oh my. Thanks to the Vanquisher for this: "Catholics vulnerable to OCD: study" Because this is MY DAD! Honestly. He really is OCD (although the linked article seems to think this is solely a germ-phobic compulsion. whereas obviously it can be any OC behaviour). He's a really devout Catholic. Thought he might become a priest when he was younger. He has a little shrine (creepy). And he has these obsessive security rituals. The security stuff seems to stem from a rational choice, but is carried to unreasonable lengths. I suppose he may have had some experience which might justify these types of precautions (in his mind), which I just don't know about - maybe I should ask?
8:50:00 PM

 
Also, I got a 33 on this Power Quiz. The lowest of all my friends thus far. If I was a monkey, I think I'd be embarrassed to be so, so... unleaderlike? unambitious? what exactly is it measuring?
8:35:00 PM

 
nb. while I remember, recent readings:
_The telling_ (Ursula K. Le Guin) 3/5
_A red heart of memories_ (Nina Kiriki Hoffman) 4/5
_Eggs, beans and crumpets_ (P.G. Wodehouse - damn, can't remember what P. and G. stand for) 3.5/5
8:26:00 PM

 
Man. Major insomnia last night. I didn't get to sleep till 3am - was it the TWO WHOLE MUGS OF COFFEE I had yesterday? Earlier in the day I'd thought about working late-late, but got to the point of needing dinner, and just never made it back in (surprising I know). Anyway, I cleaned my desk at home instead, inside and out. There is now a workable surface again, the drawers are ordered, and a rather pleasant lagniappe was finding a rather substantial CHEQUE in one drawer! from last September! a result of my last stockmarket fiasco!

I'd always assumed I was rather 'good' with money, but on deeper reflection I think I'm merely careful to live within my means and to ensure I have a safety margin. Someone who was 'good' with money wouldn't forget about a cheque like that. And there was also that term deposit I lost track of a few years ago. And my careful avoidance of the details of what my broker:sponsor:whatever actually does. Damn.
8:21:00 PM

 
Hm. Caffeine craving. Have been having evil instant like three to four times a week! May be addicted. To balance that sad unhealthy news, I did a nice double session at the gym last night, my first in like - a month? consarnit - this blog records my last double as part of my first triple like a month and a half ago! I'm sure I did a double after that sometime. Anyway, is nice to get back to the gym properly (went on Tuesday also), instead of the poor once-a-week efforts of the past three weeks. Have some pleasant delayed onset muscle soreness today.

What else's been happening? Oh, heh. My Vanquisher, despite having ground me into the dirt after our battle, and "nyah'ing" her victory at me, appears to be having doubts over her ability to do the job! Ridiculous!
9:44:00 PM

 
but dinner was nice. although very unhealthy. had one of my recommended serves of fish for this week, maybe even two - one more to go. have been eating WAY too much flesh lately, but it's probably good as I've run out of zinc supplements, and keep forgetting to resupply.
2:42:00 AM

 
gr. had insomnia last night. drank too much tea at dinner at chinese restaurant. don't normally go on a Sunday night. woke up late, rushed breakfast, and out of the house. forgot my keys. so couldn't lock up my bike, had to bring it inside. so can't go to the gym cos when i went it would have to be locked in here and i couldn't get at it again.
2:38:00 AM

 
(vague unformed thought i had while discussing the shame:enjoyment of blogging)

did the whole putting out a cigarette on my hand thing at the birthday party. it wasn't as painful as i thought it would be. i may even have gotten an endorphin rush from the novelty. but after a few hours it really stung and i thought "i'm not doing that again". don't think i could do the s&m thing.

(nb. it was an accident. and i wasn't even drunk.)

