Sapere Aude

The forecast temperature for today is 26C.

26C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And there isn't a cloud in the sky. I woke up this morning and already I could feel the 'Brisbane in Spring' feel to the air. I even worked up a little sweat on brow as I walked to work.

It is a peculiar phenomenon how humans are so able to forget their sufferings. The cold, grey, dark days seem like a nightmare now that I look down the streets of London and see the bright greens of new growth on the branches of trees. Trees?? Where did they come from - they must have been camoflouged in the concrete stained brown from years of thick pollution.

Even King's Cross sometimes makes me look up more than once during my march down Pentonville Rd to admire the blossoming blooming trees.

And in the Spring tradition my first nephew/niece is due to make its appearance today, it would be un-Hirst-like to arrive late, and I would expect the little chap to arrive 5 minutes early, just to make sure it isn't late.

The changing weather has thrown off the last remnants of the SAD I was afflicted with for the last six months - I can now sleep through the night without waking up constantly with that ringing, stinging, frustrated knot that seemed to exist in every muscle and bone in my body.

In other news: I have been accepted at UQ to do a Masters of Health Economics commencing semester 1, 2007. It is an option that I am seriously considering and would of course have a significant impact on the travel plans leading up to it. I'm also going to another information session, this time for volunteering in South America - which struck me as a sensible option as I could perfect my espanol (insert squiggle above the 'n') while helping my little Latino buddies. Another option was a lengthy bicycle ride back to Australia, but lack of time and interest is slowly killing that one. Working in Dubai after travelling for a while first is a possibility - although work for the sake of work will lead me to an early grave, so I'd have to be doing something that excites me more than a pair of 34kg dumbells. And of course the option to travel until I am broke is an exciting thought - possibly less productive than studying or volunteering, but life has seemed to serious over the winter that I think it is worth just going and having some fun before thinking again about how to save the world.