Alcohol and consent

This morning I read this article about a case where the defendant is seeking leave to appeal to the High Court to challenge the law in NSW and South Australia which say that apparent consent to sex may not be real consent if the women is too drunk to understand what she's consenting to (at least that's my understanding of it - you can read the High Court transcript of the application for leave for yourself if you're so inclined).

Apparently, the Court of Criminal Appeal in NSW held that "it is sufficient to constitute this kind of recklessness that the first person realises that the second person might not be consenting and, notwithstanding that realisation, decides to proceed to have sexual intercourse with her and has such sexual intercourse, without there being some additional, independent requirement that he is determined to have sexual intercourse with her, whether or not she is consenting".

In this particular case, the girl was "vaguely awake" (on the defendant's testimony) and they were both intoxicated.

I think some of the statements made by the defendant's counsel in the transcript are a little unfair. There is a big difference between a girl having lost some of her inhibitions from drinking and consenting to sex under those circumstances, and a girl who is so drunk and stoned that she's barely aware of what's happening to her. In the first case, I would say there is consent, but not in the second case.

Of course, the issue in this case is where in that spectrum the girl in this case actually fell. I don't know all of the facts and I'm not going to speculate on that, but the issue before the High Court is an interesting one.

Listening to: Women in Docs - Under a Different Sky

Darren Hanlon & The Interpreter

I had an interesting weekend.

On Friday night, I went to see Darren Hanlon with the Tall Guy, Genie, The Teacher, The Ex, and this guy I'm dating at the moment. It was a little awkward having The Ex and a new potential boyfriend (NPB) in the same place at the same time - I often felt like The Ex was interviewing NPB and he was in hyper-bravado mode, so was getting a bit annoying with his need to be the centre of attention.

And then he completely shocks me by phoning me on Saturday night - he just wanted The Fairy's boyfriend's mobile number, but I was still a little disconcerted to hear from him.

Anyway, that's the soapie dramas out of the way, onto the gig.

The first support was Nick Dalton (from Sneeze), who was wearing an akubra-style hat and a cape, so I found it hard to take him seriously. His sound was a little too country for me, but I guess he wasn't bad.

Next up were The Zebras. The reminded me of The Boat People in that they had a nice tight sound, but no stage presence. I suspect I'd enjoy them more on CD than I did live.

And of course, Darren Hanlon. The man is a genius with his songcraft and I haven't seen him do a bad gig yet. I love his support band (a guy on bass/keys and a chick on drums), I love his songs, I love his banter with the crowd. And one of his fans declared his love for another of his fans on the night - this guy hopped up on stage (at DH's invitation - not stage invasion) to play the little music box on one of the songs (I'm having a mental blank on which one right now) and then DH revealed that he was chosen for more than his nice smile - he came to the mic and asked his girlfriend to marry him. It was sort of sweet, but I think the girlfriend was very drunk so the romance of the occasion was somewhat lost on me after the 3rd time she swiped me with the new ring while showing it off.

Anyway, it was a good night.

On Saturday night, I went out with The Teacher and we ran across this girl that I haven't seen in years. About 5 years ago, she moved interstate and we lost touch with each other, but apparently she moved back to Brisbane 18 months ago and is living here again! She hadn't caught up with anyone from the old gang since then, so I caught her up on the various marriages and babies that have happened in the last 5 years and what I've been up to since The Ex and I broke up. It was just so surreal that we would run into each other like that. I was in a pub that I don't usually go to and she hasn't been going out much at all since she moved back - but there we were. We've now exchanged email addresses and hopefully she'll become part of the gigging gang, so we'll stay in touch.

On Sunday, NPB (the guy from Friday night) and I went to see The Interpreter. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a stand-out film for me. Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn both gave believable performances (even her South African/English accent was believable) and did their roles well. The storyline was credible and interesting, but the romance (?) between Penn and Kidman was superfluous and didn't flow with the story. It's possible that they had intended for it to merely be a flowering friendship, but in that case, I think they buggered it up. I'd give it maybe 6 out of 10 - worth seeing, but I could've waited until it got to TV.

