a brand new crush

I couldn't sleep last night. I went to dinner after work with an old law school buddy who works for biglaw and works such long hours that I hardly ever see her. In fact, despite the fact that we don't live to far away from each other and we both work in the city, this is only the 2nd time this year that we've caught up and I haven't seen her husband since their wedding a couple of years ago. Anyway, dinner was great, we chatted for hours, but I'm not used to eating such a big meal at night and I think my body went into overdrive.

So anyway, I stay up late and end up watching The Cooks for the first time. It would be so easy for me to love this show - it's a bit quirky, very x-gen, and dramatic without being too soapy. I smiled, I laughed, and I fell in lust. With the lead male character, Gabe.



While I don't doubt that the actor, Toby Schmitz, is a mere child and I'm far too old for him (it always seems to be the way *sigh*), the character Gabe is just gorgeous. I love his voice. *sigh* He's tall and skinny with floppy brown hair... just my type.

I like having crushes on completely unattainable men. It means that I never meet them and get disappointed. I like the fantasy, while constantly admitting that it is a fantasy. My crushes never interfere with my relationships that way either. And this one is just so.... mmmm....

So yeah, mama's got a brand new crush.

Listening to: Damien Rice - O

flatmates and humour

I checked out a new place last night. Gorgeous flat, nice complex, close in, nice girl. And she has a cat, which is a bonus (well, for me anyway - I like cats). I told her that I was a bit gun shy after a couple of bad flatmate experiences and went through all of my bad habits according to ex-flatmates and, from the sounds of things, she is much the same. She certainly didn't seem to have any problems with any of the traits I mentioned. I have no doubts that she would speak her mind if something annoyed her, but she seems pretty laid back about stuff.

Anyway, I should know by the weekend if I've got the place or not. Which works in pretty well for me, as I'm planning to spend the weekend looking around one-bedroom places. I have a couple of appointments to see the places that I've already seen the outside of, and I'll do the drive around to check out those that aren't within the scope of my walk home.

On a completely unrelated issue - I was thinking as I was walking home last night about people people saying you've got a good sense of humour - so what is a good sense of humour? Isn't it just saying that someone has the same sense of humour as you? I mean has anyone ever said that they have a bad sense of humour? Or no sense of humour? I laugh a lot (and easily) and people frequently laught at... I mean with me. Does this mean I have a good sense of humour? Or just that I'm a klutz who frequently seems to suffer from foot in mouth affliction and makes sarcastic comments about what I observe? I was just wondering because I do have a decidedly bizarre sense of humour. People either get me or they don't. I find little things hilarious. When I'm in a good mood, I tend to be a bit hyperactive and slightly crazy. I'm definitely quirky. To give you an example, sometimes when the Ex used to move in for a kiss (back when he was the current and not the ex), I'd lick the tip of his nose instead. I thought it was hilarious. Thankfully, so did he.

And then there's my laughs. I have a number of different laughs which appear on different occassions. I don't have a fake laugh. I tend not to force a laugh just because it seems appropriate. I used to when I was younger, but now I'm more likely to just smile, or maybe say "ha ha". Maybe this would explain the people who don't think I have a good sense of humour. *shrugs*

But I do have:

* giggle - much as I hate to admit it, yep, I do giggle. There are even a number of forms of my giggle from the embarrassed/nervous giggle (they sound the same) to the delighted giggle.

* belly laugh - this is the one that just bubbles up and then is so hard to stop. Apparently it's very distinctive - friends have found me in a room of hundreds by following it like Hansel and Gretel followed the breadcrumbs.

* chuckle - this one usually comes about because of a dirty joke or double entendre. It's frequently accompanied by a smirk. Most commonly used around my family because they all have completely filthy minds.

* dirty chuckle - reserved for the truly filthy jokes or when I'm thinking something wicked. It's usually pretty quiet and seems to originate around my toes somewhere and is deeper than my voice, though I don't know quite how that works.

* talking laugh - when I'm saying something and laughing through it. It's shallower than the belly laugh, both in volume and content.

* the groaning laugh - this is the one that seems to happen whenever someone uses a pun. I happen to like puns. I think they're funny. But they're so corny, that I can't stop groaning and rolling my eyes at the same time.

I think that's it. There are variations of all of the above, but they are the basic categories. I'm also very proud of the fact that I don't have a bray - those awful laughs that are just far too high-pitched and far too loud. I think I find them so annoying because they never seem to be a real laugh, they sound very forced.

Listening to: Ben Kweller - On my way

decisions, decisions

So apparently, I'm a goody two shoes. My parents would probably disagree.



be sorted @ nimbo.net

And thinking of my parents, they've gone and done me a favour and now I have even more decisions to make! Damn them!

Specifically, my Mum calls me yesterday after she's seen my email about me moving again (this will be the 4th time this year after all, not including Europe) and says "Have you thought any more about buying a place?". Which I hadn't, because I don't have the deposit together yet and thought that to buy a house that's livable and isn't in the sticks, I really need to combine my income with someone elses. Then there's the apartment equation. Yes, I could always buy an apartment, but I'd want one that allowed pets, or at least cats, and I'm not sure that apartments retain their value (comparatively) as well as houses. But at least I can afford a fairly nice one. But not before I get the deposit together.

So Mum kicks in with, "you know, we can lend you the 10% deposit..." and continues on to tell me that I wouldn't have to pay it back quickly, but maybe if I rent out any spare rooms in whatever I buy, I could put that towards paying them back.

As if I didn't have enough decisions to make before! Bugger! I mean, thanks Mum, but bugger! I was all prepared for the fact that I couldn't afford to buy yet and was going to spend my savings on a trip to SE Asia next year and now she's gone and got me all thinking about growing up and being responsible again. But of course, no pressure.

Anyway, after stressing about this for most of the afternoon yesterday, I finally gave in and had a look at exactly what my buying power is for my substantive position's wage (as opposed to the higher duties I'm doing now or the mid-way positions that I've applied for and I think I've probably got a good chance of getting), and what sort of property I can get for the mortgage I can afford. Turns out, I can probably afford a fixer-upper in the Carina area (where the circle is on this map), which isn't too far out, and a fairly decent apartment in New Farm, which is in nice and close. And a bit of research has shown that apartments in New Farm, particularly the converted warehouse ones, have generally retained their value because it's one of the "trendy" areas of Brisbane. So I'm thinking about it.

But not yet. I've decided that I'll try and find either a sharie flat or a one-bedder for less money and maybe not as nice and look into buying in the next 6 to 12 months. That will give me time to really check out the market and try to make some decisions on what I want to do with myself over the next 5 or 10 years. My Mum's really keen to see me put down some roots, but I'm really a bit of a gypsy at heart and I'm not sure that buying into the property market is such a good idea for me.

