Sorry for the late reply...I've been out backpacking and such.
Anyway I also find it really odd how big the time difference is between us. 8 hours is substantial.
Oh and awesome outdoor/forest pics you posted earlier. That tree looks awesome.
Oh just an idea, you mentioned being a "click away" from people from around the world...There is a Tree of Souls IRC channel where a bunch of us hang out and talk about Avatar and other stuff. If you are interested and want to know how to connect, just ask.

(I'm on till about 2:00 am here...so 10:00 am your time.)