"Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you" - Crowded House

Got back into Perth airport around 7:30. Got the bags almost straight away, but had to wait a while for dad to get the car out of storage.

Drove straight to some friend of theirs' house in Dalkeith to get passes so they could go to the cricket tomorrow.

Then went straight to Yuki without going home. I had chicken katsu, as usual, with some extra sushi rolls. Also had a lemon lime and bitters - but it was the Bunderberg type out of a bottle and tasted, well, too bittery.

Then went to my house and of course it was about 50 degrees in there.
Zorro was a bit put out, I think. But he seems to have stopped sneezing.

Didn't do much - it was hot and fairly late so just did basic unpacking and went to bed.

And that's that.

So ends Joe's sojourn in Melbourne....

Yip yip yip.

"You're a loony" - King Arthur, Monty Python

Got up about 8:15. Had shower, then did packing. Or cramming, more like.

Left about 10. Left the bags in storage and walked down to Elizabeth street. Took the 16 tram down to St Kilda Esplanade.

Had some sort of breakfast there - it was about 11AM. I had a so-called 'breakfast tortilla' - it was more appropriate for dinner, I think. Also had a regular latte for less than $3 - though it was a little on the bitter side. Probably the worst one I've had since I've been here, which is equivalent to the majority of the Perth ones.

Then walked down some suburban streets to the (so-called) beach, which stank a lot.
Found some model (to scale) of the solar system, but, although we walked down most of the foreshore we only got as far as Jupiter, which just goes to show....something.

Went up to the end of the St Kilda Pier. Got some Coke Zero at the fine kiosk, which was rebuilt to replace the one destroyed by fire on September 11, but 2003.

Then walked to Luna Park. Walked around in there, cos it was free. It was pretty empty.

Then took the tram back. Went to try and get drinks, but the nearby pub was shut. And it was almost 2, so went back, got the bags, and took a taxi to the airport.
Had a taxi driver who talked and talked and talked - and when he talked reminded me of Eric Bana from The Castle.

So got to the Tiger terminal - it had an inside section! Sat around and waited for 45 minutes till they opened up the check-in.

Went in and got food from the only cafe. I had a ham and cheese foccacia - it was OK. Also a Nestea green tea with citrus.

Boarded the plane at 4:30 and left just after 5 - there was a little delay with runway congestion. Nice empty flight, so we had a little more space to work with.

Homer: "Marge, why doesn't art like me? I never did anything to art"

Got up around 8.
Left just after 9 and walked down to Flinders station to meet the other brother. Wasn't too hard, really.

Went back to the alley for breakfast. They didn't have much left, but I got a bacon and egg muffin, which was quite tasty, and an iced coffee, which wasn't.

Then went over to the proper NGV art gallery thing, which was open this time.
Saw some 'people walking against the wind' as well as some Rodin sculptures, some Rubens portraits, a lot of drawings by Rembrandt as well as some paintings which I recognised (two old men disputing, mainly), and a Picasso. Plus some nice Egyptian runes. And various other stuff.

Then went back to the lane near Flinders station to eat, but walked through there to some 'Australia' arcade to a food court with a $10 meal Italian place. I had a veal parmigiana type thing and a lemon lime & bitters. The drink was weak and the meal was small. What do you expect?

Then, since we were there (kinda), went and got donuts from Krispy Kreme. It didn't seem to be a big store- I just got the assorted cos there wasn't enough of the plain ones.

Went and looked at St Paul's cathedral. Big, and stuff, y'know? Yeah.

Walked back down Swanson street, heading towards Myer. But before we could get there, our path was blocked by some protest about something in regards to Sri Lanka. Some members of the family got free DVDs.

Walked through Myer a bit. Nothing too exciting.
Then went back to the apartment.

Left about 5:30 with Sam only.
Walked over to Carlton gardens and took photos of the exhibition building.
Then took the good ol' green and yellow tram down to Spencer street, where Sam got off and went back to his place.
I continued down the line to the end of La Trobe street. Took some photos of the stuff down there. The (now infamous) West Gate was blocked by that other bridge, but.
So took the City Circle tram back to the apartment.

Left just before 7 with parents to the top of Collins street to watch Doubt. Good, but quite slow. The big confrontation near the end was the best part - of course.

Finished at 9 and walked down to Fed Square, looking for the 'traditional Australian' restaurant, which Tom wanted to eat at (he had gone to the skydeck while we were at the movies). Found it eventually, right opposite the place were the art gallery was and we had lunch with the sparrows. But it was closed.

