Blustery
It's very windy today. Going down my hill on a bike, I could feel the occasional gust slowing me down. It was also pretty blustery last night. I went to a graduation/end-of-semester party; they'd set up this sand- and water-trap obstacle course around the side of the house which visitors had to traverse to get to the party/keg/slushies. Unfortunately the wind blowing down this corridor got too strong and they closed it off. Because the invite had been rather beachy in theme, most people turned up in sandals and t-shirts. It got pretty chilly, but since the kegs and slushy machines were set up outside, that's where everyone stayed. After that, I went to a housewarming, just west of the city, which was also mostly outside. The continued drinking helped. But am going to cut back. Again.

Blockbuster
We are to see HPII this evening. I worry I have been brainwashed by e v i l m a r k e t i n g f o r c e s. Although I enjoyed the books, I didn't think they were better than most of the stuff I read. I'm also usually rather lackadaisical about seeing movies, even if I think I'll really really like them, and I only expect to "like" this one. So why am I seeing it? It doesn't seem fair to the better movies out there.

Books
Finished _Sanditon_ a version of Austen's last unfinished work, finished by "Another Woman" (as it says on the cover, I think the actual name was Marie Dobbs). I thought it was quite well done, the tone and style very readable, and not noticeably unAusten. The characters were well-drawn, the plot and dialogue amusing. Also mainstreaming me was _Werewolves in their youth_ (Michael Chabon), readable lively short stories. No actual werewolves feature.
10:43:00 PM

 
Worry
Am I turning into my Father? NOOOOOOO!!!!!
Today my driving has been most unimpressive: I forgot to turn off my signal after a lane change, PLUS I tried to take off in the wrong gear twice!

Whoa
Have spent an obscene amount of money today ($360+) - but have one birthday present and three Christmas presents down, plus tix to see Plump DJ's, Krafty Kuts and Soul of Man - ooh - AND Scratch Perverts! Fingers crossed it doesn't get too crowded...

Whingers
"A Newspoll survey conducted in September [...] found 62 per cent of Australian households believe they "cannot afford to buy everything they really need". Almost half the richest households - with incomes over $70,000 - agreed. [...] The report's author, institute executive director Clive Hamilton, says inflated expectations, not inadequate income, are the problem."
So true, it's sad that I actually know people like this. Surely *everyone* thinks about 'the meaning of life' sometimes - why doesn't that keep this materialism in check?

Woo-hoo
_Mooning is OK, court told_ although, they haven't actually decided the case yet, the lawyer for the mooner just argued that it's OK as a political act.


11:02:00 PM

 
News of the day
"Tokyo: Giant jellyfish with bodies the size of washing machines have turned up off the central coast of Japan in their largest numbers in decades." How ultracool.
10:10:00 PM

 
Eating
Tangy, herby, roast vegetables in flaky pastry. Key-finding blessings to stlkrgrl.

Blessing
Way back in the dawn-time of pre-blog, I was undergoing a stressful pre-conference preparation for several weeks. My compassionate friends regarded my slack-jawed expression, dry skin, and once-lustrous coat with sorrow. Buttercup, a little stressed herself over (?) an exam (all, please feel free to correct my recollection), and with a yen for some good karma, made me an eggplant and lentil casserole to restore the shine to my fur and wet to my nose. With her satisfactory outcome, edible sacrifices for karmic goodness became de rigeur. Stlkrgrl, having lost the keys to her life, presented me with a tasty spicy chickpea concoction, and found them restored. Shortly afterward, I believe there may also have been cake from girlie, and although my recollection does not extend to the karmic outcomes of her situation, I am sure they were very favourable.
11:25:00 PM

 
Drinking
Yesterday morning was The Housemate's last exam ever! Well, for this degree anyway. Accordingly, she spent the afternoon getting well trashed, came home, had a nap, woke up still drunk, then made me go out with her to meet her classmates and drink more. We strolled over to the pub five blocks from our place and laughed at (and with) all her similarly very very drunk friends. Bought us a bottle of wine (must remember Norman's Unwooded Chardonnay is one wine she's not allergic too, while the Peter Lehman's Semillion Chardonnay *is* allergenic - I can't believe she doesn't keep her own list!) and I think I managed to catch up reasonably quickly (after 4 pints or so). There was a very big turnout, with final-year finished law students from three different universities converging. It's pretty amazing how people become fun when they're drunk. Or is that when I'm drunk? They had some funky music, and we had a good little dance. The last dj of the night was a friend - I wonder if The Housemate could get him to play at her party? He may be too professional...
10:21:00 PM

 
poot! just realized I can't make it to the big cocktail party next Friday, was invited to a friend's big Christmas party already - darnit, was really looking forward to it!
10:17:00 PM

 
oh maaan. i'm SO going to miss everyone :P
7:38:00 PM

 
yay! excuse to procrastinate! :) Housemate just asked if I could look into making up an invite. It probably won't be very elaborate though...
11:26:00 PM

