Well, after going out on the pish I awoke with a few hours of my life missing. This is currently the list of questions which need answering:

1. What is going on?
2. Why are there blood stains up my wall?
3. What is that smell?
4. Why aren't my legs listening?
5. Where did the sandwich come from?
6. Why, God, Why?
7. I remember talking to a woman wearing glasses about Gandhi. Where did this happen?
8. DID this happen?
9. Can I have a new head?

No more smenergy for me, then

 


hiruyasumi, kemokafe ni ikimashita, demo nanimo tabemasendeshita. Kemokafe no tabemono wa takakute ozomashii desu. chocorato burauni ga suki deshita, demo ima nanimo arimasen.
kore posutu wa chotto houshi deshoo.
dareka wakarimasu ka. Yomite ga wakaru wa "hai, baka!" kaku beki de, watashi no nihon-go o tamemasu.

 
Well, its a bright sunny day.

For anyone who cares to know (thats not stupid self-indulgent pity, I do know that there a a fair few) I am feeling pretty chipper on the old physical front. People are rushing around a lot and keep asking me to join in. Its like they're trying to get me to live in the uncertainty principle. I was talking to a girl in one of the physics lectures (Probably second most attractive woman in physics, after me) about such things as post theoretical-physics plans. Gladly she seemed to be as utterly without a substantial plan as I seem to be. There are a few of us at least. And people keep asking me to rush around. Another of the physicists told me that he doesn't want a job, certainly not a high power-high paid one in London, that the idea of living on a council estate is quite a pleasant one to him. And people keep asking me to rush around.
I was planning on going for a short walk and then doing a little quiet work, but other people have plans and have been asking me to rush around. Its a bar crawl, thats 12 bars and they're asking me to rush around and I've got housing details to sort out for what seems to be an eternity away so I've got to ask me to rush around and I've got to find a few housemates out of a hugely diminished yeargroup who are setting up houses and asking me to rush around and I'm left thinking where am I rushing to, what do I want, what do I need to know or to see that will do me some good?

Well, its a bright sunny day.

And I'm feeling pretty good now!

 
My, my. Long time, no blog. Not really surprising, as I've not really felt like telling the world about what I'm doing- its been a good bit more fun just doing it. Well, I hope that it continues so. In any case, I'm living at present in that perfect time for blog, the limbo between lectures, stuck on the science site with too little time to do anything other than sit at the computer.
Well, perhaps thats not true, there's lots I could get on with. I noticed a few blogs/puffins/munkies of complaint though (having only just experienced the urge to look at the blogverse again) so I'll make this a blogging hour.
I've just recieved an e-mail from Katherine in paraguay, and just written a letter to Rommany in Italy. Nice to hear from such scattered members of my carrass (or is it a granfaloon through here?).
I've been coming up with ideas for the blog of changing planes, but I've been a little lazy with posting them too- mind you, I'd like to see a few more people out there in blogverse posting their planes too!
Most of the planar travel I've been doing has been to areas with high readings on the mathometer. Its funny stuff, is maths. Its the furthest flung reaches of imagination, lateral thinking and creativity, put in a corset called logic. Nothing wrong with that, it can look pretty sexy. I do understand why Ronan quite likes to have that restraint removed, so do I a good bit of the time, stories are shite if you can't let things go form time to time- just so long as you don't put too many of your thoughts in a corset called pictures Ronan!
So, I'm still in limbo- between Quantum Mechanics and Theoretical Physics lecture courses. Whats the difference? If anyone can work it out, answers on a postcard to

Howling Lord Nobody
The Castle
Durham (DH1 3RW)
England
The Ship of Fools

I need a postcode because no-one can work out where the castle is.

Along with my now replenished supply of teas of many (twinnings) varieties, I've been drinking some japanese tea that a girl I met at breakfast gave me. It tastes like its been made by warming up the Yokohama bay. I can imagine godzilla coming and trashing Durham if I make lots of it. Its quite good, really.
I've been getting a little help from the three japanese girls in first year with my Nihon-go. One of them is from the north east, and has taught me a few bits of dialect form her prefecture. I taught her a couple of geordie phrases, with some help from a guy who went to the RGS (who everyone mistakes for me). Perhaps I can develop a north-east accent without ever going to Japan. Mind you, I'm getting on better with two girls from around Osaka, so I might choose that dialect instead.
Matsuko (one of the two girls from Osaka) seems increadibly confused as to why so many people around the college are trying to learn japanese (I know of four including myself). I was tempted to say japanese schoolgirls, but decided to carry on being polite. I don't know whether or not she can tell when I'm joking yet. I'm not entirely certain whether I knew. Oh, since then Mamiko and Tomoko anounced that they were going to the "Back to School" party and were asking what they should wear. Hmm.
Another member of the regular breakfast crowd (quite a fun group, this one!) told me that she lives in Geneva and could probably get me work in CERN over the summer if I wanted. Bloody hell, the ex-pats you meet at castle. Do I or don't I? I don't know whether I want to go- Even if I do, I feel uncomfortable about getting a job just because of someone I met at breakfast. I've probably got a lot to learn about how people actually get jobs.

