Just like every Sunday at around 9:15...

...only it's Friday night at 8 this time. You see, around 9:15 on Sundays I am to be found in my nearest LDS Church, taking the Sacrament and telling myself that I will do better in the following 7 days than I did in the previous 7 days. Around 8pm on Friday the 18th of May 2007 (my 346th month started today), I made the decision to make the next 345 months better than the 345 I've survived up until this point.

In fact, if anything indicates as to what sort of blog this will be, it's the fact that I, as a 28 year old male singleton (for those of you that couldn't be bothered to work out how old I am), am spending my Friday night doing this. Very much unlike my peers, who'll be out and about in the bars, pubs and clubs of Vienna about now. At least, I imagine they will be. Perhaps they're in a state of limbo too. Who knows?

Right, where to begin? Most of the people who read this will know who I am and don't need to hear all this again. If you find your way here by accident, I'll give you one piece of advice that I think will tell you enough about me. I'm an Expat. By choice.

I think that's probably the most important thing about me that anyone needs to learn. With the life experience I've attained so far, I've come to realise a few things. And the main one is this. Expats are a different breed to most. Not better. Not worse. Just different. They'll be abused and misunderstood by 95% of the world yet here I am, sitting at home proclaiming my affinity with them. Yet I do not fear. For although I'm in the present minority, I belong to the future majority. And that belief gives me hope.

So come on then! If you think you're hard enough, have a go at me and the other fivepercenters. Make fun of us. Deride us. Sneer at us. Scoff at us. (though it might only be me with a love for Thesauri...)

Be aware that the backlash is inevitable and approaching quicker than you can imagine. More and more people are joining the fivepercenters and, despite the best efforts of all LDS people like me, population growth cannot sustain the present 95-5 ratio. We're growing.

So, now that you have this information. Now you know who I am. There's just one question that's left to be asked.

Can you handle it?