So went to some outside place on the other side where the tennis was showing - but our view was totally obscured by a tree.
Had a chicken burger with salty chips and a lemon lime and bitters or 2 (much better than lunch!).

Then walked back.

"It goes right around the town, its the way to get around and its free - the Melbourne City Circle Tram!"

Not a great sleep. People kept turning the air-con on after it turned itself off, so it kept getting warm and was also fairly noisy.
Got up about 8:45 and left, by myself, about 9:15.

Walked down to the Queen Victoria markets. Bought 3 ties, but only the souvenir and clothing type stores were open, so I decided to wait till 10 to see if there were any more being set up.

Went to Hudson's Coffee on Elizabeth street and got a skinny (I finally remembered) latte, complete with local sparrow.
Then went back, but there was nothing new. Bought some shoes, anyway.

Went back through the charming heat past the old gaol (which is actually how I think it was spelled, which was nice - assuming it was).
Sat around in the room for a while - ate some of my Krispy Kremes for breakfast.

Then went to Myer and bought the suit what we had looked at last week and a pair of pants; spending a lot of money today (at least compared to every other day)!

Went down to Town Hall (going the wrong way first off - I worry about my brother's sense of direction) to see some poster exhibition. There was a grand total of: 8. So that didn't take long.

Went back to Fed Square to that NGV gallery again. Spent a little while there, but it was nothing special.
Saw an alright painting of some collapsed parliament building, which was supposed to represent something. Maybe.

So left the parents there and went with Tom, taking the tram down to Melbourne Aquarium.
Paid $30+ to get in (spending a lot of money today!).
The very first thing was the best - the penguins (no emperor's though - only kings. Bah!).
Then it was almost 2 so raced through to the very end for a (quite anti-climatical) tank feeding session.
Then went all the way back to near the penguins again (through a most disagreeable lift experience) and the parents were finally there.

Had lunch soon after at a small cafe. Just had a roll and orange juice, basically. There were sparrows on the railings outside looking fairly hot.
Then walked through the rest of the place - saw seahorses and turtles and the Bill Laurie nose fish and that kinda stuff. Also saw most of the stars of Finding Nemo, including Dory and a fish that seemed to like bubbles.
Left about 4:30 and took the free city circle tram (complete with tour sites and theme song).

Left the apartment about 6:15 and took the circle tram the long way (ie, continuing on around, not back the other way). Tom had left earlier to go to St Kilda with his married couple, so it was just me and the parents.

Went down the alley near Flinders station to some 'Red Rock' cafe. It closed when we'd been there about 15 minutes - at like 7:30, which seems pretty strange to me.
Had another chicken risotto and a lemon lime and bitters. The risotto was a bit cheesy.

Then walked over to the actual Hamer Hall, to the Playhouse theatre.
Watched 'The 39 Steps'; essentially a parody of some Hitchcock film - can't remember what its called.
Quite amusing - mainly the parts used for the transitions to make up for the shortcomings of stage.
Finished just after 10 and walked back.

"I'm still here; I'm still a fool for the holy grail" - Hunters and Collectors

Got up about 8:15. Left just before 10, because we had prearranged to meet uncle David at the ground at 11, but he phoned about 9:30 to say he wouldn't be there.

Went to the nearby Cafe Aurora. They had a very limited food selection, but managed to get the last ham and cheese croissant and a latte. Still no credit facilities.

Walked past parliament house - a very grand building, but didn't get a photo.
Walked through some more grassland to the (very understated) JFK memorial.
Went through the conservatory, I think to get out of the heat - but of course it was horribly humid in there. They were playing 'Moon River' very loudly; and seemingly on an endless loop.
Then went to Captain Cook's Cottage - but entry wasn't free.
So walked up to the model Tudor village and fairy tree. Tried to take a photo to make the model houses look like real houses, but it didn't really work.

Then walked over to the good ol' MCG. Waited for uncle Peter to show, who was handily replacing uncle David.

Looked around the museum, mainly at the Olympics display and the cricket - I kept thinking of a certain person I know who would've been very jealous. Hopefully.
Then went and watched the Shane Warne hologram (it was getting a bit much, having seen the play yesterday). Pretty impressive. The technology, not the man.
Had some food upstairs, which finally had credit facilities, so I paid.

At 2:30, went on the tour. The main highlight was that we got to go out onto a small fenced off section of the hallowed turf - which made the ground look kinda small actually, compared to TV.
Also went into the dressing rooms - but, again, it didn't seem like where they go after the grand final, for instance.

