Pix ya later

That's right!
It's that way that you want to be going on now.

Seez ya.




Just happy to see a favourite lady.


Wiz takes a noice shot. Sometimes.

The Life and Times of a Happier Buiser Me

All this New Blogger junk . . hmpf.

Life is all a bit ridiculously rosy at the present.
The weather since Pip returned has been exquisite.
Although on Sunday I only got to experience a little of it whilst riding like the wind out to work because it was a trifle difficult to tear myself away from a comfy bed after a late night. Work was not so much the never ceasing pain fest I had anticipated after a night of "Anna Nicole Smith would have wanted it that way" pain killers and alcomahol - so tops to that. The obnoxious intoxicated loud voiced, mobile toting hipsters running amok in the mall and my shop were decidedly irritating and I found the whole Norwood Food and Wine Festival seemed to simply be an excuse for a demonstration of the less than attractive side of white middle class a-town. As SuperBike and I plowed through fields of fashionista dress-clad inebriates we managed to remind none too few of the greatness and glory of pedal power~!

Sunday was also noted for realising that I wasn't the only one who didn't make it home on Saturday night - Not pointing any fingers, Kana! Shock Horror~!!

Saturday night at The Dollhouse party was highly entertaining.
It was so uber superly great to have Ms Pip back in the house!! When I got her afternoon sms it was all I could do not to wet the bed as I hopped up and down in a most ridiculously overexcited manner.
Highlights of the night ...
Catching up with Pippa and BenMoss.
Chatting away in Japanese with Naoko who is the awesomest.
Talking Japanese glasses with Chris.
Doing shots with the aforementioned twosome.
Seeing the lovely ladies of wigs themselves - Martine and Karenski after too long an interval of separation.
Simon Gray being morose and me trying to cheer him up.
Chatting with Owen of Hughes St yet again.
Doing at dance for Stubby in order to encourage him not to go home.
Chatting Art Stuff and exhibitions with Mark of Downtown fame.
Randomly and unexpectedly getting to catch up with Amber, receiving a big dopey hug and learning I'm not the only who's missing our Salisbury St meetings.
Taking photos out the back on the couch with Mikey G and Wiz - I think this must be a prerequisite to a successful party.

Then I knocked back offers of lifts to ride off into the starlit sky, meandering my way from the start to the end of Young St! Three whole suburbs all along one street - how much more rock can you get - it made the drunken navigation easy.
Lights were ablaze at jounery's end despite the late hour, so we watched a little YouTube as recommended by both Pip and BenMoss. According to Nick (who wasn't the picture of sobriety himself), I'd reached a point where my eyes were acting independently of each other.
Hmmmm . . . seeing is believing.

IN OTHER BIG NEWS FOR THE WEEK
On Friday night I hung out with my RPG - it was fantabulous. Some much required hanging was done. I also got to try on my dress for the wedding in only a few short weeks and we got excited - well, I did.
Saturday, I tidied and did laundry in the morning, then I went and did some shopping in at the Market - making the most of my Saturday off.
Had bubble tea and vegan delightfulness, then we intended to go watch a movie but ended up having beers on the couch and chatting the afternoon away until we had Spoils of War (aka Market produce - Weird Note To Self: I used to enjoy the Market and now the stressed out atmosphere of Saturday arvos there really does my head in and makes me want to run screaming for the hills) for dinner.
Then the cold that I caught through rash abandon came back to haunt me and I felt all headachey just when I was trying to get ready to go to The Dollhouse Party. I just downed a few pills and it was on with the show.

Monday!!
It was my first day back at Uni!! It was my first time back to the place as a student in over 3 years! And I actually found it a bit tricky to get back into lecture mode despite the enthusiasm I possess for the subject. Linguistics rules my world.
Then I biked it over home and to my physio . . well, where I used to love going to have mad chats with Matthew who has abandoned us all for a lady and a job in Canada. New physio was okay.
THEN SareB, Sair, Kana and I went out to see a movie on some free tickets. I decided that I'd adopt the kind of mentality you would with any foreseeable and predictably unpleasant occurence - block your senses and hope it'll all be over soon. And as a result it was unexpectedly bearable. I was also super happy that I was able to have so many of my lovely ladies in one place at the one time. It was good to be able to share something with three lovelies when I knew they would enjoy it.
So yay for having friends, being with them and being able to share great and stupid things with them.
I wouldn't have foreseen that I would be this content so quickly back in atown after all the shit that has happened.