 
Last night I had a really big catchup with a friend who I haven't spoken to in a few months (let's call her Fiona). She's been having a terrible time. A psycho ex-housemate who'd been threatening to "ruin her life" broke into her house and stole all her stuff - stereo, cd's, and computer - which, since she's doing computer-related study, is a major blow - I think a substantial chunk of her work is gone. Poor girl. Apparently the ex-housemate is somehow mafia-related, so no one dares retaliate. Not sure about the full story - she *must* have told the police! Anyway, she was just too scared and had to move out of that house, and the two friends she was living with were somewhat insensitive - I think she's written them off as friends. They left all the moving and cleaning till the last minute, so Fi ended up doing most of it (since the lease was in her name, and she wasn't prepared to leave it all to the last), which really stressed her out. One of the housemates (who I would count as a friend, and won't write off till I get her side, but who is admittedly ditzy, and probably was insensitive) payed her rent three weeks late, ie. my friend had to pay it, and essentially had no money for food for three weeks. Fortunately she had a boyfriend to feed her! As a final blow, the now ex-housemates haven't yet come through with final utility bill payments, which could total $300+ or so - leaving my friend in debt while studying, with no savings, and no pc. She's had to go to her mostly estranged ultra-religious parents whom she's hardly spoken to for four years, to try and work something out. Some mutual friends were passing the hat after the break-in, so I gave $10 and promised to copy some cd's, but I can definitely do better than that. I'll have to find out the address of her new place to maybe implement some good sammy moves.

7:50:00 PM

 
Religion
Why religion doesn't matter reviews a book (Why Religion Matters) by religious historian Huston Smith. A couple of interesting quotes include:

"He [Smith] even has the audacity to claim of religion that "nothing has been more stable in our history... Religion does not shift or waver." " [heh]

"An interesting theme of the book, and one worth commenting on given the current climate, is Smith's treatment of Religion as a single concept." [a nice counterpoint to Ford's book, which deliberately focuses on Catholicism]

Of course, [practicality: on] I would say it does matter coz people get all fanatical and terroristic about it'n'stuff...

and Politics
Cool! The Political Compass - Take the test! A pretty well thought out scaling of political leanings. Graphic stolen from there.

Hm - you should probably take the test, before reading further (may be spoilerish).

From their page: "Both an economic dimension and a social dimension are important factors for a proper political analysis. By adding the social dimension you can show that Stalin was an authoritarian leftist (ie. the state is more important than the individual) and that Gandhi, believing in the supreme value of each individual, is a liberal leftist. You can also put Pinochet, who was prepared to sanction mass killing for the sake of the free market, on the far right as well as in a hardcore authoritarian position. On the non-socialist side you can distinguish someone like Milton Friedman, who is anti-state for fiscal rather than social reasons, from Hitler, who wanted to make the state stronger, even if he wiped out half of humanity in the process.

The chart also makes clear that, despite popular perceptions, the opposite of fascism is not communism but anarchism (ie liberal socialism), and that the opposite of communism ( i.e. an entirely state-planned economy) is neo-liberalism (i.e. extreme deregulated economy)."

ie. authoritarianism is not necessarily "right wing" (eg. Mugabe, Pol Pot, Stalin and Hitler).

Me:
Economic Left/Right: -3.75
Authoritarian/Libertarian: -6.36
So, am more libertarian, less left than Gandhi - guess am a little surprised at being so left, think I'm a somewhat qualified capitalist (as in, I believe capitalism could work fairly with some modifications, as opposed to me having a B.Sc. in Econs and Commerce). Hm, just retook it, and turned out even more left at -4.68, and a little more libertarian: -6.46.

I wonder if we can get together a collection of Oz pollies on this compass? (as they've done for the UK)
9:50:00 PM

 
Dear fellow blogsters,
The Housemate's birthday is on the coming 13th, which happens to be a Friday. Completely coincidentally, she's decided to hold a Friday the 13th soiree. So I hope you're free that night. Start thinking about appropriately outre and spooky attire. Proper invites to come.
yrs,
- t.
8:10:00 PM

 
ha aha ha!
"Clearly, Ms Sheppard has a magnificent pelvis."
[synopsis: Woman sues her doc over complications in giving birth to her rather large baby, alleges her ob-gyn should have given her a caesarean; the expert who provided the above quote disagrees.]