And thinking of being a gypsy and moving around a lot, bloody ING!. I have one of those savings accounts with them that are completely online but have a better rate of interest. So I tried to transfer some money into the account this morning and it wouldn't go through. No explanation, just told to ring this number. Which after a few tries to see if it's just a computer glitch, I do and am told that my account was frozen because a piece of mail was returned to them. Just one piece of mail! And I'd place bets that it was either improperly addressed or sent to my residential address rather than my postal address (where all mail for that account is supposed to be sent), because my postal address is still accurate and hasn't changed for about a year and I've certainly been using that account in that time. And no contact to tell me this was happening or to check that it wasn't just an Australia Post stuff-up! It's not like they don't have numerous phone numbers and my email address (which also haven't changed)! And when I tried to explain to the girl on the phone that my mobile number is the most accurate number for me because I change homes and jobs regularly, she tried to make out that it was banking regulations that they have a home number! I pulled her up on it until she admitted that it was just ING regulations. Honestly! Don't they train these people?

Okay, I'm finished now. I think that may be the most exclamation marks I've ever used in one paragraph.

Oh, but here comes some more exciting news. My sister-in-law rang me yesterday to tell me that she's now officially pregnant. Of course I knew this, but it's now official in the sense that she's told her parents and my parents because they've decided to have the baby. It turns out she was further along than she thought she was and the baby was old enough to have survived all of the nastys she went through with my niece. It's due in May, so I'll have another little niece or nephew then. I suppose I should be excited, but I'm finding it very difficult after all of the hassles of the last couple of months.

And I've bought my season pass to Woodford. I thought I'd better do it now while I have money.

Listening to: Ben Folds - Live

changing rooms

My flatmate and I had a bit of a tiff on Sunday night.

It wasn't anything major, one of those little "straw that broke the camels back" sort of deals. Basically Lushlife was right, I probably should have told him how much some stuff (in this case, cleaning up after his dinner parties) annoyed me. Although, in my defence, even as I was snapping at him, I did tell him that if he just let me be until morning, I'd be over it by then. That's sort of the way I work. I get pissed off about something, but it doesn't last long (I think the longest I've ever managed to be in a snit for since reaching adulthood is about 1/2 an hour). The only problem is that this time, he came downstairs in the middle of it and had a go at me and I blew my top.

So what happened? Well, he told me Sunday morning that he was having friends over for dinner on Sunday night, so I made a bit of effort to arrange things so I was out for most of the night (more on that later) to give him the run of the place. So I get home at 11pm and there's dirty plates and glasses all over the kitchen bench. The dishwasher was fully loaded and on, so he'd obviously decided to leave the rest for morning. Only problem is, they hadn't been rinsed so by the time I got home, there were ants crawling all over them.

So I spend the next 10 minutes muttering about him and rinsing the dishes off and wiping down the benches. Towards the end of this time is when he comes downstairs to have a go at me about making too much noise. If I hadn't already been muttering about him with everything, I probably would have just said, "I'm nearly finished now" and that would have been that. But I was already pissed off, so we ended up having a little spat.

Maybe it's a good thing, cleared the air. I'm generally pretty easy-going, so he obviously hadn't realised how much that sort of thing annoyed me. We had the big talk on Monday morning and he had a bit of a go at me for not being a very sociable flatmate. But when he's hardly ever there and when he is, he's either asleep or with his girlfriend, when does he expect me to be sociable?

Anyway, as part of the big talk, my flatmate pointed out that he was planning to head overseas early next year anyway and made it pretty clear that he thought it would be a good idea for me to move out sooner rather than later. Which I don't really have a problem with. I knew I was going to have to move before the end of the year, and I suppose it's better for me to move before the weather gets too hot. It's just that I hate moving and I was procrastinating as long as possible. But that's the way the wind blows.

So I'm tossing up now whether to share again or to get my own place. I did the living by myself thing when I was 21 to 25 and it didn't particularly work for me. I tend to get hermit-like and I don't like that about myself. But I'm older now and I'm definitely a different person. I've lived in all sorts of situations with all sorts of different people and I'm not sure that living on my own would be a bad thing now. At least it would mean that I'd be able to keep the place clean. ;o)

So for this week at least, I'm going to keep my options open. I'm putting out the feelers to see if any of my friends are looking for a flatmate or a move, and I'm going to check out a couple of one bedroom places that are within my price range and see if they're livable. Maybe by the weekend I'll have idea of where I want to go.

The Weekend

So anyway, my weekend. As predicted, I had a quiet weekend. Spent Friday night and Saturday watching DVDs and snoozing. I did catch up with T&S on Sunday. I ended up heading over there about 10am and not leaving until about 8:30pm. It was a good day - we swam and played with the bub and lounged around watching DVDs and went to the park and stuff like that. Very relaxed, but then I always feel relaxed at their place. I've lived with them twice now and they always make me feel welcome.

As I was heading home from their place, I got a text message from the Law Student asking if I'd be up for The Gin Club at the Bowery. I was feeling pretty good and up for a night out, so I said "yep" and headed on over. I arrived just as they were starting their first set, but I have to admit that I didn't pay them that much attention - too busy chatting to the Law Student and I couldn't see anything through the crowd at the bar anyway. I did listen a bit though and I do love their stuff. I think I've mentioned them before - they are sort of like your typical non-traditional Irish band. They actually remind me a lot of the Australian folk bands I used to see with my parents when I was a kid, but without doing the traditional Aussie folk songs. Some ballads, but mostly rollicking high-energy folk that you can dance to. A bit like The Pogues.

I saw one of the guys from Screamfeeder and the old drummer from The Boat People in the crowd. It was one of those crowds that felt like the insiders club and we were the only non-musician people there (though I think that the Law Student knows one of the guys in The Gin Club, so even we were connected! ;o))

I left about 1/2 way through their second set and was home by 11pm. So not a late night, and I only had the one beer, but I guess between that and the emotional upset of the argument with my flatmate, my cold made a dramatic return by Monday morning. And I'm still all stuffy and sneezy. Feeling pretty chirpy other than that though.

Note: I've also only just posted yesterday's blog, which wouldn't go through yesterday, so I saved it until it would.

Listening to: Tamas Wells - A Mark on the Pane

thinking like a lawyer (revisited)

Further to my previous post about this, Scheherazade has since given her own answer on this, which is probably more emotive than mine, but drew some interesting comments (see in particular, the one from David Giaclone which links a couple of interesting articles).

Scheherazade commented:

Being good at law means you're very good at breaking complicated questions down into parts and looking without emotion at those parts. You're able to separate pain, sorrow, misfortune, shame, anger, expectation, and outrage from analysis and decisions. You're good at isolating those problems you are able to solve, and ignoring those that aren't on your plate right now. You're good at being able to move, step-by-step, to a conclusion, and to move through a series of conclusions to a specific result. You can show how different conclusions at any step might change the result.

