Wireless keyboard/mouse
New wireless keyboard and mouse (made by A4 tech) arrived today, and they work beautifully. I can type from another room and all works fine. Considering the purchae of another set for the second machine, since they're just so darn handy and nice to use.

Apparently each keyboard and mouse has its own serial ID, which the receiver can remember (and hence excluse all others). In theory this lets you run lots of wireless keyboards/mice side-by-side, and while syncing your keyboard to your receiver is an easy button-press, I can't quite figure out how the mouse is done without software. Even so, the units have two channels they can operate on, so a second keyboard/mouse combo should not be a huge problem.

Mackay
Spent some time in sunny Queensland (Mackay area). Took me a day to get used to the heat and humidity, but very much enjoyed myself after that. Went ocean rafting, which was a lot of fun, but I pretty much had to be dragged out of the water at snorkling time. Coral reefs are really pretty, and all the stories you've heard about swimming with schools of fish are true.

Also found the most perfect property imaginable up there. Hundreds of fruit trees, green pastures, house in perfect ocndition, permanent creek, and an amazing swimming hole. Reasonably priced, too. Trouble is, we're not really looking at moving yet, and in order to purchase and move we'd need to do a lot of employment, financial, and social juggling. I also doubt I can get a high-speed, low-latency Internet connection in the middle of nowhere. :)

Work
Lots of work to do. Never rains it pours sort of thing. That's good, because it looks like I've got a secure line of jobs lined up for the next 3-4 months. No starving here.

Investment
Having looked at the farm in Mackay sparked a big session of financial planning. Found some great investment properties in Mackay (excellent rental returns), but Mackay's property prices aren't exactly moving, and the average price of units fell a little over the last year. Mackay's a small place, so any statistics on prices there should be taken with a large grain of salt.

Looking at properties closer to Melbourne, somewhat because it's easier to get to (living in Melbourne at all), and somewhat because of the high population and property value growth.