New Birds with Fantastic Haircuts Learn New Things Over Pizza!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Another gorgeous, sunny, breezy, Sunday afternoon. The chores are pretty much done... Laundry is even all put away, tho I have yet to drag out the iron....... The birds are all happy and busy out there teaching their kids how to do bird stuff, like eat, which they don't seem to have the hang of yet... But I think they're just too scared to go out there and adult, errrr, bird for themselves just yet. They're just being big chickens instead of birds. Everyone out there has kids it seems - the Rainbow Lorikeets are dragging theirs all over the place teaching them Lorikeet stuff, the Magpies are busy with theirs (mainly feeding and squawking), even the Noisy Miners have little ones to teach stuff to, tho I have yet to see any Kookaburras out there parenting...... Glad I'm not a bird and I just have chores to do! So yes. The weekend stuff is about done just in time for the weekend to be over. Oh well, never mind. So, this afternoon, we have the hip n' groovy Jazz tunes, there's a nice cool glass of the standby Sauv Blanc chilling for when am finished checking in......... yes, life is good!

So. Work. Yep. Glad to have it as it pays the bills (and have I got bills now). But lordy, some days are more testing, or should I say amusing, than others.

Honestly, this group am helping with their editing, everyday they do something to surprise me, tho it shouldn't. Well, anyways, if I've learned anything from my view on the platform watching that train crash in slow motion, it's how not to run a technical publications team and schedule! Thankfully, ever so thankfully, I have real work that needs my attention so I have that to focus on. I'm kinda curious to see what the circus brings to town this week as it's my last week before I go away on mah Big Nordic Adventure, and tho those people have all been told a couple times am away for the next five weeks, we're not too sure the fact has sunk in.... Oh well! 

Otherwise, work has been good. Had my third review of the year on Friday, because why stop at just one or two. Came through with flying colors and no silly, petty things to contest like usual. Whew! So it looks like I'll have a job for the foreseeable future - yay! Because y'know, those days of being strapped to a contract with a real-life end date, never sure if it would be extended, those stressful, dicey times are never far from my mind, even tho I've been at this job, get this, six whole years now. Six. I haven't done anything for six years straight except maybe just live. So, yes, three cheers for gainful if frustrating and amusing employment!

And then there were a few weekends in there. Sorry for not checking in...... Well, the last couple of weekends were really hot and humid stinkers, and they never even cracked 90° yet it was stifling and gross. I tried to do some stuff but by the time the heat and humidity had sunk in, nope, no hope to do anything but sit in front of the fan and debate turning on the A/C or not...... Not. Lordy it's expensive here and I'm trying to be tough like my forefathers....... or, something like that. Oooh, I know, last Sunday we had a bit of sprinkles with mainly sun breeze through and magically, we lost power for five hours - happened around 4pm and didn't come on until after 9pm! Earlier in the week we had a monster blow through and we had power the whole time..... Hmmmmmm. All was well tho - hooray for Ikealand's 100 pack tea lights! 

Otherwise, haven't really been up to much - tidying, trying to make the house clean and easy for Jamie and Ron when they arrive this coming Saturday morning! I know it's an apartment so how hard can it be? It's not hard. But when the weather gets gross everything becomes harder to do! So, I think the place looks presentable enough... Hooray - house guests! See??! Folks DO come down to visit! Told you, a free place to stay in God's Country Down Under is hard to resist! Reservations are open after the middle of January....................! And hey, bonus, I'll be around to be your personal tour guide as after this trip, I'll be too broke to do anything outside of the city's borders for a while (both moneywise and vacation timewise)!

So, yes, haven't been up to much. Got mah hair cut, a good couple of inches taken off too - whew! Even had the boys add a couple of highlights just for something different, pretty it up a little. I love it, another job well done! And oh yeah, my friend Glen came down from Cairns for work last week so we caught up and had dinner at this fantastic Italian place over in the riverside 'hood of Teneriffe (a 'hood no one can afford to live in, by the way, tho man, I'd sure love to) called Beccofino. So. Good. It's become our mission every time he (and Alison) come to town to check out all the Italian places with good reviews and see for ourselves. Another winner! And, I found out a couple days later when I saw my hair boys, that it's the brother to the place Glen and I had checked out a few weeks earlier called Julius Pizzeria (also really, really freakin' good), same owners and everything. Well no wonder. Soooo good! So there you go, not only will you have have super central free digs and a personal tour guide, but you're surround by amazing food and scenery!