This I agree with. It's not all that different from what I wrote.

But I don't agree with this:

But the problem with learning and practicing law is that it elevates this kind of thinking above everything else. Narrow, precise, analytical, articulate, rational, dispassionate. I'm good at that, as far as it goes. But the truth about me is that I am also messy and sensitive and intuitive and warm and imaginative and empathetic and joyful and easily moved by beauty. I want to connect with everyone. I want to put people at ease.

As I said in a comment on Scheherazade's post, I think the "thinking like a lawyer" part of the process means that you give good advice to your client. The rest of it, the sensitive, intuitive, warm, imaginative, empathetic and joyful part of it, is part of how you deal with the client and the client's problems. Aggressive people tend to be aggressive lawyers. And people like me, who dislike conflict, tend to negotiate a conclusion. Personally, I think my way is better. I'm prepared to be the bulldog litigator when I need to be, but I generally prefer to win by reaching an agreement with the other side/s. My first boss told me that in most cases, if you have to take a civil case to court then you've already lost. And I believe that. The costs to the client nearly always outweigh the benefits. Of course, there are exceptions, like when the other side is being a complete bastard about it, but generally the individual client will not benefit from going to court.

One of things I like about working for government is that we are more likely to take a case on, or appeal it through, because of the principle of the matter. We litigate literally hundreds of cases each year so long-term benefits and changes to precedent will directly impact upon us. Unlike individuals who generally only benefit from the individual case, not from any ongoing changes to the law.

But anyway, this is getting onto a completely different topic. The point I wanted to make was that you can analyse the case in the "thinking like a lawyer" sense and then use your more human qualities to bring the matter to it's conclusion. The two are not mutually exclusive in the practice of law. You just have to find an area which matches your personal ethics and interests.

Listening to: Ben Folds - Live

Damien Rice, Faithless and ACO

Whew! What a week. Work has been busy and I've been doing minimum hours because of a cold I caught over the weekend. And then I go home and crash out. So I haven't been able to do my usual thing of typing up a post before/after work.

So it's nearly the next weekend and I haven't posted about last weekend! So here goes...

Friday

I practically ran home after a late night thinking I was going to be late for the Teacher's birthday dinner. As it turns out, I had enough time to change, get to the restaurant and still be the first one to arrive. Not such a problem except that they sat me at the wrong table! Thankfully, half her guests were sat at the wrong table, so I wasn't the only one feeling like a fool. But it did mean that I ended up sitting next to the Ex, as that was the only free seat by the time I got to the right table. Since I hadn't even known that he would be there, it was a bit awkward. Ah well. Still, there was good food, good wine, good company - so it was still a worth while little venture.

I left the restaurant about 8:45pm, aiming to get to the Tivoli by 9pm, which I thought would be in time to get a drink before Gorgeous started. I did get there by 9pm, but Gorgeous had already started. Bugger. The crowd around me seemed to be mostly Irish (judging by the accents) and seemed to have no idea who they were, but Gorgeous played a great set with plenty of banter and were well received by the crowd. I bought their latest CD after the gig.

During the break, I was very impressed to hear Matthew Sweet being played. He's one of those artists that Australian's don't tend to know, so to have his stuff played by the Tivoli was enough to make me a happy girl.

Maybe this was why I was chatted up during the break. This cute little teenager started chatting to me after he saw me straining over the heads to try and see DR's guitar and mic set-up. At least, I assume he was a teenager, since he said he was too young to have gone to Ben Folds' first solo gig at the Tivoli a couple of years ago. Anyway, he was sweet and kept me occupied until the set up was finished.

And then Damien Rice came on. The crowd went wild. I'd forgotten how good this guy is. He was performing solo, but had one of those repeat sequencers that record a riff and then play it back to boost his sound. During some songs, he must have had about 8 or 9 riffs (both guitar and voice) going at once. It sounded like the full band as on the CD. Pretty impressive - an amazing voice as well.

The first encore was Cheers Darlin', a break-up song that he performed as if drunk, complete with smoke and a glass of red wine in one hand. As soon as the song was over, the act was dropped and he went back to normal. Very cool.

Both of my favourite songs from "O", Cannonball and The Blower's Daughter, were also in the encore, so I spent the whole thing swaying and smiling and feeling very much the contended girl.

And then he topped it all off with an unmiked version of Jeff Buckley's Halleluliah. Now I'm a big Jeff fan and don't usually like covers of his songs, but this one just knocked me out of the water! Damien's voice has the same range and passion, and the crowd (unprompted) joined in with the harmonys in the chorus. It was a magical moment. Almost as good as the 3-part harmony in Not the Same during Ben Folds' Tivoli gig (which did sound just as beautiful as the recorded version on the Live CD).

Saturday

I had to be up bright and early Sat morning to head over to T's sister's Tupperware party. I promised T that I would go, even though she wasn't going to be there now, so I could help her sister with anything that she needed. As it turns out, my help wasn't needed, she had it all under control. And I had an alright time, despite it being just as "mumsy" as I'd feared. I bought nearly $300 worth of stuff, $150 for me and $150 in birthday and Christmas presents.

Sat arvo/evening, I just bummed around and watched The 4400, which I'd taped last weekend. It wasn't as sci-fi as I'd thought it might be - more of a look at communities and how people fear what they don't understand. Very X-Men. I liked it. I'd thought it was worth a shot anyway, since I'm a big Jacqueline McKenzie fan - I've loved her work since seeing her on Aussie TV not long after she'd graduated NIDA I think.

I also got a call from the Vegetarian to set up time/place to meet for Sun night. We ended up chatting for nearly an hour on the phone. It was good - I caught up with some of what he'd been up to during his road trip in NSW/Vic and we fell into our old routine of just chatting and joking.

Sunday

I caught up with housework, washing etc on Sunday. My flatmate had told me that he was going away for the weekend, so I also took the opportunity to clean the place up a bit in terms of getting stuff away.

The Vegetarian picked me up at 6pm and we headed into West End for a bite to eat. After an aborted attempt at Lebanese (the guy was rude and had no idea what was in the veggie platter), we found a little veggie place that did great burgers and shakes.

Then we headed into the Convention Centre for the gig. We met up with the Nymph and her boyfriend (who had got free tickets the bastards!) which was a bit of a surprise since I hadn't known they were going. I also saw the guy who chatted me up at the speedstar* gig - he was selling merch again. He seemed really happy to see me, but he still hasn't emailed me, so who knows. I'm not really that concerned. At least I did get to see him when I was sober though and I still think he's kinda cute. ;o)

Anyway, the gig. The support was Way Out West, a sort of dance version of Garbage, with a couple of older guys doing the music and a younger, good looking girl doing the vocals. They were good. They got the Vegetarian and I up and dancing anyway. I wouldn't buy their CD though.

