Tonight on the way home, Town Hall station was sweltering awful humid hotness on both sides of the platform like the innards of Hades in a bad mood. It does not bode well for the weekend when it is supposed to top off at 43 degrees in parts of the city^[1]. Since I got a train pass that goes out to Bondi Junction this week ^[2] I might go and hide in the mega mall with the AC for at least part of the weekend and maybe go see a movie.

I started writing this journal to keep my writing skills fresh. That was in 2004 and seems like forever ago. I didn't have any delusions of being some grate writer or anything^[3], but I think being able to communicate clearly is a pretty worth while skill even if one is simply a particularly cleaver monkey banging out source code on the keyboard. Then this year I started posting more photos because I've been taking more photos. Now I am thinking that balance is in order.

I am relieved at the ease of migrating my email server today. It took a long time to copy inboxes and folders and stuff, but the actual configuration and updating of the DNS MX records was a relative breeze. Since I ditched sendmail dealing with my SMTP server has been difficult but possible, a significant improvement over trying and impossible. The new server^[4] is going to save me a lot of money which is a good thing given that we are all going to lose our jobs and subsist on stealing gasoline in the desert using revved up muscle cars. I'm still losing money on it, which is okay, because I get a lot of utility out of it.

1. read it in mX so it must be true^TM
2. at the price of $3 more, which is pretty good because even one trip out there will save me money over getting a round trip ticket
3. ...any more
4. Actually the new server is really three (virtual) servers, which is good because it builds some redundancy and backups into the system

• 12 December 2008 05:37pm: Listening to Paul Simon's kodachrome on the way to the camera repair shop.
• 17 December 2008 04:56pm: DJabberd is a high-performance, scalable, Jabber/XMPP server framework where everything is a plugin... and nothing WORKS! Way to go guys.
• 18 December 2008 09:22am: This year "going home for Christmas" doesn't involve any plains trains or automobiles.
• 19 December 2008 01:15pm: Typical aussie party divided on gender lines.
• 19 December 2008 01:58pm: Steal your co-workers chrissy presents day.
• 20 December 2008 03:44pm: New WWI aerial combat exhibit at the war memorial was pretty good and reminded me of playing Red Baron in high school.
• 21 December 2008 10:16pm: Happy Chanukah :)
• 24 December 2008 08:45am: Today I am the dev team.
• 26 December 2008 09:35am: Chrissy at the beach was awesome. Now I'm going to try and find some 120 film for my Rolleiflex so I can take some square pictures.

twitter.com/plicease

Running late today, and this guy was ambling down the escalator on my way to the train, so I shifted into the passing lane and ran for the door, which announced “stand clear, doors closing” just as I jumped through the threshold. Only it was just like that scene in Aliens when Sigourney Weaver and Kyle Reese^[1] jump into the elevator when the xenomorphs^[2] are chasing them and it is all suspenseful, because the train doors stay open just long enough for ambling man to sit his butt in the door and mumbles something vaguely sounding like if this train is going to mumble-muble to a couple of asian girls who clearly have no idea what he is saying.

“In or out, dude.” Someone says in a thick American accent.

Okay, actually it was me. And I feel a little mean for having said it, as I am sympathetic with people who come to a train station they have never been to before and I understand the desire to know where the train you are getting on is going, and furthermore wanting it to coincide somewhat with your own final destination, but I hardly think that entitles you to delay an entire trainload of people, most of whom are already late to work, just because you are too lazy to read the big blue monitors strategically placed around the station.

He hops in and once the train is underway, he asks me “does this train go to Central?”

“Yes, it does.”

When I get to work I hold the elevator for someone who thanks me and we start talking about the weather. It struck me that it was totally the opposite reaction to the situation earlier in the train. It was just when Bill Murray and Egon Spengler are in the elevator with unlicensed nuclear accelerators on their backs. Except for totally unrelated.

1. I know, I know her real name is Ellen Ripley, what do you think I am dumb?
2. xeno-what?

Why do people who are getting off at the next stop rush for the window seat.