2002-11-27 at 5:22 p.m.

After all the panic and nerves and stress and tears and biting the heads off several small dogs, my recital yesterday went fine. A few minor slips, but nothing that can't be easily repressed deep into the uncharted recesses of my brain.

Phew!

And what does 'My Analyst�' have to say about this?

Wow! Just like a real analyst!

In other news, Jess is moving her stuff out of the house as we speak. She's heading up to Brewarrina at the end of the week to begin her (undoubtedly) exciting and (hopefully) lucrative teaching career.

I'm really, really going to miss her.

She and I went out for dinner with some of our old friends last night, to celebrate both my recital and Jess's big move. We ate copious amounts of Italian food, talked crap for several hours, and eventually wound up at the beach, running around like schmucks, waving sparklers and obsessively taking photos.

Jess also gave me a Christmas/thanks-for-living-with-me-for-two-years present. Knowing my fondness for both words and absurdity, she found me the perfect gift-

'The Devil's Dictionary' by Ambrose Bierce.

It's just like a normal dictionary (albeit a very abridged one) but with definitions which are both enormously funny and painfully true. A few of my favorites so far-

ABRUPT, adj. Sudden, without ceremony, like the arrival of a cannon-shot and the departure of the soldier whose interests are most affected by it.

ACCIDENT, n. An inevitable occurrence due to the action of immutable natural laws.

ADMONITION, n. Gentle reproof, as with a meat-axe. Friendly warning.

APOLOGISE, v.i. To lay the foundation for a future offence.

BACCHUS, n. A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk.

BRANDY, n. A cordial composed of one part thunder-and-lightning, one part remorse, two parts bloody murder, one part death-hell-and-the-grave and four parts clarified Satan.

CAT, n. A soft, indestructable automaton provided by nature to be kicked whenever things go wrong in the domestic circle.

DIARY, n. A daily record of that part of one's life which he can relate to himself without blushing.

ECCENTRICITY, n. A method of distinction so cheap that fools employ it to accentuate their incapacity. (This one is rather relevent to me, methinks).

EGOTIST, n. A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.

FEMALE, n. One of the opposing, or unfair, sex.

FORK, n. An instrument used chiefly for the purpose of putting dead animals into the mouth.

GRAVE, n. A place in which the dead are laid to await the coming of the medical student.

In case you haven't guessed, I am really, really enjoying this book.

I'm getting a new flatmate over the weekend. I know very little about him, except that he owns a Playstation.

I like him already.