And that's about that. Finally got all my paperwork from the Useless Travel Agent and the tour company (not so useless), so today I've compiled it all and triple and quadruple checked it and all appears to be in order - only one way to find out (note to self: better not leave the credit at home.....). So that's a bit of a worry off mah mind. Next task to conquer is packing all that winter stuff into that fantastic-looking Rick Steve's convertible carry on (which I see is now on sale)!!!!! Oh, and the Cadillac of winter coats, and boots (also now on sale - gah!), arrived just in time - whew, tho I have an awful feeling am going to have to wear them on the plane because there is no room in the bag at all...... Oh, well, at least I'll be warm, you know how planes can get chilly sometimes....... So yes, think about packing, think about how to entertain mahself when am not on one of the tours, and that's about it! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! It's down to a handful of days now, better start getting serious!!!!

So there you are. Hope you're all well and happy up there - has the weather cooled off out West there that it's starting to feel like Autumn yet??? Well, if not, don't come down here looking for relief... Yet. That nice weather doesn't show up here until around April or so..... But hey, it'd just be good to see you, so c'mon down whenever the mood strikes! Oh, and so I guess I'll be too busy to check in next weekend and I leave Tues the 29th - guess the next time I'll be able to check in will be from the road along mah Big Nordic Adventure! Eeeeeeeeeeeee exciting! See you all later then, dudes!

BYE!
~ J!

Cubs with Beer and Plates......!

Hi!

Well. Here we are on another gorgeous spring Sunday. There's been a pretty good breeze every afternoon over the last few weeks, not sure what that's been about (normally we get these winds in August, September) but it's been windy. Weather's been pretty good tho, kinda warm for a couple of days but nothing like what summer really has in store later down the road. We've had some good-looking clouds and a few semi-hysterical warnings from the weather bureau about storms, but not even so much as a drop here in town...... Huh. Thankfully, the humidity has been low too, so far. All-in-all it just makes it a nicer weekend(s) when we don't have to contend with 95° and 75% humidity! But yes, we're here, now - made sure to get allllll the chores done, and a little extra, to be ready in time to catch the fourth game of the World Series! Go Cubs! Sadly, they didn't go so well. Yesterday's game was really, really good, all the way to the end, excellent pitching and defense from both sides, but still they lost. That's two now, they have to win tomorrow to stay in it.....! Go Cubs! And it's amazing how much filing one can get donejazz tunes, will very shortly have a nice glass of the standby red, yes, life is good!

while watching a baseball game - I got about ten month's worth all sorted! In fact, my "to be shredded" pile has got to be bigger than what's in my little file box - hooray for everything being online now! It's great being productive while watching TV. So, yes, chores are all done, what's left of the laundry is cheerfully flapping away in the breeze, all the vacuuming is done (the one chore I hate, and it's even worse having two cats and dark carpet - good for cat barf and the odd wine spill, but bad for fur), even the plants are all watered and happy (minus the two about to be re-potted into their much bigger homes, they'll be happy soon), got the hip n' happenin'

So work. Yep. Is good. I've been mad crazy busy helping another project with their editing, a project that really, really needs my help, but to the twelve-plus "writers" they hired (they're not actually technical writers or any kind of writer, but good golly gosh they were maintainers so they know about the books - why then, you're hired!), they don't think they need my help. Thankfully, I have other work that takes priority and will get to their stuff just as soon as I can.......... It's a long story, but this project is kinda like watching a train crash in slow-motion. Basically, they've had almost two years to get two books ready for delivery to the customer in Feb - they've only just now started really writing and asking for editing help. I'm going away for five weeks fairly soon (a fact they've been reminded of on multiple occasions to no discernible effect), I won't be back to even maybe look at their stuff until the middle, end of Jan. I wish them all the luck they deserve in meeting their deadline! Otherwise, as far as real work goes we're still pretty quiet, which is how I can be free to help those people. But thankfully, this week has got me rather busy not helping them - whew! So yes, all is well, with a bit of humor on the side. But really tho, am always happy to just have a good job that pays the bills!