2:20:00 AM

 
had a housewarming and a birthday party last night. i wasn't as social as i would've liked. i dunno if i was distracted or just not in the moment or what. had a good time, but yeah, just wasn't fully into it...
1:59:00 AM

 
::grr::
is it the lack of exercise? crap diet? or am i actually getting stressed about work? argh so much to do! actually woke up worrying about it today :P
1:57:00 AM

 
airconditioning just came on. i smell boiled cabbage. interleaved with aroma de toast.
3:16:00 AM

 
last night had seeya drinks for officemate and friend. drank too much. hope wasn't too embarrassing.
3:09:00 AM

 
dammit - didn't get any of paper revision done today! blargh. spent all day on fixing runs :P finally done though - fingers crossed.
1:15:00 AM

 
funny how my computer always crashes on friday arvo (well, at least three of the handful of times it's crashed, it's been friday arvo).
1:14:00 AM

 
note to self: wedding pres for nerian and caron getting married end of june (27? 29?) over a beer with nerian last night, she mentioned they really enjoy reading the National Geographic, American Scientist and the Economist together, and since they're moving overseas after the wedding, and aren't doing no registry crap, a subscription might be a convenient mobile prez... need to get an address for them after... parents?
8:03:00 PM

 
phew. meeting over. set TWO alarms on my stereo for this morning at 7am and 7:15 am, but my speakers have been totally dodge lately, sometimes just not working at all, and when I woke up and glanced at my watch this morning it was 10 to 8 :P rushed in for meeting at 8:30am. was quite quiet. really needed to go to the bathroom for the last half hour. shouldn't have had that coffee.

my poor stereo needs some attention.
7:20:00 PM

 
Also, interesting item from yesterday, some roundabout feedback from my interviewers indicated they thought I came across as "a bit too laidback" and "without a fire in [my] belly". I would concur with this assessment. Partly it would be that as I didn't expect them to actually offer me the job in preference to The Foe, I was a little blase about preparation and also in the interview. However in general I think I may also come across this way. I know I should project more enthusiasm at times, but usually it seems like a waste of energy so I don't get much practice. Also, I don't actually have a fire in the belly, and frankly, it sounds a little uncomfortable.

nb. I don't really see The Foe as particularly internally combustible either, so this was just an excuse anyway. Not that they needed another!
12:44:00 AM

 
more than emails. just got a big multi-excitement-package too. so much good stuff. stuff i needed, stuff i wanted, frivolous stuff, useful stuff, funky stuff. stuff. stuff. stuff.
12:02:00 AM

 
okay. um. happenings. have fucked the rear right tire on auto. is in shreds. drove home on it last night - probably shouldn't have. hope have not damaged anything irreparably.

have had lots of nice emails today.

just got call from moo. in Oerth! back for just a couple of days after her big asia trip, and back to londres on monday.
8:39:00 PM

 
i hate it when people feel the urge to explicitly state when they're kidding.
8:48:00 PM

 
kidding. don't really think stonewash denim deserves death.
8:47:00 PM

 
Last night I killed someone. It was my first time. I stabbed them with a kitchen knife. I managed to get it between the ribs, but there was still quite a lot of resistance - like cartilage I think.

We were in a large house, double story. There was a young man, who had been killing a number of old people associated with this house. I was hiding in the kitchen, lots of stainless steel benches - you know the type.

He came into the kitchen and attacked me. I stabbed him, and noticed he was wearing skintight black stonewash denim jeans. He deserved to die.
8:33:00 PM

 
After the pub on Friday arvo, at which I felt bad for not talking to, nor buying a beer for the bye-bye guy, who's always been really nice and quite friendly, but I've never really gotten a chance to hang with, I went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Do you like that sentence? I really shouldn't let myself, but I quite enjoyed it. Anyway, the dinner was mostly of lawyers - or rather, law students. They mostly seem quite normal. I suppose it's once they get into the corporate culture that you have to watch out (meow). To justify that with some unscientific evidence, I know two proper lawyers I suppose, and at least one of them seems like a reasonable normalish person, but their shared obsession with materialistic trappings, at the expense of and also associated with just general unconcern for bigger picture environmental and human rights type issues, is scarily similar. I hope the students i had dinner with are not also turned to the Dark Side. Of course it's totally ridiculous for me to generalize from my sample of two real world lawyers. I will have to track the progress of the students and see if I can develop some process-based hypotheses leading to the field data I currently have.

Anyway. Dinner was quite nice. I had the sirloin. Have been eating much too much meat lately.

Then. Picked up my Dad from the airport. He's been in Sydney for a week, for the graduation of my little sister.

