Day 3
Managed to get up by 11, and went for brunch at Mum's place. Had chicken curry. Was good. Then a quick trip into town to check out the Myer sales (I need new runners). Then got dropped at The Queens for the arvo.

A pint of the pale, and then settled at a table in the dappled shade outside to wait for What_Evolution and her boy and newgirl at old dept. Did a bit of last minute texting to people I suspected didn't check their email, to see if they were free to come to the pub, and then I looked up, and WHat was settling in at another table almost right in front of me! Her boy was looking over and I think kind of recognized me (pretty good from one meeting on other side of continent), and the arvo was off to a good start. Goss from the old dept, catch up on the life of What and Boy, intro convo with newgirl... Then more people and too much drinking.
9:45:00 PM

 
Bah - got sore throat at 15:13 yesterday, and woke this morning with runny nose. Skin beginning to feel a bit sensitive. May be down for the count.
9:43:00 PM

 
Blargh - am so dumb. We were having birthday drinks on Tuesday night for Lain, so during Tuesday day I had a great idea for a present, and texted Ellen to see if she wanted to get it with me (it was quite expensive, AND she lives right near the shop which sells it so she could go buy it before drinks that evening), so she bought it, and we gave it to Lain. But when I got home *last* night (Wednesday), there was a package waiting there which I'd totally forgotten I'd ordered on the internet a week ago specifically for Lain's birthday! And it's ALSO a great and appropriate present :P sheesh. Am so unorganized. Am still 7 birthday presents behind from the end of last year! and have 4 more coming up in May... [frown-pout-frown].
9:17:00 PM

 
Day 2 continued...
Made it back to Dad's in time to change and then get picked up by Mum for dinner - we went down the road to her place, where she grilled some lobster (!) and made yummy seafoody noodles and we caught up and talked about people (sisters, schoolies, etc.), family-friends (godparents, etc.), life, philosophy, how she's doing back at Uni part-time (mix of disappointingly average and high distinction and how the lecturers are pretty cool), the usual random health questions which occur to me (think this time was weird neurological conditions and brain injuries and left-right hemisphere bizarreness), books (Kierkegaard who she's currently doing for uni and I don't know anything about and a bit on Hume who I know a tiny bit about), cooking (curries), etc. Was excellent. Then she gave me a lift into the city.

[Scooby-doo-wavy-curtain-effect-due-to-flash-forward]
On the way to the airport for flight back East we also gave a lift to Neiman. As we were nearing the airport the conversation moved to how my taxi driver the night before had complained about how Aussies were the biggest yobs and he hadn't had problems from any of his passengers except locals and how great Perth was and they didn't appreciate it, and Neiman took the thought and went on about how beautiful Perth was (it's very green at the moment), what great weather we'd had all weekend, and how liveable it was. So Mum said something like: "Yes, surely anyone would want to move back and live here - hint, hint!". And I vaguely wondered why she cared whether Neiman moved back to Perth when she'd only met him a couple of times.
[Scooby-wavy-curtain-effect-indicating-end-of-flash-forward]

In town I went to The Moon and met up with Sam (The Shaman-Anthropologist) for a few beers and a catchup. He's found a good crew of combined botanists/ethnobotanists and biochemists to hang out and have exploratory adventures with - I'm a bit envious.

Then we went for a wander around town, and on a little sidestreet bumped into one of Sam's friends who was running some gallery opening (abstract paintings) next door to some creative collective sewing/fashion/creating workshop out on the street at 11pm at night! They were just closing up though, and the arty-crew invited us to come for a drink at some club/pub over the bridge called "Wowsville". We went, it was kind of weird. Stayed for a pint. Had interesting mix of ambiance/decor/people/music of varying shades of retro-trendy, retro-overly-try-hard-trendy, and retro-not-trendy-at-all.