Tuesday!!
I struggled to get up again in time to rush about and get everything together for my second day back at uni. Cut it fine on my race into town - though I did take the time to talk to an old veteran cyclist as took the lights by noses to each other all the way into town. He had that amazing spindley looking form and despite the creaky looks had his pro cyclist flat back style going off. He was wayy sweet - Just made it into class and ended up down the front and right behind Nick which was ironic. I figure at least he's not younger than me - it might do damage to my ego if my tutor were younger than me! I'm not that much of a mature age student yet!
I spent much of the day by the Torrens and under assorted trees about the place doing readings and trying to be prepared.
My last lecture of the day - Asian Studies - is one I was initially dubious about taking, and while the lecturer was a tad on the incomprehensible side, I'm really happy with my choice. It seems like it will be interesting; the readings so far are insightful, accessible and well written (the same cannot be said for the Politics, Ideaology and Discourse subject, sorry Nick) and I think it won't be as much work as some of the other classes - though we do have a group assignment which could be interesting.
I forgot my wallet and skipped lunch, but after classes headed over to Gouger for a lovely early evening Vietnamese meal. Then it was home for assortment of chats, random movie and Red Dwarf episodes and lounging.

This morning I had another meeting about the writers workshop week that I'm helping to organise with the Unley Council for National Youth Week. All went without too many a hitch and our schedule is now really coming together.
As part of what I'm doing I NEED ZINES!
Anyone who has a zine that they wouldn't mind selling to me so it can be put in a pack of random and interesting writerlyish things that we'll be distributing to participants, let me know.
I've tried to talk to as many people as I can about this and if I haven't spoken to you directly yet I'm merely getting around to you - so don't be shy and get in touch with me!!!!
A council is willing to pay you so for all of you out there getting involved with zines throughout Fringe and in general, take this opportunity to make some money out of what you love doing!!

4000 words or more

Kana, Midge and I enjoyed a market lunch on a warm Tuesday afternoon not long after Kana had arrived. She started classes the day after she moved here but seemed and still seems to be coping well.
She still has a few little Japanese idiosyncracies that we have communicate to her will not be tolerated in this land of The Lucky, alied as we are to the Land of Freedom . . . Those darn peace photo fingers are a dead give away!













We finally found a Hills Hoist for Kana to get excited about and from which to learn important lessons about South Australian history.


Thanks to James, Jess-Rex and Amber for allowing us access to this fundamental learning tool.

Then we went and saw Notes on a Scandal with Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench in it. It was kind of eerie and creepily black . . . I figured even if Kana didn't follow it it was good exposure to something other than Hollywood bollocks.














I'm not sure but I think calling it a 'Tussy Mussy' though it may be it's correct name by definition just doesn't do justice to the appealing scent of this lovely herb bouquet.

I can't remember what's called but I have good associations with the lemon scented leaf stuff that was a feature of this cute little conglomerate.
Anyone remember ?

I had fun with it and rediscovering the macro functions on my camera.
Plus it made my room smell beautiful.

Poorly

The interview last week turned out not to be quite as I had expected. The interview section was mainly conducted in English and thus nothing to really worry about. The comprehension passages were slightly more dubious. The first was ridiculously easy and then the second was rather difficult. I was mightily relieved it was over and pottered off for what I anticipated would be a lovely night involving some sailing . . . This didn't eventuate but it was lovely none the less even if I did have to crash and be dropped home feeling rather under par. I am enamoured of airconditioning.
I was called in to work on Saturday which didn't impress me but I rode out there which always makes me feel better - particularly when the rides go off in a fairly uneventful manner with regard to life threatening situations. Then the afternoon was relaxing enough with a little grocery shopping and hanging with Kana before we headed off into town on our bikes to the PA.
I caught up with the charming Elysia and we had a good all gasbag in the absence of JessJess ("the girl so wonderful they named her twice").
We enjoyed the gig and then a natter with Sair and Aidan . . . and someone took a fancy to Kana - it was cute and she deserves the ego boost.