After that, I dropped back in at the pub. A couple of my friends were still there (5 hours later!), and Lauren and brad had joined them. I caught Brad's last karaoke performance, and had a beer, then gave them all a lift home - I thought I may as well make use of the unusual situation of being sober on a Friday night.


Saturday. Went to a lovely going away party for another work colleague who I also never got to hang out with enough. Was fortunate to get to have a going-away-and-closure chat with the colleague who had going away drinks at the pub on the previous night. Going-away-girl had a very nice mix of people. Apart from the work situation people, there were several other people I knew through other avenues. A couple of people I knew through friends who going-away-girl knew through "the catholic mafia" as one girl termed it, including a friend of my mum's! She also had several friends from her very outdoorsy type activities, who I knew through other friends. Feel bad I didn't mingle more, and I don't think I actually met ANY new people at all! :( Still had a nice time though.

After that, I left with Misha and went to a Reggae Party!!! Neither of us could remember even dancing to reggae ever before, much less going to an entire themed reggae night! It was in a warehouse in the north of the Hippie Suburb. Maybe 100 people or so. Misha knows a lot of people in that scene - the hippie scene that is, I don't think there's actually a reggae scene in this city. Many stoned people. A few Rastafarians. Many hippies. The music was different, and although much too slow for us to dance to, 40 or so people seemed to think it was fine for dancing. Everyone else was lounging about out the back or out the front.

I let myself be persuaded to go to another party in town for a proper dance. The main room was okay, but at times got a little monotonous. Out the back though the dj's were a little more interesting, and we got a nice mix of techno and more funky electro stuff. Had a good dance. Ran into some friends, met a couple of new people. But left about 4am.
12:45:00 AM

 
Fortunately, my subconscious proleptic ability (and my good raving friend, Sam) exhorted me to indulge in a liquid lunch, buffering me from the full ravages of this setback.

"I'll get yoouuu neexxxtttt tiiiiiiimmmmme!" (you meddling kids!)
11:58:00 PM

 
Tragedy...
::swelling limpid tears::
The forces of Darkness have overwhelmed me! The Adversary, strong and vicious in her cunning has prevailed! The ashes, the dry tasteless ashes of defeat...
::tremulous sighs::quivering lower lip::
11:54:00 PM

 
last night, went and saw a friend dj at a local pub. i like his taste in music. had two pints. how restrained and unusually unbingey.
9:26:00 PM

 
haha - just checked and you CAN set mail-check-interval in pine, i knew you must be able to, but when the system admin people were complaining about people checking too regularly, i never went and looked. it's been at the default (150s), which is what i'm used to. if it comes up, will pretend i didn't realize. of course, to do it convincingly i probably shouldn't write this here. oops.
9:20:00 PM

 
On Sunday arvo, went over to Mum's for lemongrass and ginger tea, chocolate, and catchup. Then to dinner with my Dad, Grandmother, and visiting Aunt at the resident Aunt's place. She lives kind of far away (well, half an hour), but it's so much farther when the Father drives. He'd mostly forgotten about the signalling thing again. He was totally distracted (talking with visiting-Aunt) and kept forgetting which route he was taking. The freeway wasn't too frustrating considering he wouldn't have gone above 80. And in at least one case he remembered to signal when changing lanes and then turn the signal off after he was in the next lane.

Surprisingly, it wasn't just us. Although the cousins are away, there was a girlfriend and the brother of my ex-uncle with his family (wife and two youngish kids). No one did proper introductions so I had to pick up names and these connections as conversation progressed.

The food was really good of course. Lessee, two fish curries (very good), fish paste stuffed peppers and tofu (good), chicken curry, spring rolls and fish cakes, a mushroom and chicken stew (with weird bamboo mushroom gooseflesh-skin-like things), a vermicelli veggie dish, a yam and pork roast (really liked the yam at the beginning of the slice i took, but was over it by the end). Am probably missing a couple of dishes. Mountains of food - as usual - yeah, she spent her mother's day cooking for us. Was nice and full at the end, and then the chocolate viennetta came out (how ethnic!). I took a small slice, and had to force myself to finish it. But then we went back to traditional - these bowls of sweet beancurd soup came out, followed by slices of this big pancake thing with peanut filling came out. yeah, THREE desserts. SO FULL.