Then we were meeting Morry and Tanton and Maynard and Fiona for an old skool rave boogie at some renamed old club. I wasn't sure which club it used to be, so Tanton texted me the address and it turned out to be the old-old-Loft, and we strolled over. When we got there it was decidedly sailor-heavy (US aircraft carrier in town) and there was scary R'n'B pumping out onto the street. I was ready to just head in and look around for friends, but luckily Sam kept his head and made me text Tanton first. The text back was: "Meet you outside wrong club". While we were trying to decipher this, Tanton pulled up in his car and explained he'd texted me the wrong address and the club we wanted was the old Exit/Xanadu/Whatever, way on the other side of town, so he gave us a lift and went in there and it was much better and hard and old skool and I caught up with Morry and Maynard, but Fiona didn't make it, but Koko did, and I had a really good dance for 3-4 hours then caught a taxi home.

[back-with-Scooby] Not sure if I needed to elucidate more on that flash-forward:
So Mum dropped us off at the departures terminal and we had hug/kiss bye, and me and Neiman went in and met up with Fleur and checked in together and then sat down for a beer/coffee before boarding, and then I had a bit of a "d'oh!" moment when I realized she had been "hint, hint"ing at me!
[/Scooby] That was over-explained, wasn't it?...
5:27:00 PM

 
Scientists behaving badly - publishing shenanigans...
11:35:00 PM

 
Someone's making a toasted cheese sandwich - smells delish (*drools*)...

Is getting quite chilly over here, although sun has come out nicely after the mistiness this morning. The weather over West was so so beautiful and WA all weekend.

Day 1 continued...
My flight over was good, apart from me almost missing it. I was enjoying Qantas Club so much I had to run for the gate, which I didn't realize was quite so far away. All the terminals said boarding was closed. But got there, and the lady at the ticket machine thingo was just putting through another guy, and I was the last one on, and got to my seat, and it was all nicey-nice.

Started "Philosophy: The Classics" (Nigel Warburton), and quite enjoyed the first few chapters. Was also good because Chapter 3 was on Déscartes "Meditations" which I recently bought at a second hand book stall, and was halfway through when I left it on the train :( But was quite satisfying that Nige's analysis of it picked up very similar criticisms to my own. The movie was "Mona Lisa Smile" (*eye-roll*), not quite as saccharine as feared, but really rather dull.

Arrived about 4:30pm, Dad picked me up about 10 mins after my luggage came through, we had a big huge catch up on the drive home, then he went back to work (!) and Daria came to pick me up for dinner. We went to the Red Orchid in Mt Lawley, and Lauren and BJ and Della met us there. Della was actually just here in Melb a few weeks ago on her way back from her South America trip, and Lauren and BJ were both at the wedding in Wollongong 3 weeks ago. So we had to do a round of "we've missed you so much, it's been soooo long"...

Dinner was lovely, and then we strolled up the road for dessert, then got dropped home just before midnight for needed sleep.

Day 2
Woke up at a quarter to 9, got dressed, and got Dad to drop me off at girlie's on his way to work. We went to the central strip of her suburb, and to Cafe 130 where one of my friends was doing a 12 hour shift :P Poor girl (she currently has 4 jobs, and did a heap for the wedding too!). I had some eggs on sourdough - needed some cracked pepper :( My friend Lira dropped in on us before she headed down south, and caught me up on her latest shows and things.

After coffee, we had a bit of a wander down the strip, but then into town and browsed some cds while girlie ordered one, then me off to meet (again!) Lauren and BJ and Della and Daria for lunch! Ullyses also made it and happily also Exp_Err and N (dammit, what was the blognym he was using? Torquemada? um... X-someone? Z-someone?). The service was kind of bad. Daria's mango salad had no mango, and they were totally making up bogus excuses, and then Exp_Err's gnocchi arrived as everyone else was finishing their meals. But then she got a free glass of wine, and then when we paid, neither Exp_Err nor Daria had to pay for their meals, and they also didn't charge us for my two middies! So although we were momentarily rather annoyed with them, I think they deserve a second chance (to mess up and give us more free stuff).