If I think of anything else I'll post again.

 
I am still immersing myself in sciencey things which I should have learned back when the courses were being taught. There's apathy for you. Not that I don't enjoy science. It seems to be part of my psychology that, when told that I have to do something, the something in question looses all its charm.
I spent the last two days at home. I shall clarify this and say "the Newcastle version"- I'll even say it out loud in order to justify the quotation marks a little.

"The city of Fuckham. Never really a city by virtue of anything but its old Cathedral, posessed of great beauty and demonic influence, standing watch over the town which spills down the hill, a flood of stonework which has setted on the banks. Also flowing across the landscape are the first rays of sunlight. The dirty hippy phswickser TDT is now beginning to get to sleep...."

Well, I got a little of the ol' slumber and faced my third exam of the week on the anniversary of my father's marriage with the living world. It was wonderful to get through if only for my own relaxation. The night seemed to be enjoyed by all, and Dave didn't feel anything of what we did to his head in moving him off the floor, so all seems to be well.
All told it was a fun knees-up!

The following day I went with Ronan to the LDS church. Elders Chell and Parkman have been our experience of the mormons so far, and have represented the well-trimmed and eloquent section of the church. Very friendly people, the both of them. Chell has been removed from the local area- It seems the Chell-effect is needed elsewhere in the quest to propagate the morm-meme.
A few of the people at the church seemed to fall into this category. Neat, tidy, glowing with hygene &c. The others were all overweight geordies. It was rather scary. Not that I felt threatened by the middle-aged, triple-chinned woman who told me that she had just got 7 O levels, but I wondered at the ideals of the organisation which ensnared her with a poorly-constructed farse in a blue leather cover. I say this, but I don't really know what the disturbing part is, that the church does it or that it works. But then thats not new, thats re-ligion- Tie 'em back in.
Maybe they're all happier with the LDS church there.
Ronan apparently liked the contrast between me and the californian missionary we met there. He seemed to be a smiley old fruit. When he learned that my name was Luke he made a joke about having read my book, and how I'd kept well over the last two thousand years. I told him it was because I'd be touched by jesus. I still don't know if he thought that Ronan and I were mormons.

Incidentally, Andrew, Elder Chell was moved to Leeds and we can contact him with your address so we've a sword of Damocles over you!
Possibly not. You might just kill him and eat his bones.

the smell of fresh bread and the sound of tom waits are drawing me back to the non-blog world. goodnight fair e-space!

 
Ah, summertime. The joy of the lovely weather is somewhat offset by the fact that I'm rarely in it, but then I do have exams up and coming and I hear that the sun doesn't plan on fizzling out any time soon. I hear that from my revision in fact. There are other explainations for the solar nutrino problem.

I am rather enjoying having some limited knowledge of the workings of cell catabolic activity (its a good story, anyway!) and the rest of this biological sillyness. Django Reinhart, Stephanne Grapelli and Thelonius Monk have kept me feelin' jazzy despite the piles of paper I'm supposed to be shiftin'.

I also gave a flute piece originally played by someone quite close to me a good go. Its mint- much better in its original spoof spruce context, but nontheless here's my attempt

 
I've enjoyed a great deal of sexy mathematics today. I bothered looking at fourier transforms in a bit of detail due to a question ben asked me on QM (I got a t in the constant as well- waah!) and aside from that had great fun with a night of PDEs and the pub.
I had some homework trouble- Not one of us castle undergrad physamaticians could proove that a uranium rod would explode given certain initial conditions- we all got a proof that said it might if it had a critical mass (which seems about right), but then might always suggests might not. Thats why I'm hunting Dr. Ruth Gregory, armed with a sheet of paper and a question.

The start of term has seen (for me at least) a cozy barbeque with my sty-mates and the suchi/mirea household, an obvious relocation of the teapot from the kitchen to my room, the largest collection of biscuits I have ever posessed, and piles of work. The tea and biscuits are, I shall claim, supplies- not distractions!

Wonderfully, this hideously factual blog describes very little of my actual mental/emotional/physical condition. Good good! I'll describe it to who I want!

Now, that meeting in the maths department should be over. Let the hunt begin.