12:12:00 AM

 
heh - I seem to have entered a war with the CACA. Just turned the system off for a second time. Perhaps I shouldn't admit my part here, but I guess if they really want to ID me, they could just take my fingerprint from the on-off switch.

nb. It's supposed to reach the sweltering temperature of 24 ºC today, and it's always a few degrees cooler than ambient in this building anyway - why in the world does the CACA want air conditioning?
11:48:00 PM

 
Just raided the family photo archive (rather sparse) for a birthday present for me Mum. Managed to find black and white baby photo's of us kids and collaged them in a black frame with a plain black background. Am taking her out to dinner tonight.

Last night was Fick's birthday. The Gang plus a few others went for dinner at a Mexican restaurant (I brought him a bottle of tequila). The restaurant was having two-for-one cocktail jug specials. We got several (Black Mexicans - vodka, kahlua, coke; Sangria - OJ, red wine, Grand Marnier, club soda, sugar, lemon; and, of course, Margueritas). Had the spicy stuffed squid for dinner, on a bed of rockmelon salad. Quite interesting. We all went back to Fick and Oenone's afterward, for more drinking and carousing. Haven't been that trashed for a while.
11:08:00 PM

 
mmmMMMmmm.... choc chip cookie...
10:10:00 PM

 
-sigh- One good thing about coming in to work on the weekend, is that the air conditioning isn't automatically on - it has to be deliberately turned on for each "wing" of the building. Who is the pesky Compulsive Air Conditioning Addict (CACA) in my wing? Luckily, I brought a jumper.
10:07:00 PM

 
BBQ last night was good - kudos to Butters for organizing it!

Have had TWO cups of coffee today. Am rather jⁱt^te_ry. Should probably be doing half-teaspoons.

A friend who has been working on/at Martha's Vineyard popped up out of the blue for lunch (leek and sweet potato soup).

It's even more freezing than usual in here. Apparently the airconditioning is broken.

Should be doing a LOT more work.
10:40:00 PM

 
I actually went to a non-compulsory seminar this morning. Nice to see some of the same issues popping up in Buttercup's work as mine, and it was... relieving? hope-inducing?... to see that she's exploring some stuff that really needs exploring!

Have actually done some work today. Although a large chunk of it was rather mindless, time-consuming (if somewhat satisfying) stuff.

I also managed to import my addressbook from a (sadly) recently defunct email account into a new one.

Caught up with girlie over lunch.

M: 2+0+1
T: 1+1+1
W: 0+1+1
11:38:00 PM

 
Oh darn - a friend was organizing a huge boat bash birthday party for Australia Day next year - would that be a silly reason to try and postpone starting a week?
8:55:00 PM

 
What will The Housemate do? Who do I get to move in? Will Papa be happy with the current arrangements for that place without me there? Does this mean they actually read my papers and didn't think they were crap? Were they turned down by other people first? How do I find out? How many interviewees did they have? How come I'm barely getting more than The {bloody intern lawyer} Housemate? How much more is the cost of living in Nineveh? Shouldn't I apply for more jobs first? Will they offer me accom till I get on my feet? Would E&M want a lodger? Just for a bit? I could take care of their possums. Ooh will get to hang with little sis! How would I commute? What would be the best location? Should I take my car? If so, does that mean I drive across? Take the train? Who do I ring first? When should I tell different people? Namely, the parents? um.
8:46:00 PM

 
Crap - and *now* I start thinking of the practicalities - are there carers (pour Grandmere) who can come around in the evenings? surely... dammit - was just starting to see her regularly.
8:36:00 PM

 
Didn't even tell my parents I had a job interview.
8:35:00 PM

 
Guy goes: "OH FUCK!"
Breathe! Breathe dammit! *gasp*
{hyperventilating}
Got phone call.
Job offer.
Oh Fuck!
8:24:00 PM

 
Guy reads book - is unimpressed
Fiiinally finished _Mansfield Park_ (Austen). Buttercup mentioned it was her least fave Austen. I would concur (although I still have to read _Persuasion_, and probably reread _Pride and Prej_). Fanny and Edmund were priggish and vapid. If you could have read it (as I was trying to in the latter half) as their destiny reserving them for a special hell in each other, inflicting and reflecting their jejune blandness for all eternity, then there may have been some small satisfaction in it. Alas, I was just happy to get it out of the way.

