Something to write home about.

Yesterday was a fun day.

I say this because I had the rare opportunity to work on a design for a book cover. I am enjoying this project quite a lot, as it allows for a lot of creativity on my end, and there's nothing quite like hearing a satisfied customer tell you how the finished product exceeded expectations.

Not to boast, mind you – I'm simply letting you know that I am quite good at what I do, and it's great to put those skills towards a project that you support. In this case, a soon-to-be-released volume by Dr K. Ameen, entitled 'Melbourne to Jerusalem – A pilgrim's progress in the 21st Century'. I will make sure to give you a glimpse of the artwork, as soon as it is ready for publishing and display.

I think this book is going to be a nice piece of writing. The author is a pretty knowledgeable guy. I think It'll help people interested in traveling to Israel/Palestine, as it outlines geographical as well as historical features. It will be a good student resource for people learning about the timeline of the Holy Land, and a good resource for people trying to keep up with current events and the issues facing the Middle East in the present and the future.

The cover is also looking pretty great at this point, I might add...

In tenuously related news...

It's LOST night again tonight.

Note that I did not say 'LOST is on tonight.' This is because Thursday nights are not like any other night of the week. This particular evening is completely superior because it is when what is arguably The Greatest Show on Earth (or any Other Planet) Ever is broadcast on that highly regarded channel, 7HD.

It's so much more than just a TV show. It's a way of life. LOST Fans (Losties, as they are affectionately known) are a society unto themselves. LOST is a world you can immerse yourself in – theories abound in the show, mysteries and clues are hidden in each episode, myriad connections are revealed, questions answered, answers questioned, characters arced, cliffs hung, and our calculated assumptions are scornfully tossed aside by the Producers each week, as if they had not been carefully crafted over months of research, internet scouring, and feverish brainstorming in the middle of the night after watching a particularly mind-blowing episode.

And even when the show extends, season after season, seemingly insurmountable suspense is multiplied by additional characters, animals, flashbacks, flashforwards and other brain-scrambling narratives, we still come back each week, eager to figure it all out.

Devoted fan, much?

LOST Night has been firmly established as a tradition in our household. Our weekly gathering is slowly growing, and we number about 8 regulars by now. We sit around our newly-acquired 32" HD LCD TV (with additional capitalised acronyms to spare), and talk incessantly over the broadcast, as we try to out-theorise each other.

The tradition also includes participating in the Lotto drawing. Each week we have to guess which numbers will be drawn out of the machine. Obviously the chances of winning are infinitesimal, but scoring is calculated on the number of correct guesses (e.g. Two balls out of 7 is pretty good – even if it was Hannah who correctly guessed they were going to be 29 and 36 instead of me...)

The LOST Night phenomena has even included special attention to Season Premiere and Season Finale. Let's just say that prizes are given to the best Come-As-Your-Favourite-Character effort, and the living room has never looked so tropical as on the night of the first showing of Season 3's first episode...

Why am I telling you about all this LOST fanaticism?

I am preparing you for the worst. Because of the Writers Strike still being knutted out over in the States, there are only 8 finished episodes of The Show (note capitalisation). Tonight being the 3rd week of Season 4, I only have 5 more weeks to prepare for the cessation of weekly broadcasts, until the Writers can unblock themselves and get back to making LOST. (And other, less meaningful serials if they can be bothered)

At this moment, I have no idea how I will cope with the absence. We've already waited a couple of nail-biting months, waiting to rejoin our protagonists are their thrilling conclusion to last season's finale. I'm not sure I could do another break.

In short, and all bad puns intended, I will be lost with out it...

Your prayers and thoughts would be appreciated.

In closing
The end of this post is a good time to announce my resignation – I am stepping down in my role as Human Relations Development Officer and Friend to Humanity. Though I ordered a hot mocha this morning on my way to work, I felt the distinct chill emanating from Android #1 as she passed it over the counter.

I give up.

It's like she did not recognize me at all. She offered no greeting, and made no response to my 'Hi - how you doing?', and then she stared, glassy-eyed, over my shoulder at a passer-by as she emotionlessly took my proffered cash.

I guess she must have exceeded her yearly supply of Human Warmth and Connection yesterday. Are they deducting from her pay whenever she takes a second to engage in frivolous chit-chat?

Whatever, Lady. Maybe I should by-pass your emotional unavailability and take my custom to McDonald's, five feet beyond your stall. How would you like that? Huh?

You'll come crawling back. Begging for friendship.

I told you this was a closing, and it is. The end of the relationship we could have had.


Until the morrow, then.



Joel
– Mourning the losses...