Listening to: Women in Docs - Under a Different Sky

The Interview Game

I like this game so much that I put myself forward for questions from two different sources: anyresemblance and Lushlife.

I'll do anyresemblance first:

1. What was the last cd you bought?

Okay, this is the easy one. Though there were actually 2 of them - I bought 2 of the 3 FourPlay CDs for my friend The Vegetarian in Sydney as a thank you for letting me stay with him. That was a few weeks ago now, which is very good for me. I think there's another big CD spending spree coming up though.

2. If you weren't a lawyer, what would you like to do for a living?

I'm not really sure. I've tossed around a few ideas, like being a book editor (I love reading, I'm very good at picking up on spelling/punctuation errors in other people's work), or maybe getting officially into the music business (by being a manager or in A&R for a record label), but to be honest, I love being a lawyer. About the only other profession I could seriously see myself in is psychology.

3. On a night out, what colour are you most likely to wear?

Black. I tend to wear all sorts of colours, but usually they're teamed with a black item of some description. Or if you're going to be pedantic and tell me that black is not a colour, then I guess I'd have to say brown.

4. What's your poison?

Beer or scotch. I love my beer, Tooeys Old for preference. But if I really want to indulge myself, I drink Talisker scotch - neat - no ice, no water.

5. What's Brisbane got over Sydney?

*lol* Well, I could answer in a narky way or a serious way... I think I'll go for serious. What I like about Brisbane as a city is its laid-back style of living - everyone I know who has moved to Sydney has commented on the fact that the pace of living is so much faster. Personally, I like the fact that it's near my family, that I'm settled here with good friends and good bands I know. However, I have to admit that as a tourist destination, Sydney has it all over Brisbane - BrisVegas is a lovely place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit here. ;o)

And then Lushlife:

1. What would a person (particularly a man) have to say or be to make the best first impression on you?

Make me laugh. Or for a guy - flirt with me in that unaffected way that shows he's naturally charming and not just trying to score. Any guy who can combine the two is in like Flynn. ;o)

I'm also very affected by talent. So in terms of the "be" part of the question - any sort of artist makes a good impression on me - whether it be painter, musician (that one's obvious), sculptor or dancer. If you can move me with your art-form, I'll be impressed.

Surprisingly, since I'm very open about how shallow I am, looks don't count for much. I tend to be attracted to guys who aren't conventionally good looking anyway, so as long as he can make my toes curl, I don't tend to care about physical appearance.

2. What makes you choose to live in Brisbane over any other place in Australia or indeed the world?

See above. But also, I like the weather here. But the main one is being close to my family. Maybe when I form my own family, I'll care less about living close to my parents and brother, but for now, they're my rock and I still "go home" when my life isn't going so well. Thankfully, my life's been great lately, so they haven't seen so much of me. ;o)

3. How would describe your personal style?

In dress? I change depending on the circumstances. I'm typically business-dress conservative for work. The conservative end of hippy chick outside of work. Complete slob around the house.

In life? Probably the same as for the way I dress. I'm certainly a very different person at work than I am at home - at work, I'm neat, dependable and conscientious. At home and at play I'm spontaneous, messy and kind of flighty. I am very loyal though and will always come through for a friend if he/she needs me.

4. What has girlfriend ever done to you or what would they have to do to make you write them off completely?

Oh this one's easy. She started dating The Ex less than a month after he moved out. And didn't tell me about it. The first I could have forgiven, but their complete betrayal of me by waiting for mutual friends to tell me about it was completely unforgivable as far as I was concerned. I suppose the hypothetical version was if she slept with my current boyfriend. As far as I'm concerned, that's a complete breach of The Rules - I can forgive cheating, but I can't forgive betraying a friendship. I suppose because I'm loyal, I expect loyalty in return.

5. What would you plan to do if you wanted a day of complete self -indulgence?

Go to a day spa. Get a massage and a facial and a manicure/pedicure and soak in a spa and swim and sleep and eat healthy food that tastes great. That would be complete self-indulgence for me. Just self-indulgence would be collapsing on the sofa and watching chick-flicks on DVD while eating Shapes. The first I've never done, but keep on thinking I should do. The second I do about once a month! ;o)

The Official Interview Game Rules

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.

