Airport

Terminal 4. Fish and chips. Pint. Bye bye civilisation.

It's time

Bags are (somehow) packed. Time to head to Heathrow and onwards to the land brought to life by the words of Shipton and Tilman. I may or may not post again before I drop off the digital map. Wish me luck.

We're gonna need a bigger boat.

In theory I have everything now:
  Boots x 2, Crampons, Sleeping Bag, Down Jacket, Weatherproof Jacket, Windproof fleece, Windproof tousers, Sunglasses x 3, Gloves x 6, Ice Axe, Medical Kit, Antibiotics, Diamox, Camera, Tape Slings, Prussic Loops, Harness, Sunblock, Hat, Tickets, Visa, Water bottles, Knife, Duct tape, Dry sacks, Clothes, Socks, Foot powder, Hydration salts, Energy Gels, Karabiners, Goggles, Balaclava x 2 + some other bits and pieces

There just remains one minor problem. How the hell is it going to fit into my bag? The current solution would appear to involve me being the Doctor. They say packing is an art form but they didn't tell me I need to be Michaelangelo to participate in this trip. And I have some things to help - can highly recommend taking a selection of dry sacks because it saves your gear getting waterlogged but also allows you to group it together which makes for speedier location of objects and quicker repacking  every morning when you de-camp.

Tearaway Thomas

Something which makes you realise that you're getting older is wondering whether your friends from childhood are still alive. The subject of retro games came up today which led me to thinking about Tearaway Thomas written by two good friends of mine (one of whom I haven't heard from in a while)

Dave was/is a programming genius who wrote his own operating system and assembler/disassembler for that game. Nick is now plying his trade as a graphic designer and learning about parenthood. Last time I spoke to Dave he was in remission from a brain tumour. Which is a sobering thought. I can remember those days as we ceased to be teenagers. But now it feels like someone else remembering them and is only an echo of that part of my life. I do remember Dave being an inspirational kind of friend to have. He certainly made me a better programmer.

How do you write someone an email saying "Hi" without sounding like you're saying "Hi, just wondering if you're still alive?"

Hollow

I was always a big fan of the phrase "everyone wants their shot at the champ" and thought it universally applicable and followed. So I was somewhat saddened to discover that this is not the case. I am about to lose my company champion title at foosball without ever kicking a ball for they're running the championship whilst I'm in Nepal. This reminds me of the Cold War where the United States and Soviet Union refused to participate in each others' Olympics leading to a series of gold medals being awarded which were, at best, hollow. I suppose I'll have to make do with returning to oust whichever upstart has claimed the empty championship and re-establish the natural ordering of things. Though, for the life of me, I can't see past Al and Jesse for the crown.

In other news I have abandoned Operation: Sombrero as unworkable as Google only shows me novelty items and will not allow me to purchase an authentic and useful version. Therefore it's back to the trusty old Tilley Original which, on second thought, is an entirely appropriate piece of headgear for the would-be gentleman adventurer.

The last thing I need right now..

Is respiratory problems. So imagine my joy when the new building we've moved to at work is giving me exactly that. Sore throat. Dry hacking cough. Constricted throat. So, time to take a laptop back over the road and spend as little time here as possible.

Sombrero

I know it sounds crazy and should probably not be on my list of priorities right now. But I want one. Last night I was in a Mexican restaurant and realised that the thing that is going to totally complete my photo collection from Nepal is me wearing a sombrero. Don't fail me now Google Product Search.