the world's strongest man

+ my dad got a major retro cheque, and is buying me a new computer. part of the CBC settlement was retroactive job re-classification; his went back about 10 years or so, and the resulting cheque is substantial. he's offered $1,1000 towards a new beast for me, as my old computer stopped booting several weeks ago. i need to decide how much i can pitch in to get a really nice computer, or whether it would be smarter to just get a servicable computer and save my money.
- i've forgotten how to tie off guitar strings. i was all ready to re-string my squire(the fender cheap line) stratocaster(cherry red!), but had to leave the low E string lying there untied because i've forgotten the knot.
- stress. so much. i feel it all over, all the time. i'm dealing with it by getting excited over almost everything, and crashing every several hours. it is manifesting itself in muscle pains, lack of attention to detail, horrible sleeping patterns, and procrastination. the lack of decent sleep is becoming a positive feedback loop with my stress through the day. i don't know what to do.
+ i'm bringing an article about louis riel to school tomorrow for amanda to photocopy. we're geeking out about canadian history, and i'm remembering how exciting it really is. i take louis riel for granted now, because i've written about him on a yearly basis since spring 2002.
+ the louis riel comic book by chester brown.
+ a party on friday, with some of my favourite politicians.
+ reading douglas coupland's microserfs for the second time. 2 days and i'm 2/3 through. it's like candy; slogans, random impulses and cultural detritus.
+ 7 min. songs that go on forever and ever and ever. esp. guitar instumentals, which make me happy and jealous.
- the heel of my right shoe has collapsed on the left side, leaving my foot lopsided when i walk. for now, it is an annoyance, but if i don't see a cobbler soon i fear that i will have problems in my foot.
- our two red walls got painted white. they had to patch up the nail pops (hammering in new plywood on the outside of the building made all of the nails in the drywall pop out of the wall, leading to little holes all over), and we decided to get the workmen to paint the wall now at no cost, rather than paint it ourselves when we move. now it feels as if we're about to move.
+ scott walker's scott 4. i can't get over it. between morrissey, leonard cohen, and scott walker, i fear that a pattern is developing.
+ people are surprised to hear that i study history. i think that it informs what i do, however. in all aspects of my life, i strive for context before action. it makes me hesitate, but prevents rashness. history is about context.
- the desire for context can become crippling. where does it end? i find it difficult to build slogans when i'm striving to describe context.
+ we can get our barbeque back now, because our balcony is finished and the scaffolding is all down. barbequed chicken thighs with grilled zucchini and salad is the fast, easy, and relatively cheap meal that we've been missing for months. having a barbeque again will drastically reduce the amount of money that we spend eating out.
+ i'm sleepy now at 2.15 am, which is an improvement on the 3.30 am of yesterday.