And then there were a few weekends in there....... Am sorry, again, about not checking in. Honestly, this year I really did mean to turn a new leaf and check in all the time, at least more often than once a month, but I really haven't been up to much that's worth writing about with saving for this trip and all. Really, most weekends are just chores and checking on emails, planning stuff for mah Big Nordic Adventure and researching what to do with my life after I get back from this trip, because it could be time for a change........ We'll see. Am thinking of going back to school for another Bachelor's degree, this time in Interior Architecture. The bummer is I'd have to do the course part-time (online, with another school) and in order to keep myself living in the palatial splendor to which I have become accustomed, working full-time will still have to be a thing if I want to pay cash for the courses as I go and not take out a loan like the government really, really wants you to do....... Although, it's kind of tempting to move to a smaller, cheaper apartment, go part-time at work and apply for whatever help there is, if I qualify, including putting the course on a loan, to get through it quicker but the debt-chicken I am I've decided I like my own space where I am. Anyways, it's just an idea.............! Watch this space!

But I did actually get out a couple weekends ago with my friend Julian to go to the premiere of his competition-winning beer! He's not only a newly-qualified international beer judge, one of only a handful around the world, but he's a dab hand at amateur brewing through the Brisbane Amateur Beer Brewers. A couple months ago their club had a competition to brew a historical recipe and he placed third out of the state! So, the sponsor of the competition, the Scratch Bar (just down the road from my place actually - it's a good, basic, little spot that supports craft brews) provided a tap to each of the winners (a keg each) and a chance for the public to try them out and support the local independents. It was great! Good beers, really different from each other. It was a great, interesting, evening - those boys sure know their stuff. Not too many girls tho, I did ask if they had any in their little club and the guy said they did, and getting more. So there's that. I suppose I could try my hand at it but I'm not really a joiner at the best of times and I don't really drink that much beer to make that kind of effort. But am always more than happy to get out and support the locals!

Other than that, that's about it. Told ya! I haven't even been to any movies for a while now, either. Probably because there's not really been anything worth seeing....? Shame. So yes, that's all the news from here, really. Oh yeah, I got all my voting materials mailed to me direct from AZ - shoulda registered as an overseas voter years ago because the materials came with plenty of time to read up and get my ballots in (by email no less). Cooooool! So, I've voted - have you?! Get out and vote, dammit! Y'can't bitch about the state of the world if you don't at least try to swing things your way!

And that's that. Hope you're all well up there. No crazy weather events come immediately to mind other than the Big One that's meant to hit California any day now. Otherwise, you all just remember your training and stop, drop and roll! No, that's if you're on fire..... And whatever you do don't duck for cover under a desk or a table - you'll be squished! Or you could just come down here and hang out for a while, we rarely get earthquakes 'cos we're pretty much in the middle of our plate, the Indo-Australian plate (in fact, we share the same plate as India!), so when we do get them they're generally pretty tame and tend to be centered in the sticks. Ye have been warned, aaaarrrgghh! C'mon down!

~ J!

Catching Up with Good Friends Over Even Better Food!

Hi!

Well. Here we are on another sunny, breezy, warm spring Sunday afternoon. A little late but never mind! Got the chores done, laundry is happy clean and put away (now, ironing is another thing to be put off for at least another week.......), beds are made, kittehs are protecting the apartment from catnip-riddled toys and feathers, got some 80s tunes to liven up the afternoon (I figured out the commercial schedules with RadioTunes, and thankfully they don't run them on the weekends, just during the week while am getting ready for work and least amiable to ads ads ads, still, at least there's peace on the weekends, and some of the stations go "commercial-free" during the week, so that's something), tho it's a bit early for a nice, cool glass of the standby red, it's there waiting in the wings for when I'm done checking-in here - yes, life is good!