The food is always good, but I usually sit quietly, feeling a little awkward, as they talk about weird stuff which I usually don't relate too. For example, at this particular dinner there was discussion of the local catholic church (usual), which schools are the best, real-estate prices, and other family type suburban stuff. Also, there's usually discussion of ex-patriate Malaysian/Singapore type stuff which I am kind of interested in from a cultural perspective, and which can be disturbingly revealing about the minds of some of my relatives and family friends. Another example, there was discussion of having maids (common in M'sia) - including a comparison of Indonesian and Filipino maids, and the effect of recent changes in the law.

I caught a belated liking for my ex-uncles-brothers-wife (I never caught her name) after she made several jokes about how bad she was at cooking, and having to relearn the skill after being used to having a cook back in Malaysia.

Although these family dinners aren't as much of a pain as when I was younger, alcohol would make them so much more enjoyable (or at least less interminable).
11:15:00 PM

 
okay. back. drama's drama's. But interview okayish. Didn't make total fool of self, but from blog-report by Nemesis, she is confident. With which I concur. I more or less admitted my inexperience in Fortran, I want to say they winkled it out of me, but really I just volunteered it as soon as it came up "I've done this, but not that. Or that. Or much of that". Overall, it went kind of quick. Don't really know what came out of my mouth, which is just as well, or i probably wouldn't think it wasn't a disaster. Interviewers (3) were nice and seemed to like me. The presentation could've gone better, but am not thinking about that. Probably should've prepared some dialogue to go with the slides. But then it was over and I was free!

Back to the Novotel to get changed, then into the centre/civic/mall. lots of shops. wandered through. checked out a number of bookshops. a Dymocks had a 25% off everything sale, looked like just remnants in there though. called my sole Canberra friend, Sabinne (who I met through Daria). She was without her car just then, but we arranged to meet later at the Novotel. I found an Angus and Robertson, and having cleverly brought along a gift voucher valid across australia, picked up _The Truth_ (Pratchett). Back to Dymocks and in the aisle started reading _Happiness_ (a psych study, Lykkens), and splurge on that too - "I need flight home reading! Really! I Do!" It was very weird going on the flight over *without* any recreational reading, just papers i had to review for interview, and which now that I think of it, I didn't really end up using much info from. "And it (the book) is 25% off! and it was already marked down to $8!". Then still having an hour to kill, I went over to Starbucks and got a choc frappucino (my first since in the US last March) and sat and read the first 8 or so chapters of _Happiness_. It's quite interesting, and summarizes various psych twin studies of happiness and misery and satisfaction and contentedness. However, the author is sometimes a bit too smug in tone, or even kindly condescending about stuff. He's also not very good at describing the use of stats, and is rather self indulgent about what he writes about (who cares that he likes and is good at making sourdough bread?). Partly the editors fault maybe. Anyway, it turns out I'm not as happy as I thought, even though I know I'm SO much happier than I was in middle-highschool. Or I suppose more accurately, I'm not as much happier than most people as I thought - most people think they're happier than most people :-) Which is good.

Back to the Novotel. Message from Sabinne saying she'll be 10-15 mins late, worry as I remember Daria complaining about Sabinne's immoderate lateness, but she arrives only 10 late with Kim who it soon appears is her boy. It seems she went off at him about their miscomm which caused her to be late :( which they talked about quite freely in front of me, which was nice.

Off to italian place nearby for dinner. I grab the dinner bill, and at the pub later, S and K take care of my drinks for the rest of the night. We get trashed. The pub was called _Filthy *something-possibly-irishish-like-McGonoughs*_ and was nice and warm inside (getting chill outside). I think we have 5 pints of Guinness each (S on half-pints).

I worry about S's self esteem, she's continually referring to other people as so much cooler than she - patently not true. We reminisce about a party Daria and Moesha had where S and I helped to decorate beforehand (that crazy glo-string!), and she also mentions how she felt that everyone at that party was so much cooler than she! In reality, I think she just didn't know many of the people there. I bring up my concerns when she goes to the bathroom, and K is also concerned. He says "she won't talk about it".

Some "issues" also came up, about S+K when K was in the bathroom. Hm. They *seem* fine and affectionate, were holding hands in the street, and he teases her which seems very normal to me, and I know she has brothers so surely she's been partially immunized to it's negative effects?! But she seems to refer to it as though she might not consider it usual.

