With a week to go, you could forgive me for going absolutely crazy, unable to hold in my excitement for what the Easter weekend will hold. Pav too, has tried his best to keep his feelings deep down inside, them only briefly appearing above the surface. For example, his MSN personal message now reads, “7 days until the Ring :)”. Everything is set, I just need to sort out some Euros and perhaps buy the odd piece of clothing to take with me. All this will be completed in the early part of next week. While I could go further into the building up to Good Friday, I will instead focus on this week and bridge the gap of the weekend.

As you know, I have suddenly fallen in love with the Treo Smart phone. Hussein has taken this on board and on Monday this week by starting MSN conversations with a URL for eBay auctions selling the device. It was tempting, very tempting in fact but I had other more important things to focus on. A new phone would be great, for a few months but the novelty would soon wear out. However, I am considering purchasing a smart phone of some description (most likely Nokia) in August next year when I can next option an upgrade on my Vodafone contract. I warned my friend from Harrow that he would be banned for constantly sending me eBay URLs over MSN. It was only later in the week, while stumbling upon Dave’s Daily Blog that I noticed a link to Bryan’s Rules on Instant Messaging. Most of which I agree with and wish people would adhere to. The problem with IM is that so many people use it for several different purposes. Some keep it logged in but rarely chat. Other people chat too much, others too little. Perhaps we should all learn to follow only a few simple rules to make life in cyberspace so much better.

Next week is strange prospect, with me spending four days over in the Docklands, then returning home, packing once again to head over to Germany with Pav on Friday morning. Perhaps the most worrying element will be no internet access outside of business. Even net access within the office will be limited and highly restricted. I decided to turn the offer a 3G card from my colleague, Peter on the helpdesk. I would have to go cold turkey. I would have to face my demons and find something else to fill my evenings, rather than staring blankly at a computer screen for several hours. With London at my doorstep and most of the city at my beck and call, I think it will be a great opportunity to go and explore.

I am now regretting uploading the images of my Lynx (Axe) clicker over on my FlickR account. I have had at least three people ask me to send it to them. One individual evening leaving his full address in the comment box. Why do these people not understand that they are available free (relatively, the only cost is sending an SMS to a special number). Some people have tapped into this strange market with clickers selling on eBay for as much as £20. Now who would play this much for a novelty item, with no real purpose? Obviously some strange (and lonely) people out there who become hypnotized by a deodorant commercial.

Time for a quiet weekend, before my adventure on the continent. My plan is to get my haircut in the morning, head into town to get some last bits and pieces, pick up a copy of the The Independent newspaper, as it includes a teach yourself German compact disc, which I hope pick up some useful phrases. I want to make the most of my time in Germany and actually make an attempt to socialize with the locals. Think I will give my car a good clean, then on Sunday settle down on the sofa for three back to back Premiership games from 11.30am. Pushing towards a near perfect weekend if you ask me.