I wonder what the North Americans are doing this time of year . . .

I never write about my life in this thing like most people, so let's remedy that:

FAMILY LIFE: Everything's good on the homefront, though I've never expected otherwise. She's working evenings at the moment, which I don't like much. Evenings feel like together-time. Other than that, no complaints. (At least, I have no complaints about her.)

VIENNA LIFE: I'm now to the point where - I almost wrote 'it's just another city.' That's not right. It is substantially different. But I don't feel touristy anymore. In fact, I probably go out more when I'm in Saint John, though that's because I don't really have any close friends here. Language barrier and all that.

Besides our usual trip to a fantastic trivia night on Thursday (we used to go to a really terrible one, then found this one on the same night), I sometimes go uptown just to soak up the city. We also go to the movies sometimes. We've recently seen Good Night and Good Luck (which I liked) and The Constant Gardener (which was fantastic).

Still no luck in begging friends to come to Vienna so I can play tour guide. Who needs convincing?

WRITING: I've started a book, with actual deadlines and everything. (I have to be at the 5000-word mark by midnight tomorrow). I've had two false starts in the past, but with the deadlines, a much clearer vision than usual, and the first draft of the introduction completed, I feel much better about this than the previous attempts. Plus I have more experience and more knowledge. I hear those count for something.

I've also changed the format of All the News That's Fit to Mock. I decided I'd start writing headlines with the stories, like most fake news. It makes it a lot easier, to be honest. I came up with so many potential headlines for the Tim Hortons in Afghanistan that I couldn't decide which one to use:

Critics: Tims in Afghanistan could put Afghan mom-and-pop donut shops out of business
Canadian soldiers' coffee better than their armour
Tim Hortons true story unusually gory
New 'Harper Doctrine' to spread double-doubles around the world
Reports show that Tim Hortons supported al-Qaeda in the 1980s
Minimum wage not enough at Afghanistan Tims, workers complain
Troops fight for corporate-mandated mediocrity

I decided on the Qaeda one.

I'm happy for the development 'here' has offered me over the last five years, but I can't wait to start writing for something more widely read again.

RUNNING: When I first arrived back in Saint John in November, I started a running regime. I started with walking actually, using what the advice books said was a good program for people who have been completely sedentary. That wasn't true, but I figured it would still be good to follow because it would help with making it part of my routine, obtaining running gear, etc. I made it through that first, and now I'm at the end of the "Beginner's Conditioning" routine. I can now run 20 minutes no problem. I'm pleased, remembering how I was sucking wind after a steady walk at the beginning. I'll continue moving up the charts in my running book, and run a marathon some time. It won't be this year, I think, but 2007 for sure.

GERMAN: My German has been in stasis mode lately. I can speak about as much I could when my wedding was six months ago. I'd like to get back on that.

FUTURE LIFE: This seems to change based on extenuating circumstances every 11 minutes or so, but at the moment it goes like this. I come home April 18, stay till mid-May, leave until late September, then return to either Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton, or Charlottetown depending on where I can find full-time reporting/editing work, followed by a world trip at some point, probably after a couple of years of saving. This may change again by the time you read it.

There you go. Nothing too exciting, which is why I rarely write about it. Now back to your regularly scheduled diet of Friday Feasts.

Cheers,
John