Balance

He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146

Well time for an update.

So now I'm 24. And a good birthday was had. The Thursday, my birthday was spent on my own due to the unfortunate situation of having to go to a meeting at 9:30 in the morning the next day and also do a lit presentation. However revelry was off set to the next night and the subsequent weekend, involving a good evening at the Wendyhouse in Leeds.

Though the week just got better after that. Much chinese bakery goods were eaten and the paper I am working on is coalescing finally as the results poured in.

The Saturday was spent with a nice trip down to London, purchasing many cool clothes that have sated my final fantasy addiction. In addition the lovely duo of

biomechanina

and

phuturatica

gave a great birthday present in the form of a JTHM comic and some cyberdog vouchers that went towards some nice new trousers (which being in the sale meant they were a total bargin).

Slimelight was pretty cool, save for the crap that clambered up onto my trousers. Nice music, grim venue, but thats half the fun.

So now another week is almost over, and again much greatness has happened. The paper moves on ever further with a meeting this afternoon that has helped refocus my work on the data analysis. This paper is getting works being a landmark paper. Also today has been spent breaking in the Bsc students just starting their research. Action plans have been drawn up, goals are ready and some papers should come out of their work I hope. Tomorrow I get to do that all again with the Msc student. Yay. At there is no early morning meeting or lit presentation.

Yesterday night I went out with my old uni mates from my year, the token goth going along for the ride. But none the less it was good to catch up on what they have been up to and it really helps put life into perspective.

So this evening was spent starting the last few stories of Vampire. I had forgotten how much I loved running games for people, watching their spotaneous ideas and foul dreams come into being. It really was a good release and I relished every minute of it. Can't wait to teach Barns all the setting so he can run the next season of the game. There is just so much background to play with and great plots to run with.

Chung Kuo remains a great read, along with getting through the backlog of rpg books I have to read, plus other things lurking in my bed room asking to be devoured by my brain. It was awesome to get for my birthday a copy of Vampire: the Dark Ages off

es0terika

.

Well that sorta sums it all up.

Tomorrow night is noise tek and then what ever else the weekend has in store (A visit to the museum).



So to all you guys who have been there these last few weeks for birthday things and so forth, well it means a lot. You keep a mad little scientist that bit sane.

The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.

Philip K. Dick, How To Build A Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later (1978)