A mystery. What will happen?

We leave the pub, and pass a local club which they were previously deriding as terribly meat-markety, I say: "I really don't need to go in" but S pays for me and we go in. Seems pretty normal clubby. Not very big. I get a Crown for me, and one for K. We have a boogie, S moves well, she should go dancing more. Get the feeling K doesn't like it much, but he does come have a bit of a boogie with us. Eventually we leave, and somehow it's 3am. Very Trashed.

Drink much water before bed.

Up too early (9ish). Hot shower. Meet the flatmate momentarily and her boy too. But rather than stay for brekky, I decide I should really check out the National Gallery, which should be walking distance. The flatmate reckons 25 mins/ half hour, which should leave me a wee bit of time to check it out before having to come back and get to airport for midday flight. But then S up, and have to talk for a bit. Finally go, takes me maybe 20+ mins, i look for about half an hour, and then know i should leave, but all the exit signs lead to staff only doors! and then i keep seeing paintings i want to go examine - sheesh, finally make it out, and powerwalk back by a slightly more efficient route, and stop to get flowers and take just over 15 mins! yay!


S's put away fold out bed, etc. phew. but yeah, still enough time for a breath before heading out to airport. um. okay. arrive at airport, S insists she and K park and we all go in, although i say "just drop me off". heh. she comes in and waits in line with me. and we see the departures screen, and it says a flight to Melb is cancelled. and i check my itinerary, and it's my flight :P up to the counter, rescheduled to a flight an hour later, but i would've been in melb for an hour and a half waiting for flight to perth, so can still make the connection. i have a foccacia. the plane to melb is delayed by 20 mins. i have a pepper steak pie. finally we board and take off. am slightly hungover. small propeller plane (2 rows of two seats) is very loud. midway through i ask the flight attendant if i'll make the connection, and she says the pilot is already trying to find out. comes back later. not very contrite, says's probably not, you'll have to go to the service desk and get a new flight. i sigh. but she's already away. so close, we land when other flight should've been taking off. ooh - sneaky corporate conspiracy cheaters thought just occurred to me, if i'd BEEN there for the flight, and it'd been overbooked and i'd had to take a later flight, they probably would've had to pay more than they did due to "circumstances"! as it was they bumped me up to first class and gave me refreshements vouchers (worth $14). i had to ask to use the lounge, and "Belinda" seemed reluctant, and *said* "oh, they don't usually like to let people in there", but she rang and they quite quickly said that'd be okay - i suspect it's usual if people ask. if i hadn't been slightly grumpy from hangover combined with cancellations/delays/ loud vibrating planes, i probably wouldn't have asked. BUT if i hadn't been hungover i might've asked for a car so i could go out and surprise Fleur and Neiman in my 3 hours there! go up to lounge. is very big. lots and lots of couches and armchairs. not very many people. lots of business type magazines. also _The Age_. take a copy. also a bar. juices. self serve wine. ooh - buffet. is mainly nibbly type things. dips, crackers, cheeses, olives. ooh - scones with jam and cream. fruit. me have about 8 glasses of OJ. One glass of wine. 3 cups of coffee. not game to try self serve cappucino - the milk sparger thing looks potentially embarrassing. many plates of pasta salad and carrot sticks with dip and olives and fetta and things. worry i'll be too full for dinner in business class. turns out not. and turns out i ate more when i got home. should;ve eaten more. wish i'd not been hungover and could've taken advantage of bar. and wine. wine on flight was too spicy (a cab sav) very peppery - couldn't even finish my glass. um. didn't end up using my refreshment vouchers :( ripped off. oh well. while in lounge, rang fleur and neiman, only neiman home, had catch up. went off. plane delayed oin tarmac. indicator light. engineer come to look. finally off. business seats bigger. not plusher though. more service, but so not worth it in my books. food a smidgeon better, but still not like restaurant or anything. section very empty - maybe 9 or ten of us amongst 30 seats? amelie was the movie - laughed out loud. didn't read much of my books. even enjoyed music on aeroplane stations.

argh, rush! time for me to go have Mothers Day meet with me busy mum!