And then there was Faithless. These guys just know how to get a crowd moving. The crowd wasn't quite as dancey as last time I saw them, but they still got into it. I danced my butt off and was dripping with sweat by the time they'd finished. They seemed to enjoy the crowd and Maxi Jazz commented a couple of times that we were the best crowd they'd had in Australia and they wanted to take us back to England with them. I know it's a cliche and they probably say that to all the audiences, but I have to admit that the crowd were incredibly into it, especially for a Sunday night.

On a side note, I'd never been to the Convention Centre for a gig before - it was actually a surprisingly good venue. I'd see a band there again. Anywhere is better than the bloody Arena anyway!

Monday

Monday morning, I was again up bright and early to head off to Toowoomba to see my folks and the concert that night. Mum was working in the morning, so I hung out with Dad and chatted to him for a couple of hours. It was bloody freezing up there (as well as wet, foggy and windy), so I managed to con him into turning on the heating and was perfectly happy cuddled up in the sofa with the dog. In the afternoon, Mum and I headed over to B&S's place and I gave my nephew his birthday presents. Both of them went down very well. He let out a "wow" as soon as he saw the tow-truck, but wasn't as impressed by the circus road-train initially. But once he started playing with it, he didn't stop. And he proudly showed both to my brother when he got home. It was lovely to see him so impressed.

We had to run off pretty early to get ready for dinner before the concert. Mum had made a booking at Jilly's in Margaret Street for dinner and we met Genie there at 5:30pm. Unfortunately, it wasn't a particularly good choice. The service was slow and rude, the meals and drinks were expensive and not particularly good, except for my meal, which was so peppery that it was inedible. At least they didn't charge us for it, but the waitress made some comment about it being "personal taste" - sorry sweetie, but no-one likes risotto that burns your tongue.

But the concert was great. The program started with just the ACO, doing the Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major, then Smith's Alchemy revised for string orchestra and finally Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major. The cello soloist (Emma-Jane Murphy) was absolutely brilliant - she's so expressive and man can she make that cello talk! I couldn't take my eyes off her - who knew an eyebrow could say so much.

After the interval, Tim and Terepai from The Whitlams joined the orchestra for the "Freedman songs" part of the program.

Tim started off by complimenting Emma-Jane with a comment about a "uncircumcised slob" like him not having heard the cello solo piece before. I started shaking with laughter - not so much for the joke, it wasn't really that funny, but more that this crowd -really- didn't get it!

Much of Tim's banter revolved around the ARIAs the night before. He seemed hungover - he was drinking water! - and made a few comments about the amount of alcohol that had been drunk the night before. Despite that, he still pulled off the gig with his usual aplomb. He didn't even forget any of the words.

Tim also flirted through most of the gig with Emma-Jane (even though the cello section was behind him). And she was flirting back just as hard. I wonder if there's something going on there? I have to admit that you couldn't blame him if there is - she's extraordinarily talented, very attractive in a Catherine Zeta Jones way, and seems quite fiery, with a spark of humour in her eyes.

Mum finished up the evening by commenting, "he has a very nice voice doesn't he? Very smooth. Quite the entertainer. He's a bit scruffy though."

I think that sums up Tim nicely.

Tuesday

With storms predicted for the afternoon, I hadn't wanted to leave to head home too late. So I bummed around with Dad for the morning, met Mum for lunch and a little bit of shopping and then headed home. I got home about 4pm and started in on the Buffy DVD's I hadn't opened yet. It was nice to have a quiet night.

This weekend

This weekend, I have no plans. So I'm thinking I might just bum around home and recover from this cold. I might catch a movie or something. Probably catch up with T&S if they're around. I'll play it by ear. See how I'm feeling. That sort of thing.

Listening to: Faithless - Mass Destruction single

one more thing

Oh - something I forgot to mention before I posted - isn't it weird how you find some things out?

I read Notes from the (Legal) Underground, an American law blog, every day. Today, Evan mentioned and Australian legal portal called PracticeSource, which I've never heard of. So I'm wondering - is this just because I'm not as much "in the know" as I used to be, being a government lawyer; because it's a NSW/Vic oriented source; or because it's just not that well known?

I don't know how useful it will be. So far, I just like the cartoons, like:



Anyway, I'm happy. Evan mentioned three weblogs by Australian lawyers to "tune in to", and mine was first. *does silly little dance*

Am I petty and easily impressed? Yep!

Listening to: george - Unity (still)

long weekend

I've got so much happening this weekend, it's probably just as well that I have 4 days to do it in.

Tonight I'm off to see Damien Rice at the Tivoli. Before that, the Teacher is having a birthday dinner and I said I'd go along to that until about 8:30 or 9pm. And would join them again after the gig if they're still going strong.

Tomorrow, I've got T's sister's tupperware party. T&S have had to go north for S's grandmother's funeral and I've promised that I'll go along to the party to help out T's sister with the orders and the like.

If I'm feeling up to it on Sat night, I'm thinking of heading along to Rics to see Wes Davidson's set. The Law Student said that she'll be going, but I may need to just catch up on some sleep.

Because Sunday night, I'm heading off to see Faithless at the Brisbane Convention Centre with the Vegetarian. I haven't seen him since that dinner he had when he first got back from overseas, so I still haven't really caught up with him. And the last time Faithless toured here, we went to that gig together, so it feels a little like deja vu. I think it was at that gig that I promised him that if we were both still single by the time we reached a certain age, then I'd marry him and have his children. Problem is, I can't remember what age I said. It may have been 30, in which case I'm already breaking my promise. Ooops!

I'm taking Monday and Tuesday off work (I love time off in lieu!), partially because of the gig on Sunday night, and partially because I'm seeing Tim Freedman with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on Monday night with my Mum and Genie. Which is also why I'm having Tuesday off.

I ordered the rest of the Buffy seasons a while back and they've arrived at my folks' place, so I'm guessing that at least part of my weekend back home will be spent watching some of that. This now means that I have every season from 1 to 7 on DVD. I know, I'm a little scary. But I do really like my Buffy. And I didn't get to see much of Season 7 as it aired very late in Australia and I was overseas for much of it.

Katie and Nick from george were on Australian Idol last night. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, since both Hayley and Casey sang george songs on "own choice" night. But I was, nonetheless. Since george are very much the indy band made good, and Australian Idol is about packaging an "instant" star.
Photo from Australian Idol's website.

Katie looked gorgeous as per usual, but the other shock was that Nick has cut his hair! It used to be really long (nearly to his waist I think) and now it's shoulder length and wasn't pulled back into his usual ponytail. I didn't recognise him at first. It made me realise how long it's been since I've seen these guys live.