After lunch, Exp, N and I had a quick trip to Myer and the gift registry, I picked up a quilt set (and it was 25% off!), had it wrapped, then we went and got wedding cards, and were out of there in like 15 mins max :) felt quite nicely efficient. And then we spent our hard-saved time at the Belgian Beer Cafe, where they had *massive* Hoegaardens (White). The glasses they came in were the size of my head. We also tried a couple of other beers (such as the Forbidden Fruit - I didn't get any coriander) and had a lovely sunny afternoon at our sidewalk table. We momentarily stopped at a chocolatier in Trinity Arcade and bought $104/kg chocolate, before we headed for our respective temporary abodes.
7:23:00 PM

 
-sigh-

What a lovely perfect weekend.
Wednesday night (the start of my weekend) I went to a US-Aus-FTA public meeting in the city with Hyper. It was pretty good, not as hysterical as I feared it might be, although not a very good turnout (maybe 150 people? 200? the hall was quite large). Some good measured mostly factual spiels by Sharon Burrows and some guy from the MEAA? the Media and Entertainment Alliance? people - apparently he's from Neighbours, and a guy from the Manufacturing Union (Julius someone - he was a bit scattered and not too adroit with public-speaking), plus reps from Labour (Steven Conroy I think), Democrats (Aidan Ridgeway) and Greens (David Risstrom).

Then went for drinks with Hyper cos he just heard he got a scholarship to travel to China later this year. Drank too much.

Day 1
Got up a bit later than planned - scatteredly got packed and then headed off to the airport. Leila (in Perth) had texted me on Tuesday, and asked me for my flight details and said she might be able to get a friend to get me into the Qantas Club Lounge on my way over. I didn't manage to contact her again before I left though, and so after I checked in, I wasn't sure if I could go hang in the Lounge or not (despite assumption of previous entry!).

I went up to the Club Lounge front desk while all these Armani suits were flashing a card of some kind and walking straight into the lounge, while I (in my jeans and bonds-tshirt) stopped at the desk. I decided to talk to the older guy rather than the younger girl, on the theory that I should probably ask the more senior person in case there was anything dodgy about the whole arrangement and letting me in could get them into trouble.

Guy [perky and cheerful]: "Good afternoon, how can I help you?"
Me [rather hesitantly]: "um... a friend said she'd try and arrange for me to get into the lounge - would my name happen to be on some list somewhere?" [sheepish-hopeful smile],
Guy [checks several lists, and says quite concernedly]: "I'm *really* sorry, but I don't seem to be able to find your name anywhere, was your friend meant to meet you here? Are they on the same flight?"
Me [embarrassed]: "Um... I'm not sure, I haven't really heard from her since she said she'd get me in",
Guy [still concerned]: "What was your friend's name?"
Me [thinking: how much of a doofus will I look if I say I don't actually know her name, and it was actually a friend of a friend and not someone I actually know at all?]: "Oh... Leila Manet" (my friend from Perth's name since well, she *was* - kind of - the friend who was organizing things)
Guy [on microphone to entire rest of airport]: "Could a Ms Manet please come to the Lounge desk - if there's a Ms Manet in the airport, could she please come to the Lounge".
Me [aghast]: "Uh! don't worry about it - that's alright, I'll just go..."
Guy [still more concernedly and also very friendlily]: "No no, you can go through as *my* guest! Just go on through!.

Thanked him profusely, smiled gratefully, then held my breath and walked in not-too-quickly out of sight of the front desk and exhaled and then went to the bar and had a Crown lager. And then another. (Plus two little sandwiches, a bowl of pumpkin soup, some greek salad, a piece of cake, and a choc chip cookie from the buffet).

Was glad tshirt was quite tight.
9:54:00 PM

 
*sings* I'm going west tomorrow!

I get to take an aeroplane! And I get to lounge in the Qantas Lounge (care of foaf)! And I get to read my shiny new going-away presents! And I get to eat and drink myself senseless for the next few days :)
11:52:00 PM

 
ooh! bloggers get to try gmail! gmail me on planeterry@gmail.com!
10:46:00 PM

 
*eye-roll*

haven't even left yet and i may have committed to just another week's work on a diff project...