3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Hey! That was fun!

Listening to: speedstar* - Bruises you can touch

self-represented parties

I hate dealing with self-represented parties in litigation.

They don't know how to write pleadings. They get offended by the standard formalised language of legal correspondence. They get offended by your use of the word "alleged". Actually, they get offended by every bloody little thing imaginable.

They don't understand that a court order means you actually have to do it. Despite the fact that they don't comply with court orders, they still get a lot of lee-way from the judges.

They say you're being oppressive when you send them a letter longer than 4 pages. Although, they are apparently entitled to send you a 10 page rant which you are supposed to respond to every sentence of, or else you are being obstructive.

They call you up and insist on going over every single little issue or complaint they've had with the government over the last 10 years instead of getting straight to the point and explaining why they've called. Getting them to put anything in writing is like pulling teeth, but half the time, we can't act on anything they've said until they have put it in writing.

I wish I could just get them to go and get some legal advice. Then they'd realise how the case should be run. And maybe then we'd lose. Or consent to withdraw. But at least I wouldn't have to put up with this bullshit!

Sometimes, having to be the model litigant sucks.

Listening to: Augie March - Live at the Northcote Social Club

The Stick

via La Chat Noir, I found A Blogger's Disclaimer. It's good. I like it. I may have to add it to my sidebar.

Anyway, I've decided to pick up The Stick from sarni, even though she didn't actually nominate me. Because I've seen it around a bit and have been thinking about it for a while. So why not?

1. You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?

And immediately, I have to admit my ignorance. I had no idea what Fahrenheit 451 was. So I googled it. And found this plot overview. Which helped, but I'm still not sure about the question. Is it meant to be which book would you want to memorise as one of "The Book People"? If so, then I think I'll have to choose When we were very young by A. A. Milne since (a) I think it would be a royal shame if those poems and stories were lost to the world, and (b) it's probably the only book I'd have a hope in hell of memorising since I have a completely crap memory.

2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Yep, all the time. Laurie from Little Women is probably the first to come to mind of my original crushes. When I was young, I couldn't understand why Jo said no to him. I reread it in my 20's and realised that the he was completely wrong for her in ways that the professor was completely right.

To be honest, I can't think of any others right now, but I know there have been many over the years. Maybe too many, which is why I can't remember them! I'm very fickle in my crushes! ;o)

3. The last book you bought was...?

I bought a couple of books for my Mum for her birthday. But for myself, the last book I bought would have been Wise Children by Angela Carter, my book recommendation from Urban Fox.

4. The last book you read was...?

I've not long finished Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone.

But like sarni, I reread books a lot and the last book that I reread I actually finished this morning - Jackdaws by Ken Follett.

5. What are you currently reading?

I haven't started a new book yet after finishing Jackdaws this morning. But I am in the middle of A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, but I have been for a while. I find it hard going because there's no pace to what he writes. But I have learnt a lot.

6. Five books you would take to a desert island...

Assuming that I'd be on the desert island for quite a while with nothing else to read, then I'd take books that I know I like to reread:

- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding
- Exodus by Leon Uris
- Bachelor Kisses by Nick Earls

Not a very literary little group I know, but if I'm stuck on a desert island, I'd want books that offer some light relief.

7. Who are you passing this stick on to and why?

Since it wasn't actually passed to me specifically, I don't think I'm bound by the last question. I will however, happily link to anyone who volunteers. ;o)

Listening to: Snow Patrol - Final Straw

for your viewing pleasure...

I saw this great movie called Amy's Orgasm on the weekend. It didn't have anyone I knew in the lead roles, but the blurb just sounded good, so I thought I'd try it. So glad I did - I haven't laughed like that in a long time!

Amy is a successful writer of a women's self-help book called "Why love doesn't work", but who still has to deal with parents that just want her to settle down with a nice boy. She meets a radio DJ who is a bit of a babe and all of these great theories go out the window.

I was pretty disappointed by the ending, I thought overall it could have been done better, but I loved some of the great one-liners, like Chapter 12: "Men get their self-esteem from having a woman say 'yes'. Women get their self-esteem from telling a man 'no'." So true of so many women. And her parents were so like mine it was frightening!

