Well 2015, you've been a pretty good year all told. A job I enjoy, returning to uni and a fabulous overseas holiday. 2016 the only things to top it will be a ticket to Hamilton, the election of Hillz, and that thing I don't want to jinx by mentioning that will make both the first two things that little bit sweeter. 

Not too much to ask, really.

Penultimate day of the year and it's suddenly occurred to me that it's the fourth full year I've kept this blog up. For someone as commitment-phobic as me, that's a damn good effort.

When you have zero interest in the subject matter, thesis editing is one of the most boring jobs on the planet. 

So if you're going to try and hook me up with someone, make sure they're capable of carrying on a conversation please or you're going to notice me making this face:

Two movies in two days. One blew me away, the other left me feeling patronised and frustrated.

Succumbed to the force and went to see Star Wars. So. Impressed. 

I do not like it when it's hot.
Hot at Christmas? I like not.
Next year I shall go where it's cold.
Do I sound like I'm getting old?!

Why is Carols by Candlelight always such a whitey, white, white, white affair? Apart from one or two backing singers, every performer is whiter than my teeth. Hardly reflective of our country's diversity.

Christmas shopping completed. Bags packed ready to head out for Christmas Eve. Gin poured. Dinner on the balcony awaits.

The SFAM arrived at dinner bearing these...

Rosie the Riveter mints and chapstick, plus the Hamilton Playbill.


Lost. My. Shit.

🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Early Christmas presents from Aesop are the BEST.  #spoiled

Rewatching Fargo S01 in preparation for binge watching S02 over the Christmas break. Damn but it's a quality show.

Christmas shopping done. Well, almost. One gift left and I'm done. Thank god. I frickin' hate Christmas shopping.

Unexpectedly packing up my lovely office to myself in Dance and moving to Art to share an office with a colleague. On the upside, there is air-con, plants and a coffee machine. This will be fun.

Treat Yo Self Thursday...

Wasn't planning to spend any money at our work Christmas party/winery tour.

Ooops.

Looked like a total lush on the tram ride home... bottles galore.

No wonder David Jones is losing profits, if their customer service staff in Malvern are anything to go by. Waited for a full ten minutes trying to get someone to help me (while three staff were gossiping about their Christmas plans) and when one woman finally noticed me, she was so unhelpful I felt like I was imposing on her. Poor service, DJs. Really poor.

Benefits of being a singleton at Christmas... you can drop a wad of cash treating yourself to a new iPhone without a second thought because who the hell is around to give you grief about spending money on yourself instead of them?!

House is clean, Christmas decorations are up, bed is calling. It's going to be a mammoth party week... I need all the sleep I can get.

That Ash Flanders is a pretty amazing performer. Buyer and Cellar is one of the funniest things I've seen at the Arts Centre in a long, long time.

Essays submitted and quizzes completed ahead of schedule... no more uni work due until the middle of January.

History assignments are so much more fun to write when you get to choose your own sources... one essay stemming from my current obsession with Hamilton the Musical is on the horizon.

Got the job. Time to channel my inner-Josh Lyman.

Interview is done. No idea how well I went, but I find out tomorrow with any luck. Now to write a half decent essay by Friday. 

Smashing out essays at the last possible minute is really not how I envisaged this trimester going, but then I didn't count on having to work a heap of extra hours, take three extended interstate trips, and then have to go through a whole application /interview process for my own freakin' job. 

Roll on Saturday, when it'll all be sorted one way or another. 

And yes, I am well aware that these are all first world problems and I should stop bitching... 🙄

Yeah. That essay's not writing itself. I'm giving myself until midnight to churn it out... but it doesn't look promising.

I am a terrible student.

As much as I'm down with the fact that I need to sell Kitty Lucy, I am not going to sell her off for next-to-nothing to someone who won't truly appreciate her. She's not just any old pushbike.

I'm just going to ignore the fact that I've got two assignments due and a job interview to prepare for (essentially for my own job, but let's not go there right now) and try and have a relaxing night at home.

Having the mother of all declutterings this week... getting rid of one of my sofas and my beloved Kitty Lucy, because I've ridden her once in the last three years and I need the space. Also, she deserves someone who'll actually put her to good use.

How I feel dealing with one particular colleague at the moment...

Realising it's the last month of the year got me like...

It's actually quite nice to know that I don't have to do any more travel until next year. I'm a little exhausted after the last month of galavanting here, there and everywhere.

Going to bed at 9:30pm. Unheard of. 

Celebrating 21 years of the funny little monkey who came into this world at the end of one of the worst years of my life. I *may* have teared up just a little when she thanked me in her speech.




* Meaning, I *did*.

Smashed out an essay in under 4 hours then headed off to indulge in good food, good wine, good friends and dancing the night away. Life is good.