After the tour, went back to the museum and looked at some AFL stuff - mainly just the James Hird hologram, which didn't seem as technically 'clever' as the Shane Warne one, but I found it more enjoyable to watch cos he wasn't such an idiot.

Waited around a long time after, cos first we couldn't find mum (cos she didn't go on the tour), then Tom was taking his sweet time (as usual).
Eventually walked out into the oven-like weather and to the nearby Hilton to catch a taxi - but none showed up, and it wasn't the sort of weather to be waiting around in.
So went and got a tram instead down to Crown casino.

Walked straight into the nearest pub inside. I had 2 lemon lime and bitters(s).
Then walked around sort of looking for Krispy Kreme, which we eventually found after lots of trouble.

Did some 1c pokie gambling - lost about $5. Really rather dull.
Stopped at 8 and went and watched the fantasic moving dragon come alive. Wow.....

Then ate at the foodcourt. I had chicken risotto (again) and a Nestea green tea with mango. The food took quite a while to be ready, and of course it wasn't great - too many olives.

Then went and bought a half-dozen assorted box of Krispy Kreme.
Then went back, through the not much cooler night streets.

The air-con timer hadn't worked well - it seemed that it came on at 4, but went off at 7, so it wasn't pleasant in there for a while.

"It's like rain on your weddding day, a free ride when you've already paid, the good advice that you just didn't take" - Ironic, Alanis Morisette

Got up around 8:30. Left about 10:15.

Walked down to Collins street, then down to the alley near Flinders station.
Had breakfast at some little place that sold crepes - I had a jam one and a latte for about $5. There was some nice artwork in there in a colourful, abstract style which were of that cafe; a nice touch. Once again, they only accepted cash. I'm trying to find a place where I can pay, but I'm determined to only use credit.

Walked down across the bridge to the NGV art gallery next to Hamer Hall - it was closed. So walked past the floral clock (nothing to write home about there) to King's Gardens; or Horrid Bird Park, as I renamed it - it was full of prolific numbers of Indian mynahs, noisy minahs, ravens, domestic pigeons, blackbirds and starlings.
Went to the Sidney Myer music bowl - it was also closed. Could've taken photos of the piles of rubbish in there, but I felt that didn't capture the Christmas spirit what the bowl is famous for.

So walked back to Federation Square to the 'Setting the Scene' exhibit of various articles from production designers of various movies.
Saw an Oscar (with the engraving on the back of the stand - most peculiar) and models of the Matrix sentinels. Lots of stuff for the movie Australia, and also lots of old, foreign films; most of which I had never heard of, let alone seen.

Had a bit of lunch nearby in another part of Fed Square, at some Beer place. Wanted a beef pie, but they were out, so had a chicken one instead, plus a vanilla milkshake. Admired the cute sparrows, one of which came up and pecked my finger.

Then looked in the nearby art gallery (an offshoot of the NGV thing, apparently) at some collection of some artist/patron - apparently the largest collection ever donated (at least in Australia). It had some good stuff, but too much of the awful abstract type, like 3 different coloured painted squares.

Left about 4:15 and went back to the room. Hung around there for a while - I changed out of my shorts, which was a bad mistake.

Then went down to Melbourne Central, at Melbourne Tower (unlike all the other ones...) at 360 Elizabeth street, to meet one of Tom's friends - or the wife of one of his friends more accurately, probably. Took some panoramas from the 46th floor.

Walked down some lane near the China'town' street and had dumplings. I was expecting char sui pao, but it was the slimy ravioli looking one instead. Well, it was cheap, if nothing else. On the way out, passed the Gaylord Indian restaurant. Wanted to take a photo, but it was too obvious.

Then went down to Collins street, to the Athenaeum, to watch 'Shane Warne - the musical'. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be; depends how much you paid for it, I suppose.

Finished at 9:30 and went back.

Shopkeeper: "Celebrate the independance of your country by blowing up a small part of it"

Got up about 9.
Had shower and that then packed and had tea and left before 10.

Went down the main street but, of course, nothing was open; except some Croatian deli. I didn't really want anything from there, but I was also hungry so got some ham and cheese toasted sandwich. Also had orange juice, but it was the real stuff; so not very nice. Perhaps not surprisingly, they didn't accept credit cards.
While everyone else was finishing, went to take photos of Jack Ryan's Irish pub (proprietors: Mi and Mi Sista Pty Ltd) and the Kasbah.