:p
10:29:00 PM

 
so worked sat arvo. then went to my last ComFest thing "Hot Off the Press" which was meant to be less standuppy, and really be more comedy writers and cartoonists talking about their written/drawn work, etc. But they were all quite amusing (including Tom Gleeson, Danny Katz, um the guys from The Chaser/CNNNN, plus several others).

Then went to Haclevs for dinner, he made a really good chicken curry. Met his friends Xavier, Cec, Fee, and Bunny. They were quite nice, we had a good conversation. Then into town, Bunny convinced everyone to go to Honky-Tonks which seemed to be her scene, but luckily I was meeting Ellen and Dallas and Nat (friend of Ellen's from out West) at E55 for drinks and had an excuse not to go :) (it's not that bad really). Went for a boogie at Scubar after. Was good.

Worked Sunday. Didn't get enough done.

How can it be Monday night already? Am going to be unprepared for a meeting tomorrow (again).
1:16:00 AM

 
:( left book on train. was only halfway through. v annoyed.
1:15:00 AM

 
Went to going away bbq last night for Tully, who's moving to Brisbane next week. Was good.
10:52:00 PM

 
Ack - accidentally just read a Miranda Devine column - bleah. Not as unpleasant as the ones which initially trained this (leap-back and cower at the horror) reaction in me, but quite enough to put a bad taste in my mouth and a grimace on my lips and a thought that the writer might be a simplistic right-wing fundamentalist with hate-mongering tendencies and no compassion or empathy until I reached the name at the bottom of the page and realized there was no "might" about it (*eye-roll* how melodramatic am I?). Sorry Miranda.
8:15:00 PM

 
If you're at all news addicted (like me), NewsMap rules!
10:03:00 PM

 
Um - Thursday night went to dinner with Hyper and we met up with a couple of his army mates. Then we went drinking.

Slept in Good Friday, hung out and played scrabble in the sunny backyard with Knitter, and cooked up a massive veggie curry. Went to a 33 1/3rd Breaks party at The Espy Friday arvo, but the breaks area was outside and closed at 8pm! (Noise restrictions). They had drum'n'bass in the backroom, and some hip-hoppy stuff in the front room, but just not as fun to dance to. But had a good time, and met a couple of people, but wasn't energized enough for the after-party.

Slept in Saturday and did nothing. Was locked out of the office this past weekend! Was bad/good. Must've done something else, but can't recall what - oh! found roo meat at the Prahran markets.

Sunday went out to Revolver in the arvo with Knitter and friends and had a drink or three, then went and met up with Hyper and Pommie for further trashedness.

Came in to work yesterday to try and catch up on work. Officemate got dumped for second time by same guy who I've met like once, but sounds like a psycho. She's rather torn up, so spent all day with her. Came in to do work today, but have been crap. About to go to Comedy Fest Edinburgh Besta Festa.

Have done so so little. Is depressing.
11:15:00 PM

 
Went to a Greens Party dinner last night. Wonder if that's enough of an association to scupper my far future subversive infiltration of some powerful conservative party?

Helped prepare and cook a massive amount of curry, rice, pasta, and pasta sauce.
11:29:00 PM

 
-sigh- really don't need a new cookbook anyway (but it was on sale!), have several around the house which I should use much more! (plus Knitters new one).
6:56:00 PM

 
Bloody bastard Angus and Robertson! They cancelled my order for Stephanie Alexander's Cook's Companion. It's out of print apparently, but I *know* they have copies at some stores! (All the way out ones).
6:54:00 PM

 
Brr... is freeezing in here...

Other stuff... um... Did I mention the reception? It was at a fun park! The actual reception centre was pretty posh, full glass walls, fireplaces, and the rides weren't actually open unfortunately :( But the surrounding grassy rolling hills with lots of trees and the occasional water slide provided a lovely view. As expected the event was relative heavy, met a few friends of the bride and groom who seemed nice, but didn't have much of a chance to connect. Was excellent to hang with Lauren and BJ though, and play with their new digital camera, and get really really (really)trashed.

