'Sometimes you gorra turn it off and you gotta walk away, and then sometimes you gotta say this is gonna be the day.' Grandaddy - Pull The Curtains

Hello to everyone once more. Sorry it's taken me nearly half a year to write this post, but you have to understand how much you miss when you don't have broadband at home. Anyway, how are you? I hope you're keeping well. I'm OK, apart from falling under the deadly virus that is Fresher's Flu (the result of what happens when you draw people from all across the world to enjoy other culture's germs). Chris (housemate and all-round lovely musician-type person) said to me recently that it won't be bird flu that'll kill us all, it'll be migrating students...

So yes, the reason why I appear to be up so early on a Saturday morning is all down to a book; a book I've been avidly reading since I got it. It's 'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace, a recount of what happens if, after saying no to far too many things, you suddenly decide to say Yes. To everything. And anything. No... really. How else would you explain taking hallucinagenic drugs, purchasing a Amazing Penis Patch via e-mail, and almost getting beaten up for staring at somebody's girlfriend? And so the reason why I am up at 6am is all down to not being able to put it down for the last third of the book. I'm not going to recount the best stories from it, or tell you gags, or anything. I don't need to. Just read the blurb (and probably ignore the price tag) and then buy it. Simple as that. It is by far the best book I've read in the whole year. 10 stars out of 5, 100 out of 50. This book is just incredible. Please please please buy it, or if you can't afford it, find a friend, a library, or an unsuspecting Japanese tourist to borrow it off of.

There is a very good reason why I'm smothering this book in praise though, because it's made me think. I don't know how, but in the past few months I've grown sarcastic and negative about life. Possibly not my own life, but maybe giving sneering comments to anything or anyone I have a say about. If you have been in contact with any of my negative comments, I apologise. The last year at Uni has really put a strain on my mental wellbeing (due to discussions about my own personal failings I don't particularly need to get into right now), and I actually felt myself going a little uncontrolled in my mind, like I was starting to break down. Reading my first blog posts, I can really see that now (especially that one about feeling the sickness coming, or something like that). However, Danny's mentality to positiveness has made me realise that I am no longer the positive spirit I was in '03. I too should be saying yes to more things. I don't know whether that's possible though, because being positive also adds an air of 'free-spiritedness' to my life which I cannot possess in most cases, because that leads back to the dark place of non-timekeeping which seems to float around me like one of those dark clouds which has an A4 sheet sellotaped to it with 'MISERY' written on in fat permanent marker. They are not good clouds. Plus, after failing to organise TermiSoc socials properly on two occasions, I feel that there are far too many geeks in this world who go with the flow and so are not useful when asking "What do you want to do now?"

Oh, I'll figure it out, but I've just got to not hold myself back. Except if it involves over £1000 in cash to complete. Then I really should say no.

Anyway, life appears to be going a lot more smoothly, though I am a little shocked that already I have proper marked coursework to be handed in in less than two weeks. Where does all the time go? And, more importantly, WHY does all the time go? I mean, why is it so easy to lose time down the sofa as if it was loose change in a pair of stupidly loose trousers. You know the pair. Yes, the ones you hide behind the jumpers, to pretend you haven't got them. No, not the crushed purple suede ones. Yes, them shiny ones your mum thought would look good, so bought them for £4.99 when she went out shopping. Without your consent. The same time she bought that knitted wool cardigan, despite her knowing you hate wool because it makes you itch.

Actually, a better metaphor would be: Why is that time is like change? You only have it in the small denominations, because you keep spending the big coins on burgers so when you get to the till of life and society, you find you've only got the tupenny bits, and there's always a big queue behind you, pushing and shoving you to get a move on because there's not enough cashiers on staff at the moment, and you don't feel you have time to count out your coppers, and they're pushing you and shouting and complaining and the cashier is tutting at you and you panic and run out the store leaving your purchases behind in the blind confusion! Or something.

Anyway, I suppose I'd better have some breakfast, I feel the sun is coming up and so I should make the most of my day. Bye for now!