Then went off to find the Sale botanic gardens, but didn't, so walked around some more wetlands instead. Found some hard to read sundial and some wrens and a goose and more native hens.

Then drove off again to look for the botanic gardens. Found something this time with trees and that. Great.
Finally got a decent photo of a noisy minah, but only a distant one of the Indian mynah. Did find a nice red ironbark (all of which mum killed at their place) and a garden that smelled like curry.

Then took the 'scenic' route back to the train station and left pretty much on time (after Sam gave me the money for the clock).

Stopped twice along the way for about 5 minutes to wait for trains coming the other way. Once again didn't get to take a photo of the Pink Floyd factory.
The air-con wasn't working very well at all, which, of course, was a delight.
Up to about page 310 in my book - that's volume 2, to you.

So got back around 4:30. Took a taxi back to the same hotel as before, but a different room, at the front on the 5th floor. It was still being cleaned as we arrived, so took the opportunity to go with Tom and my dad to get milk and tram tickets. Well, they did that; I just rang Mogli - but he didn't have any new ideas.

Came back and they were trying to arrange a place for dinner with some uncle who seems to be traditionally disorganised; but I think we managed it in the end.
Rang V, but he's never been to Melbourne so yeah that didn't come to much. Probably after my florid descriptions of the general suckiness he won't be inclined to visit in the future, neither.

Left about 7.
Passed a Chinese dragon on the way (cos it was the first day of their new year), but the firecrackers were way too noisy, so didn't watch it for long.
Took a tram down Burke street, which eventually arrived at Docklands opposite the Melbourne Eye; just as I had predicted.
So I finally saw what I was sure must be the West Gate bridge - not bad. Later discovered that it is not quite it, but its close enough.
Quite an attractive area down there - almost a smaller version of Darling Harbour, I guess; though not quite as flash.

Went to Bellisimo and met uncle Peter and the 3 children (the sons looking absolutely nothing like I remember them, while the daughter looked exactly the same) and the ex wife (who seemed exactly like the tax accountant lady from Seinfeld who went crazy after George told her the truth).

And so I finally managed to have chicken risotto - they had 4 risottos on the menu; something I've never seen in Perth.
Had tiramisu after. All rather tasty, but nothing special.
The fireworks were happening about 9:15, but I didn't bother going out to try and see them.

Left about 10;30 and took the same tram back - we got off 1 stop too late, but it didn't make that much difference.

"What a gyp!" - John Travolta, Pulp Fiction

Got up around 8. I probably would've stayed in bed longer, but the plans from last night were that we were to meet in the local shopping centre, after breakfast, at 9:30.
Actually managed to leave about 9.
On the way, were, possibly accidentally, listening to local radio and heard the classic 'Cooking Crabs' by a, sadly deceased, colourful character. Apparently.

Went to the shopping centre, but the cafe and Muffin Break were both closed - it was Sunday, after all. So got a ham and cheese pastry from Bakers Delight and a latter from Donut King.
After that, the rest showed up, after going to our motel and finding that we weren't there.
Walked down to the clock place, but it was shut, of course.

Drove to Rosedale. Looked at some antique and other shops.
Then drove to Heyfield. Saw some houses, or something.
Then drove to Maffra. I was finally able to get a decent photo of a sulfur-crested cockatoo, as it was sitting there eating acorns.
Drove to the motor museum. Walked around there for a bit.
Then drove to Stratford-on-Avon. Looked at more trinket and antique shops.
Wound up at a cafe, which also sold liquor. Had a chicken and cheese and spinach and sun-dried tomato foccacia, and a Coke Zero. Pretty OK. Tried an eskimo pie (icecream) after, but it was just like a choc-wedge but with no stick, and a rim around the top (so it looked like a pie). Should've had a Monaco bar instead (basically the Eastern states name for a giant sandwich).

Then the others went home and we went to a gun powder storage building, then to some wetlands and walked around amongst the weeds. Found some native hens, at least.

Went and looked at the famous Sale swing bridge. Unfortunately, it only swings at certain times and we had just missed the last time.

So went back to the hotel and had tea and watched tennis and that.

Left about 7:30 and went for dinner (with all the rest) at Relish @ the Gallery. Parked in the wrong spot to start off with. Also moved tables almost straight away to get a window view.
Order took about an hour to arrive. Had some crispy potato chicken - almost like a schnitzel. Fairly satisfying.
Then had some tasty mocha cheesecake.

Left about 9:45 and went home and had tea, since I asked for some there but it never arrived.

Bart: "It's a Bart sales event - everything about me must go!"

