Is this a dagger I see before me?

Memo from the Assistant Producer of Macbeth: The Contemporary Rock Opera.

DUDE! I am the afrorementioned AP! What the? I auditioned for a role, was totally nowhere near as good as chicks who still take singing lessons and have performed in pantos and shit in England, but my bogus Theatre resume (all truth, just written so I look awesome) made the producer think I knew heaps of shit and here I am. Woah. I hope I don't cock-up big time.

Oh yeah. It's unpaid. Of course.

But I also start a new job on Friday, as general shitkicker (sorry, Student Services Officer. Whatever) for Victorian Institute of Technology. I hope this was a good idea. At least I'll get paid for Christmas.

Set in Plastic

Well, it's set. I am most definitely going to both Europe and New Zealand next year... unless my credit company recalls my trips.

Yup, today I booked my flights to London (April 4-June 20, I'll be back for a jet-lagged celebration of my 25th birthday), and to New Zealand (January). My credit card is weeping, but I am so excited, I just don't care!

I also have an almost certain job for next year, working for the Victorian Institute of Technology. I feel a little bad, cos it's a permanent role... and I'll have to quit to go to Europe... but it's Europe! And it's a job, which I need. Have another temp job lined up for a few weeks in December, so I may not have to claim myself completely destitute just yet. Oh the irony of having no money, and two overseas flights booked and paid for.

I still haven't worked out the best Eurail pass to get yet... it's SO confusing!

Election putty and gingerbread cookies... that's what our state is made of

Wow. I can't say that last night was a typical Saturday night (well, except for the common factors of dining with Caroline, Rami, Nick and Sai. And bagging out young girls in ridiculously small outfits). Following our trek around Chinatown for Hong Kong cuisine, and a stroll down to Southbank to eat awesome gelati at the Tutto Bene gelato bar, Rami suggested we stroll towards Jeff's Shed.

But no, readers, do not suspect Rami was steering us towards 'Sexpo'. In fact, he was not even hinting at venturing into the 'International Clothing and Textpo'. No. I am almost ashamed to say that I rounded off my big Saturday night with a visit to what we have fondly dubbed 'Elexpo'.

For those of you who missed it, there was a bit of a tiny vote-fest on yesterday in the state of Victoria. Blessed are we that no more will Ted be damaging our retinas with the image of him clad only in budgie smugglers. Blessed am I that I never actually heard him croon Elvis tunes, and merely giggled at pictures of him mid-ridiculous-twist. And blessed were we who ventured into the Shed of Jeff, housing last night the Election 07 Tally Room.

Not only did we receive spiritual blessings in learning of the downfall of the snake-like Ted (I don't like him much...), we were physically rewarded for our devotion to the vote counting: the claymation ads of a purple Victoria being shaped had morphed into Election putty in plastic containers, and edible, purple-iced, gingerbread Victoria cookies. I ate Mildura.

We also got a better stash in the plebs public seating than was received in the guest seating. Oh yes, we were graced with canvas bags proclaiming 150 proud years of Victorian Parliament. These were perfect in which to store our dual purpose Victorian Parliament posters, which served very well as Rami whacking devices (a passing roller blader even chased Rami with one such poster, after Rami pretended to push her down an incline).

And if that weren't all, Rami shared a urinal with Kerry O'Brien, and we all whispered and pointed very surreptitiously as that newsreader from Channel 2 walked past.

So no-one had suggest that I don't know how to have a big Saturday night out! Wooh....

*woot woot*

Just wanted to post and say *woot* cos I am so travelling next year and that's very very cool. And to ensure there will be no repeats of the sucky alone-ness of Indonesia, here are a few travel friends I prepared earlier!

*Jackie* New Zealand in January. Two weeks f*cking around on the South Island, basically. Yeah!

*Lisa* Europe in April - June-ish. Two-three months (depending on when the $ runs out) checking out the beer in the following countries: France; Belgium; Denmark; Germany; Austria; Spain; Portugal; and possibly Italy, depending on when the lovely Kathleen arrives there.

I've been to STA travel today checking out flight prices (not TOO ouchy). And then I applied for loads of temp jobs, cos I need money now. *wheeh* I am going to work out which Eurail pass I should buy. Going overseas! Yeah!

Noisy days and spendy nights

At present, Nick and I are being lulled by the soothing sounds of... a chainsaw. Yeah, props to our real estate agent for letting us know that Jim's Fencing (is there ANY INDUSTRY PIE that Jim DOESN'T have a finger in?) would be popping by to park a big mofo truck or two backing onto our window, leaving piles of palings in front of our balcony and tearing down the fence next to our flat with loud, dangerous power tools.

Because of the general serenity this caused at our humble abode, we headed of to Brunswick St to enjoy tea in a more peaceful surrounding (amazing how constant traffic, trams and idiots going on about how annoying it was that their friend spouted all "Eastern mythicism" pretension when he took drugs could be more calming than our own house...). Running on the tea theme, we also popped into T2, where we were convinced to buy yummy Marakech tea (gunpowder green and lots of mint... tastes like the tea they serve at Morroccan Soup Bar and YUMMY), a special strainer for preparing sensitive green tea, and to whence I shall be retrurning today with my resume. Seriously, apart from a store that also combined chocolate and books, could there be a better place for me to work? Plus I totally don't have a job, so any work is good. Thank god I've got a day's temping tomorrow at Fenton's, where I was working after my Return to Oz.