_A dance for Emilia_ (Peter S. Beagle). Um. Ok. (spoilers) Wannabe-dancer dies but after a little while possesses his pet cat and talks to his best friend and his lover. He dances real good as a cat. Then he goes away again.

_A short introduction to theology_ (D Ford). Have only just started this, suspect I may not finish it. It is already as annoying as I expected. This may be partly due to him starting out rather defensively (in addition to expected pompousness).
6:38:00 PM

 
Anyone else for car trouble?
Saturday, I managed to visit a friend who works in the markets in Hippieburb, plus pick up some organic fruit and veggies at his stall. Unfortunately, I then spent several staggered hours waiting around for different RAC people to jump start me, driving around trying to recharge, and finally getting them to conclude that the battery was defective. But they were relatively efficient about getting it replaced - and happily, it was still under warranty.

Warning: long
Saturday night was the rather extravagant Scorpio party, themed el Dia de los Muertos. Did I mention that it turns out I also knew two (of the seven) Scorpios? The housemate and I headed over about 10ish, and arrived at the large, rambling, two-storey, *fantastically* decorated house. Entry to the house was via the mouth of a huge skull leading into a temporary corridor extended from the front door. The actual entry corridor of the house glowed a sickly green. The first room on the right was a mass of orange shag-fur pillows (and I only later noticed two atari game screens also set up for people to play). The first room on the left was the upper-level dance floor. I managed to catch Scorpio number 1, and gave him a birthday bottle of chianti (with dead rose tied on).

My friend Hird was dj'ing for like his second time in public. So we had a boogie. The dancefloor/room also lead outside to an excellent balcony which curved around the house to the front and also around the back, overlooking the extensive backyard - which was already FULL of people. There was a live band down there, another open-air dancefloor, and a bonfire with masses of people around it. Whilst on the balcony, I ran into two more people I knew - one a ravey feral, and one a somewhat upmarket house dj. Hird's ex arrived with a girl I used to do swimming training with, and we had a good boogie inside and a good chat on the balcony. A guy in a bowler hat sitting on a low couch next to us stood up (waaay up - 6 foot 8) and introduced himself and his height-induced insecurities. Sam (my dancing bud) arrived for more of a boogie. A saxophonist (not arranged!) had been wandering around the house and started jamming freestyle with some of the funkier jazzier tracks Hird was playing. It was very very cool - and the dancefloor was jumping. Soon after, an electric guitarist also managed to plug himself into the amp and played along.

Behind the dj - and, it turned out, in several other rooms in the house, a large scorpion with glowing green eyes was painted directly on the wall. Myriad mini mirror balls were suspended on fishing line from the ceiling. Weird fluoro corrugated plastic tubes extended from the walls like tentacles. I managed to open beers with a cigarette lighter. Lots of smiley people I didn't know came up and danced with us.

At the end of the entry corridor was a steep flight of stairs, with red-furred banister and metre long black scorpion climbing up. At the bottom, a living room full of couches and beanbags and people lounging. Through the living room, another corridor led to a bathroom with bath full of ice and drinks guarded by a large red-back, and a door to the backyard and the huge morass of people. Lots of skeletons in evidence. A Santa Claus. A spanish dancer. Giants in pin-stripe suits, wigs, and makeup. Capes. Fur. etc.

Tucked away around the corner was The Gemini Room. Apparently, the Scorpios have some issues with Geminians (or two-headed freaks, as they like to call us). The Gemini Room was a rather small windowless concrete room, with a rather powerful strobe flashing away. There were (stuffed toy) pigs hanging by their necks from the ceiling, covered in bloody wounds. No one hung out there much.

At the other end of the downstairs corridor was The Dungeon Dancefloor. The room was completely covered with black plastic, and decorated with fluorescent graphics (skeletons, scorpions, stars, spirals), and UV light. Fluoro slinkys hung from the ceiling. A life size blow up skeleton apparently filled with helium bobbed around the room. The music was darker, the room claustrophobicly sweatier, and the atmosphere electric. The dancers were going off. (The most ridiculously tiny little kitchen opened from the back corner of the Dungeon).