The other viewing of note was that I saw the first episode of the new Dr Who series. I'm not sure what the true blue fans would think of it, but I loved it. I grew up watching Dr Who (my brother was a big fan) and enjoyed it but thought the robots and aliens were really lame. But the new series has great special effects, I love Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor - I think he plays the eccentricities of the character to a T. And I don't even mind Billie Piper as the female sidekick. I was pleased that the Tardis looked the same though - it wouldn't have been Dr Who with the blue police box as the Tardis! ;o)

I may just have to keep a tape free for 7:30pm Saturday nights - I have the feeling that Dr Who could become part of my essential weekly viewing.

Listening to: Darren Hanlon - Little Chills

Builders! Pah!

WARNING: rant to follow.

I think the word "builders" might become my new swear word. At the moment, I can barely even see the word written without gritting my teeth.

The unit next door to me is being renovated. I'm not home all that much during the week - I leave for work by 8am at the latest and I don't get home until 6pm at the earliest. So how is it that they've managed to inconvenience me so much!

In the last couple of days, they've turned off my water, interupted my electricity and were drilling a common wall from 7:30am this morning! It was so loud that it was quite unbearable to be in my bathroom and a glass was shuddered off the bench in my kitchen and shattered. All without even any warning to me, let alone receiving my consent!

I really don't see why they can't bloody well wait until 8:30am or a decent hour like that to start such noisy work! Why do they have to start everything when normal people are trying to sleep or get ready for work. I mean, I can understand why construction workers who work out-doors in the middle of summer need to start early, but this job is entirely inside and the weather is quite cool at the moment. So why they need to shatter my early morning quiet is beyond me.

So I'm grumpy. I'm battling a headache which started before I even left the house. Not happy Jan! *mutter mutter mutter*

/rant

There was this massive storm here last night - weird thing is, it was very localised. Parts of Brisbane got major hail, and other parts didn't get any at all. Of course, it's also weird to get a big storm and hail in May. That's usually a summer thing. I'm yet to determine whether my poor wee car got hit with any of it, but it would have only been small hail if any, so hopefully it will be okay.

The cat was rather freaked out by it, but he wasn't even damp when he ran inside, so he must have found somewhere to shelter. I wasn't so lucky - I got drenched and have a little bruise on my face from where a bit of hail hit me. It was not a good day to forget my umbrella. :(

Listening to: Mercury Rev - All is Dream

when is a chicken not a chicken?

Or more to the point, when is chicken pox not chicken pox?

And you thought you were going to get one of those existential questions? Here? Are you kidding? ;o)

So to answer my question - apparently when it's happening to me. I've been sick since Friday - it looked like chicken pox, it felt like chicken pox, all the symptoms were the same as chicken pox, but according to the doctor, it's not chicken pox. Because I've already had chicken pox - very badly in fact, when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. And I still have the scars to prove it.

The only good thing about this non-chicken pox diagnosis is that apparently I'm not as contagious as chicken pox and I can go back to work as soon as I'm feeling better.

Listening to: Darren Hanlon - Little Chills

So me it's scary

And what do you know? It's my actual birth month too!

Your True Birth Month Is January

Loyal Social Logical Easily jealous Loves children Rather reserved Highly attentive Likes to criticize Needs close friends Ambitious and serious Smart, neat and organized Hardworking and productive Loves to teach and be taught Quiet unless excited or tensed Sensitive and has deep thoughts Knows how to make others happy Searches for the greatest romance Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds Romantic but has difficulties expressing love Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses

What's Your True Birth Month?

The only ones I disagree with are:

- Easily jealous
- Likes to criticize
- Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses

Although, it probably depends on what they mean by jealous - I get jealous of other peoples travels or good luck or achievements, but not in a nasty way, just in a "*groan* I wish I was you right now" sort of way.