1:17:00 AM

 
off to the capital tomorrow.
kind of happy cos i get a short plane trip away.
kind of not cos i have an interview.
i could just mysteriously disappear while over there!
get drunk with my Nemesis after the interrogations, get more drunk with my Decapolitan friend Sabine after that, and then just never be seen again! timing might be good - supervisor away for 12 days, Nemesis not coming back at same time, Parents away next week for little sister's graduation, hmmm...
3:43:00 AM

 
okay. yeah, had to go web surfing after getting a disturbing offer for me to give a seminar during my interview on friday and which i am leaving for tomorrow thus giving me one day to throw something together.

am very conflicted. really don't want to. but feel like i should. feel like i should at least have some slides on hand in case i get blasted with an Opposito-Change-Your-Mind-Ray (TM) and suddenly get the urge to voluntarily talk about work. but also feel i should put in the minimum effort to this interview which i feel is somewhat of a done deal and i think the interviewers know this also but are meeting like protocol/requirements/QAprocedure or something before hiring The Foe. but also don't want to come off as a total lazy bastard. blargh.

also keep running potential interview conversations in brain which end up with me explaining how I realize that their interviewing me as a second person is just procedure to fulfil, like to show they looked properly, when clearly The Foe is more qualified, etc., and then i have to explain that i understand this and that this is rational and good and i don't have self-esteem issues or anything.
7:35:00 PM

 
Three join US 'evil' list
hahaha...

ergh: "The White House detailed allegations that the countries were developing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in breach of treaties"

gosh! no! not in breach of treaties!
the relevant quote being: "the United States will simultaneously assert that it will not be bound by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, a 1969 pact that outlines the obligations of nations to obey other international treaties."

PAH!


7:16:00 PM

 
Quarter of pew believers take God's word as gospel
my. have doubts about phrasing of survey though.

Lion Nathan defends free beer for students
like the title. article boring though.
7:12:00 PM

 
okay, so got a haircut. feh. would've liked it left a bit longer on top. quite liked it long and shaggy actually, but wasn't very practical or professional. oh well.

7:12:00 PM

 
should get a haircut today. will leave getting real job for Friday. or not.
5:42:00 PM

 
blah. Was going to call the chair of my interview panel today to ask some questions about the actual job - but I felt too weird asking these questions when I already have an interview (in which I will presumably be expected to ask such questions). Was too taken by surprise at the original "do you want an interview?" phonecall to ask them then.

Have also just decided I'll be happy as long as I don't make a fool of myself at the interview. My Opponent keeps trying to come up with reasons they might prefer me, but I think the evidence so far indicates The Potential Employers prefer her (they contacted her first and have been scheduling me around her). Which is only rational of them (she has more experience in general, with more models, and with more systems, etc.). And which would make me quite happy, as the idea of having to make a decision about my future is a bit too daunting right now. Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping, into the fuuutuuuurrrre...
5:41:00 PM

 
hm. am thinking of making this blog a skeleton of a real journal. currently feels too verbose.
3:52:00 AM

 
"U.S. to Renounce Its Role in Pact for World Tribunal". No Way. How can they do this? And it looks like it's not just Bush - although I suppose the people quoted in support mostly appear to be unnamed "officials". Argh - but I like Colon! He's always seemed so sensible and rational - although it may have just been in comparison to others... I find myself making mental excuses "..that meano President must be making him; there are political factors; he doesn't really think it's a good idea..."

1:22:00 AM

 
Saturday, I went to the gym! I hadn't been for a WHOLE WEEK!

Apart from that, um, I thought about working on interview techniques or boning up on what I should know or the important people involved in this job thingo thing. But I didn't do anything of the kind. Am currently rereading _Blue Mars_ (KS Robinson) and really enjoying it. I had totally forgotten his apt comparison of capitalism to feudalism, with money instead of land, and pointing out that it really is undemocratic in nature. So true.

Anyway - went to a party a few blocks away, of a guy who used to work here, stood around, drank, bitched about work and interviews...

