I've been ignoring my diary all week. Instead of writing here, I've been feverishly refreshing the BBC Sport and FA websites waiting for news on the Man Utd / Arsenal fiasco.

Since that's now all over and done with, not necessarily to a satisfactory extent, but over with nonetheless, I have more time to think about what needs to be said.

Let me start by saying that I've lost more than a stone in just over a month, dropping from 14 stone 12lbs to 13 stone 9lbs. I'm looking healthier and feeling healthier. It's amazing how quickly the weight drops off when you really try. I'm on the Atkins diet now, and have been for more than a week, and it should be noted that while I'm discovering some very inventive omlette recipes, I really do miss potatoes and rice. It's funny that most diets provide you with plenty of carb and no meat, and people hate it because of the lack of meat, and yet when you have all meat and no carb, you miss the carb just as much. Perhaps it's the body telling you that a balanced diet should include a good mix of both?

So I'm happy. Even more so that, financially speaking, I've outperformed my expectations this month. After previously believing that I would struggle to earn even nearly as much as I expected to spend, I've really tightened the purse strings and not only have I got plenty of cash left over, I'm finally on the verge of being able to clear my overdraft - and stay out of it long term - for the first time since I went into it 6 years ago. Needless to say this means that the champagne will be coming out this weekend. And the vodka. And some bourbon. A little Kahlua, perhaps, for good measure. I could go on...

Further, Homeworld II is released this weekend, and it's on pre-order with Amazon, and should give me something extra to wile away the weekend. That and Warcraft III, which I started playing again last night, only on Battle.net rather than vs comp. Got slapped like a n00b, just like first time I played online with Broodwar. Of course, two weeks later I was a powerful force hammering away at veterans from around the world ;)

But I think you get the gist. This is a very personally happy Insane Bartender, signing off.

IB

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