As I type, fires are still raging across California, devastating thousands of homes and claiming lives. Even though they're a natural part of the environment there (ignoring arson), it's still a shock to see such huge areas ablaze -- especially so this late in the year.

It reminds me of the fires in Sydney, Australia over the past few years. The climate there is much the same as in California, and during summer fires are a common occurrence. In 2001 and 2002 they were particularly bad, blanketing the city in smoke and destroying countless homes.

Where I'm originally from - Adelaide, South Australia, bushfires are a fact of life. Most years bring long, hot summers and potentially drought conditions. Some years are worse than others - one in particular is remembered by most Australians, and that is 1983. On February 16, 1983 (known as 'Ash Wednesday'), fires broke out in the states of South Australia and Victoria. Before the day was out, over 350,000 hectares of land was burnt, 75 people lost their lives and over 2000 homes were destroyed. No wonder more Australians probably think of this tragic event than of the first day of Lent when 'Ash Wednesday' is mentioned.

Let's hope the weather in California soon brings relief and send our prayers out to the firefighters and all those affected by the fires.

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I've been spending most of this week getting stuck into the job effort, which is why I haven't been updating this journal every day. I've been contacted by a few recruiters this week, but thus far haven't got any interviews lined-up. Hopefully today's announcement of strong economic growth translates into more jobs, but I tend to doubt it. That's a rant for another time :)

In addition to the job-hunt, I have also spent quite a bit of time researching computer components. I'm planning on building a new system soon to replace our old desktop -- little did I realize how much things have changed since I last delved into the PC shopping game!

Building a computer from parts is a first for me, ignoring the highly technical microcontroller-based computer I built from scratch (and I mean scratch) with some other students back in uni :) It shouldn't be anywhere near as difficult as that, especially when you consider the countless computer upgrades I've made in the past for myself and family and friends.

I've ordered all the parts, except the video card which I can't seem to find online (I'll have to pick that up locally). Now the waiting begins :)