But then went to a cocktail party for Tane - it was actually for his birthday which I totally didn't realize!!! The invite said "Best Dress", noting underneath "Cross-dressing welcome". Don't have a dress though. So just did the pinstripe waistcoat deal. Tane was looking very tasteful in an elegant one-shoulder black floorlength number, with a fluffy neckline and knee-high black heeled boots. Most people had made a very good effort, with a great many guys in dresses and girls in suits to be seen. There were numerous wigs and drawn on moustaches. There were many bottles of alcohol.

Straight away, Lulu (who I went with from the other party) ran into a friend from highschool. At the bar I bump into four people from MY highschool. One of whom, it turns out, is going out with Lulu's friend! Heh. Also at the bar I run into Fly, who of course is there because she is good friends with Misha who has just moved in with Tane. Misha apparently hadn't been seen yet. I introduce myself to a Laird standing at the bar. He's new in town, travelling Australia until next semester when he goes back to finish engineering. He knows Sophie from Sydney, who walks up to us with Kima who I remember meeting at a cool cocktail party (-ah- it was a dacquiri party actually) she threw about three years ago, just before she went off to Japan. She dj'd for RTR, a local radio station, and had a really cool group of friends (I was brought along by Lira, a fantastic dancer I met at the ColdCuts party in um like 98 or 99, and who turned out to be an actual dancer, like dancing for a living! ). So I recognized her name but wasn't quite sure if it was she, so I asked if she dj'd for RTR, and she said yes, and said she remembered me from that very cocktail party! She even remembered what I do and we had a great catch up about her travels and mutual friends etc. Was very impressed she remembered me.

Later in the night I also ran into a girl who looks very similar to another friend of Lira's, and I introduced her to Lulu by this other person's name. She didn't blink an eyelid, but as the conversation went on, she referred to me by a nickname which is usually only used by a certain group of people, and I realized I'd totally fucked up. I'd actually met Bera a few years ago through another friend, and I hadn't seen either of them since. So again, very happy that someone remembered me. She was a really good firedancer, so we had a good chat about that, and her travels she'd just gotten back from (over east), and our friend Gee, who went to Europe just after we met, and came back a while ago and is now all settled and married and stuff.

Didn't really have any huge chats with the highschool guys, but we were positively radiating good will at each other, was very nice.

Misha finally arrived after being at a friend's place for dinner (theme of Stodge! heh). I met a couple of her friends who seemed nice, but whose names i can't recall (I think they were from Geraldton). Met one of the english people staying at Tane's for a bit (they're travelling around Australia in a school bus! cool!) Claire, who was most flattering and lovely to me and kept offering me some of her ultra-alcoholic cocktail. Had a bit of a boogie with Misha. Dance floor setup was pretty good. The music was all pretty funky for most of the night. Uby dj'd for a bit, and Tane too.

Oh! Nan (who i ended up going to Moo! with last week) was there too, and several other familiar faces from all over the place! (eg. like Oliver, who lived in Fleur's shed; James who seemed to be going out with Lisa but may have just been supplying her with substances; Erik, Misha and Fly's friend wearing a very funky suit...)

Eventually (4ish I think), the crowd thinned out, pretty good stamina for a cocktail party, with everyone drinking pretty hard. Lulu was cold, and although I felt quite sober, I knew I was officially not absolutely positively under the limit. We tried a couple of taxi numbers, but got frustrated with holds and transfers to new numbers, and Lulu, although she'd been stumbling around most of the night (a combo of the unfamiliar high heels and the numerous cocktails) insisted that if I didn't want to drive, she was totally capable of driving. She sounded reasonably sober, and wasn't stumbling any more (changed to sensible shoes), but I *knew* I had to have had less to drink than she had. So although a little dubious, I got in the driver's seat and we made our way safely and without incident, often via backroads, to our respective residences.

Was a very good party. Have missed a couple of incidents I'd like to remember that I'll have to fill in later.
4:04:00 AM

 
Friday night (after getting home from the pub): went to Funtastico for dinner with Lauren and Oenone and Daria and had a lovely catch up, got to vent imminent job interview stress. Got funny little buzz from being out and about with three attractive girls - how very shallow and sceney :-(. Lauren was very sweet about not wanting me to move to Decapolis - threatened to take up a job opening in Caphtor. Oenone mentioned her work may be opening an office in Decapolis too. Daria is planning to try and get a job and join Fleur in Nineveh, but will probably have to work here for a while first (a year? two?). I noticed a bookshop across the road which I'd never seen before - Daria: "It's been there for at least two years." I've never even been in there! I love bookshops and usually have a good look through any new ones I notice, but I suppose since I haven't really been buying, I've been ignoring them. Imagine when I have a real job and can allocate a budget for actual books!