So, work. Yep. Is good. Have been busy but eventually caught up.... Tho we're still waiting for the 'mountain' of work to come down..... Then again, we've been waiting for over a year now, sooooooo. Not complaining tho, the current level is just fine - easy to deal with yet enough to help the day go by - and that's what's most important! That, and the paycheck at the end of every two weeks (I can hear my bank applauding from here)!

And then there were a few weekends in there.......... Went to the Scandinavian Festival a couple weekends ago (on the 11th) - that was really good, as always. Perfect, sunny weather. The food was excellent - had lunch at the Danish Club and this time I had a "selection of Danish-style, open-faced sandwiches", which, if we're being honest, are pretty simple to make in any country, and soooooo goooood (filling too, tho they may not look it), paired with a couple of very nice Danish beers (they had some new ones this year and they were excellent). Even the credit card didn't get the workout we were hoping not to have. Tho I did stop in at my favorite stall, Bud to Rose, and got a couple new little necklaces (gotta support the locals, even if they're not really local-local). And then caught up with my newly-retired friend Graeme, who's loving retirement so far - much more time for golf, he says. Yes, it was a great day!

And then later that week I managed to catch up a couple times with my friend Glen (from Cairns, in town that week for work), and one of those evenings we were joined by our friend Dave and his new wife Eva (who none of us had met until that night, well, except for Dave of course, he knows her) at our favorite pizza/panna cotta place, Vapiano. That was a fun night with too much food and not enough time to catch up, as always! But then tomorrow night we're all meeting up at Vapiano's, again, with Glen, and Alison this time (she's in town just for the day tho), and Dave and Eva - should be an excellent night with the old band back together again.

And then the other weekends have been pretty quiet. Last weekend was tough to get much done as it was really cool and super rainy - the kind of spring weather where you really just want to watch movies (but I resisted and fluffed around the apartment instead). Still working on those patio cushions but at least I got two of the four done! Wooohooo! Managed to figure out how to do to zippers - pretty exciting for a gal who can't really sew, and they look excellent!!!! Now just the seat bottoms to finish......... soon!

And what else........ Slowly but surely The Big Nordic Adventure is coming together as more bits of [warm] clothes are purchased (tho still waiting on arrival), including boots, the Cadillac of winter coats, a couple of city maps (I love StreetWise maps - got me around NYC all those years with never a problem. Although, just looking now, they've thrown in the towel after 30 years! Noooooo! I mean, good for them they deserve a rest, but noooooooo!), a carry-on sized backpack (thank you Rick Steves!), and finalizing the last invoice for the Big Tour. Whew! Talk about one over-worked credit card by the time this is all done. Hooray for interest-free balance transfers!!!!

So, there you have it! All is well down here. Spring has sprung, tho over the next week it's meant to get into the low 80s, sooooo, I guess we should enjoy our usual two weeks of spring before the rest is summer! If you want to check it out for yourself, well, feel free to c'mon down - you're welcome annnnnnytime!

BYE!
~ J!

Steaks and Patio Cushions, One Weekend at a Time.......

Hi!

Well. Here we are on a very lovely Sunday afternoon. The sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky, it's not too cool or breezy (Spring is just around the corner after all) - yes, it's a beautiful Sunday! The chores are all mainly done, the kittehs are out guarding the balcony, we got jazz tunes from the old standby RadioTunes because AccuRadio started running ads, like, local insurance ads, movie ads, etc! And of course, just when I think I've got it beat, RadioTunes start running the same ads! What the?! I thought maybe it was through the app(s) on my phone (which I just plug into speakers or my crappy old stereo) but no - the ads have trickled through on the website too. Damn. There is no peace from ads, apparently. That sucks. If I need stuff, I know where to go to get it - I don't need some yappy chick yammering on about small business insurance every other song. So. If anyone can recommend a good streaming radio service without freakin' ads, do tell! Otherwise, we have a very nice glass of the standby red standing by for just a little bit later, went to the store and now the fridge is stocked for the week (or two) because I am determined to eat better by mastering cooking steaks on the grill like a pro - yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Still have stuff to do but again it's not so much I go home in zombie-mode, which is nice. We just had our second (and probably last for a long while) guy retire this year - that was a good afternoon of lunch and drinks and folks telling stories. On one hand, I'd LOVE to retire, on the other, I sure don't want to speed up the clock. Heck, at this rate, I'll drop dead in the break room of whatever job I'm doing at 90..... What I'd ideally like to happen is to win the lottery. And we try (with our little work pool of four). No potatoes, yet! Otherwise, all is well - always happy to have somewhere to be that pays me better than some of the jobs I've had!