Got up about 8:30 - there was no point going back to sleep.Had a very weird dream involving mace (the spray) and the house in Nedlands where I used to live and some Asian guy and something about an airport.

Left about 10:30, taking all the luggage, because we weren't allowed to store bags there for an extended period (3 days....).
Took a taxi from just outside basically just down to the end of Lonsdale street and a bit left to the Southern Cross station.

Went to Fresh Connections to eat. Had a $7 croissant and small latte deal, plus half of a schnitzel because Tom got 2, even though he only paid for one.

Walked up and over to platform 13 (ooooo). Waited about 45 minutes for the train to arrive, but it eventually did and we left on time.
So left at 12:30 and arrived at 3:30, but we did have to stop and wait for 15 minutes just outside of some town - Mewson, or something - which had a factory very much like the one on the cover of Animals by Pink Floyd. Unfortunately, due to the fact that trains move, wasn't able to get a photo.

Waited around at the Sale station for a while till Sam showed up with the hire car.
Went to the motel and dropped off the large amounts of luggage. I neglected to take out my contact lenses.
Gave Sam the Ultima 9 and Might & Magic CDs, and also my clock to exchange, since it was marked.

So drove down to the locality of Longford and to Sam's block. Walked around there - got some not too good photo of a noisy minah. Also saw rosellas and sulfur-crested cockatoos - no echidnas or koalas, though. There was also a bird of prey circling which people insisted was a wedgetail.
Then looked around inside the house and had lots of different types of chicken for dinner.

After that drove down to the sea to 'Golden Beach'. It was absolutely freezing - and here we are in the middle of summer.
There was going to be some fireworks, but after waiting in the freeze for 10 minutes the announcement was that they were still 50 minutes away. Also, it was bogan central, so just went back.

Had tea & muffins, then did some spotlighting. Heard a koala, but only saw 2 ringtails, 2 brushtails and 2 wallabies.
Went back to the hotel about 10:30.

Na na na na na na na na - Batman!

Got up just after 9 - much better sleep.
Left about 10:30.

Went to a nearbyish food hall. Had a breakfast bagel - much better suited to breakfast than yesterday's, but a little too much egg and pepper. Also had a latte from Bite - nice. And cheap. Kept looking at the Puffy store and wondering what on earth they were.

Walked down to the Queen Victoria markets. Bought some red ear cushions for my headphones.
Walked around there for quite a while - the temperature was much milder than yesterday.Came to the delicatessen hall and got Bareks - kind of like a kebab but hardly anything in them. They were only $2.50, but not really very nice.
Finally got out of the markets and stopped at Bean with Envy and got a latte.

Tried to find the Batman memorial - unsuccessfully. Then tried to find a cinema - also unsuccessful.

Went into Myer. Looked at pants then suits, then bought some Armani cologne (yay!) for $130 (boo!) - though it did have a free t-shirt (yay!), which I'm sure won't fit (boo!).

Got back to the apartment about 2. Looked for movies, but the times weren't great. Watched some more trailers on the ipod, but the battery was getting very low.

Went out and drew money at 4:45. Talked to Mogli for most of the time, trying to get some info on sights - apparently there isn't much. Also wanted to try another coffee place, but only passed one and it was early on so I didn't stop cos I assumed there'd be another.
Read some more book. Up to about page 285 now.

Left at 6:15. Walked down to Elizabeth street. Bought tickets from 7-11 then took a tram up towards the hospital. Got off near the wrong hospital, so took the next tram up 2 stops, which wasn't enough, so took the next tram up another 3 stops & walked down the intersecting street and up another street to the house with the party.

Interrogated a number of people there - supposed Melbourne locals - to try and find some attractions to see in the city; the MCG (and its museum) and some skydeck (the big gold credit card building, coincidentally. It seems most of the stuff of interest is some distance from where we are, and, based on the weather for next week, walking is not going to be much of an option.
Had a very meaty BBQ, with practically no salad.
Left about 11:30.

Took the tram from the end of their street down some strange places, but at least past the markets so we actually saw the Batman memorial - apparently.
Then walked back through the charming Melbourne Friday nightlife.

"Lets not forget last night, yeah how we drove along the Yarra" - Happy Birthday Helen, Things of Stone and Wood

Had a rather bad sleep. Noises and stuff of that sort. Squeaky bed, soft pillow, new location generally.
Woke up to the lovely sound of sparrows. Charming, really.

