Becstarr : At the polls

Today is the final day of weeks of knocking on wood every time the possibility of a government change is mentioned.

At the polls for Greens down in Marrickville from 8am - 12:30. It's strong Labor but very friendly (as usual on polling day). I'm too nervous to think in any depth about the results starting to be decided - as if by thinking about it, one might disturb what's happening.

The day was overcast and spitty but by the time I make it to Leon's Election Night party, the results are already starting to look good and the parties are spilling onto the street. The whole thing has an air of surreality. Howard concedes at last and we toast the start of better days to come.

The whole day felt unreal....

Dan - Wooooo!

Woooo! I'm not at the party, but I'm watching the forces of good triumph over evil, and it feels awesome :) Dante came up with me to vote, and quite enjoyed the process.

falsedan - phenomenal

Went for after work drinks, Andrew & Peter taught Aija the basics of playing pool. Watching England lose to Croatia in a pub full of Englischer was fun. I was charged with maintaining the fridge supplys and given the Sainsbury account, so I an instituting a strict policy of replacing Coke with Irn-Bru.

Just voted, was impressed to see party members handing out how to vote cards, disappointed not to see a sausage sizzle or cake stall.

Dan - issue tracking and not smoking and all excited about the election

Got our new Issue Tracking database up and running today - it's way shiny and seems to do everything. Watched Thank You For Smoking this evening. Probably should have watched it last year like everyone else, but I didn't. But I have now. And it's good. Looking forward to election tomorrow, but I swear, if it goes bad, I'm gonna start cutting people.

Jaime - Gooooooaaalllll

Just got back from indoor soccer. Got 2 goals, was very happy with myself (regardless of the fact that one was a complete fluke). Very much want to join a team if possible.

Also, saw this when I got home and I wants it.

Tired now... me ... slee..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Becstarr : Return to the classroom

Taught my first class in about 2 years today! Assessment in WebCT was the topic, 3 of 5 in the Intro series. Only 2 hours and about 9 people, and a beautiful lesson plan and site prepared by the training team, which made for a nice class that was easy to pick up having never taught it before.

Felt good but after this week I am tired tired. Need to get some sleep in before polling in Marrickville tomorrow!!

Anna : !

It's been an exclamation mark kind of day ... I may have an exciting wiki project in the works. Details to be confirmed, pitch to be written, watch this space!

David - Yay Holidays

Its thanksgiving over here - and I find myself with nothing to do! I was originally supposed to be in London but the trip got cancelled 2 days ago. Wandered up to the event before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Inflating the Floats! Of course I am an idiot and didn't realise that every man and his dog was going to be there. After flirting with a senseless death as a result of being run over by a neverending series of strollers that were larger than the average compact car I abandoned ship.

Oh and I voted. Viva la revolution!

Becstarr : Moving zombie

Started back at work, house as yet unpacked, boxes 4 deep and 6 high in my new bedroom.
I feel like the shell of a person, with someone sitting inside my head looking out and steering from....very....far.....away.

YL - Country Doctor

Almost there! At 5pm 7 Mar, you can call me Doctor. And I got my paperwork from Westmead yesterday. 31 Mar I start work at Coffs Harbour Hospital for 5 months! Emergency Dept then General Medicine. So I'll be off to the country for a bit of a seachange but will be coming back montly to Sydney anyway. Still no Latte since hospital accomodation doesnt allow pets I think. *mutters*

So while I'm not entirely sure if the future will be bright/dark ... it sure will be different! That much will be interesting.

Anna : Stress

Over the last 2 weeks I've noticed some skin problems that I get when put under prolonged physical/mental stress. What could be causing this? New job, Guy and the horror class, 3 weekends lost to filming, increased hours at the gym and more drinking? Nah. How many weeks until Christmas? Hmmm. Well maybe some dancing will help!

Kit - Net Detective

Had a lovely cup of takeaway coffee - just the way I like it, instead of the so-so "It's oh-kay, I can live with it" that usually happens. Ordered a bee keepers hat, to try and keep the blowflys off. Did some net detectoring and worked out what the specials were at the GBs/Myer Sale tonight. Yeah!

Jaime - new shoes

Last weekend was good. Went out friday night to a friends work event and played 14 player halo 3. Then came home and caught up on weeds, next week is final ep for the season.

Saturday went to the Cheese festival on Granville Island and at a bunch of cheese, it was DELICIOUS! Bought a few cheeses for later. Then went over to friends place and played boardgames until 2.

Sunday was cleanup day. Got a lot done and then went out for Dinner. Just before that went and bought myself some indoor soccer shoes as I've been going twice a week.

