OK, here we go again

I'm not going to go into a huge explanation about how computer administrators and, OK, to a certain degree, me, suck-
suffice it to say that my massive post of last night was snatched out from under me mere seconds before completion. Probably it was a karmic thing though, as I was ignoring my thesis in a terrible fashion in order to write it. But I'm going to try again. In the not particularly cold light of 3:40 the next afternoon however, a few things should be noted before I attempt to cover last night's ground again:

A) I pretty much finished my first chapter. Yaaaaay! Ignore that calculation down there however about how long it would take to write my thesis, I realised as I was walking home it was complete bollocks. Lucky I'm not writing a maths thesis - not only for me, but I think for the world.

B) Overdue congratulations, to Teens for (presumed) First Class Honours, Mark for passing courses, Lis for evidently copacetic GRE vocabulary score, various younger siblings for graduating, and to Tim for getting past that damn long-winded level of Splinter Cell. You go girl.

C) Look at this! (If you didn't see it in the paper this morning.) Glen McGrath nips round to stop Steve Waugh's house burning down. Nice one Glen. No wonder he gets a choice of ends. I bet some English batsmen are secretly cursing the fact that a burning tree didn't fall on him.

Right, now where was I previously, before I was so rudely interrupted?
Oh yes. Procrastinating as I was last night, and getting very little actual work done, I elected instead to muck about on the internet. As well I might. It's so damn conveniently nearby.
I was re-reading one of Luther's rants (latest derogatory comment about blogs from 'Old" media I read whilst doing thesis: some Boston Globe guy who said 'blogs are a place where no thought goes unpublished.' Well, so what?) which duly led off to some pictures of the Luggage. 'Hey', I thought. "When's the next Discworld book coming out?" As well I might.
So it was back to the internet Batman, where the first thing I found was said 27th Discworld novel, Night Watch, being reviewed by A.S Byatt in the Guardian.
"Bloody hell" I thought to myself, as well I might, "A.S Byatt won the (soon, if not already, to be formerly known as) the Booker Prize for Possession in the early 90's sometime if I'm not very mistaken, and I believe they just turned it into a film too, and yet she's reviewing books for a crust." As well I might, because I'm an English student and was forced to read Possession in undergrad and thus know who A.S Byatt is.
"Additional bloody hell" my brain continued, mercilessly unchecked, "This says the publication date was the week of November the 8th." So the next stop was Whitcoulls.co.nz, which I will not link to here given the spectacular craposity of their website. But sure enough, there it was: Night Watch, the very novel that A.S Byatt had so cautiously praised, listed at number 4 on the Best Seller list, where it had been for who knows how long.

Now, what I want to know is, how come I didn't know this, presumably for a while? And how come nobody else knew this? And if they did know this, where was the geeky conversation that went "Just read / am reading the latest Discworld book, it's pretty good / not as good as some others in my humble literary opinion, not that I'm Booker Prize winner A.S Byatt or anything."
I think we're slipping. No 'Two Towers' tickets yet, and a Terry Pratchett (although Terry Pratchett apparently gets quite upset at suggestions that his readers are all "14 year old fanboys named Kevin") book slips in under the radar, just like Christian Slater. Is everyone taking their geek pills? Next thing you know we'll be struggling to remember who Bib Fortuna is.

Anyway, long story short, I ran out and bought it today like a capitalist whore. So I'll let you know what I think / lend it if anyone's keen.

There was more, much more, all about National Novel Writing month and stuff but my GOD, it really is time to escape the clutches of my square-headed girlfriend and go and enjoy some late afternoon sunshine. I'll post it here later. And Traci, I still owe you an e-mail, but don't worry, I'm starting to feel extraordinarily guilty, so look out Monday.

Away with me.