Went downstairs to the adjoining coffee shop (Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, or some such) at 10:30 - for breakfast, apparently. You can ask my brother about that one, and most of the subsequent ones.
Had a chicken and avocado bagel and a very large, fairly OK and quite inexpensive (compared to Perth) latte.

Walked across the road & looked at some Wesley church. It was kind and inviting - except for that glass panel which prevented anyone going a metre or so more inside the door.

Walked down to Federation Square, aka Melbourne's Junkyard. Saw some tennis, or something. Judging by the crowds, it was some nobodies playing.

Walked over the Yarra. Saw the MCG, but assumed it must be some other ground, cos it looked so poncy. Walked around on the lawn over there. The weather was really not pleasant - not really warm, but muggy.

So walked back to Federation Square and bought some H2Go lemon flavoured water. It wasn't the brand I wanted, but they only had the plain, unflavoured stuff in Pump.

Walked back past Flinders street station. Went down lots of little lanes and arcades. Eventually came to the Block arcade, which I was familiar with, but only by name.

Met dad, who had had to stay at the apartment for some sort of checking in reason. Walked back down some more arcades to opposite the BHP building (another thing it appears they wasted money on) to International Cakes, in the Greek street. The rest of the family had drinks there, but I saved my money for Starbucks.
Went there straight after. Got a short latte for $3.05. Yay! My trip is complete, I can now go home.

Kept going up Swanson street to the library. Looked at some paintings & some galleries of books in history & some Victorian history. The most interesting thing to me were two old bibles, a Torah scroll and a Quran. Also, the La Trobe (who everbody has named everything in Victoria after) reading room, recently restored, was a mightily impressive sight.

Then went back to the living place, where our beds and TV....is.
Left about 4.

Walked to Exhibition street and found Schnitz next to Subway which sold, um, schnitzels. Had a beef...schnitzel... with chips and salad, plus the obligatory Coke Zero.
Then walked right to the end of Exhibition street (past the EY building) to Batman avenue and across to Melbourne Park. Probably took the long way round, but got in through the main entrance near Rod Laver arena. Of course, we couldn't afford to go in there.

Tried to watch Safin in the doubles in the main outside court (the Margaret Court court), but it was full and then some. So went to the really outer courts.
Watched one set of womens doubles, where the pair without the Australian won easily. Hooray!
The watched a set of mens doubles. Once again, it didn't last long. But it was OK.

Then moved to show court 2 and saw the final game of some womens singles.
Stayed there and watched a 5 set 'thriller' lasting almost 4 hours between some Russian (who won) and some Latvian (who didn't). Thrilling. Cept that it got really quite cold, and here is me wearing shorts cos the day was so uncold. Eventually had to buy coffee, but it didn't help that much. Was rather tasty, but.

Took a very crowded tram back to Exhibition street (the far end, near the EY building) at about 10:30, and walked the whole way back (of course), stopping at 7-11 for nothing very exciting.

"This will be the place for a village" - some Melbourne founding guy

Left about 4:45.

Got to the airport & stood in the Tiger line (or, at least, that's what people said - there weren't any signs or nothing) till 5:30.
Thus, we were the 3rd group to check-in. While waiting, Tom's (South American!) bags got sniffed by a passing beagle.
Mum got stopped at the detecting place because, although asked repeatedly, she had scissors and nail clippers in her hand luggage. The scissors were confiscated.
I, once again, got scanned for explosive substances. That's 2 from 2, Perth Airport.

Got shepherd's pie & Coke Zero. Waited a long time for a side order of wedges (apparently they were given to other people), but we were done by 6:45 anyway, and didn't board the plane till 7:15.

Had the squishy seat in the middle. Well, I think all the seats were squishy.
Spent most of the flight reading the book. Got up to about page 275.
Had turbulence for about an hour from 11pm Melbourne time - but it was fairly mild (although that didn't stop the surrounding passengers from saying that they all felt they were about to die). Lucky I was listening to There There by Radiohead and When the Sun Goes Down by Arctic Monkeys, so I was happy.
Also watched a few trailers on my ipod.

Thought I should take a moment to mention my wonder at the miracle of flight.
Although most people would probably say that flight was eclipsed by space exploration, that really doesn't seem so special to me. I mean, really, a rocket is just a big missile that is blasted through the air by pure force, which almost no aerodynamics at all. Normal airplane travel, however, is an everyday (for the developed world, at least) miracle, which is easily accessible for most middle-class people.
And you can actually feel it yourself, and at that moment of takeoff you understand the physics and know that it is possible - totally contrary from what you see as you walk along the tarmac through these gargantuan metal beasts that look as able to get off the ground as a T-Rex.
The ability of a plane to get into the air; it never ceases to amaze me.
Landing, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. A horribly messy juddering and jarring; totally ungraceful; fairly uncomfortable and concerning.

