If you're going to do something stupid ...

... then you might as well do something truly, royally stupid!

I'll give you a demonstration.

Having got myself into a situation where my website had to come offline, I sat in front of my computer and thought to myself: "what can you do, Rik, to make everything even worse for yourself? Huh?"

"Well," I mused: "I could always try upgrading my Linux installation ..."

Thankfully, some 18 hours later, I once again have a reasonably well behaved computer. The new system is certainly prettier than my previous system (Ubuntu 'Edgy Eff' in place of Mandriva 2006), though I decided to go from the one to the other via Mandriva 2007 and Xandros Desktop 4. And you know that really, really, terribly important rule that you write in big, thick felt tip pen on your computer screen before you attempt to fit a new Linux operating system - the one that says "UPGRADE, NOT INSTALL"? Guess who pressed the wrong button?

Me. The person now typing who has managed to lose more than 4 years worth of email files, and various other documents such as the one listing all the news servers and pop3 servers and smtp servers that you need to know before you can get any news or send any email. And all my favourite website links. And all my RSS feeds, which doesn't really matter because I haven't actually worked out where my RSS reader is yet. And how about all those email addresses? I bet I don't need them at all! They were just being a burden on my creativity.

Anyways. This be my poem:

It was big and shiny
and flashing at me
and saying: "I shall
comfort you and love
you if you push me,
just here, just tick
my box then I shall
relieve you of all
your tensions
and emails
n stuff."

I'll do a proper NaPo poem tomorrow. Tonight I just want to go out and torture things that squeak and/or flash ...