powered by SignMyGuestbook.com

Get your own
 diary at DiaryLand.com! contact me older entries newest entry

2006-05-06 - 9:48 p.m.

My morning shifts last cycle were a bit shambolic. Apart from having heaps of work, I didn't exactly have quiet nights in between, and I only started at 6am for one of them. One I planned to start late for, because I've done a fair bit of overtime since going back on shift- but even then I felt guilty and not being there from the start of the shift threw me and made the day more difficult. The other I forgot to set my alarm, woke up at 6.15am, jumped out of bed, splashed some water on my face, threw some clothes on and managed to get there just after 7am. Staying out later than I had planned the night before and drinking too much red wine may have had something to do with it.

So anyway, after my first morning (Friday 28th April) I went to see The Whitlams at the Metro. Had dinner and wine at Kings with Cindy beforehand, met Jane's former workmate Phillipa and her partner Richard in the foyer of the Metro, but aside from that pretty much saw nobody I knew. How times have changed.

The show was alright- I was annoyed at the complete lack of songs from "Undeniably", and that the bits that weren't the new album were pretty much a Greatest Hits package, and that he was recycling jokes from 5 years ago, but for the most part the new songs were pretty enjoyable live. Except for the boring title track. Songs played (not in setlist order) were Gough, No Aphro, Charlie #2, Louis, Thankyou, Pokies, Made Me Hard, Fall For You, I Will Not Go Quietly, Kate Kelly, Royal, Been Away Too Long, White Horses, I Was Alive, Year of the Rat, Keep The Light On, Tonight, 12 Hours, Little Cloud, Beauty in Me, Fondness, Fancy Lover, Stay With Me, She's Moving In.

So the next morning I started at about 8am, knowing that Metro gigs have a tendency of finishing at about 12.30am. Work was hectic, and then that night I was having drinks at the Townie for Phoebe and Pete's birthdays. Pete being Jane's brother. Steve asked if I wanted to have dinner beforehand, but (at least up until these days off) I've been very well disciplined cooking at home, so I invited him over for Spaghetti and Red Wine. The night got a bit out of hand red wine wise- it probably didn't help that Annie was there and things started off awkwardly between us. We've more or less been fine for most of this year, but things seemed to take a step backwards when I finally told her about Jane going overseas. She knew anyway, at least that it was a possibility, but there was no way to say it without it sounding like there was the subtext "so hey, we can hang out now if you want", even though that wasn't the intention. I think the awkwardness was more linked to the knowledge that I would be joining Jane over there next year. Why get close to me again if I'm just going to leave her like everyone else. That's more or less the way she thinks.

Nothing like going head-to-head on how many Buffy episode titles we could remember to break the ice though. Sometimes superficial is just easier.

So I probably got home as late as I did the night before, and a good deal drunker. Fitter, happier, more productive remember? And then there was the sleeping in fiasco.

So that brings me up to my changeover night, which was a quiet one as I mentioned in my last entry. Invited Nathan around for dinner, watched a bunch of Seinfeld episodes. Went to bed at about 10.30pm. Not much to speak of in the mornings before my afternoon shifts. Got up at a reasonable hour and had a productive day on the first one, as I previously wrote in here, while the other days were pretty stock standard.

As for my days off- a mix of lazy and ridiculously overindulgent. I don't think I was up before 1pm on any of them. I did extremely little during the day on the first two. On Thursday I went down to Wollongong with Kel and her flatmate to see the Grates. I would have gone to the Metro but tickets were sold out by the time I got myself into gear. The gig was good, Patience was nuts as usual (and it was her birthday gig as well) and they pretty much played the whole album plus "Message". Although I don't remember them doing the one about the hairdryer.

Yesterday once again I got up late. I think I was in bed until close to 2pm, and then I called Jane and didn't properly get out of bed until about 3pm. I probably watched a Buffy or two (I watched quite a few on Thursday during the day now that I think about it), and before I knew it I was on my way out for the night. Met up with Nathan and Michael at the bar down the road (which I shall henceforth refer to as the Cactus Bar), had a beer and then caught the bus into the city. Met Kel at the Star Hotel and had another beer, before moving across to BBQ Kings (twice in the space of a week, after an extended absence), with Yvonne making up the fifth seat at the table. Had all my wierd and wonderful favourites like Peking Duck, sliced cold chicken with jellyfish and stuffed eggplant, as well as finally trying the deep fried pigs intestines. Not something I'm likely to get again, but I had to try it once.

After dinner we had coffee at Starbucks and met up with Val for a short time (these are all work people by the way), before Yvonne dropped Nathan, Kel and I at the Townie. I was expecting to run into heaps of people I knew but in the end the only familiar faces I saw were the two Clares. Didn't stop the three of us from staying until close, and Kel and I going to the Imperial and then the Judgement Bar. Kel moved down from Brisbane for work and doesn't know many people, so I'm taking it upon myself to make sure she goes out- I know it's hard because it's what Jane is going through over there. Still, for someone who usually gets up at about 7am after a night shift, and does healthy things like going to the gym, I'm sure she needs some social avenues that don't involve staying out until 8.30am drinking (I mentioned ridiculous overindulgence didn't I?) and sleeping for half the day in your boss's loungeroom.

I'd feel worse about staying out so...early if I hadn't found the motivation to do the grocery shopping at about 8pm and then come back and write in here. I didn't end up having dinner though- just tinned fruit and custard, but I had Yum Cha at 3pm so that was probably sufficient.

So that was the shift cycle that was. I should start thinking about going to bed because it's another fun 4.30am wakeup tomorrow. Maybe I'll be tired enough to get to sleep without too much trouble thanks to last night.

previous - next

about me - read my profile! read other Diar
yLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get
 your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!