I got to know Mie 51 weeks ago at Burning Man 2002 and became enamored of her. Despite her intention to avoid getting too close (due to the reality of geographical distance, as she lived in Japan and I lived in San Francisco), I even kissed her one night.

Two months later I visited Tokyo, feeling awkward, not knowing what to expect. The uncertainty dissipated quickly, thank goodness. Love, as they say, blossomed.

Over the next 10 months I visited Japan once more, and Mie came to California twice. Together for two weeks per visit, separated up to four months in between. Some would say we have had scant time together to really know one another, but we employed methods afforded to us by this modern age which allowed us to share both the large and the small moments of our lives. We intertwined ourselves regardless of timezones or oceans.

As I type this Mie is 35,000+ feet over the ocean hurtling towards a new life. In a little over two weeks we will have been together on the same continent for the longest uninterrupted span of time ever. And frankly, I never intend to be apart from her for even that long again.

CNN International did a video segment on moblogging featuring Mie and her moblogging site. You can watch it (you'll need windows media player) here: Tech Watch

Porton Down in England is a large tract of land that was established in 1916 as a bio/chemical warfare research lab, and thus has been under the tightest security for nearly a century now.

An article from The Independent UK reveals something else about Porton Down: The secret of Porton Down: behind its defences, it has created Britain's finest wildlife reserve

Yet it has another identity, known to only a few, which makes those acquainted with it see Porton Down as a jewel. It is a time capsule of a forgotten countryside which has created probably the single best wildlife site in Britain.

For example, it is beyond doubt Britain's the best site for butterflies. The ultra-high-security 7,000-acre Ministry of Defence estate north-east of Salisbury consists largely of unspoiled flower-rich chalk grasslands, dotted with woods, where 46 of our 55 native butterfly species, or 83 per cent, have been recorded, more than at any other location.

The public can visit, but you must write in to reserve a tour spot and it is currently booked up through the summer of 2005. I'm thinking about booking a spot now and planning a trip around it later....