And I like to analyse people, but I'm more likely to see their good points than their bad. So maybe I'm a critical optimist? ;o)

Unless of course, they're complete strangers and I can make disparaging remarks about them wearing white mini-skirts (do those things look good on anybody? I really don't get why they're so popular - they make skinny girls look anorexic and chubby girls look obese)

Listening to: Coastal Chill 05

All-day meetings

All-day meetings are the root of all evil. Well, for me they are anyway. Being asked to use my brain for on-the-spot legal advice from 9am to 5pm with no break. Having to take in vast quantities of information with no time to consider it or separate it into its various areas. No chance to have a bit of down-time by chatting to a colleague about non-work related issues.

There are officially breaks for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea (and the food is always good! *g*), but I get asked questions during those, so I don't really get the chance to have a real break unless I can escape them by going to the bathroom. And then I sometimes get waylaid there as well!

And then of course, I finally get back to my desk to find that all hell has broken out while I'm away and I have 2 days worth of work to make up for the 1 day I had in a meeting all day.

Bugger this! I'm going home!

Listening to: Mercury Rev - All is Dream

Big Brother

I actually watched Big Brother for the first time ever last night. Those who know me may well be thinking of shaking me and asking "why?" in the same sort of tone as Marlon Brando yelled "Stella" right now, but there is actually a reason.

I know one of the housemates.

I don't know them well, but I know them well enough that the very idea of watching Uncut and seeing their naughty bits is just slightly disturbing. So I don't think I'll be doing that. But it's still interesting to watch someone who you know in a particular way being on a show like that and playing games and saying stuff you never thought they'd say. Weird, but interesting.

I'm not sure that I'll watch it again though.

Listening to: FourPlay - Catgut Ya Tongue

superficial

I'm a pretty shallow person in many ways. All of my friends are attractive - maybe not beautiful, but certainly not ugly. I don't think this is because I can't be friends with someone who is not attractive, but because I tend to be friends with people who have a certain amount of self-confidence and those people tend to be attractive. Either that, or I just think more people are attractive than the general population. Actually, both could be true.

Anyway, I also expect my friends to have a similar sense of humour to me, to be interested in similar music, similar movies, similar books. Thankfully, my own interests are pretty wide and it's very rare that someone I meet won't have similar interests in at least movies. And books if they read novels. Like, at all! I'm eternally amazed by the number of people who just don't read novels. I don't get it.

My friends are also all intelligent. I think is probably a pre-requisite to be part of the "inner circle". I like that I can have conversations with my friends about more than kids, weddings and shopping. Some are more "book intelligent" than others, but all of my friends are aware of the world around them and can talk about wide and varied issues. None of them are extremely narrow-minded or narrow-focussed.

But in other ways, I guess I'm less superficial than most. I don't care what you do for a job or how much money you earn. I don't care if you're fashionable or not. I don't care how you talk, how educated you are or what part of town you grew up in. I don't care about your race, what religion you are, what political party you vote for, or where you stand on euthanasia, refugees or abortion. I'll still be your friend. Especially if you can discuss issues with me without it getting personal. And especially if you're prepared to talk to me about the differences in our upbringing. I was raised by conservative hippies - I even think Catholics are fascinating! ;o)

So yes, I'm shallow. But I don't think it's in any way that matters.

Listening to: Ben Folds - Song for Silverman

Caesar's Bath meme

sarni passed me the Caesar's Bath meme: list five things that people in your circle of friends or peer group are wild about, but you can't really understand the fuss over. Apparently it's from the words of Caesar (from History of the World Part I), "Nice. Nice. Not thrilling . . . but nice."

1. Chocolate - I'm with sarni on this one. Sure it's nice and every couple of months I'll buy some, but I really don't understand chocoholics. However, wave some hot chips and gravy in front of my nose and I have no willpower, none at all.

2. AFL - probably half of my friends are huge supporters. I don't mind playing it, but I'm not really a watcher... of any sport actually. I'll watch it if it's on at a friend's house, but I'd really rather watch something else.

3. Fish - I like looking at 'em, but I just don't like eating 'em. I don't mind really mild-tasting fish if I can smother it with lemon juice, but where others rave about salmon steaks and the like, I'd rather not thanks.

4. Bunches of flowers - I like flowers and it's always nice to get them, but I don't really go looking for them and I'm not going to fall head over heels for a guy just because he buys them for me. I think they're a very unimaginative gift. If you want to impress me, give me something unusual that you know I'd like, not flowers. I'd rather be given a flowering plant. They last longer.