And after this landing, no better or worse than any other, we moved into a horribly unsophisticated baggage collection 'terminal' (it was, in reality, no more than a big cage). Much to my shock, as I was in the process of thinking how all airports look the same from the tarmac. Even more shocking, the Tiger terminal in Perth, because it is part of the Virigin terminal, is far more sophisticated and comfortable.
I almost got the wrong bag, if it hadn't been for some screeching woman claiming it as hers.

Walked up with the bags a few hundred metres to the 'proper' terminal so we could get a taxi. Of course, there were hundreds waiting, so got one almost straight away and went straight to the city, to Lonsdale street, to the Mayflower apartments right next to Hotel Grand Chancellor - which I never saw anyone go in or out of during the entire time.
Admittedly, I was expecting the worst after my Sydney experience, so just to get a room with its own shower was enough for me. But the view was less than inspiring....
Slept some time after 2.

My biggest regret from my Sydney trip was that I never got to experience the famed Sydney traffic, either by taxi or bus or other. All our travel there was walking or train. And maybe that was the reason why it all felt so foreign to me, especially that, well, whole first week, really.
Because travelling by road into the centre of Melbourne; (granted, it was late at night so there wasn't a lot that could be made out) apart from a few strange 'ring' roads & the M1 & Essendon caryards and airport & Footscray road & the (far more impressive than Perth's) ferris wheel - it all seemed just like Perth. Even the inner city streets (apart from when we passed the huge Myer, which felt like Sydney).
I was scared of Sydney right from the moment I saw the underground rail at the airport.
But not here - bring it on, Melbourne. I'm ready!

So begins Joe's sojourn in Melbourne

Updates as they become available....

'Ere we go, 'ere we go, 'ere we go

They say time flies when you're having fun. That is true, but it is a mere subset of the actual reality that time flies when you're occupied.
And its also true that I never have much to do at work. But today, the only thing I'm really occupied with is watching the clock, the result of which can be summed up with 'a watched clock never ticks'.

Uncovered the canary as usual this morning, and it will stay that way for the next week and a half. When I come back I'm sure he'll be right back to his basic animal roots, after nearly two weeks of rising with the dawn chorus and sleeping with the dusk chorus. I've considered just letting it roam free....but experience has taught me that he's not terribly bright and wouldn't last long like that.
Didn't make lunch, due to the commercial meeting, which supplies funny lunch stuff.
Iced Vovos for morning tea today. And good coffee - 5 Senses '24/7' blend! But it still goes cold too quick.

So had the good ol' commercial meeting. Fun stuff. Finished nice and early....

Left at 3:30. That was nice, then.

Everybody arrived 45 minutes early, of course. So I must finish this in a hurry, as I'm now holding everybody up.

And that's that.

Cept that I was reading my blog from the Sydney trip, and it seems that the last thing I didn't get to do just before I left was watch a Seinfeld episode.....yes; the Chicken Roaster one. You can go back to 1 July 2007 and see for yourself.
I tell you - my life is freaky.

1 day to go....

More work....

Pretty bad morning tea today. But luckily someone brought around some cakes for some unknown reason, so I had a fairly large slice of a baked ricotta berry cheesecake and, damn, I coulda eaten a whole lot more of that.

Started doing some salary survey for some place what compares results among law firms. It is, of course, needlessly complicated. Which is why I get to do it. Oh, and its due Monday. So I can put it in the 'somebody elses problem' pile.

Let the bird out as soon as I got home cos I had to clean all its horrid mess. But I let it sit around while I watched TV first - The Simpsons - yay!

Then watered the plants. I think some of them are about to die already.

Then I tried to finish Ultima 9 but it just wasn't going to happen. I spent another half an hour looking for the sea monster but couldn't find it, so loaded a previous game and there it was so it must've been ANOTHER bug. Anyway, I only have one section left to complete it, but now I've got to take the CD to my brother over east, so it may never happen. I was considering taking the whole day off tomorrow........

Did practically all my packing - I think (apart from the rest of the stuff I'll carry-on and the toiletries). Apparently, I'm supposed to take a hat - hopefully I'll have the time to look tomorrow afternoon. Also, there won't be a lot of room to buy stuff - but I doubt there'll be a lot of that, anyway. Except that I need some more pants for work. And some new ties wouldn't go astray either. Or a new car.

