Forty is a bit like dying. When you die your body evacuates all fluids for some reason. It seems every morning now I go through this process. Busting for a whizz when I wake up, there is also an unreasonable need to play a little tune on the botty pipe. Next comes the coughing, which I thought I was done with after being on Eclipse cigs for three years now. Finally, there is the sneeze extravaganza.

I didn't update yesterday because I got behind in the day, but I do want to explain some of the lines in the awesome song that Johnnypop put together for me. The song is both ego boosting and humbling. But for those of you that are not familiar with every aspect of my life, some of the bits need explaining, so here goes.

"An Austin 1100, a Dual Carriageway in Slough....John, we're losing Power!!!"

Ok, so my first car was a crappy little Austin (1300, in fact :>) that I got for 150 quid (about $225). I was 18. I took John out for a spin in it. As we came off the Uxbridge Road and turned on Woodlane towards Iver, something went wrong (I'd probably taken my foor off the accelerator) and the car started to slow right down. I Panicked. "John! John! We're losing Power!!!". Fortunately, power was restored momentarily, before John could respond with something along the lines of 'Och, its tha Dilithium Crystals, cap'n, I canna git any more oot a them'.

I was being a little dramatic, which was an embarrassing habit of mine.

Speaking of embarrassment, we also have this little gem. "So we told (catpewk) that this party was a Toga party, but it wasn't of course. So he decides to hire a Shiek's outfit, not knowing the host of the party was an Arab."

Well, to be fair, I'd just got back from Israel a couple of months before, and I'd bought this Arab headress in a bazaar in the old city of Jerusalem, and I wanted an excuse to wear it.

"Why aren't you guys wearing costumes?"
"Oh, they're in the boot (trunk). We'll put them on when we get there..."

At that age, I believed anything anyone every said to me. In many ways I still do. I'm trying to remember if that party involved jumping into a swimming pool. I think I remember wearing the lime green jeans that I'd got from John for working at Chalfont St. Peter...

Thanks for reminding me about this one John, I had repressed it quite effectively :>

"The Ridgeway Path. (catpewk's) having a wank into a sock, whilst sheep trample over his tent."

You know, when I finally shuffle off this mortal coil, and meet Ma'at, or St. Peter or whomever the ethereal record keeper is, I'm sure when the book of my life is opened, this section will be highlighted in yellow and underlined repeatedly in red ink. This story has got so widespread that I've deliberately avoided returning to the RidgeWay (an ancient Roman Road in England), because I'm half expecting to see a little National Trust Marker explaining the sock incident in detail.

It was a fun trip though, and John, if you can resend those pictures you sent me about a year ago (before my computer got trashed), I'll post them out here. If you get a chance to do the Ridgeway, then go for it. But I must tell you, it can get very lonely up on the moors at night...

A Group of female, young, Pony Trekkers. What meets their view? Oh look! It's (catpewk) in a field, and he's having a poo!

Ok well this was the Ridgeway too. Don't look at me like that, we all did it. Armed with Toilet paper and a Trowel. It was quite a 'freeing' experience in many ways. I was the only one that had to perform in front of such a large audience however. What do you say to a group of Pony Trekkers that have just watched you fertilize a field?
"Good Morning!"

Ah the british stiff upper lip, how well it has served us...

Alright that's about all the bits that needed clearing up. Thank you so much for this John, its really really awesome!

Wednesday night (my actual birthday,although I'm counting the period of Wednesday thru early Sunday morning as my 'birthday zone') R. got me a guitar stand, and JS got me a song book, so I've moved the guitar and keyboard into the garage and I've been jamming a little in there. Today I intend to get the hell out of here as soon as humanly possible, so I can go home and prep for the weekend. R. wants us to take JS. out to the stockyards tonight, but the weather is a bit dodgy, and so are our finances. We'll see...

Have a wonderful Friday!