5. The Simpsons - most of the people I know can quote it and use examples of episodes to colour their stories. I don't mind it, even watch it occassionally. But I'm certainly not hooked on it, and would usually rather watch something else.

I'll now throw the meme to Bo Peep's Sheep and Beer O'Clock - because I want to see how similar they are! ;o)

Now, just for the fun of it, I thought I'd list 5 things that I'm hugely into that most of my peer group and half of my circle of friends think are only so-so:

1. Buffy - yep, I have all 7 series on DVD. And yep, I still watch them regularly.

2. Blogging - at least half of my friends think I'm weird for having a blog. The other half have blogs themselves.

3. TV - while this is one of sarni's Caesar's bath meme 5, I couldn't live without TV. I like TV - it's pretty and shiny and distracts me from real life admirably. I don't really watch huge amounts of it, but there's nothing better than vegging out in front of the TV when I need something mindless to forget a shitty day. And since I live alone, I often have it on as background noise.

4. Local music - I love being able to see a band that I think is brilliant and hardly anyone else knows. I love it even more when everyone else decides they're brilliant too. I'll see anyone once, and local music is one of the topics that I get really enthusiastic about - especially when I meet someone who actually knows who I'm talking about. My friends just watch and shake their heads...

5. Beer - I love beer and can discuss the merits of various beers the way others discuss the merits of various wines. I just don't sound quite as pretentious. Well, I hope I don't.

My great-aunt died yesterday. At 5pm on 05/05/2005. If she'd waited an hour, a day, a month and a year, they would have thought she was evil. Or something. She's the first of my Grandma's siblings to die, but she was the one I was the least close to, and she'd been in bad health for a while. So I'm sad and a little mopey, but I'm not particularly shocked and I haven't cried.

Listening to: The Thorns - s/t

Sydney, FourPlay and Movieworld

That was my weekend last weekend.

I flew to Sydney Friday afternoon, met up with The Vegetarian (who I was staying with) and we wandered around Newtown for the afternoon.

That night was FourPlay's 10th birthday gig. I'd been promised Suede's The Two of Us, and I got it. That in itself was enough to make this little chickadee smile for the rest of the night, but the rest of the gig was awesome as well. They did two sets, which means they were able to play a heap of old stuff from their 1st CD as well as their newer stuff from their up and coming CD. But The Two of Us was the highlight for me - it's just such a lush piece of music and I'd been looking forward to it for so long. FourPlay's cover of this song was what got me into Suede in the first place and I've now heard both Suede and FourPlay play it live. I can die happy. ;o)

The Childhood Friend (CF), that I've talked about twice before, and his girlfriend, also came to the gig with myself and the Vegetarian. I know that CF loved it (and he said he could understand why I so wanted them to play The Two of Us since it was a beautiful piece of music), but I'm not about his girlfriend. She said all of the right things, but there was no enthusiasm. But I haven't really seen her enthusiastic about anything - like many Germans, she's very serious.

Other older stuff that I haven't heard them play in a while included The Simpson's theme, Metallica's Enter Sandman, and possibly the Depeche Mode cover? It's been a while now and I was very focussed on that one song. Of course, other favourites like Gypsy Scream, Corrosion and Jeff Buckley's Grace were played. The fact that they hadn't played Grace yet meant that I knew there was going to be an encore.

And new favourites like Radiohead's 2+2=5 and the two that Lara sings - one that was the background music to a dream I had last week about a nuclear bomb going off (I can't remember the name), and the other one (whose name I also can't remember) that has the chorus line "one false move and you're dead" - I love both of those songs.

Anyway, enough raving about FourPlay. The support was Mal Webb, who I could also rave about. I saw him perform at Woodford and he even managed to get me responding to his audience participation songs (like Packrack, I liked the Auslan symbol he made up for it! ;o)) - and I'm a girl that doesn't usually do audience participation - at least not sober. He didn't do that one this time, but he did do Tim Tam Slam and Doona Hog, which seemed to be crowd favourites. He was a great "crowd warmer" act - he's very funny and different and not at all like FourPlay.

