Links day. I'm sniffing back phlegm at 2 a.m. alone in a Wollongong serviced apartment. Nothing good on TV. Tired. But reluctant to sleep just yet. It's not everyday I've got a huge space to meself. I need some hot chocolate. All I've got for now is cold orange juice. Too late for coffee, I think. Ah, but I've got an oven here, gonna heat up a frozen meat pie. I'm not used to this.

Decided to read my first novel of 2006. Stephen Hunter'sbeen one of my favorites, ever since I was blown away by his Day Before Midnight. Havana starts off surprisingly 'soft', IMO, for a Hunter novel. But I'm into pg. 50-ish and the pace and intensity seems to be picking up. FYI, my other will-try-to-read novelists (mostly from a decade ago and no I haven't picked up many new fiction favs since then) are the virtually unknown Marc Olden and the very known Stephen King.

Introducing my cousin, Brian. Not his reflections, not musings, not confessions. Just good 'ol fashioned grumblings (smile).

My father has a good piece about four generations of eldest sons. I must confess it's a rare pattern. I don't think I know any other family with this scenario.

Emergent Africa has a piece on emergent not being post-modern. I haven't read the piece, but maybe someone can compare it with an earlier post I uploaded suggesting the opposite.