My social calendar is looking hectic on a nutty scale!
No free weekends from now til late March!!

Today was such a lovely day and apart from a morning spin about the streets of Unley on a few errands I've had to spend it feeling lousy inside. I've just got this headachey cold thing - not really a sore throat or anything like that now but just this mild headache, inability to concentrate on the preparatory readings for the courses I'm starting next week and that irritating feel like it but can't quite sleep thing going in.
No Lawn Bowls for me tonight.
Ugh.
Might just crawl into bed and rest my itchy eyes.

Procrastination ?? Me ?? Never!! It's dedication to my posting!

Apologies to Josh for what is clearly a lack of one of the highlights of his week - being one of the few to comment in my ether silence.

Also, it's probably a good thing you didn't look at my blog Sal! There's nothing here to be seen.

Kana arrived in Adelaide last Sunday. It's been a busy week plus. I wasn't terrbly well prepared to receive her what with one thing and another - work and the like. How is it that I never seem to have time for all the things I need and want to do ? I feel like I run myself ragged just trying to do the bare minimum!! Then I get told off for not looking after myself and not being able to relax. It got so bad last week that I had to cancel pilates because I'd been so tired when I'd gone that I almost fell asleep three times and just felt exhausted and grumpy.
But it's been great to give my linguistic brains a workout.
It's been wonderfully timed too.
I have my interview for a Coordinator of International Relations position with JET this Friday.
Maybe that's why I'm posting.
I'm terrified!!
This interview really requires so much of you! You have to be able to conduct an interview in Japanese and as part of this you are required to read a passage in Japanese on a current political/news event relating to Japan and whilst managing to read the characters and all correctly you must also be able to then comprehend the thing and answer questions about it from the interview panel. Jezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I'd be freaking out about it even if it wasn't in a language another than my native one!!!
I should be swotting.

My work hours are cutting down now as I prepare to go back to Uni - good in terms of having time for doing fun stuff but not so good when it comes to being able to afford to do the aforementioned fun stuff.

Beenz is back from visiting her Falls Boy this arvo.

The new frames I might buy have just come into the store (optometry not picture wise) and as it turns out I was given the wrong contact prescription so maybe my eye situation will improve in near future!!
Geet was also hugely helpful in the goggle hunt.

What else has/is happening???

I caught up with a few more old friends recently as well as a spate of making new ones - it's been a crazy month or so.
Hope to see Kate sometime soon for coffee - just have to find time - will probably have to wait til this interview is out of the way - a few drinks or 4 on Friday night.
Mad and Josh I will hope to see again in Kingston when on my way back to A-town early in March - Going to the Mt for an insanely big Harris Clan do for Nan's 90th.
Beenz is not impressed she is expected to spend her birthday driving home.

I caught up with Geet for brief chat on Friday and then had a long one of coffee at Lucia's with Steph - the lovely Matt then tried to feed me Death and Cheese . . the limey eggplant was great!

We've got Lawn Bowls again tomorrow night.
We put together a hotch-potch team last week so capably lead by Wiz (less so by me) hoping to mix it up again a bit for this week.

On Sunday night a crew of us headed to the Capri to enjoy their amazing new chairs but I'm not sure we could say the same of the movie - Notes on a Scandal. Bloody dark.
Was very lucky I had a hand to hold and felt sorry for Kana who had to be struggling with some of the more florid language.

The bike is still going beautifully but I've been a bit tired lately and the wind strong.

Kana and I rode into town on Saturday night to see a bit of the Symphony Under The Stars.

I managed to make it to Henley twice in two days.
The first involved the cliche of F&C as we were chilled by the sea breeze and the second, a hoon down on a motorbike with chais and a walk on the foreshore to follow. Picture perfect stuff.

Wellll . . . .
That's a post and a job application done.
Maybe it's time for a shower . . . what else needs doing ??

Agghhhh!! Tomorrow is the 14th and I've yet to complete my Farewell-that-became-a-Valentine-present for my Lady Jess Jess!!!
Oh dear!

And the sheets must come in off the line before Beenz gets home to her unmade bed!