Anyway, yesterday finished on a Marathon- the Chaddy VIP night, where my sister and I actively shopped (as opposed to pleasant, harmonious browsing) for four hours straight. Kudos to Chaddy for better than usual freebies (three glasses of reasonable white wine, one glass of ordinary red, four packs of cheese and crackers and two donuts. Why buy dinner?), and yay for having basically finished the xmas shopping in impressive bargain hunting style. I also now have an awesome hand luggage case for Europe, as I've come to conclusion that my Flying Purple People Eater (Enormous purple suitcase lugged to Indonesia) really is too Enormous (capitals deliberate) to take to Europe, so I'll be taking my fab new hand luggage and supplementing it with the backpack my nana took to Europe twenty years ago. Vintage. Awesome. Still works fine. They just don't make things they way they used to...

So you think you can dance?

Just enjoyed a most amusing night in Geelong- went to Irish Murphy's (the local Irish pub, complete with high ratio of bogans to normal folk) to watch my friend's friend's band play. The following rare, and rather priceless, specimens were spotted:

Spidey-man: This guy was spotted on a previous evening at the pub readin comics at the bar. When thanked for making room for my friend to get to the bar, he replied, "Don't thank me... thank Spider Man." Loser. Dances in a style somewhat similar to hip hop dancing monkeys.

The Angry Man: Clearly experiencing issues with another male in his territory, The Angry Man states his superiority by stamping his foot and hollering the lyrics to the song being played, while glaring dagger eyes at his foe. This stylised dance ritual is both fascinating and disturbing. Watch from a distance.

Pogo-Stick Man: Has an aversion to having both feet on the floor at once, and thus attempts to keep as much of his bhody in the air at one time as is possible. Jumping on one foot is acceptable. Often spotted with Spidey-Man and Rotund Grotty Thing.

Rotund Grotty Thing: Mating ritual involves barging into females in the vicinity, groping them once they are inebriated, and performing lewd gestures with tongue behind the heads of unsuspecting women. Thoroughly disgusting creature, best avoided, as is too drunk/ stupid to understand directions to somewhere far far away from the female personage being pursued.

Footloose: A grand exhibitionist from the early Bacon Era, Footloose gets groovy in a foot flapping frenzy sometimes reminiscent of Riverdance, sometimes MC Hammer, sometimes a frog in a blender. Hours of quality entertainment.

I love Geelong.

*sigh* ah well

This week has not gone quite to plan!

1) Level 2 of swing dance was TERRIFYING! Turns out we chose to move at a bad time (mid dance sequence), and we will be cowering back in level one for a few weeks longer.

2) Twp job interviews, but no job. Both were for different branches of a temp agency, so I’ll have more people on the look out for work for me, which is good.

3) I was one question short from getting onto Temptation. I’ll just have to try again for my chance to win a ride on mower.

And there have been a few surprises.

1) I got a call from a school in Alice Springs asking if I was still interested in teaching in Northern Territory. I have had my name on the register for so long with no contact, I had forgotten all about it, and never removed myself. But I think I am committed to travel with Lisa. Plus if I move to NT I want Nick to come with me. But I’ll so try for it again, it would be awesome J
2) I am auditioning for a rock opera on Saturday :P It’s probably a bit out of my league, but what the hell. However, they want me to bring a head shot (which I don’t have) and my CV (which I have, but no printer to print it out on). Plus I don’t have any piano music, so I’m just hoping acapella will be ok.

What a weird week.

In between jobs

Ah yes, at the end of today I will once more be 'between jobs'. Well, I decided I wanted a week off anyway, so that's not so bad. It's going to be a combination of relaxation, continued unpacking of boxes (I miss my books, they don't deserve to be all cramped like that, the poor things), job seeking, attempting to write a 50,000 word novel and running around frantically. My schedule for the next week or so:

Saturday: Visit Glenferrie Road, where I have discovered there is an Indonesian Supermarket as well as a bunch of Indo cafes and a bakery (I knew about the bakery). Go figure that I live in an Indonesian hub of Melbourne and never realised. Huh. Also on the schedule for Saturday is visiting Vietnam for pho, preferably without tripe and blood.

Sunday/ Monday: Nothing. How good is that?!

Tuesday: Double swing class, moving us up to Level 2. After a week of no swing, I am excited. Have given up on Spiegel classes, as they work on the theory you have attended no classes at all, including the previous Speigel classes. This means I have learned four super basic Charleston variations. So I'll attend Speigel class next time Scat Pack is performing, just cos they're great to watch. That said, it was fun to discover Gene's family friend Loz from Geelong teaching the most recent Speigel class.

Wednesday: Nothing but an osteo appointment, to which I am looking forward with great anticipation.