So I'm just listening to their latest CD.

Listening to: george - Unity

thinking like a lawyer

A commentator on Scheherazade's blog raised this point about thinking like a lawyer and got me keen to blog about it.

I have been heard to say on many the occasion that doing your law degree does not actually teach you the law or the skills you need to work as a solicitor or barrister. In fact, all it teaches you is how to think like a lawyer.

But what does that mean?

The way I see it, is that it teaches you the following:

1. to look at a case objectively and from all sides to give your advice;

2. to separate emotion from the objective facts of the case and be able to back up your opinion with evidence and settled law (or at least convincing obiter dicta);

3. to be able to break down a complicated fact scenario into its most basic elements and look at each element, both one by one and in conjunction with the others, to reach your conclusion;

4. the language of the law, including the latin, so that you can communicate effectively with other lawyers, without having to go into lengthy explanations to make a point;

5. confidence in your ability to find the law, and then apply a principle to the given facts.

There may be more, but these are the ones I can think of right now.

I would say that good lawyers (whether barristers or solicitors) combine this ability to "think like a lawyer" with good research skills, excellent communication skills (with clients, other lawyers, and the court*), and either an adequate memory or an excellent precedent system, or both.

* Otherwise known as the ability to argue your point ;o)

From my experience in Queensland and Ireland, and from talking to others about their experiences, I don't think these basic skills would change much over borders, but perhaps my international readers could comment if they don't agree.

I have found that "bush lawyers" or self-represented parties often have the other skills I mention, but lack this ability to think like a lawyer. In particular, my points at numbers 2 and 3 above are often lacking. This is what frequently makes them difficult to deal with - they argue emotionally, can't back it up, and miss vital points.

Listening to: Wesley Davidson's little 2 song CD

Fire drills

Oh man, I hate fire drills and false alarms. In the last week, I've had 2 at home and 1 at work and I'm truly sick of them.

Why is it that work always seems to have fire drills at morning tea time? And then they're so surprised when we all disappear off and have coffee with our colleagues rather that standing around in the sun in the designated meeting place for half an hour.

And why are the false alarms at home always just when I have fallen off to sleep... usually around 11pm or midnight. I really want to know what people are doing to set off their alarm at that hour... actually, maybe I don't.

There has been some discussion lately about in this post about blogging about matters that are privileged. This is something I haven't done to date. Because I don't blog about my job all that often. The reason? The work I'm doing at the moment is a great, big yawn. It puts me to sleep, so I don't really talk about it that often, even with friends. Also, it's fairly political and policy oriented, and even the little bits I would be interested enough to talk about, I couldn't. So I don't. I expect this will change next year, and it's likely that I'll start blogging more about my job then.

Thinking of next year, I'm starting to get all excited by the idea of doing the full season of the Woodford Folk Festival, which runs from Boxing Day to New Year's Day each year. I've been going pretty much every year since 1997, but have only ever done the one day. It runs from about 9am to about 2am usually, so I pack a lot into that one day (and then usually sleep in my car in the carpark before driving home at dawn), but I've never done the season (6 nights) because the people I know who go to Woodford each year are all performers and they camp in a different area from the general public. And camping on your own is a bugger - all that equipment for one person? Too much hassle.

But this year, I actually know non-performers who are going. Well, they're actually the boyfriend and friends of the Law Student and I don't know them that well. So it sort of depends on whether she will be going or not. I don't mind spending most of my time doing festival things on my own, I pretty much expect to whether she goes or not, since it's likely that we will be interested in different things. But I don't feel comfortable about camping with a bunch of people I barely know unless she's there. From those I've met, I'm sure they'd be friendly and very cool about me camping with them, but it's still camping for a week with a bunch of strangers.

Anyway, I should be able to borrow most of the camping gear I/we may need from my brother (still waiting for him to get back to me on that), but I will need to buy a camp cot/stretcher. It always rains at least one day at Woodford, and I'm told the best way to be sure that your stuff stays dry is to sleep on a camp cot/stretcher and have your clothes and stuff up on camp chairs.

I checked out a few camp cots last night and they seem to vary pretty dramatically in price from about $30 to nearly $100 for a fairly standard looking cot. Anyone know the difference/what to look for?

You can get cool one's like this:



Which convert into a lounger, but that one is $100, and I'm not sure I want to spend that much money on one, unless the extra money will be worth it.

And at the other end of the range, is this one:



which is only $30, but I'm wondering if there's a reason for that? I really don't want a camp cot that will collapse underneath me if I try to roll over.

I'll probably put my yoga mat on top of it for a bit of extra comfort, so I'm not too worried about that aspect. But I'd rather spend $100 on something that will last a few years than $30 on something that I'll only be able to use once. You know? I'm thinking I might get a bit of use out of it at home as well, when guests stay over and the spare bed is being used - that sort of thing. But that will only work if it's comfortable.

I'm hoping to head off to the camping store this weekend and check a few out. Got too much to get done at lunchtime today and it looks like I won't get lunch tomorrow.

Listening to: Damien Rice - O

sandals

I found a pair of work sandals I liked - they were even on special at David Jones!



So I bought them.

I also saw another pair I liked - they're dressier and have one of those ridiculous kitten heels but were very comfortable. The first picture is what they look like, but I was looking at them in the colour called "nude", which is the colour of the second shoe. I'm just not sure that that colour (it's sort of a pale brown with pinky undertones in real life) will go well with my predominantly grey wardrobe.



It's my nephew's birthday this week, so the aim of the shopping expedition was actually to get him a birthday present.

I bought him this toy:



but I'm not sure whether I'll keep it for him or get him something different. It's pretty cool - it's about 60cm long all up and 20cm high and when you push down on the head of the driver, you get lights and sounds and the lion the elephant spin and the truck moves forward up to 2.4m (according to the box). But I'm a bit concerned that it might be too young for him (he'll be 2) - he loves trucks and loves vehicles that attach to each other, but this one has the self-propelling function and I'm not sure if he'll be able to push it along himself without damaging it. And that's what he'll really want to do - he makes the sound effects himself and pushes his trucks around.

I also saw this tow truck that has a car and a crane on the back. I think it was a Tonka toy, but if not, in the same vein. I'm thinking that may be more his style.

Last but not least, snaps to Courting Disaster for his mention in this article about Australian blawgs.

Listening to: No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

pink toenails

I went over to the Nymph's place for dinner last night. We did the whole CSI and take-away thing. Anyway, we were talking about toes and I pointed out that one of my toenails is still a purpley colour from hiking when I went down to Melbourne. So she decides to paint my toenails pink. It was cool - I've never had someone else paint my toenails before.

