2004-09-21 - 12:25 a.m.

Right I'm determined. I'm going to get through July and August. It probably wont be that difficult- there's a lot less to write about when things are a couple of months old.

The first thing on my list is the assignment I think I wrote about going for a while back. Different department, Mondays to Fridays, less running around, business clothes, more respect. Well, I didn't get it, but I wasn't overly disappoined- half the people I work with went for it and I was told I just missed out. Like they ranked the interviewees and I was next after the girl they gave it to (and someone else from a different department whose manager wouldn't release them for the assignment). Some people were pissed off that the girl that got it has already done several assignments and there is a line of thought that everyone should get a chance- but for that to happen the manager of the other department would have to say "who do you want to give me", rather than "I've chosen x, can I have him/her?" They took the latter approach, which is what happens in the real world, and of course someone who has had a few more opportunities has a few more varied examples to use in a targeted interview. And therefore may be perceived to get all the opportunities but I disagree- it's how things work and she deserved to get it if the interviewer thought she was best. I'm stoked to have been the next in rank. Particularly asthe choice was not influenced by anyone in my department- I know I'm well thought of by my manager and his predecessor, but to get recognition from another manager is cool.

So next I have Ellie coming up in the second week of July (cue laughs when people reading realise just how far behind I am in updating). A fun weekend, and I think the first time since we broke up that there was no issues. The closest thing to an issue was me being too chummy with Chris when we were all drunk and hypersensitive- an understandable scenario given that I've been friends with him longer than he's been an asshole to her. Anyway that's certainly not an issue anymore as Ellie seems happier than I've ever seen her (or heard or read if you want to be pedantic) and I seem to have inadvertantly set Chris up with one of Jane's friends by drunkenly telling him on the night in question (as we walked along Stanmore Road in the rain) that said girl seemed keen on him, and then them working it out for themselves at Jane's birthday dinner and ensuing townie shenanigans. Nonetheless I take credit for it- I've never set anyone up before dammit.

Ah yes, scanning the list... some fuckwit broke into my car while Ellie was up, smashed the passenger side window and stole my work bag (complete with dirty dinner container- what a find!) Although I'm increasingly of the opinion that the book I used as my travel diary was in there which if it is the case (I'll have to turn my room upside down to be sure) is a bit sad because it contained insights into how I was thinking at precise points in time (as opposed to recollections of the trip which I'll always have), and also concerning for one of said insights in which I graphically described what I wanted to be doing to Jane if she was there/ I was here. Eek.

Oh and just to be a completist, the messy night at the townie I mentioned before was preceded with me heading down to Cronulla for a friend from work's housewarming, then getting a $40 cab ride back to Newtown. And Jane was sick all weekend and thus didn't partake in any drunken antics.

The following week (we're up to Tuesday 20/7 here) I had dinner at my parents house as they returned from 2 months overseas. Yes I know it's hardly worth mentioning two months later but you get that. By Thursday I'd caught Jane's flu and I took two days off work the next Monday and Tuesday (plus swapped out of working Saturday). Friday 23/7 we went to see Franz Ferdinand and the Fiery Furnaces who were both phenomenal. Once again not much more needs to be said 2 months down the track- it's too late for gig reviews. Saturday 24th Jane and I played 500 and drank red wine and frangelico (not mixed together) with Craig and Carita- a couple who both work with me. I went to work on Sunday despite feeling like crap because I couldn't take a day off when I was drinking with one of my team members until 2am the night before and gigging the night before that. Instead I made it obvious I wasn't well and took the aforementioned Monday and Tuesday off instead.

Thursday 29th we returned to the Metro to see Ash, who were also very good. After coming on stage complete with flaming guitar and starting with a newie they launched into "Girl From Mars" and "A Life Less Ordinary", two of my favourites and the latter being not quite big enough to have guaranteed inclusion in the setlist so I was happy when they did it. And the last song of the encore was "Burn Baby Burn" so it was a rockin' finish.

