Blogging is starting to be taken seriously by product promoters. Some time back I posted (rather bitterly I admit) about the exhorbitant price of a TV theme mobile jingle I bought. Someone at the TV listing company that had linked to it (not the actual jingle company who got the money) saw that post, tracked me down and sent me a refund.

A few months ago, a company that makes a multimedia CD for teaching Australian English spotted my much-in-need-of-an-update Guide to Australia and sent me a review copy.

More recently I mentioned that well-known organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s had been bought by Cadbury. This prompted a note from the guys at Cocolo, makers of fine Swiss organic chocolate, letting me know that their product is available in Australia, and asking if I’d like to try a sample.

Would I? Ha!

There’s something about this chocolate that I can’t quite put my finger on. Something that makes it utterly delicious. It could be that unlike most brands, you get just a hint of the cocoa within, without it dominating. The Dark Chocolate Orange in particular had a rather lovely tangy aftertaste, which showed up a few seconds after I finished chewing, and left me hesistant to take another bite, lest it vanish. The other one, the Milk Chocolate, seems creamy but without being overly so, and leaves the bog standard Cadbury chocolate (which I like, mind you) for dust.

Both of them have the kind of taste that you could enjoy immensely in small doses, without wolfing the whole packet down in a hurry. This is great stuff, and I’ll be watching out for it in the shops.

I had a sudden moment of philosophical mortgage angst yesterday morning on the train. Reading the paper I found myself pondering if I was doing the right thing, signing up to borrow ARGH thousand dollars, to spend the next 25 years paying it off. Working for The Man, money goes in, money goes out… is this all there is?

BOOM! Mortgage, working, time wasted, life gone, mortality… it all hit me. I’m about to turn 35… my life is now mapped out until I’m 60. Should I be doing other things? Making more of my life? (Indeed, what if it turns out this is all there is to existence? Whoa… heavy stuff!) Enjoying my family, friends, hobbies more? Finding some entrepreneurial superJob that will earn me zillions (or at least pay off the damn mortgage) with little effort?

I was brought back to earth as the train pulled into Toorak, and a work colleague boarded and came over for a chat.

Pondering it some more later on, I know I’ve wanted to own my own house for a while, and I’ve snagged a good one, where I know we’ll be happy. I’ll pay it off as quickly as I can, maintain the short working Tuesday thing as a nod to the work/life balance, keep trying to ensure my work and extracurricular activities are challenging, stimulating and making a difference.