Indoor soccer tonight, looking forward to it.

falsedan - Amon Tobin

Went to see Amon Tobin on Thursday—his new stuff is a lot noisier, industrial, and techno than previous. The gig was done in 7.1 surround sound, which means the dance floor is encircled with speakers with different sounds coming out of each. Highlight was him using a sample of a 150cc trail bike revving in an outro.

Aija's sisters and mum are visiting, they are nice, also don't speak much English, so I am fully exercising my 4-word Latvian vocabulary… labvakar!

Shoshe: two for two

Yesterday we had people over for a "Christmas pudding making and problem set doing" fest. And we actually did both! We made the pud (plus a figgy pudding so that people would actually get to eat something that they'd made that day), and while it was steaming we actually worked on our assignment! We got two questions done in three hours, which was quite satisfying.

Then today we made super-fast parmesan wafers for a Thanksgiving potluck dinner at my friend's co-op. They were quick and simple and really yummy. We highly recommend the recipe!

Anna : Where did the weekend go ...

That's what happens when you build up to something too much, it flies by and you feel kind of deflated afterwards. A Saturday afternoon looking at fishes and penguins and seals (oh my!) was pleasant, soothing and somewhat educational. Sunday was spent ripping apart camera memory cards in the hope of salvaging them (failed :( ) and spending last Christmas's gift vouchers. And sleeping, there was a good 8 hours of sleeping.

David - Yawwwwnnnnnn

Spent the weekend mooching around the house - which is pretty impressive given that mooching in my apartment means you can take all of 6 steps before you hit an obstacle of some description. Watched Transformers - reconfirmed that as long as you ignore the dialogue it is shiny. Just ignore the dialogue. Also have Spiderman 3 which I can't quite bring myself to watch. And now I have to go into the office and engage in political shenanigans. :-(

Confirmed my flights to Australia last week - I am coming back to surprise my parents for Christmas. They have no idea I am coming at all. Which also means party time with the hive... at some point!

Dan - weekend at home

Had Nothing Much to do this weekend, so I fought an epic battle against the lawn, filling two of those big wheelie bins with grass cuttings, plus the amount dumped onto the garden or in the compost. We've officially got Redback spiders in the yard again. Jen found some monster sized ones in the compost bin which I proceeded to hassle with a stick (I think I squished 'em, but one might've gotten away). Need to have some more Nothing Much weekends. Apart from that, I successfully avoided doing much.

Two Weeks Until V-day

Highlights of the week?

1) We had a "global forum" to discuss the topic of whaling from a variety of perspectives on Monday. The pro-whalers kicked the ass of the anti-whalers. The "Australian school student" (someone playing the role of course, we wouldn't actually let one on the premises) was mocked for getting their anti-whaling propaganda from the Internet and from their Geography teacher. At the end she agreed that she wasn't really sure about the whole topic and perhaps she agreed with the pro-whalers.

Left wing bias in schools indeed.

2) Busy, angry meetings between teachers and the executive. Whenever I walk out of a meeting teachers keep telling me that I'm very brave. I'm so not getting a job.

3) When looking at the Black Sea oil spill story I was asked on multiple occasions "is this for real"? How many times do I have to say in Geography, "YES! THIS IS ALL FOR REAL!"? Damn it's a depressing subject to study.

EC - Best. Show. Evar!

So after Al's thing Kim and I just hung around a bit before meeting up with with some friends for Dinner before going to see Muse. Dinner was OK, support act was crap (The Checkers I think . From NZ?)

Anyway Muse came on about 9:30 ish and was enraptured from the very beginning. I've liked their music since they came out but have not been obsessed over them but this show has certainly got me changing my mind. They really know how to put on a grand show with epic riffs interspersed with hypnotic piano. As good as the music was though, the visuals were absolutely mind blowing with video effects playing in the background that entranced me more than the band playing on stage just as the lights distracted and enhanced the band to produce an effect as if the band themselves were apart from the stage. Very cool.

One thing that struck me though was that this was the first time in a while that I was sitting a distance away from the stage and was watching the crowd on the floor go nuts during the show. I certainly missed it but an observation made was the number of lights coming from the audience. It was obviously people with their phones recording and the constant glow of LCDs stood in stark contrast to the one time one or two people who brought out lighters for a slow number. It certainly seems the transience of the flame has been replaced by the relentless glow of LCDs as people record things for posterity instead of the fleeting sense of the experience. I smile as I listern to Matthew Bellamy singing 'I need it now' while those people keep it for later instead.