The reason why the whole toenails thing came up is because I'm on the lookout for a pair of work sandals - something summery, yet professional-looking that looks equally good with a skirt or slacks. It's not easy, particularly as I hate stilletos and those stupid little kitten heels seem to be in this summer. Yuk.

I quite like these ones that I tried on yesterday:



but I'm not sure about the white stitching.

I also like these:



and these:



and these:



but I've only seen them online and it would depend on what they look like on - they're all DF Supersoft and those shoes can look really dowdy. I guess I'll be off to the shops at lunchtime today.

I was really ticked off with my flatmate this morning. He keeps on leaving the front door open and it annoys the crap out of me. Mainly because my bedroom door is right next to the front door. And my bathroom door is next to that. So I leave the bathroom this morning wrapped in a towel to duck into my bedroom and change and the front door is wide open and one of my neighbours gets a good view. Not happy, Jan. So I close the door on my way into my bedroom and my flatmate has a go at me! Because he was just on his way out. Sure, that's all well and good, but how hard is it to close a door behind you and re-open it on your way out again! Or at the very least close it enough to block the view of passing traffic, even if you don't close it all the way. It was obvious I was in the shower (you can't miss the sound of it in our place) and if he had thought about it even a little bit he should have realised that I wouldn't want to be running around in full view of the neighbourhood in my towel. I'm still feeling narky about it.

A couple of little things he does do really annoy me. Like he puts his horrible sweaty, smelly, dirty clothes into the washing machine but doesn't put it on. So when I go to do my washing on the weekend, I have to pull them out again to be able to put my clothes in. And because they've been sitting in the washing machine for days they reek. It's enough to make me gag. Eugh.

And he never throws out his food that's gone off. It just sits in the fridge until I decide that it's gone past the ridiculous stage (like milk that's a week past its use-by date) and throw it out for him. We each buy our own food, have separate shelves in the fridge and the cupboard, and don't share anything except for cleaning stuff, so it's not like he doesn't know it's his.

But I still think he's basically a good flatmate. He's pretty easy going and relatively clean (for a boy) in the communal areas (his bedroom is a pigsty, but I don't have to go in there so I don't care - I suspect that's the reason why his girlfriend spends so little time at our place though). We don't fight over money and he's rarely home on the weekend, so I can pretty much clean the place up when I feel like it. And he's not psycho like my last flatmate before I went overseas - and that's always a good thing! ;o)

Listening to: Kieran Waters and the Young Casuals - Demister EP

anyone wanna buy a ticket to Damien Rice?

When tickets to Damien Rice first went on sale, I bought two, figuring that chances were someone would want to go and I wasn't sure if the gig would sell out (given that Belle and Sebastian did and Damien Rice seemed to be almost as big as B&S were in the UK).

Now of course, the gig hasn't sold out, my friends have shown a distinct lack of interest (well, the one who was keen has a 21st to go to that night), and I'll be down about $55 if I can't sell it on.

I don't really have any problems going to the gig by myself. It will be a good gig (the support is Gorgeous, an ex-Brisbane band that I also like) and I'll just try and time it to get there about when Gorgeous start so that I'm not hanging around too much on my own. One of the advantages of going to a gig on my own is that it's much easier to wiggle through to somewhere near the front when there's just one of you. Especially since I'm short - guys often let me stand in front of them so I can see.

But I think I'm stressing about the spare ticket. I woke up at 4am this morning with it on my mind. Of course, the actual waking up at 4am part was probably mostly because of my sore throat (hanging over from being sick last week, but it got worse last night), not because I was stressing about selling the ticket, but the mere fact that I was obviously dreaming about it is enough. I mean logically, I know this is stupid - it's only $55, not all that much in the overall scheme of things, but I hate to waste money, especially that much money. And it does seem to be just a waste to have a ticket that doesn't get used.

I'm thinking that I might ask T (of T&S) if she wants to come with me as a girl's night out if I can't sell it by Thursday - that way, at least the ticket is being used, even if I'm not getting any money for it. And I get to have a night out with T, which I never get to do anymore. It will probably depend on whether she and S already have plans - otherwise, I'm sure S would be cool with her having a night out while he looks after the bub. He's done it before and left her with the bub. And she's not breastfeeding anymore or anything. Ah well, we'll see.

Listening to: Damien Rice - O (still/again)

feeling almost human again

I managed to have a really good weekend, even though it was very quiet. I decided not to go up to my folks place, as the road to Toowoomba had been cut by bushfires on Thursday and Friday and they were saying that it was likely that it would be cut again over the weekend.

So instead, I did my token bit of cleaning by getting my bathroom in a respectable state on Saturday morning, voted around lunchtime (Liberal won - that's the conservative party here - little Johnny Howard must be a very happy boy - it seems committing us to war in Iraq hasn't hurt his popularity at all) and I headed over to T&S on Saturday afternoon to avoid my flatmate's party and stayed on until Sunday lunchtime. I'm very glad I did, for multiple reasons:

- apparently there were 50 people at our place for the party

- I got to babysit for a couple of hours Sat arvo while T&S were looking at cars (they have to buy one by early Nov, because S has a new job and will lose his company car, but gets a car rebate with his new job)

- And I got to babysit again that night while T&S were at a party next-door. I mostly just watched TV though - the bub mostly slept through - I watched Toy Story 2 on TV and then Charlotte Gray on DVD, neither of which I'd seen before, though I had read the book of Charlotte Gray

- And again for about an hour on Sunday morning - I woke up early, so I was already awake when I heard the bub squeaking and went to him before he woke up his parents. This meant that they got to sleep in a bit and I got some quality time with him when he's at his best. I had to go and wake them up when he started squeaking againg though - I was pretty sure he was hungry, but I wasn't sure what he normally ate for breakfast.

- I got to chat to T on Sunday about the situation with Mum and my sister-in-law. It was good to just get it all off my chest and get some feedback from her on how best to deal with the situation.

The Ex was over at T&S's place on Sunday and it did sound like I'd missed a good gig - he wasn't particularly complimentary about Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males though.

Health-wise, I'm feeling better. I was still getting waves of nausea through Saturday and I'm very glad I was able to stay at T&S's place where I didn't have to battle with 50 people for use of the bathroom! ;o) Yesterday, I woke up feeling pretty good and even changed the bub's poo-y nappy without gagging. I was hungry nearly all day and ate a huge amount of food for one little person. I developed a massive headache during the course of the afternoon and ended up taking a couple of Mersyndol and falling asleep before 8:30pm (I know this because I was watching Australian Idol, and I was dozing during Courtney and missed Ricki-Lee completely). So I woke up this morning with a Mersyndol hangover and I'm still feeling a bit vague and out of it even now. But at least I'm eating and feeling almost human again.

