Naquada

I read this snippet on BoingBoing this morning. Don Crowdis, a 93 year old blogger who writes Don to Earth, made a bittersweet entry about not wanting to die;

“I’ve floated on the remark “Been there, done that” for some time now, but the notion that the moment is approaching when I can no longer say this bothers me. The truth is, I don’t want to go. There are many reasons. For too long I have behaved as if I could postpone going indefinitely, and thus have so many things that I must do first. I don’t want my successors to find out how much I could have done that isn’t done, not by a long shot. There are numerous notes and letters I must write. There are places I’ve wanted to travel, but never had the chance. Actually, each of you can, if you think yourself into my age, fill out the list. At least you can try to understand why I say that I hate to go.”

Don is probably the worlds oldest blogger, but bizarrely Don doesn’t own a computer, although he’s planning on buying two. He writes his blog entries longhand at his kitchen table in the mornings, after he has breakfast and takes his pills. Then he mails them across the country to New Brunswick. There, a family member types them into a computer and posts them on Don’s blog - Don to Earth

Dons posts cover pretty much everything, snippets of memories from his family history, including he story of his grandfather dying with a knife in his back while throwing a drunk out of a saloon he ran in a Colorado mining camp, to Dons views on life the universe and aging.

lets hope Don doesn’t go quite yet..

I’ve just renewed my subscription to the great magical journal Antinomy

Antinomy is a Quarterly Publication devoted to Magic, four issues a year (obviously!) with between 48 and 52 pages per issues. It’s quite nice as its a oversized format of 11″ X 11″, making it easy to laying flat when open, magish’s will understand this often over looked feature, allowing us sad people to hold cards at a table and read at the same time.

A friend described the one he read as ‘all the stuff out of magic I’d normally never bother reading’ , which yes, its a lot of full on in depth stuff, but each issue has a really good section of commentary and conjuring from some of the sharpest minds in magic.

Antinomy is really about ideas, promoting obscure thought, advanced thinking, and meaningful dialogue, something I really love about magic. Whilst sorting out paper work last night following the big move, I picked up a copy and started to thumb through it. There was a fantastic (and very simple) method to predict someone’s height; simple, effective and neat..

Once we get all the boxes in the back room clear, I’m looking forward to sitting down and thumbing through some other magic books and journals, especially as its 25 days into 2007 and I’ve done less magic that I’d promised myself I’d do this year..

Technorati Tags: conjuring, magic

Our first property in our homes for rent empire is now on the market, ok so it’s only one property but its a start!

The house is for rent in Wokingham. A one bedroom house on the Glebe Park Development overlooking Cantley Park conveniently located for Wokingham Town Centre comprising of refitted bathroom, lounge, kitchen, private garden, two allocated parking spaces, furnished and available 1st February 2007

Partially glazed secure metal and wood front door opening into:

Porch
With side aspect window and cloaks cupboard and door into:

Living Room
12′ x 11′ 8″ (3.66m x 3.56m) Front aspect double glazed bay window, fitted blinds and curtains, TV and telephone point, stairs to first floor and archway through to:

Kitchen
9′ 2″ x 5′ 3″ (2.79m x 1.60m) Side aspect window over looking garden, range of eye and base level units with rolled edge worksurfaces, electric cooker with four ring hob, oven and grill, washer/dryer, stainless steel sink and drainer and opening to cupboard space containing fridge/freezer.

Landing
Airing cupboard housing tank and doors to bedroom and bathroom.

Bedroom
12′ 1″ max x 10′ 2″ (3.68m x 3.10m) Front aspect double glazed window, built in cupboard space over stairs, inset spot lights, electric heater, telephone point and loft access.

Bathroom
Side aspect window, refitted three piece white suite comprising low level WC, wall mounted basin and vanity unit under, panel enclosed bath with separate electric shower and shower screen, inset spot lights and tiled walls.

To the Front
Pathway to front door and two allocated parking spaces.

Rear Garden
Panel enclosed fencing, shed and fully paved with benches.

All details on RightMove.co.uk

So 2006 has almost certainly been an amazing year, its been almost certainly the most life changing and enjoyable year I’ve had for a long time.

Even new year was pretty much the best one I’ve been at. We used the farm in Wales again to have a party weekend (more a chilled weekend) from Friday through to Monday. Friday was pretty chilled, getting up there mid afternoon, we had pizza and settled in for the weekend. About fifteen of us were up there this time, and it was a great number. Saturday was chilled (after late night hot tubbing) with most people getting up just before lunch time, New Years Eve itself, the sunday, we decided to dress up in black tie (I had myself a nice little collar and cuffs for the hot tub as well). I actually spent most of sunday afternoon playing with my new toys, Traktor Studio 3, and a Audio Kontrol One unit for the MacBook. I used to DJ many many moons ago, and always wanted to get back into it. Traktor and Kontrol One let me do that directly from my MacBook, and after a few hours in the kitchen at the farm I was almost getting back to being reasonable again.. thankfully when I did the evening bit we all decided to hit the hot tub and things rather than put me through the horror of having to carve up tracks in front of people…

I even got to play some magic the weekend as well, giving the Third Degree Burn a quick outing, a bit of Green Unshuffling of a shuffed deck, and my own Respelt a dusting off..

The only downside is coming back with some weird chest/sinus/head infection that’s had me in bed since Monday evening, but the New Year weekend itself was just great, but I think the thing that really hit home that weekend is just how different my life is now than it was before. I don’t think there’s been a single month where we haven’t gone away for the weekend, or more than a week when we haven’t gone out and done something, or seen friends. Just on the subject of friends alone.. I have probably more people in my life now that mean, and I really mean, mean something to me than ever before. I feel very comfortable just being me, enjoying the things I love doing and the things that make me happy, without having to worry about what people think or what people assume, the people around me like me for me…

I can look back over a amazing year…

Fantastic Trips away, like Oasis, longleat, Wfest 06, the Halloween Ball, attending Fism for the first time, having more people at our birthday than I have ever had, an amazing valentines present of heading down to Cornwall to see Jeff McBride and seeing the sights of Cornwall, perfect nights in, amazing nights out. wonderful company, and probably most importantly enough smiles with the woman I love to last a lifetime

its been a great year, and a lot of that’s been down to meeting and being with Michelle, I hope I have many more excellent years, and my collection of smiles gets much bigger…

..Resolutions?? To try and make each day special for me and Michelle, to love her more than yesterday and less than tomorrow, to never take for granted what I have, and to always remember how lucky I am…

Happy New Year