And then there were a few weekends in there. Apologies for not checking in - the usual not much has been happening and I didn't want you to drop dead of boredom every weekend! I've actually been chipping away at making new cushion covers for the patio chairs - watch this space! I thought I'd go all fanceee on them and put stuff like tassels on the corners of the pillows but I just know Lola will eat them, and instead of costing me $10 for tassels, it'll cost me over $2,000 in vet fees. So, no. Am nearly there, just have to figure out how to stitch the zippers on and we're good to go! Now, I can't say I'm a dab hand with the sewing machine, straight lines are still a bit of a challenge, but geez, once you get the hang of it, you can make just about anything, and it's cheaper and better made than most mass-produced store-bought stuff (errrr, more or less)! But, seeing as I work 5 days a week and am usually out of brain power by the time I get home, they're taking a bit longer over a couple weekends. Still, I made good progress this weekend. Yay for home improvement!

And what else........... Nope, nothing. My friend Glen is coming into town for the week for his work, so we'll catch up once or twice, hopefully. In a couple weekends is the Scandinavian Festival - really looking forward to that (the foooooooood!); will have to freeze the credit cards in some blocks of ice tho, just to be on the safe side as my travel company will be there too..........!

And that's about it! I hear tickets with Qantas from LA to here are still craaaazy cheap..... Just let me know when you're coming (but don't forget, 2 weeks in Dec are booked-out already!)!!!! Mi casa es su casa - and you're welcome to house-sit while I'm away, complete with super nice Rav4!!!!

BYE!

~ J!

Quiet Weekends with a Birthday and Good Friends (and Pups)!

Hi!

Well. Here we are on another lovely sunny Sunday afternoon. The sun is shining, the breeze is breezing, the birds are birding, the clouds are clouding, etc, etc, etc. It's a bit cool, 66 degrees by my temperature gage (chilly for us sub-tropical dwellers), but it's bright and sunny and that's what you like for mid-winter. The chores are all mostly done (vacuuming is my big thing.... am tempted to buy one of those robot vacuums tho....), the laundry is just about dry, the kittehs are doing what they do - one is guarding the balcony and the other is road-testing one of their favorite kitteh beds, got the hip n' groovy jazz tunes from the old standby RadioTunes (nice to see they've dialed down the amount of ads they used to play), it's a bit early for the wine, but when I finish writing, while loading up the photos, will celebrate with a glass of the standby red, so yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. I finally have a couple things to do, nothing major or rush, but it's nice to have stuff to do. We're in August and still waiting for the wave of work that was meant to come last Nov/Dec and every week since...... That's OK, it's great for the collective stress levels to not be run off our feet considering we don't quite have the staff numbers anymore and with one more retiring in two weeks. I just really wish that when work is genuinely slow, you could bring in a book or knitting or painting, whatever hobby you always wish you had more time for. That would be great - fun! Otherwise, all is well, which is nice, but then again, as I always say, am just happy to have a decent job to go to everyday that pays me!

And then there were a few weekends in there..... Many apologies for the delay. Last weekend it was cloudy, rainy and cold, and for some reason the only energy I had was to sit here and surf the 'net. I honestly couldn't even motivate myself to do the chores. And the weekend before, I ran errands... I have some friends in Seattle who are expecting their first baby(!), and since I don't know anyone that I like as much as them who're having a baby (or anyone, period), I'm trying to put together a little box of bits from Australia for them and the new baby. So, last weekend was running around finding things like tank tops in three age ranges, a teether (sure, they can get them there, but surely it's good to have more than one or five?), the cutest turtle bath thermometer, stuff like that and all made in Australia! Next on the list is a CD of Australian "Bush" sounds - birds twittering, and..... other..... sounds from the outback (??). I thought a CD like that might be nicer for everyone to listen to instead of lullabies? Don't know, never shopped for baby things before!