After pizza, we went to the Irish pub up the road to wait for Oenone's bf (Fick). Had a pint of Kilkenny. Nell, a good friend of Oenone's, although I think they've grown apart a little the past few years, walked by and stopped to chat - she's been teaching web design to year 9's and 12's at some local highschool - I think as part of her teaching diploma or something (just did a 2 week stint). Was nice to chat. Fick arrived and Daria and I bailed.

Got breathalysed on the way home, which is still a little anxiety inducing for me (i think it was my 5th time ever), although I knew I must be under the limit (1 pint in more than an hour). Took AGES to finish the reading, it just kept beeping, and was so relieved when it stopped and he waved me through, that I didn't think to ask what the final reading was. I was curious, because, scientifically as well as practically, it would be interesting to build up a personalised calibration of how much drink results in what breathalyser reading since it varies so much from person to person.

Driving back to Namaska last week after dropping the housemate home, I also got breathalysed (yeah! twice in two weeks!), and I'd been drinking at the recommended limit of two standard drinks in the first hour, and one every hour after (ie. I'd had 4 standard drinks in three hours). Although rationally I knew that the guideline MUST have enough leeway to allow for odd metabolisms - what if?! what if my personal alcohol enzymatic breakdown cycle was of such an anomalous nature as to put me outside government mandated limits? I puffed into the unit, and watched the numbers tick up, 02... beep... 03... beep... 04... it's kind of slowing down... 05... beep... um... 06 uh-oh, the limit IS 0.05 isn't it? but the copper didn't say anything! 07... 08... it *used* to be 0.08, but they changed it! I KNOW they did! Had I drunk enough alcohol to throw me into a parallel universe? Finally, the copper opens his mouth: "You're going to be under, but we just have to wait to see what the final reading is. ...09... bbbbeeeeeeeppppp!. -ah- I notice it's not 00.09, it's 0.009. Duh. Phew. Duh. The decimal point was very small. In any case, my point was, although I'd been drinking at the recommended limit, I was still under five-fold the danger zone. So I need more data points to identify any trend.
2:52:00 AM

 
dammit - my lunch is trapped in the meeting/tea room. hate that. but not as much as interviews and seminars.
1:02:00 AM

 
they can't expect me to give a seminar! they CAN'T!
12:53:00 AM

 
TRIPLE ARGH! and my supervisor just said they'd probably expect me to give a seminar!!! ACK! I'm not ready for that! It's in a WEEK ferchrissakes!
11:31:00 PM

 
heh. and she also mentioned that one of our mutual friends was concerned that she wouldn't be able to pick who she should want to get the job - heh. I totally hadn't thought of it like that - now I'm going to make her (and maybe everyone else) pick a side! hee.
11:29:00 PM

 
But main news today is: job interview next week. argh.

Haven't had a job interview in like 5 years. Is a bit scary. To help relax, I've convinced myself I don't really want the job. Which is just as well since The Guru is up for the same job! Heh.

HA! and she (Guru) just came down with the news that we're THE ONLY TWO UP FOR THE JOB! HAHAHAAA!!!
11:03:00 PM

 
Woke up this morning feeling like I really wanted to go to the gym and lift some weights and maybe do some cardio, but got over it.
10:43:00 PM

 
hm. Thursday already and haven't been to the gym all week. Wonder if I should see if I can go without for the whole week?
12:44:00 AM

 
Shamelessly stealing the MicroStory idea...

Alice peered through the looking-glass. She didn't really want to live in the mundane human sphere, but was also a little scared by the foreign and rather weird territories on the other side of this mysterious boundary. She skimmed along the boundary until she reached the edge. Then, picking a suitable spot, Alice started defrosting embryos and selecting suitable tech, while generating plans for building her own galactic Empire, separate from both the human dominated and alien realms.

(hm - it seemed like an okay idea this morning when i was half-asleep... maybe it's just the execution...)
4:31:00 AM