I also ran into the nice girl from the costume shop where I had looked for a skull mask earlier in the day. The other Scorpio I knew looked very cool as a headhuntress - in a necklace of skulls and a grass skirt. There was also a full on Princess Amidala swanning around. I eventually met two more of the very lovely Scorpios (a skeleton and that spanish dancer). A couple of the more hardcore dancers from last weekend's forest-party were also dancing. Met some nice people in the loo-queue as well as on the balcony and dancefloor. It turns out one of my friends used to *live* with Dina (who met us at the party). I bumped into a Scorpio (but not one of The Scorpios) who was in my homeroom in highschool. One of the skeletons turned out to be the sister of one of my best friends at school.

I had a very good dance until 6ish, and was rather exhausted after (moreso than last weekend I think). I haven't been to such an excellent party with so much effort put in for a long long time.
6:45:00 PM

 
Had dinner with the Mother, the Sister and her Boy at a pretty cool newish southern African restaurant (I think it encompassed South African, Namibian, and Zimbabwean influences at least). Sister's old Boy (SoB hereafter - kidding, he's really nice, mostly) worked in Africa for years, and so had the lowdown on the food. We had crocodile, biltong and mud huts (stuffed shrooms) for starters, and I tried the Windhoek lager (Namibian/German, quite hoppy, good). Followed by a buffalo steak for the Sis (nicely bloody), flatties (chicken, road-kill style) for the SoB, Prawns Afrique (in a spicy peri-peri sauce) pour Maman, and Boerewors (South African sausages) pour moi. No, there wasn't much choice for a vegetarian (they had a pasta dish I think). We also had a sidedish of pap (mielepap - a maize mash), and for dessert the koeksisters (braided pastry in syrup).

Up in the equatorial tropics, the Sister and SoB work with the mother of one of the waitresses at the restaurant. She'd told them they must try the place. So we did. And it was nice. With a hippo theme.
8:14:00 PM

 
I was very sad to see the end of Backberner last night. I really liked that show - where will I get my political satire now?

nb. Just had a chat with the Big Guy visiting here, associated with the job I applied for over there. It wasn't a hopeful sign that at the end he started telling me about other positions coming up in the near future! (Although he did pre-qualify this, noting he was really leaving the job decision up to the team over there).

Pushkin! why have most of my archives disappeared again? Hate that.
5:54:00 PM

 
NOTES

Grandmama much better last few days - up and about, eating, talking. Is good.

Tried the organic, nonexploitative chocolate from Oxfam/Community Aid Abroad last night. Is good.

Finally sent off birthday cards to both the Wicked Sisters. Is good.

Whoa - what a beautiful day! Gotta be 35ºC (outside - is more like -5ºC in here). Is good.

8:19:00 PM

 
Have received complaints about verbosity.
Will aim 4 succinctness hereafter.

At least until next weekend report :)

T: 0+0+1.

9:35:00 PM

 
No, really, Stop
Just got an email from Main Interviewer, saying I'd hear from them soon. *Blargh*.
Urgh - getting urge to google for "cost of living in Ninv". Ridiculous.

Y: 0+0+1
T: 2+0+1
9:46:00 PM

 
Stop (thinking)
No no no! lo-ol - I'm trying to STOP thinking about that job and interview and the scary scary future! (thanks for the excellent reference!)

Start
Hm - meant to note that Sasha also invited me to a more private (kind of birthday) party next weekend which she's helping organize. I'm much looking forward to it. Some of the same dj's as Saturday's party (AND one of my friends who has only *just* started dj'ing and I haven't heard play before - I'm not sure whether I should rag on him mercilessly or be a little more sensitive and supportive - votes anyone?). 2 dancefloors in a private house. Themed as "The Deadly Carnivale" which I'm interpreting as a la Mexican Day of the Dead - happy, celebratory, lively, but also deathly. Am I too old to get excited by dressing up?


4:38:00 PM

 
Rewind
I've been meaning to comment on lo-ol's entry from last week, but the 'comment' function wasn't working (just for that entry, for some reason), and still isn't. All I was going to say was "1300 model runs over your lunchbreak?! You *SO* Suck!"

Fast-forward
But looking toward the future - yes, finished my phone interview (for a job next year - crap that's soon!) about an hour ago. Thanks to stalkergirl for helping me prep at the pub on Sunday. The immediate anticipation of interview felt a little weird - I took it at home, where I'm normally ultra-relaxed, but sitting in my living room waiting for the phone to ring, I was getting butterflies. Actual Interview went for an hour (which pretty much flew). It had many elements of comfortability and banter and non-seriousness, plus I think I managed to answer most of their questions satisfactorily - EXCEPT FOR ONE! DAMMIT! Yes, I knew they'd trip me up on a tech question - they bloody asked me about fluid mech, and how I'd go about solving an adv-diff problem, or just check that I was getting an okay answer - like, they weren't expecting me to do the math or anything, just give an idea of how I'd go about it, but I was totally stumped at the time. Finally, painfully, I managed to come up with some dodge answer which they accepted... -sigh- that *one* bloody question... They reckon they're hoping to make an offer within a couple of days. But am forgetting about it now though. Must remove acrid taint of negativity by thinking about...

