As per the last post, I’ve managed to get out this weekend. It’s proven a welcome relief from the multitude of idiots I seem to have to deal with during the work week, and I need to do it again soon, I think.

The weekend was spent at Tali’s place, springing a surprise on her for her 21st Birthday which by all accounts went off superbly. Depending on who you ask, she was either very sneaky and knew about it all, or honestly thought we’d forgotten about her completely. In reality, she’s quite loved, and I’m sure she’ll remember it for quite some time.

Yesterday, Saturday, was spent just simply relaxing. Spent most of the morning with Ginny helping her with her iBook which is off to Apple on Monday morning for repairs, and then watching The Magic Roundabout which is quite quite brilliant, despite being a film for small kids; in the same way Nightmare Before Christmas is also awesome. After than, lunch, and then, to Wier Wood Sailing Club for a trip on the water. The water level is so low that only about 32% capacity is used at the moment, it’s been a damned dry summer. But all the same, loads of fun.

Kristian also made an appearance later that evening, and finally, I left with Damo at about 1.30am and we headed back to London, where along the way the car was attacked with gravel from some bastard kid on an overpass going towards EG Train Station; whoever they were, they succeeded in not only damaging the paint work to the top of the Modeo, but putting two chips and a huge crack through the laminate of the windscreen, driver’s side.

What a wonderful end to a weekend. And now, in twelve hours I need to be getting up and ready for work. Again.

Passport, Credit Card, Notebook, Pen. A Camera if you must.

Travel light, move fast. I’m getting Itchy Feet, and I need to move. And soon

Quite possibly, the prettiest cardboard box I’ve ever seen.

Well, it arrived. A few days ago, in fact- I’ve just been waiting for Melissa to post about the 9500. My initial battle with HM Customs ended with me losing, poorly. To the tune of about $145 in Duty and VAT. But it was quite worth it. I have to say, this is the my most beautiful object I’ve ever seen. There’s something just so utterly simple and yet evocative about it; it’s like a giant black cucumber. But without the sexual innuendo. Almost. The sheer size gives an impression of it weighing about half a pound, but the resin it’s cast from is amazingly light. The filler system is so utterly simple to use but has gears and wheels embedded in the body so that when the back of the filler goes up, the plunger goes down. That means screwing it back down, ready to use is the action that fills the vast ink chamber inside. And the resin it’s cast from; it’s not black. It’s blood red. Hold it up to a strong light, and the edge of filler mechanism, the ink chamber and the cap explode with deep Shiraz tones; you could just drink it in. There’s even a an individual serial number laser-etched into the top of the cap clip.

Downsides, the Fine nib is still too wide for the feed, or the feed is too fast. With the standard Mont Blanc ink, the delivery is just a little too fast. Solution, get a narrower, EF (Extra Fine) nib, get a OM (Oblique Medium) nib, (both free under the initial Mont Blanc Nib Exchange Program) or, find thicker, non MB ink, which would kill my warranty.

But above all, it’s forced me to slow down my life; ditching the 9500 means I now write everything when on the move, not type. And that makes me think about what I take down. That’s not something I’ve done of late when typing, it just goes from sound to letters on the screen. When writing, everything has to be processed before my hand can even begin to manipulate the pen on paper. And on a commute in the morning, that’s awesome. Less time on IRC on the train, less GPRS data getting burned, and taking in more of the stuff around me. There’s so much stuff out in the world to be seen, and this helps me take notice.

And finally, some real pictures.

Today, the Postal Service has angered me.

Not long ago, I was sent a package. This package was a gift. It contains a pen, a catalogue, and a few small notebooks. Pretty simple stuff, no? It’s marked as a gift, too. And that it is; there was no money involved in the exchange. And yes, it seems that Parcel Force have decided to be evil bastards and take my new hotness and subject it to a customs search. It seems that they don’t quite understand how a pen and a set of notebooks can be worth $500.

So. They’re determine that the goods are in-fact, worth the amount on the shipping label, then they’ll take the pen from the box, write with it, maybe give it a drop kick or three, and spit in the notebooks for good measure. Oh, and no doubt try to charge me VAT and Import Duty on the whole lot, too.

So that’s what I’m waiting for. Death and deliverance. And a very sexy pen.

Friday has come and gone, and Oxford was a blast. The entire weekend seemed to consist of us walking from bar to pub to restaurant to coffee shop. Highlights include my hiccups making a comeback, getting lost going from the table to the bar (again) and the rather tasty Old Rosie’s Scrumpy. Quite awesome, really. More later. Maybe.

We’ll see.

Also; consider support over for the iSync and Nokia Communicator.The phone has been sent to Melissa and is currently somewhere in the US, with the USPS awaiting delivery to Texas. On the same note, my Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 149 is also somewhere in the UK, and no doubt sitting unloved and forlorn in some grotty Royal Mail office awaiting my tender loving touch.

I can hardly wait. Also in the box are a few Moleskines; I’ve not had those for a while. Of course, this is all a bit grand; I caught myself in Pettiers yesterday, a men’s clothing and accessories boutique, looking over a Mont Blanc Billfold wallet, a snip at a “mere” £175/$320… The sad part? I was already trying to justify it to myself.

I shall not give in. I shall stand fast, and tall. Or at least, fast and 5′6″ short…