First things first: do we have any 8051 gurus in the house? I may well be wanting to pick your brains in the coming weeks, if so.. (alternatively, come along and pick up a full-time paycheck!)

Quite a wonderful Overheard in NYC entry, even if likely apocryphal. =:D

I really need to try tracking down more music from the Tanukis, and Tenfold Loadstar. Indeed, I've only heard one track by the latter, "Birdy" - a relatively mainstream piece, but just works nicely.

Amongst the things I'm most looking forward to bringing along to the new place (I've got one place keenly in my sights, but it remains to be seen what will come of the application - beautifully redone interior, with a pair of custom-sized black leather couches in the lounge, a kitchen I could get seriously busy in, a conservatory with all the afternoon lighting you could want, and even a modest garden with a barbecue alcove. Definitely somewhere I could enjoy coming back to and relaxing) are my media collection, keyboard (yay Logic Studio!), and tablet. Time may be in short supply now, but that kind of increased activity just sets off a cascade of little experiments and projects I'd like to try.. ^_^

And for those with literary leanings, the SL Book Fair 2008 will be held on Book Island and Publishing Island on April 25-27. "It's here again and this time bigger and better than ever! The 2007 fair saw 1400 visitors in three days, over 40 exhibitors and nearly 20 events. In 2008, we will be across two sims (eight times more land) with 50 exhibitors and 100 book related shops with around 50 events. SL Book Fair isn't just about books - exhibitors include writers, publishers, editors, bloggers and anything word related!"

MySQL 5.1 might hold modest gains for SL, too - plenty of bugfixes from 5.0, a selection of helpful new features, and a performance boost in the region of 20%.

Dinner - well, there were plenty of temptations in the supermarket - the jumbalaya looked quite decent, as did the king prawn masala - but I felt in more of a picnic mood, perhaps owing to the pleasant weather. Touring the cooked meats and prepared fish aisle convinced me..



Ham, marinated artichokes, a shellfish assortment, prosciutto, and Cornish brie, accompanied by a Westerham Brewery "Freedom Ale", dedicated to William Wilberforce, instrumental in the abolition of the British slave trade.



What need is there in describing it all? The British ham was excellent, suffused with a gentle honey sweetness and a juniper tang, and the demerera sugar in the beer complemented the moderately heavy maltiness and lingering Kentish hops beautifully. Even the bread was surprisingly good, even if nowhere near as vanishingly light as a genuine French baguette, with a strong crust. The brie, meanwhile, could easily hold its own against its more directly Gallic cousins, with the richness of flavor typical of Cornish dairy.

Is it any surprise I loved Ratatouille so much? ^_^

*full, happy bunny*