Play
Had a very very good night on Saturday. I went to a Hilltop Party way out in the forest with The Housemate, Dina, Delia and Sasha. It was ages out of the city (well, relative to everything within the city), but looked pretty simple to get to, just down a highway and then a couple of turns out in the forest - but we totally missed the last turn-off, and drove and drove (and drove), and took about 90 mins to get there rather than an hour (yeah - which isn't really that far, I suppose), but we finally got there about half past midnight, and parked near a string of other cars. We got out in the not-quite-pitch blackness, lit by a sliver of moon and the brilliant constellations, and followed the bass. I was pretty prepared (this party was organized by the same crew as put on Bloom a few months ago, the last outdoor party I went to), and apart from lots of water (of course), I also had a torch, jumper, beanie, war-paint, dust masks, juice, gum, assorted lollies, band-aids, antihistamines, panadeine, red bull, throat lozenges, a rug to set us up on, fruit, wet-wipes, insect repellant, camera, sunnies - and for the next day (swimming having been advertised!) a change of clothes, sunscreen, towel and a hat. Didn't use half of it, but felt ultra-prepared :)

So we managed to find the clearing, which was down the track off the gravel road we'd parked on. Lots of huge UV lit fractally sheet-murals and weird abstract decorations - no totem pole this time though :( There were coloured lights in big jarrahs around the space - both spotlights pointed up the trunks into the canopy, and fairy lights lower on the trunks, and in any underbrush. A mirror ball was suspended (on a line from between the trees, across the clearing) above a big rectangle of carpet (keeping the dust down, and protecting the patchy groundcover) in front of the dj setup. There were maybe 60-80 people, including a few familiar faces - and Sasha knew quite a few too. We lay down our rug under a fairy-lit tree on the edge of the clearing, near a few other groups. I got Sasha to put some war-paint on me (just a couple of fat white stripes), and we went and had a dance. Until 7am or so. It was very good :)

Other details:

It (party and music) was very trancey - there were some funny trippy guys running around saying "We're in Goa, Maaaan!" - was very amusing.

There was some fire-twirling action, based in a secondary clearing behind the main arena - three very good guys with sticks and one guy with poi, plus a new variation I hadn't seen before with one guy using some kind of long-lasting sparkler material instead of bare flame - it looked pretty impressive. About 4am they also set fire to a large pentagram (not inverted) - how pagan! :)

The Housemate, Dina and Delia got a lift home about 4:30ish.

Was light by just past 5ish, but sunlight didn't actually clear the tops of the eucalypts till 6ish I think.

6 hours dancing is a good leg workout (especially calves) - my back also seems to get a bit of exercise.

Sasha was hardcore and danced with me till the bittersweet end. I think we were almost the only ones on the floor from about 5:30 to 6:30 (okay - maybe a couple of others - everyone else was seated around the clearing - brewing tea/chai, talking, cuddling, breastfeeding, getting/receiving massages, meeting new people) - but from about 6:30 to 7, about 10 more people (including the three year old who'd been running around earlier) got their second wind and came back on. I was fully ready to stay till it warmed a little (it was already pretty temperate) and go for a swim in the dam down the hill, but S was a little tired, and I was pretty satisfied, so we had a last hard dance, then said our goodbyes and left about 7, and had a tranquil peaceful hour drive home...

9:59:00 PM

 
Temporary reprieve, the Supervisor emailed back, but only to say he's off to a conference for a week!
8:39:00 PM

 
Hope my TWO WHOLE CUPS OF COFFEE today don't keep me up now.
9:05:00 AM

 
Obviously am going to have to come in on weekend. Don't *really* mind except for the dread of getting an email from Supervisor, blasting me for the UtterCrap I sent him :(
9:02:00 AM

 
*blargh*
crap. utter crap.
just sent writing off to Supervisor.
it's even worse than the stuff I did last week.
although that seems impossible.
and the stuff I'm meant to do for next week is going to be even worse!
CRAP!