Listening to: Damien Rice - O

the diagnosis

Well, the doctor thinks I have gastroenteritis. Probably viral as I hadn't had anything to eat which could have caused it. She also gave me medication for giardia - if it hasn't cleared up by the end of the weekend, she said to take that medication. She also suggested I take this stuff which replaces the salts and stuff I've lost through being sick, which has helped with the headache and general blah feeling. So, I'm still getting the nausea waves every so often, but I'm feeling better generally.

I decided I'd better blow off my plans for the weekend though. Pity, because I was looking forward to going to see Missy Higgins on Saturday night with the Tall Guy, Genie and the Teacher. And my flatmate is having a party and all. But I've sold my ticket to the Ex, so at least that's sorted. I'm not sure what I'll do for the weekend. I'm waiting for T (of T&S) to call me back about tomorrow night - I don't want to be home while my flatmate's having a party here - I can't think of anything worse when I'm sick. And I'm not sure if I could make the drive up to my folks place. So I'm hoping T&S might be okay with me hitting their place for the weekend (well, from Sat arvo until Sun morning anyway)... I've raised it with S and he said he'll get T to call me when she gets home. Anyway, not going to make any decisions until I hear from her.

Part of the problem is that I have to vote tomorrow - otherwise I might have tried heading up to my folks place this afternoon. But voting away from home is such an effort, so I'd rather just vote here and head up tomorrow if needs be.

Ah, the trials of finding someone to get sympathy from! ;o)

Listening to: (and watching) The Simpsons

Bleh.

I feel awful. Queasiness has turned into low-grade nausea and I've had a headache since Tuesday night. Add to that the dizziness, aches and general lack of strength I'm experiencing, you may see why I haven't been at work since Tuesday. I'm not sure that I feel sick enough not to go to work, I just know that I can't quite get up the energy to contemplate it.

I'm off to the doctor this morning. This is really saying something for me - I hate doctors and generally won't go unless there is something specific I'm after, like asthma medication or the pill. It's not that I hate all doctors as people (though I do dislike many of them), it's more that I generally think that if I can get the energy to get to a doctor, I can get the energy to go to work, which means I don't need to go to the doctor. But right now, that logic is defeating me - I've been headachy and nauseous for three days. This probably equates to having some tests done at least.

Hopefully, we'll be back to our regular programming on Monday.

Listening to: the sounds of construction work outside

bloody cyclists

Warning: rant about cyclists to follow

I have yet another bruise forming on my arm. Why? Because the bloody cyclists in this town can't learn simple rules of etiquette, such as footpaths* are for feet not wheels! I mean it's quite simple really - if you're on a bicycle, you are a vehicle* and should be on the road. If you can't ride on the road because of the volume of traffic, then hop off your bloody bike and push it along the footpath! There are exceptions to the rule that ridden bikes belong on the roads - they are called dedicated bike paths, but just because there is a footpath leading to the dedicated bike path, doesn't give you the right to take over the footpath as well.

* “footpath” means an area open to the public that is designated for, or has as 1 of its main uses, use by pedestrians. (And a pedestrian does not include a bicycle)
“vehicle” includes any type of transport that moves on wheels (and includes a bicylcle)
(see Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995)

This will mean that you won't have to run into people and ring your bloody little bell at them (which, I may add, is just rude - it's like honking your horn at someone) because you'll be able to control the bloody contraption you insist on taking through the busy city streets. And maybe sometimes I don't hear you ringing your bloody little bell because I have headphones on and am listening to music - which is perfectly legal and never a problem with pedestrian traffic - on the rare occasion that they're moving faster than me, they can easily move around me on the footpath instead of running over me. And I check the roads visually for traffic (like cars and bikes) when I encroach onto their "zone" in circumstances where I don't have a little green man showing me I can cross at will. So don't cuss at me and call it my fault when you are the one in the wrong for riding on the footpath in the first place mate. There are these things called road rules you know - just because as a cyclist you're not required to be licensed, doesn't mean you can't be booked for breaking them! Pfeh!

(/rant)

Now that that's over, check these out - they're a crack up!

30 second movies re-enacted by bunnies:
- The Exorcist
- Alien
- The Shining
- Titanic
- Jaws

The "Titanic" was the one I laughed hardest at.

Listening to: 30 second movies re-enacted by bunnies

another big weekend

My tongue is peeling and I have an upset stomach. I don't think this is a good sign. I'm at work, but I don't know how long I'll last. Other than the queasy feeling, I don't feel too bad, but it depends on whether the queasy feeling just stays at that, or develops into full-blown nausea. I don't know - I was fine last night!

Anyway...

Friday night, I ended up cancelling my date. I went to the gym after work and I think I pulled a muscle or something. My knee was very sore and I was limping by the time I got home. I was also feeling buggered, so figured going out wasn't the smartest idea. So I made plans with my date for Saturday night instead and crashed into bed. Didn't even make it to the halfway mark for Midsommer Murders (and I still want to know whodoneit).

Saturday I picked up my new sandles, which are handmade leather. Very nice. I got a few blisters wearing them in, but now they're really comfy.

Saturday night met my date and we played a couple of rounds of bad pool at Rics. I'm really not sure about this guy. I think maybe he's the ultimate nerd and I'm really more into geeks. He's nice and easy to talk to and all of those things, but he just doesn't seem to be comfortable in his own skin and guys like that never last long with a girl like me. I'm just too confident and outspoken. Anyway, we had a good night - couple of beers at Rics then over to the Troubadour for the gig (more on that later). I drank maybe 5 or 6 beers (large consumption for me) and I think he was growing on my by the end of the night - maybe he was just nervous. Or maybe I was just drunk. ;o)

So, the bands. First up was Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side who are basically The Skippy fronted by Ben Corbett (from SixFtHick). I wasn't too sure how I'd feel about these guys - I really like The Skippy but can't stand the musical stylings of either of the Corbett brothers. It turns out that they were pretty much as I had expected - I would like the band if they had a different lead singer. Although the first half of their set had the aural feel of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I didn't mind the songs too much, but Ben Corbett just annoys me with his antics and I don't think that's ever going to change. The guy that was sitting next to me (not my date, on the other side) loved them though. So it's not everyone.

Next up were The Drones. Now one the OLS scale of bands, you can pretty much get a rating from 0 to 5 as follows:

0 - absolutely nothing to redeem them. Hated them so much I either walked out or wanted to.
1 - didn't really like them, but they weren't that bad
2 - don't love 'em, don't hate 'em. Would see them again if they were supporting someone I liked.
3 - really enjoyed them. Not enough to buy their CD, but enough to make the effort to see another gig.
4 - loved them. Bought their CD and signed up for their mailing list.
5 - I'm obsessed. I've not only bought their current CD but their entire back catalogue. They're on the top of my list for gigs in the future and I'll cancel all plans to see another one.

