I found out that earlier in the month my cat Borris had died from old age. He was taken to the vet on Tuesday December 6, 2005, and was put to sleep. That was his 16th birthday.

Rest in piece, Borris. You'll be missed.

Apart from the usual gripes about the crass commercialisation of the Christmas holidays, I actually enjoyed the Christmas break this year. I think more than anything it was a chance for me to sit back and unwind a bit, something that I haven't really had much of a chance to do lately.

The day itself was pretty uneventful, but against all odds it appears that we all tried to out-do each other this year with our purchases for each other, despite previous arrangements to make this a fairly low-key Christmas. I managed to pick up all sorts of useful stuff that I wanted (thanks to the Christmas list). Some more useful than others, but all appreciated nonetheless (I mean really, what use am I going to get out of a oversized novelty pencil?).

One of the problems with heading up to Mum's place for Christmas (or any time really) is that recently I've been falling asleep up there. Literally. Crashing on the couch and grabbing a nap for 1 or 2 hours. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad trend yet, but it seems entertaining enough for everyone.

Like the new layout? I do. But then I would say that, having designed an implemented it.

more later