8:49:00 AM

 
Okay, had an hour break. Saw Grandmama. Met friends. Had a beer. Am even feeling re-energized!
5:26:00 AM

 
Maybe if I just went for a drink and came back?
3:09:00 AM

 
Bah. This is never going to be finished. Wanted to go meet friends this evening too :P
2:59:00 AM

 
Revelation
I've just realized why the salesgirl at Xanthorrhea (the garden centre/nursery) looked so familiar when I was there about a year ago! I overdosed on carbo's with her about two years ago! (long story short: dinner party, hostess worked at a bakery).

This revelation didn't quite come out of nowhere, I was just looking at some old photos I have on this machine (when I should be working frantically, instead of resigning myself to the fact that I'm going to be staying late on a *Friday*).
12:29:00 AM

 
Networking
Just went to one of the regular departmental morning teas - it was my first time in many many moons. Despite the free food, I usually find avoidance of a Certain Person is a higher priority. I'm quite glad I went, however, having managed to introduce myself to a bigwig somewhat involved in the job I have the interview for on Monday who is visiting the department for a few months, and having had a pretty good conversation with him. He's really very nice and approachable. I've actually met him before (he bought me a beer once), but I'm pretty sure he didn't remember me.

Okay. Must must must be productive now.
7:23:00 PM

 
Just got a phonecall - what stalkergirl said.

I really doubted that I'd get an interview, as they clearly and emphatically wanted someone ready to go now! In any case, they said they were quite constrained as to the time they could interview me, so I suspect that I'm a lower tier choice being timetabled around other more premium applicants (am used to it now). Feck - despite this, I don't think I can be as blasé about it as stalkergirl (any tips?) - will have to do some cramming on Sunday - *bleah*.
5:41:00 PM

 
didn't make it back in last night - yeah, quelle surprise!
5:14:00 PM

 
Confessions
Well I suppose i have some guilty confessions I could write about.

Firstly, is that on that job app I sent last week, I didn't inform one of my referee's that I was using him till today. Hope they didn't try to contact him already! Would be very embarrassing.

My other confession was that I had a lovely sleep-in this morning - I actually woke up at 5bloodyAM, but got back to sleep and slept SO deeply until 8:30, woke up in quite a good mood. Usually after that first wakeup (which I've been meaning to get out of bed at), I sleep for another hour or so and wake up again, then sleep for *another* hour and only then wake up and actually get out of bed. And it sucks because I don't feel any extra refreshment from the two extra hours...

My final confession for the day is that I'm going home now (so early!) - nb. is really because my Dad's working late tonight and I'm going to go check that Grandmama hasn't fallen and can't get up or anything, I might even come back in here later and try and do some of the stuff I'm meant to send to The Supervisor tomorrow! (maybe)

Heh. Did you get momentarily excited that the confessions might be actually interesting? Haven't you learnt anything from reading previous entries?
1:18:00 AM

 
Am finding it difficult to resist adding a new pic or changing colour scheme every day - sheesh - the power of procrastination... is probably also related to not having anything interesting to write about.

Apologies to Calla if layout has been messed up on Netscape - mine is broken at moment, so I can't check :P
12:43:00 AM

 
argh - should probably go to a certain seminar at 4 - it looks somewhat interesting and possibly relevant, but I haven't done enough work today. I suppose although it's related to my stuff, the seminar isn't really going to help me get anything done, and I *do* know that it's extremely rare that a seminar gives me anything useful, despite many occasions where the abstract provided hope. Enough rationalization and self-justification? Not going...
10:06:00 PM

 

Today
Lunch-time already.
Nothing to report.

A: 18.92
B: 4.02
T: 1.44
S: 4.76
W: 12.08
Status: evil capitalist.
Y: 1+1+1
T: 2+1+1
9:09:00 PM

 
Pleasure
Did a double circuit last night, was good. Tired today - should've done a triple. There's a new instructor - I can't decide if he's good or not - he goes around and makes people (me) work harder (puts a hand on your weights, makes you move your arms out further on the bridge, gets you to do "just one more"). I can understand it would be a pretty boring job though, and anything to change your routine...

Pics
Yes, have finally put some new graphics in. However, I suspect that having a few pics will make me get more bored/jaded with the layout and look than when there was just one simple Dendrobates. For some reason, reducing the pics to fit made many I tried look worse - maybe I scanned at a weird resolution. Poot! and then there's the colour scheme to consider. I also don't feel I can (or should) go all out with page design when there's that banner there at the top anyway...