By this stage I was more or less over my flu- which was one of the worst ones I've had (so was the one before for that matter- the one that started in Paris and lasted weeks). The day before (yeah I can't even be chronological when I have a list in front of me) I caught up with my cousin from Queensland who I've probably seen twice in 15 years. I still remember him as a twelve year old when I was sleeping in his room while we were up for Expo '88.

Friday 30/7- Jo was up the coast near Nelson's Bay for a girlie pamper weekend with her Mum, promised as a birthday present almost a year before- she had planned to go away while I was overseas but it didn't quite happen. I had a few drinks with my Unifriends at the Sly Fox which is about 4 minutes from my house (notice how I randomly chose a time but deliberately made it less than the standard five or ten minutes to illustrate just how close it was?). Also had a couple of drinks with Mark at the Townie before getting to bed in time to have my preferred 4-5 hours sleep before work.

Saturday 31/7- worked during the day, then went to Teppanyaki for a guy from work's farewell at night. Once again had to have a quiet night due to a 6am start on a Sunday- I've gotta get off shift!

Jumping ahead one week to Friday 6/8- went to see Machine Gun Fellatio and Dave McCormack at the State Theatre (aka "Jamm for Genes". I enjoyed it- I don't think I could see MGF as often as I did a couple of years ago but I hadn't seen them in ages and they were entertaining as ever. It was this night that an acquaintance of mine (lets call her Tom Cruise and see who gets the irony) offered me some speed that she had which she admitted was not great, but more to the point did nothing for her, and as I'm a rank amateur it would probably work for me. That was the stuff I mentioned in my last entry. I guess in hindsight there wasn't much of a buzz from the reasonable amount I did last Friday, but it kept me up all night and that was fun in itself. On the other hand another friend of mine spiked my champagne with some of her stuff during the State Theatre show (with my knowledge) and it *was* a buzz (for a very short period of time) and kinda went well with the surrealism of a Machine Gun show at a theatre with the only people up and dancing being friends of yours.

That Friday night I'd wanted a big one but it didn't really happen- something which I was probably moaning about to Jane and she just had to laugh when the next night we had a blinder out of the blue. Mark rang (the night before he'd fallen asleep at home), we went up to the Townie, hung out with some zany friends of his, I made my purchase from... damn now I wish I hadn't called her Tom Cruise because yeah it was funny once but you can't just go saying "I made my purchase off Tom" because it is too removed from the original joke and besides it should be "I made my purchase *from* Tom". Okay stop it. Yeah so that, a big night, a few bottles of red I think, and I ended up in an adult shop with Jane. Don't ask.

Tuesday 10/8- Ben Kweller at the Gaelic Club. The best bit was watching my usually fairly sensible friend Julie act like a 15 year old. She's someone I love spending time with (her and her man, who calls himself Dan), a friend from Uni but their more often than not booked up when the rest of us make plans. BK himself- well the new album is kinda average, and I'd seen the show more or less in New York but that was so much cooler 'cause... well... I was in New York dammit! But still, "Sha Sha" will always be an awesome album even if I lose interest in what he's currently up to and don't like the fact that the average age of a Ben Kweller fan is about 16.

Friday 13/8- Jane went to see Bernie, I worked, I met her at the Townie afterwards but she didn't feel like staying out- I'm only writing this as a reference now.

Saturday 14/8 was the first day of the Athens Olympics, I dropped by my old friend Steve's new apartment in Sutherland after work, had a few beers and watched Thorpie win the 400m, then slept a few hours before dropping by the folks house on Sunday morning because my Dad was complaining that I never call.

Then on Monday and Tuesday I did relatively little on my days off- went shopping for Jo's birthday present which I think I already mentioned was a dress watch with a pink face, and that pretty much takes me up to my other catch up entry which I wrote a couple of weeks ago, which started, or ended depending on which direction in time I wrote it, with Jo's birthday dinner on 20/8.

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