Thursday: Nothing but AN AUDITION FOR TEMPTATION! Yup, following in my boyfriend's footsteps (who, incidentally, will tell me nothing about his featuring on Temptation except that I will have to watch on December 1... Oh and that he thinks he made a goose of himself), I will be sitting the quiz to see if I am clever enough to be on that super exciting quiz show. Let's hope, now that I've put it out there in the public realm, that I actually get on... this could be embarrassing.

Friday: Heading back to Geelong, where I will hang out at my old high school. Yah. Cool, huh? *sigh* No, actually, I am speaking to an Indonesian class about my Indonesian trip. Then I'll be hanging out with Jack, checking out her new house (which she owns, not rents. Wooh!), and trying to convince her we should visit her parents for dinner.

(Following) Saturday: Trip #2 to Vietnam. Rice and curries and claypots (oh how I love claypots. Did I mention that my favourite restaurant in Kew, which served the most awesome pork claypot ever, has become a nobby Kew style Chinese restaurant? Complete with Kew decor, Kew prices, and Kew ignore-the-young-customers attitude. *sigh*).

(Following) Sunday: Christmas in November. Family thing to celebrate my Queensland relos visit to Victoria. Normally Queensland is so behind, and yet this year they're a month early for xmas. Unless they're just really late for last xmas... AND, the reason I really went through the whole week... U2!!!!!!!!! Yay! We can redeem our extremely expensive tickets, and sit so close to the stage that we'll be able to smell the B-grade celebrities who get freebie front row tickets!

And that is my life. Hopefully (Following) Monday includes starting a new job.

And they're racing!

Cup Day, 70s day, was plastic, man, plastic. Just wanted to post a few totally disco shots of this gravy party. Thanks for coming, lots of fun, guys! Thanks also to Dom for not throwing his prize, won buying the first place horse (Delta Blues), out of his car window as he had threatened. The shrimp farming paisely elephant door snake now resides at our pad, where we love it.

n.b. 70s lingo lists were posted around the house. You can get your translations here.

Let's go shopping

Hee hee hee. My boyfriend is at Channel Nine Studios right now: possibly winning the jackpot on Sale of the Century (oh, alright, Temptation); possibly just waiting around and hoping he doesn't get put up against a really fast champ; possibly calling the host Larry, although his name is Ed; possibly just drinking their coffee, only to be sent home at the of a day of waiting. Who knows. But he's in there with three changes of clothes, and a weekend's worth of mass Age Superquiz practice under his belt.

Go Nick! Win me that wine fridge (essentially a bar fridge, but how totally borgeouis to have a fridge specifically for wine. I love it)!

Things I currently think are awesome

• Paper clip holders. The one at work is great- it has a hole in the top that is magnetised, so that you tip up the box and the paper clips stick to the edges of the hole for easy access.
• Egg, cheese and Vegemite jaffles. No really. I don’t remember who recommended Vegemite and egg to me; I just remembered I scoffed and swore not to try it. I now regret the time wasted which could have been spent eating these delicious creations.
• ‘Children of Men.’ A friend recommended this movie to me when I’d been back in Australia for less than a week, and had no idea what day it was, let alone what was on at the movies. It is fantastic, one of the best movies I have seen in ages. It left me speechless (THAT’S how powerful I found it!). Set in a dystopian future which seems scarily possible, it looks at fear of ‘the other’ and that we are all the same on some level; that communication goes beyond words, and that without empathy the human race cannot survive.
• Meals without menus. Last night we ate Lao food, which was great, because the restaurant made us a special meal. This meant we had no idea what we were eating, we just tried it. Great fun.
• Eating with my hands. Again a reference to the Lao meal, with sticky rice and dishes made for consumption with the hands. So much fun, and it feels quite natural after my practice in Indonesia.
• Starburst Jelly Babies. So fruity.
• Gmail. With all the insane debate/ rant/ conversations my friends have, I constantly praise my email service which sorts things into conversations, meaning I have 3 active conversations in my inbox, rather than 162 new emails. Makes so much sense (No, I am not being paid by Gmail. But if they offer me money, I WILL accept it).
• Swing dancing. It’s just great fun. I am cut because there is a beginners aerials (where the girl gets thrown in the air, basically) class this weekend, but I am booked in for other things. Yay for swing dance at Spiegeltent, which means more of my friends come along and are considering trying classes. Yay for Nick and I deciding to go up a level to intermediate- this will be in two Tuesdays. Wish us luck.
• Random wine purchases that come good. Enough said.
• Melbourne Cup Day. A day off for horses. I can’t love it enough. I could only love it more if I were being paid.
• My crazy 70s dress for Cup Day. I have decided to shorten it to make it even groovier (if that is possible, it’s so groovy, it is hideous. Literally). I have also come to the realisation that it is HAND MADE. I don’t known if that makes it more or less acceptable to cut up. A vintage, hand made creation. But it only cost five bucks…Chocolate. I sat in the sun yesterday and contemplated how wonderful it is, and how wonderful it makes me feel. Bless.