And speaking of babies, the weekend before that was my birthday! Woooohoooooo! And I didn't even have to take the day off from work! I hadn't planned anything since I've decided my big present to myself is this Big Nordic Adventure, but my friend Jan, being the gracious organizer that she is, organized a picnic up at Shorncliffe Pier with a few of our friends (Shorncliffe is a really, really lovely suburb where no one can afford to live, about 30 minutes north-east of Brisbane/my house). It was GREAT! The weather was unbelievably excellent (in the mid-80s!), we got a picnic spot (veranda/pavilion with two tables/benches and lots of room) right near the water with lovely views of the pier and across the bay. And everyone brought something - Jan made corned beef sandwiches and donated a few bottles of champagne, and brought along her two cuuuute little dogs Milo and Molly; I made mini strawberry-rhubarb pies, brownies and deviled eggs (note for future picnics - deviled eggs don't travel so well presentation-wise. Still they were good and folks had a few) along with champagne and white wine; Joey, Jada and Amber brought yummy Red Velvet cupcakes and their lovely mini-Border Collie Meeko; and Trich and Barry brought fruits and bread sticks (sounds silly but they were so, so goooood - a great picnic idea!). It was a great mix and so much food! I also remembered to bring party hats and sparklers, and a fun little game someone had given me yeeeears ago called Tabletop Charades, so we played that towards the end of the afternoon. Man, it was great. I honestly couldn't have had a better day. YAY!

And that is about that! I think the next festival on my list is the Scandinavian Festival over in the 'hood of Newstead in September.... I've been to that the last few years, it's pretty good, free (can't argue with that), tho my word they need to move it to a bigger venue. Still they manage to pack in a lot of great food and craft stalls, not to mention a big stage with live acts that play traditional songs from all over Scandinavia, complete with national costumes! Really looking forward to it. And it should be good for any last-minute tips and hints for mah trip....? Will do my best not to shop..............! Other than that, I expect the weekends will be quiet, full of planning for The Trip and trying my hardest not to spend money. And speaking of trips, have I mentioned that folks are actually coming here for a visit??!? Yes, friends from AZ are coming here, to my house, for a visit - imagine that! I've been down thisaway for going on 15 years now and finally someone comes to visit (not looking at you Sheldon and Scarlett, or Mom......)! Woooohoooo! Too bad I'll only be here for two or so days before I head off, but like I always say, you folks are moooore than welcome to c'mon down and hang out any ol' time you want, whether am here or not (but I usually always am) - mi casa es su casa! Anyways, hope you're all well up there, staying cool and safe from any crazy wildfires - c'mon down here where it's winter with no humidity or wildfires!

BYE!
~ J!

Weekends of Culture with a Nosey Kookaburra!

Hi!

Well. Here we are on a pretty OK Sunday afternoon. It rained and was chilly most of yesterday but today it's warmed up (a little) and is raining a lot less. So, managed to get all the chores done before the latest downpour - excellent! But hey, it's winter, this is what it does here. Could be worse, could be the northeast coast. Ha - sucks to be you NYC in wintertime! So, now that the chores are done, we got the hip n' cool jazz tunes, got a nice, cool glass of the standby red (it was a toss-up between the standby red or the standby beer, I went with the red. Still have yet to organize myself to make Gluwein..... yet!), the kittehs were out on the balcony at their guard post stations until the latest downpour drove the big wussies inside. It was either that or the yuuuuge, warbling Kookaburra perched on the balcony railing that motivated them to come in....... So yes, clean house, wussie guard kittehs, good tunes and nice standby red - yes, life is goood!