Anyway, onto the rest of the weekend.

Saturday we slept in late after not getting back home until about 3am or so. Then we headed into the city for The Rocks Markets where I bought lots of stuff for other people and nothing for myself. From there, we pottered up to the SH Ervin Gallery on Observatory Hill for the Salon des Refusés exhibition which had started that day. I really enjoyed the exhibition and voted for the painting of Katie Noonan for the People's Choice Award. I just thought it was a completely lush piece of artwork.

Saturday night we caught up with friends - some of the Vegetarian's friends were in town for the weekend from Adelaide and had a room at Potts Point. And I invited the guy from Prague. And a little party in their room took place. It was originally going to be that we just met up there and then went on to a pub or something for dinner and more drinking and catching up, but we were all having so much fun in the room, that we just stayed there. We did eventually move onto a pub and a nightclub, but that was much later, after we'd had pizza for dinner and generally settled in to the night. It was fun. I enjoyed chatting to the guy from Prague again after not having seen him for 18 months. I like the Vegetarian's friends and chatted to them quite easily as well (especially after a glass or two of wine). Surprisingly for me, I didn't dance at the nightclub. I think I was just a bit too happy watching the soccer and the fish.

Sunday we headed into the Kings Cross Food and Wine Festival, where we met up with some of the people from Saturday night again, and pigged out on food (none of us were up for the wine). Then we headed into the Queen Victoria Building and checked out the architecture and window shopped. Back to Newtown for some more strolling and coffee at one of the many coffee shops and then I had to head off to catch my flight home.

Monday I headed off to Movieworld with my cousin, her husband and their kids. I haven't been to Movieworld since it first opened (so over 10 years), so obviously all the rides were different and the whole place had changed a lot. We spent a lot of time in the Looney Tunes Village because of the kids, and went on most of the tamer rides. We had planned to spend the whole day there, but rain set in and that's no fun with two little kids, so we left early and headed home. I think the only things I missed were The Matrix exhibition and the Lethal Weapon ride, but I wasn't too concerned. Of the other rides, the only one that I'd really enjoyed was the Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster, part of which was a roller coaster in the dark which probably wouldn't have been scary except that you couldn't see what was coming. Of the others, the Batman ride threw me around too much (I nearly came off my seat at one stage), the Road Runner Roller Coaster was good, but not particularly exciting, and the Wild West ride was only really fun right at the end. But it was a good day and the kids really enjoyed it until it got too cold and wet for them.

Thinking of kids. I'm an aunt again. My sister-in-law had a little baby boy yesterday. I haven't seen him in person yet, but he looks pretty cute in the photos.

Listening to: FourPlay - The Joy Of

Book list

Okay, so I've had a few requests now and here are my recommendations:

sarni - I know she loves gardening and cooking and this one kind of combines them both (well, wine making is still cooking of a sort!) along with a great tale as well. So I'm going to recommend:

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris - link

Mister Alphabet - didn't actually ask for a book recommendation, but he did leave a comment, so I'll recommend one anyway. Since he's in the middle of his doctorate and is new to Brisbane, I'm going to recommend some light reading from one of my favourite Brisbane authors, Nick Earls. I love all of Nick's books, but I think this one would be the most up Mr A's street. So I'm going to recommend:

ZigZag Street by Nick Earls - link

tokenwoman - she said she wanted to "read more intellectual books", so I figured I'd recommend something intellectual. Then I realised that I don't read that many intellectual books myself, so that could be different. Then I read that by "more intellectual" she meant "stuff that isn't put into the 'chick lit" category" and figured that I can do. So I'm going to recommend:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel - link

the urban fox - a hard one this since I've already recommended books to him as a reply to his recommendation. Since he recommended a lot of classics to his list, I think I might go with an Australian classic. It's not one of my favourite books, but it's one I think you'd enjoy. So I'm going to recommend:

Dirt Music by Tim Winton - link

Bo Peep's Sheep - also hard since I'm not really sure what you read already, but went mostly by your taste in movies. I have found this series hilariously funny and they really should be read in order. So I'm going to recommend:

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich - link

Listening to: The Gin Club - s/t