Hi everybody. As some of you know, the big news is that Rhea and I are now officially history. I'm coping with it ok, hopefully Rhea's ok too. After hearing what mum had to say, it dawned on me very clearly that Rhea shouldn't be with a person like me. I can't satisfy her most simple needs, namely financial security and providing a suitable environment for children to grow up in. I don't want a house in the suburbs with a backyard and barbecue and braindead boredom every weekend with endless consumerism to fill the void. I may have talents, but providing the standard suburban lifestyle for anyone just isn't one of them. I was born a bohemian and that's how I'm going to die and that's fine for me but I know that it can't possibly please her. I don't want to say anything bad about Rhea, suffice to say that she'd doubtless be happier with someone a lot more conservative than me. A right-wing person with lots of money would be far more suitable for her than an introspective, liberal leftie type who's clueless about money like me. Rhea, for your sake please find someone like that- a marketing or banking or accounting type and not someone who is interested in art, culture, politics or any of that jazz.

Anyway, speaking of politics, I had a thought recently about America. George Bush asked "why do they hate us?" Sorry Georgie boy but I found your answer to be somewhat wanting. I don't hate America. I don't hate anybody really. There's good and bad in every person and in every country that's for sure. But the thing that I resent about America is the way they've tried to turn the word "liberal" into something dirty. The way they've done all they can to bulldoze the church/state division, to the point where even here in utterly agnostic Australia the politicians are starting to get religion. The founding fathers would have been horrified. Benjamin Frankin was more or less an aetheist and the rest were ambivalent in their attitude to religion at best. I resent the fact that whatever America does, our politicians and corporations slavishly follow, despite the reservations or outright dismay of the populace. And then there's Iraq.....but it's too easy to target them for that, and probably just plain cruel let's face it. I could probably say more...the fast food culture, the history of covert foreign intervention etc. etc. Yeah I know what some of you would say: "Go get a life and get over it". Or something a lot worse. Well fine, screw you too.