So, work. Yep. Is good. Just had my mid-year performance review, because having two reviews a year isn't enough. We basically shot the breeze until our time was almost out when he wanted to talk about it. I told him "nothing negative, only positive". Needless to say, that wrapped up pretty quick. They always like to talk negative and I never understood that. So, at least that's over with until Dec or whenever the next one is. Have I mentioned I thought I'd sign up to be a movie/TV extra again? I'd done it a few times when I lived in Phoenix and then again Auckland........ Gotta spice things up in this workaday life. So far I applied to one agency (online) but they never got back to me. Honestly, I only applied to be an extra, not the next Cate Blanchett. There are a couple other agencies to check out, so, all may not be lost. Otherwise, work is work, not too busy, not too slow. Hard to believe folks are thinking about their Xmas parties already, the emails have been zipping around thick and fast. Am happy to miss it this year as I had to plan the last two - logistical nightmares, with such dietary requirements! Ahhhhh well, whining aside, my job is good - always happy to have good, gainful employment!

And then there were a few weekends in there. Last weekend was good, I met my friend Julian and we hit the French Festival for the day! That was tres fantastique! We got there when they first opened at 9am because any later and you can't see any of the stalls for the crowds. This way, you coud have a wander and note the places you wanted to check out later. The food was amazing, as it always is, but ever so overpriced and such tiny portions, as it always is, but so good. French folks eeeeeeverywhere this time, which you'd expect but this time there were lots. Normally there's just a scattering, but not this time. It was great. The wine was really good (but of course, eet ees French), the music was hip, and the people watching was even better. It was a good day. Then, tired of all that culture, we wandered into town and took ourselves on a mini-pub tour, finishing up at my [second] favorite pizza place, Boroughs of NY Pizza (first favorite will always be Kookaburra Cafe). I know it's odd to make legit, NYC pizza, made by real New Yorkers second-place but this last visit, meh, my ginormous slice wasn't cooked all the way, and I wasn't in a hurry and they weren't crowded. Ehhh, will give them one more chance and see where we're at..... And then it was time for home! A good end to a great day!!!!! And then Sunday was a little slow to get going.... I think I made a half-assed attempt at the chores then gave up and watched a movie. It was a good weekend.

And then earlier this week, on Wednesday, my friend Graeme and I went to the opening night of the Scandinavian Film Festival where, for $30 bucks, you got allllll the Cake wine you could drink (and did we ever, it was soooo good) and all the excellent Nordic-themed snacks that you could snaggle as they drifted past. Oh, and the movie we saw was "Welcome to Norway". It was fuuuunny. And just before the movie, the Norwegian Ambassador made a really, really good, little speech, followed by the gal who organized the whole festival (hats off to her) and who also introduced one of the actors whose film we didn't see but was playing the next night (where he was going to have a Q&A), Jakob Oftebro (I saw him in In Order of Disappearance, it was good, funny), he said hi and how happy he was to be there and then waved at his brother standing in the audience (by the exit door) - he was the main actor in a film I'd just watched like two weeks before called The Wave (for disaster films, it was goooooooooodd, based on a true story) - I thought that was neat of them to stop by. Yeah, that was a great evening. Home at respectable hour and everything (for a school night)!

And then here we are at this weekend - dull by comparison! Ahhh, I needed the rest. As my Mom likes to remind me now and then, I'm no spring chicken. Yeah, well, yeah. Anyways, that's about that! All is well here. Just happy that it's not summer because it'll be here soon enough. Although, now that I think about it, at least I'll miss about a month of it.........!? Hmmm. And say, speaking of going away, I finally have some folks coming to visit! An old family friend, Jamie and her husband Ron, are coming for a couple weeks and to take advantage of free digs (and me, the pet sitting) while they check out Brisbane! Turns out Qantas was having a very brief but crazy sale where round-trip tickets from LA to Brisbane were going for $750. Holy shit. I haven't seen tickets that cheap since the 80s. And she managed to get in on the deal and here they come! It'll be great to see them but am sorry to be jetting off not long after they arrive. Ahhhh well, we'll have a great time those couple days! So there you go - ticketing miracles can happen! Keep your eyes open and nab one sometime!!!!!!!!!!!

BYE!
J!