This is for the benefit of the various people who have wondered in chat why I'm here at such weird hours, how come I seem to spend all my work time in the chat room, and how they can get a job like that too.

The Scene: The third floor of an office building somewhere in Auckland. It is 8pm. A small group of web developers, consultants and copy editors wait for the day's America's Cup racing reports to arrive.

8.30 pm: They have not yet arrived. Yay! It's RinkWorks time.

8.31 pm: Brunnen-G enters chat room and almost immediately has to leave again because somebody wants to know about rules for keel modifications to IACC class racing sloops.

8.35 pm: A debate on the other side of the room is becoming heated as to whether or not a middle-aged co-worker can do a cartwheel. Money hinges on the issue. All adjourn to corridor by the lifts to find out. The verdict: Yes he can, but it is not a pretty sight. All adjourn back to office for ritual killing of Chris's iMac with standard office-issue orange plastic suction-dart guns. Brunnen-G has heard that some people think office work is boring, but can only conclude that these people don't work with web developers.

8.45 pm: Yay! It's RinkWorks time.

Much, much later: Work arrives. It is severely dealt with, in between trying to help sort out Finchplucker's school problems in the RinkWorks chat room.

10.30 pm: Brunnen-G changes out of formal work attire (jeans, t-shirt, bare feet) into Coastguard uniform and goes to Marine Rescue Centre to crash with the rest of today's night shift. Everyone else got there earlier and hogged the good bunks. Brunnen-G gets back corner bottom bunk which requires act of contortionism to get into.

10.45 pm: Walk out along breakwater, sit on rock with feet in water, look at pretty night harbour scene, think deep philosophical thoughts. Think about how nice it is at night on the water. Get eaten by mosquitoes.

Later: Try to get to sleep in back corner bottom bunk. Top bunk is approximately 10cm above nose. Pretend to be in submarine, POW camp, or 19th century sailing vessel steerage class. Think about advantages of having a Calvin & Hobbes mentality. Think about leaping up and beating to death Wayne in top bunk who is snoring. Decide it isn't worth the 20 minutes of effort required to get out of bunk and back in again. No callouts tonight, thank goodness. (Another night of sleeping in clothes wasted.)

Even later: Suddenly remember about forgetting to set VCR to tape Lexx tonight. Make mental note to buy VCR capable of taking phone orders. Go to sleep thinking about eventual master-plan for rewiring of own boat. Still not sure what look to go for with main switch panel: ultra-modern; classic simplicity; or retro-Victorian alternative dimension with engraved brass plates, cut glass knobs on everything, unnecessary flashing lights and big levers everywhere.

5.45 am: Wake up feeling manky, but at least all I need to do to get dressed is put my shoes back on. Go outside and watch sunrise. Think deep philosophical thoughts about how nice the water looks and the air feels at this time of day. Yawn and go home.

6.00 am -- 11.00 am: Theoretically, do all the stuff that normal people presumably do in their evenings. In reality, sleepness night catches up at around 10 am and Brunnen-G zonks out for a couple of hours, barely waking up in time to have breakfast at around noon, shower and change clothes, and get to work at 1.00 pm.

1.01 pm: Work has not yet arrived. Yay! It's RinkWorks time.

Brunnen-"life is good"G