Fyse has just put on another jumper and is still cold. The air conditioning in the computer room is completely mental, and he wonders whether this is what the whole of the US is like. If all New York buildings are kept at this sort of temperature then no wonder they have power issues. Only here because his computer is in its death throws, he is rudely startled from his reverie when the CD drive pops open. Fyse removes the freshly burned copy of ‘ABBA Gold’, replacing it with a blank disc labelled ‘The Ultimate Michael Jackson Collection – Disc One’. Next on his list are ‘Queen’, ‘The Beach Boys’ and something ominously called ’80s Disco Megamix’. Fyse is seriously concerned about the long-term effects of such a concentrated dose of uber-cheese.

The music is to take with him to Cornwall, where he is company manager for a student show at the Minack Theatre. A good few CDs of upbeat sing-along music will prove invaluable when coercing people to wash-up dinner for 50 people. Fyse is also scouring shops for assorted items of frivolous nature, with which to fill the enigmatically named ‘Box of Joy’. Infantile items please students immensely, and he plans a raid tomorrow on the local ‘Early Learning Centre‘. There is much else still to do, but preparations for Cornwall are only one of the many things occupying Fyse’s mind at the moment.

His summer working at the British Antarctic Survey is coming to an end, and typically it is only in the last few days that the interesting results have become apparent. He has a presentation to give on Tuesday (his last day at the lab) as well as a report, neither of which have been written. On Wednesday he moves house, posing the tricky problem of transporting all his worldly possesions across Cambridge, single-handed and without a car. Then on Thursday morning he leaves early for the eleven hour drive to Cornwall, having collected various tools for the set builders, posters for the producer and props for the stage manager. Between now and then he must also sort out new web hosting, buy new contact lenses, wash all his clothes and meet with the relevant professor to finalise his job for October. He is then away until the 25th of September with minimal internet access.

Well, it’s hardly like you’ve heard much from him lately anyway…