're cashing in on the story of the "young Australian surfer" bringing the idea to America. Just to have the idea swiped off him? Have you no shame? I know that all's fair in love and global business, but this strikes me as rather warped.

Are we allowed to sue you for sullying the name of our country? It's got to be gross brand devaluation or something like that.

As you can probably guess, I shall not be buying any products from Ugg Australia or Deckers in the future.

Regards, Ryan

When I see things like this it makes me wonder if John Howard actually likes his bad boy image. From a social perspective, this is kind of hard to fault. Social welfare going up. Health going up. Defence going down. Education steady.

A comment on Kemp's blog.

Superman & Jo, Clark Kemp & the other Jo. Everybody feel the bipolarity. I sleep with one Evil and one Angel and I love both. Ulisecs (who must be just the coolest Spanish guy in the whole world

Tom and I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this afternoon. It's maybe in my top 5 romances I reckon. With High Fidelity, In the Mood for Love and Lost in Translation. It reminded me a lot of High Fidelity because it was so real. And because they are both films that every person who ever plans to go out with anyone, should have to see. I'll bet that if we lived it a cool autocratic country like Switzerland, we'd all have to watch them.

So it was very good. Kate Winslet was so fun. I love her more with every film I see her in. Starting with Holy Smoke I should add - or at least after Titanic. And Jim Carrey is pretty great too. Good acting all round.

It made me chuckle all through. Lots of little funny bits, and good lines, and nice moments. Tom said that it was very honest for a romance. And it was. It used some time-jumping, Total Recall-like stuff to add another dimension to the crappy make-up break-up cycle that seems to happen sometimes.

And the characters were screwed up in real ways. They weren't sexy or endearing foibles like romance characters normally have.

And how about that. It's #44 in the IMDB Top 250". I reckon I'd put it about there too. Maybe even higher.

You're not OK and I'm not OK, but that's OK.

The God of Small Things is definitely my favourite book ever. Sometimes I forget that, and will tell people it's some other book. But really, that is my favourite.