Just shy of two years in Australia.

The Indian consulate reminded me of this, most inconveniently. One-year business visas require an interview if you haven't lived in your "home" quite long enough. They also require a few extra days of processing when it's discovered you share a passport number with a German woman.

So, I'm going to India. For 10 to 20 weeks.

We've done this before, of course. (see: Melbourne, Perth) And thus, despite all reassurances and expectations, I have to presume I'll be living in Bangalore for the next year.

Sometime soon— very soon— I'll stop moving.

And that's the rest of 2012 up through March. Which is now.

I've reinstated the 30 day playlist rule and stared putting together an April playlist. Five artists on it thus far, all Perth based.

Let's see if Taiwan can open that up a little.

It's 2012 and our world is at peace.

Why do our elected representatives need bodyguards?

They aren't our "leaders." In democracies, no one is a single point of failure. Our officials are both regularly and irregularly replaced.

The trappings of power are pretty distasteful.

But you know what isn't? The fin de 2011 mixtape!

Creatively speaking, I'm lost.

Physically speaking, I'm in Perth.

Musically speaking, I'm in limbo.

We haven't shared for a long time.

It wasn't you. It was me.

But, I can change.

Only now do I appreciate how hard it is to stay balanced.

We can make this work.

• There are about 160 Interpol Red Notices for sex crimes.
• There are nine Interpol Red Notices from Sweden— in total, for all crimes.
• Three of Sweden's nine Red Notices stem from sexual offenses.

Sweden publishing a Red Notice is unusual. But, not particularly so wrt. sex offenses.

Here are the organizations responsible for all of the Red Notices from Sweden:

• SVEA COURT OF APPEAL, STOCKHOLM / Sweden, SWEDISH NATIONAL POLICE BOARD, STOCKHOLM / Sweden (5 notices)
• KRISTIANSTAD DISTRICT COURT / Sweden, THE NATIONAL POLICE BOARD, INTERNATIONAL POLICE COOPERATION DIVISION, STOCKHOLM / Sweden
• INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC PROSECUTION OFFICE IN GOTHENBURG / Sweden
• SODERTALJE / Sweden
• COURT OF APPEAL / Sweden

The International Public Prosecution Office in Gothenburg stands out. It's not a court. It's not a city nor region. What is it?

Prosecution Office in Gothenburg handle cases in Västra Götaland County and Halland County, including cases involving cross-border - and even some national - organized crime, non-Nordic legal aid cases, matters of extradition, to surrender under the European arrest warrant, transfer of proceedings, etc.

It weird. You'd think the courts would handle their own paperwork. Even the Prosecution Office has a dedicated notice for English visitors trumpeting their involvement thusfar.

I'll have to ask a Swedish friend to understand more.

She unboxed and booted it up while, beside her, I napped in bed. After five minutes of clicking sounds, she asks, "how do I change the wallpaper in Windows 7?"

I rarely have that sinking feeling. But, it followed a vague memory and preceded a web search turning up a blog post from the Windows Team engaging in damage control:

Windows 7 Starter does not include:

• Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
• Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
• The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
• Multi-monitor support.
• DVD playback.
• Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
• Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
• Domain support for business customers.
• XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7.

I've suspected she reads faster than me. This time, even though I already knew what was written, I had barely started on the list before she leaped to her feet and shouted angrily while pointing at the brand new netbook now in my hands, "I can't fucking believe that! I am so fucking mad! How can they do that?!"

I shrugged, and said, "monopoly."

My wristwatch has laid on my nightstand for week. On Saturday, my bag was a missing element of an evening out. I own more than one collared shirt. My pair of Hush Puppies are casual.

The flat is one of ThoughtWorks’ service apartments. It’s mine for a month, or until I move, whichever comes first. Newtown, Paddington, Surrey Hills and Redfern all sound nice.

The job? Obviously, I got it, as they’re putting me up. It’s all I hoped. I want to be all they hoped.

Sydney is new. It’s exciting, of course; but, everything is new. Thursday night held my first bout of loneliness. It passed on the ferry to Manly. Pacing through the full passenger deck, from fore to aft and back again, watching the receding lights of my new city filled with exactly what I think I want: no one I know. My heartbeat accelerated, fueled by all the doubts I left behind in Los Angeles.

I tried to displace them with a narrative of the ferry capsizing. Climbing a lighthouse, an exhausted body found on the rails underneath the lamp. I eavesdropped on a couple of bike couriers sitting on a deck below. I didn’t intrude, avoiding those familiar terms. Instead I resolved to, by the end of the evening, have weekend commitments.

Goals and plans allay me.

... del ratón borracho

Un ratón cae un día en una cuba llena de vino. En aquel momento un gato pasa por allí cerca. El gato oye el ruido que el ratón está haciendo al no poder salir de la cuba.

“¿Por qué gritas tanto?” pregunta el gato.
“Porque no puedo salir,” contesta el ratón.
“¿Qué me das si te saco?” pregunta el gato.
“Te doy todo. ¿Qué quieres?” contesta el ratón.

“Esto es lo que quiero,” dice el gato, “venir a mi cuando te llamo, venir en seguida.”
“Sí, lo prometo,” contesta el ratón.
“¡Tienes que jurarlo!” insiste el gato.
“¡Lo juro!” exclama el ratón.
El gato saca al ratón del vino y lo deja marcharse a su agujero.

Llega el día en que el gato tiene mucha hambre y piensa en su ratón. Va al agujero y lo llama.
El ratón dice: “¡No!”
El gato le grita: “¡Esa es tu promesa!”
El ratón se sonríe: “Sí, pero hoy no estoy borracho.”