Very few bands get a 0. I think I've only scored a 0 maybe five times in my life. This band got a 0. The riffs were boring, the drummer used the cymbol way too much, and the lead singer couldn't sing. We're talking Australian Idol the unforgettables couldn't sing. Actually, I'm not even sure he was trying to sing. It was more like a cross between a scream and a yell. And they were loud. Really loud. It was almost painful. I managed not to walk out only because I wasn't sure if my date was enjoying them. He wasn't and we probably should have gone for coffee until they were over.

The headliners were Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males. I first laid eyes on Dan Kelly when he was playing guitar for his uncle Paul Kelly (who's practically an Aussie icon over here) in Dublin during Paul's European tour. I was pretty impressed with Dan, then Paul mentioned his band, so I figured I'd check them out when I next saw them playing. Which I did - this was not long after I got back to Brisbane from Dublin (I think I still had a slight accent). They rated a 4, possibly verging towards a 5 after I asked about CDs at the gig and was told by a very down-to-earth and friendly Dan that they didn't have any because margarine had melted all over the ones they had for the tour. I laughed, decided that I really liked these guys and went out and bought it from Skinnys instead.

So anyway, I was expecting a good gig. I knew the CD back to front and inside out by now. Since I last saw them, they've changed bass players (the new one's kind of cute) and added a keyboard player. I think the changes worked quite well. I left my date and headed for the front so I could see (the crowd stood up for DK&TAM after sitting for the others). And danced to my hearts content. I was still on a high when we left after the gig.

Sunday I pottered around for the morning doing my housework and then headed off to The Gap (that's a suburb in Brisbane, not a trendy clothes store) to see the Law Student's choir peform. They were good. A nice blend of voices and one really strong soprano. They had one tenor that was slightly off occasionally, but otherwise a very polished performance. After that was a performance by the local orchestra. Again they were very good, but one of the violins was slightly off. I don't think it was tuning because it wasn't constant, more like he/she wasn't hitting his/her sharps and flats properly. Probably no-one else noticed. The audience were mostly old people. ;o)

Sunday night, I went back to the Troubadour with the Dendy guy to see Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males again. The first support this time was The Standing 8 Counts. Not really my thing. In the same style as The Drones, but these guys were certainly better than them. Their main drawbacks were staging and their lead singer. In terms of staging, they had their keyboard out front and their two most interesting players (the two lead guitars) spent much of the gig facing the back or side of the stage. The lead singer couldn't sing and didn't seem to be much chop on guitar either - he played basic chords and that's it. Once again, the drummer needed to learn that the cymbol should be used as an exclamation point, not as the main beat focus. And they were too loud as well. They did get a 1 though.

This time 'round I did leave for The Drones. We went and grabbed some chippies and a pot of tea each and waited it out. Didn't quite time it right - they still had about 2 or 3 songs left when we walked back in.

Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males did another great set. They begged and pleaded with the smallish crowd to stand up and come closer to the stage, but they didn't get much response until about half way through the set. The chick and one of the guys from The Drones got it all started, so I guess they're good for something. This set was very similar to last night's - I was hoping it might be more of an accoustic set for a Sunday night. But it was still good and I still enjoyed it. I got my $10 worth, so that's the main thing.

Sorry if this has been a little disjointed. It's been broken a few times so I could get some work done and answer phone calls. And I'm feeling a little better after having some lemonade for morning tea. Love that fizzy goodness.

Listening to: Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males - Sing the Tabloid Blues

It's spring and life is good

Scheherazade was feeling blue yesterday and I commented about a flower I'd seen at lunchtime. On my way home, I took a photo of it.


photo by: observantlittle

It's not a very good photo (it's a bit blurry because I was in a rush), but that feeling of wonder that anything can crack through the cement and bitumen is the same.

The last few days have really felt like spring here. The weather has been warm enough to wear sleeveless shirts to work everyday and it's too warm for even a light jumper when I go outside. By the time I get home at night, I'm sweating from the walk and can't wait to open the windows to let the light breeze in. In a couple of months, it will be horribly hot and I'll probably be longing for cold weather, but at the moment, I'm enjoying the warmth and wearing lighter clothing and showing a little skin.

I didn't have to go up to the hospital last night and there was construction work happening on my floor at work, so I headed home about 4:45 with the idea of getting some sleep and heavy-duty relaxation in. That didn't quite go as planned. Well, it did until about 8:30pm when my Mum called and was on the phone for over an hour. Of course, we were talking about S and my niece and the fight between Mum and S and all of that sort of stuff. Mum thinks that S is "on the edge" and she thinks S needs professional help of the mental variety. I think she's overeacting and that S having a go at her was probably just the result of S losing her temper, which is something you don't see very often, and Mum just happened to be on the receiving end for the first time. Thankfully, I've never been on the receiving end.

Anyway, I tried to get the idea across to Mum that maybe things would be better in a couple of months without dropping any hints about S being pregnant - the last time S had a major argument with someone (it was her mother) was when she was pregnant with my nephew. I think the hormones must have something to do with it. But it's like having PMS - if anyone tried to tell you at the time that you were overeacting because of hormones, you'd bite their heads off. It's only later that you realise that you were in fact overeacting at the time. So there's no point in trying to tell S that maybe she was harsh on Mum - she thinks she's been the rational one in all of this and that Mum is being irrational because she's been very tired lately with the lupus.

Anyway, I think I may have convinced Mum to talk to the Guru. I know that a lot of where S is coming from is from talking to him and maybe he's not aware of what she's been like outside of her discussions with him. He seems to think that there's a problem between my niece and Mum, while I think that just comes down to my niece manipulating S. But you can't tell S that because she's heard differently from the Guru. It's all a bit of a worry really.

But I think Mum should go to him anyway - she's been constantly sick with a cold/flu for about 2 months now and I think she needs his magic healing touch. And maybe if she talks to him, she'll be able to put this fight between her and S to rest and stop bloody talking about it all the time. We can but hope.

Anyway, on to happier things. I'm off to The Zoo again tonight for the Iron & Wine gig (with Guy Webster and The Gin Club as supports). I'm meeting a date there (new guy) and the Law Student and a couple of her group inside. I'm planning to drink copious amounts of alcohol and have lots of fun. I just hope I stay awake.

Tomorrow night I'm tossing up between The Informants at The Rev and Dan Kelly & the Alpha Males at the Troubadour. Chances are, I'll do neither unless someone convinces me to go. ;o)

Sunday I'm going to see a performance of the choir that the Law Student is in. I have no idea what to expect, but I met some of the choir members at the movies last Sunday and they seem like a nice crowd.

Listening to: Radiohead - Hail to the Thief