The next morning (late) we met up with much of the younger wedding party people (the happy couple, groomsmen, bridesmaids, sigoths, etc.) for brunch, at a cafe just down the street from our apartment. Had a massive massive breakfast - I seem to be eating pig again. Bacon and eggs were definitely called for - yum. Then had a nap before meeting up with wedding party again for beers on the couple's balcony, and then heading out for dinner and a pub crawl. Drank too much again.
5:11:00 PM

 
Oh he is so evil.
10:59:00 PM

 
Apparently, at the "best party ever" that I missed there was indiscriminate snogging going on! In recounting the event, one of the hosts may have made a disconcertingly casual pass at me.
10:06:00 PM

 
Weekend v good though.

Went for Dallas's birthday dinner at Vegetarian Orgasm. Was okaaaay, but not amazing. It may just have been my dish (a mediterranean pasta sauce on gnocchi) which was a bit mundane. Did have a rather exotic chocolate, banana, and whipped soy "cream" (!) birthday concoction at end though. Met a couple of new people, including her 'rents who were over from The West (but I didn't get much of a chance to talk to them).

Left dinner at 10pm and drove and drove and drove until about 2am. Is bad at moment cos auto's headlights are stuck on highbeam! Tried to drive behind the numerous trucks and buses and landcruisers and other high vehicles hopefully less subject to "high-beam-in-rear-view-mirror". Luckily largely divided road so oncoming traffic mostly screened with median-strip vegetation. Had a nap near a town called Tarcutta until about 6am, then drove and drove and drove (waving to Exp_Err on way past City Beneath The Mountains) and drove and drove until I finally got to Kiama ("K-Eye-Am-Er") about 11ish - was also stuck for almost an hour in a traffic jam near Coolac (middle-of-nowhere) behind bad accident, saw v crumpled cars when I was finally herded past by emergency services :(. Last little drive was through a beautiful wet rainforest (Minnamurra?) where it was actually raining - beautiful tree ferns and epiphytes, v wet and lush. Up and down the main strip before I spotted the apartments we were staying at (website didn't have an actual street number!), and just as I pulled up BJ was walking up the driveway. V good. Lauren was just fetching her mobile in case I rang for directions. We went for brekky at the cafe next door.

After brekky I helped wrap their massive wedding prez picture frame (A0 and rather heavy, I think they both strained shoulder muscles lugging it all over country and airports and trainstations and things). We had to be quite creative and topologically astute with the rather skinny roll of wrapping paper (A4 width!).

I went and tried to get directions to Wollongong Botanic Gardens. Reception pretty ignorant. Chemist next door v helpful, but a bit confusing. Hope for best and went and got dressed. Luckily, once we hit the right exit off freeway, the way was quite well signed. Gardens quite lovely and green with interesting plants. Everyone (maybe 60?) gathered in a lovely little secluded amphitheatre surrounded by huge trees and mazes of vegetation. Was a bit overcast all day, but the rain held off and the ceremony proceeded, the slight hitch being (apparently there's always a slight hitch) the maid of honour not having a copy of her reading with her - the celebrant (who frankly, didn't seem very practised or polished) really should have brought copies with her, was the maid of honour meant to keep it in her bouquet? So she had to make do with an alternate reading. Lauren luckily had a copy of *her* reading, and it overall didn't go for too long. The variety of sprogs were quite well behaved, and I think it was over in maybe 40 mins.
9:03:00 PM

 
blaaaah - just found stupid stupid simple mistake in code with big ramifications. TYPICAL! :P
8:32:00 PM

 
Dammit - wanted to get so much more done today.

(Unrelated) Just spent much too long at the bookshop picking out a birthday present for a friend when I remembered I also have to get something for HM Knitter. So got Knitter some food porn - Donna Hay's Off the shelf - cos she likes easy-to-make recipes and I also know she's borrowed Donna's Modern Classics from a friend a couple of times. Got other friend The ideas that conquered the world: peace, democracy and free markets in the 21st century by Michael Mandelbaum. Am slightly worried I got it cos I want to read it rather than cos I think she'll want to. But too late now.
1:01:00 AM