"Hoy acaba el plazo."

Friday sneaks up on you like a shark.

(And if you don't think a shark can sneak up on you, you haven't met a sneaky shark.)

This month's been a runaway train; it hasn't stopped for anyone or anything, and we're 1/12th past 2003 and about to put the pedal to the medal in a big way. Whooosh. Goodbye 2003, hello 2004. You're one year closer to the grave. Close the door on your way out.

Happy-happy, joy-joy.

Sometimes I lie awake at night and think, "Eternity's a long time - what if this is all there is, what if this is it?".

Eternity is a very long time, and I'd like to believe that there's a good chance I'll get to see some other part of it. Not just this century. Not just this tiny, infinitesimal grain of sand on a beach as big as...as infinity. I'd like to believe that. Sometimes I do. Most of the time, I do. But sometimes...sometimes the immensity of the thought - of living and dying, and never, ever existing, ever again - freaks me out big time.

I think too much. Also, it's Friday - the overrated Thursday (Thursday being, naturally, the underappreciated Friday). You're allowed deep, dark thoughts on Friday. Even though Sunday really is the long, dark tea-time of the soul.

(Good book, by the way.)

Here's an e-mail from a reader, to cheer everyone up:

I've downloaded some music from TLJ and I've particularly liked some pieces - Dolphin, Dragon and Shark (wierd names) by Tor Linlokken. I'm curious what genre of music this is (a type of jazz?) as it's not that common, and if there's anything similar or where I can find more.

Tor Linløkken is a genius. Or at least very, very good. He just released a CD, which I cannot, for the life of me, remember the name of, nor the name of the website where you can buy it, nor the label. But I'll find out on Monday, and post a little ad. The man deserves a free ad. Did I mention that he's good? He is. Remember the cool sound-effects in The Longest Journey? He made a lot of those. In addition, of course, to those excellent tracks. Which I liked. A lot.

What genre of music is it? Good question. It's New Age-y, jazz fusion, ambient, environmental...electronic pop...thingy. It's music. If I had to categorise it, I'd say ambient, but I might be wrong. I'm not well versed in those genres - I just know what I like when I hear it.

As I said, Tor just released an album, and I'll post the link as soon as I get it. And I'd urge all of you to buy it, of course. Start savin'.  ¶ 12:29