Watched the Chicken Roaster episode from Seinfeld. That's gonna be about the last one of them, too.

Also weighed myself so I could see if I lose weight from all the walking or gain weight from all the eating. I reckon I lost like 20 kgs from Sydney last time; but there is no proof.

So I went got to bed at 10:30 but of course didn't sleep till just before it was time to wake up, which I did before my alarm.

2 days to go....

Work - how interesting can this be?

I'm deliberately waking up later these days, since I can't get to the station early enough to catch the 6-car at about 7:15, so now I'm delaying myself to catch the one at 7:35. And it worked a treat today.
So I'm up to about page 220 of War, What is it Good For? - which only leaves 1100 to go....

Did some entering of other people's time sheets - the vacation clerks (and its pronounced clarks people, not clerks! aaaargh!!). That was something different, at least.
Unlike the rest of the day of going through accounts from 10 years ago to try and reconcile it as much as possible in some spreadsheet that I've been working on for at least a month. Tedium, tedium. Plus there's the added bonus that the constant need to focus plays havoc with my lenses. Or maybe that's just cos they're fortnightly and I've been wearing them for a month?

So much good stuff for morning tea today...... Lucky, cos my lunch is so small, cos I can only fit one roll in my lunchbox - unless I cut another in half, I guess. But then, I only have 4 for 3 days, anyway.

Left at 5.

Played more Ultima 9. Almost at the end of the abyss, but I spent at least 10 minutes looking for some big sea monster that I have to kill to complete the final 'element' in there and I seriously couldn't find it. So I gave up and watched an episode of Seinfeld instead.

Had roast kangaroo for dinner. Yes....
Well, I've never cooked roast before, and if you were there you probably would've been able to tell. Lets just say that it took a lot longer than I thought it would. And even when I was sure I'd burnt it I still don't think it was quite done. Or very tasty. Nyeh.

Slept too late again. I'll pretend to care. I should deliberately stay up really, really late tomorrow - but that'll likely make the day go even slower. Besides, I won't get that much sleep that night what with getting to Melbourne about 12 and then having to get to the hotel.....

3 days to go....

Got up with my alarm at 8:30. Was ready too early so turned on my computer for a bit - and of course Si logged on straight away. He sent his best wishes to everyone - I think I mentioned it to one person.

Church....ahem. Sat next to Dewy. We both laughed at the mention of something about marriage during the sermon.
Did counting.

Saw 13 afterwards and gave him the key to my house so he can water the plants and the bird while I'm away. And let this be the witness to that.

Spoke to V, for all of 5 seconds. He was wearing thongs - these Sydneysiders and their casual dress sense. Hmph!
Decided I should go to Hillsong, assuming I can scam some accomodation. But realised afterwards that what with it being in early July its gonna be basically impossible to go. Which is typical.

Stopped past Mogli's house on the way back to drop off Tropic Thunder what is one my Bigpond rental system and thus doesn't have to be returned until, like, ever. But, practically, mid-Feb.
Took the long way to get there, which I thought was the short way.

Played more Ultima 9. Have completed 7 of 8 virtues, and I think theres only 1 dungeon left to go before the endgame bit. Spoke to Shamino - hes not as fun as he used to be. Dupre was even less fun.

Tried out my vacuum what I got from DJs using only $99 of my own money - cos of Christmas bonus vouchers. Such a more impressive machine than that horrible old thing; which, incidentally, someone has nabbed from the kerbside collection. Aren't they in for a fun time! Muahahahahah!

Did a bit of ironing. Not much. Lucky I don't have to work for a while - but there's gonna be an awful lot when I come back.

Watched some episodes of Seinfeld season 8, finishing with the Bizarro Jerry episode. I like the Kramer working story in that; tis so amusing! Anyway - I hate these writers who think they're so funny and clever. Just thought I'd mention that.

Then watched Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The movie was a lot better than the trailer led me to believe - although it did drag on and on and so I didn't finish it till after 10pm.
Once again, it was nice to see all the parts that were referenced in the Simpsons - "its buried under a big 'dubbaya'".
There was a great quote when a husband and wife, driving some truck straight out of The Grapes of Wrath were run off the road by the treasure-crazed hunters and after they drove into a ditch the husband says "I've said it once and I'll say it again: I never wanted to move to California".
But I guess you had to be there....

After the movie finished I still had to shave and that, so slept way too late. Was woken up by thunder some time during the night. Ai....