Pain
Heh: "...researchers investigating the effects of chronic pain discovered that a husband or wife can make the ache feel three times worse simply by being in the room. "

and this may possibly cause you pain: Slash has gone MAINSTREAM!
5:55:00 PM

 
In and out
Friday night I stayed in. Saturday I went out.
Saturday morning I went and managed to obtain one birthday present (argh - how many more to go?), a nice smooth simple but impressive (very tall) wooden (jarrah?) pepper grinder for Lauren the Pepperholic. Then I went and hung out with The Grandmother. I fed her a little - she's not eating very well, has no appetite, etc. and The Father told me to be very insistent - but it's kind of difficult when you don't even speak the same language. I have a phrasebook, and can work out the pronounciation (with a bit of work, their phonetics is weird), but have absolutely no idea about the intonations. Anyway, have been wondering for some time whether THC might encourage her appetite (as they use for cancer/AIDS patients etc.), but looking into it I think it has heartrate increasing side-effects which probably wouldn't be appropriate for someone her age.

In the evening, sister #2 and her guy arrived to stay for a couple of nights at The Father's (en route down south), so I hung around to say hi, and see if they wanted to go out to dinner - fortunately they didn't (having been travelling all day) so I got to go to Lauren's birthday dinner party, practically on time (before dinner had started)! We talked much travelling and food and Billy Idol, gullibility and haircuts and Shirley Manson. Strawberry-ricotta cheesecake for dessert. And (of course) English Breakfast. Then the housemate felt like a boogie, so we went down to Hippie-burb.

Slo-weee-neean
The usual suspects weren't at this night (apart from the organizer). The Housemate and I were the first on the dancefloor, feeling rather self-conscious as always, but managed to get a few others up to dilute the focus. Some funky house, then slightly harder (but not actually hard) jungle, which had a lot more people boogie-ing. There was a little old skool mixed in, and Garbage, and triphop. I met a rather intense "Slo-weee-neean" (Slovenian!) named Adelka (i think) with a terribly exotic East European accent, who thought I was "beee-you-di-ful", and who was also obviously on something - but I choose to believe those last two facts were unrelated.

Yum-cha-cha
I was supposed to go for yum-cha with the Father and Sister and Guy on Sunday morning, but Father had a last minute emergency housecall type deal. Instead I went and got take-out from our usual yum-cha place and brought it over so we could all eat with the Grandmother (too little mobility to really eat out, it's been very sudden, she was okay and eating out with us maybe 6 weeks ago!). Had a really good catchup with them - The Guy is quite cool, have only met him once before, and that under less than congenial circumstances (en route to a family bereavement). He's much older than Sister #2 (and in fact much older than any of the sisters, me and possibly closer to The Father!) but he's really nice, quite funny, and has a pretty youthful outlook I think. He has grey hair, but doesn't actually look particularly "old". He's worked all over the world, including a lot of third world stuff in Africa (which is sooo cool - I think Dad was a wee bit jealous! he's always planned to try and do something like that), as well as up in the Pilbara, where medical conditions are pretty much third world in the outback communities. Yes, he's a doctor. Heh. Good pick sis. Apparently he's also quite well off:

[Cleaning up after finishing the yum-cha I'd bought and brought]
Guy: "Let me contribute for the food - [kidding tone] I am rich you know."
Me (trying to get the sis in trouble): [conspiratorial] "So I heeear!"
Guy: "Ah! What's she been saying?!"
Sis: [amusedly aggrieved] "Not that *I* see any of it!"

However, I hadn't *actually* heard anything about his financial status, and was just stirring! So now I'm worried (undoubtedly over nothing) that he actually thinks my Sis has been discussing this stuff! May have to try and (subtly) clarify when they come back via here in a couple of weeks.

Photon-rich
And Sunday arvo was so lovely and sunny and temperate - I'd been planning to come in here and check on things and maybe do some scanning (mainly personal rather than work), but Veronica dropped by with money toward Lauren's prez, and we went outside to look at her new free bike (kerbside pickup) which had a dodgy seat. It was so beautiful outside I made her go to the pub with me and sit in the beer garden and drink beer. She's very good to talk to - we discussed Scandinavia (she's just been) and future adventure plans - she knows some guy in Norway who built a boat out of free PVC piping, stuck a sail and an outboard on it and boated from Norway to the Netherlands; also, one of her friends (from here) just kayaked from Darwin to Papua New Guinea and was on the news. So now we have to come up with an adventure plan: "fly to Antarctica in a balloon made of cornflakes" maybe?

6:20:00 PM