In over 20 years of living away from the place, I still have yet to get on a flight leaving for Radders that leaves on time.

Universe, what do you mean by this?!

Happy Birthday Brutha. Not much has changed in 40-odd years; you still give no f****s and I'm still raging at the world.

My acupuncturist is lovely, but she sure does have some batshit crazy treatment methods.

Can I make it through to Thursday without losing my mind?

Maybe.

SOOOOOOOOOOOO looking forward to my own bed, having worked the last 8 days straight.

ETA for finishing bump-out by our SM: 9.30pm
ETA for finishing bump-out by our Tech Director: Midnight

Actual finish of bump-out: 8:50pm

Never been so happy to have them get it wrong, ever.

Packed houses for our first GP performances in Natimuk and fantastic responses. Hashtag winning.

So I *may* have been too in character as a participant in one of the shows and broken the prop cricket bat. Cue a 25 min drive to Horsham to buy them a new one in time for tomorrow's shows.

When you're in the middle of an epic bump-in on a 39C day, a 5-hour power blackout just as you're about to focus and plot is a tad inconvenient. Our poor techs.

The internet in Natimuk is dire, so I've escaped into Horsham to upload an assignment and take advantage of the local library's internet. I can see this happening at least one more time this week...

It's going to be in the high 30s (celsius) in the Wimmera this week. 

I may melt. Hot weather without any form of water nearby is possibly one of my least favourite things after kale and bad grammar.

It takes almost one and a half listenings of Hamilton to drive from Melbourne to Natimuk. That's a lot of singing. Just as well no one had to share the drive with me except Ready for Action Hillary.

Attempting to find quality sources on magic in the middle ages is nigh on impossible. There's a mountain of rubbish out there.

If I've achieved nothing else this week, I take pride in the fact that I introduced one of our dance lecturers to this film.

She's my age, yet had never seen it.

Her mind was blown.

BLOWN.

Had every intention of studying, but then got suckered in to something called Gogglebox and ended the night watching this awful, awful, terrible, film. Surely the worst of their partnership.

Some dude from Telstra's been dicking around outside all morning and as a result the internet has been SO. SLOW.

I'm trying to study... as a result, I'm all like:

OMG. Emma Thompson. This.

BRILLIANT.

ALL THE AWARDS.

Attention work colleagues:

Insinuating that Meryl Streep plays a huge role in your movie by featuring her prominently on the poster, when in reality she's only in it for a sum total of about 4 minutes, is more than a bit insulting to the likes of Anne-Marie Duff, who has far more screen time and is just as excellent an actress. Hollywood, you annoy me sometimes.

No study done, but my house is spotless* and I cooked a cracking curry for dinner.

Procrastination, thy name is m_m.




* Not hyperbole. I literally got down on my knees and scrubbed the tiles on the bathroom floor with bleach. Madness.

My lovely mate JJ is in Melbs for a bit directing some shows, and we caught up today. When I told her I'd gone back to uni and was doing a BA in English Lit, her immediate response was "for fun, right?".

THIS IS WHY WE ARE FRIENDS.

She totally gets it.

So far, she's the only one who has.

Yeah, so modern dance. I get it. I appreciate it. But I don't necessarily like it.

Four out of five things on the to-do list achieved.

The fifth is going to take a while though...*



* Study. Lots of it. Welp!

It's very challenging being the organised one when you're surrounded by scatterbrained, demanding academics.

Last minute much?

My poor Brutha cannot catch a break... last season he couldn't play cricket because he'd almost sliced his thumb off at work; this season he screws up his knee in one of the first matches of the season... hello reconstructive surgery.

Dude.

Thanks Sydney, that was fun.

I won't be rushing back though... soz.

Melbs is where it's at.

When the actress who plays the character you're dressed as for Hallowe'en sees a tweet of your outfit:

#SquadGoals

No, Mr-Sales-Assistant-At-Rebel-Sport, I'm not a hockey player. I just need some shin guards to use as gauntlets for my Quake costume for Hallowe'en, because Marvel has not yet released an official pair for me to buy.

Oh hai, Sydney. I see your airport taxi queues are still shiteful.

So much to do, so little time.

I'm having a total Alexander Hamilton moment.

A High Distinction for my Lit exam means High Distinctions overall for both my subject this trimester. Not too shabby when you consider I was travelling through Europe for 6 weeks and was therefore doing the bare minimum...

Gotta love my colleague who not only sat through a four hour drive back from Natimuk with me blaring the Hamilton cast recording, but also started singing along with the King George numbers before exclaiming "THIS would be the most fun role to play!".

Completely up-to-date with The Affair.

Also, completely traumatised.

WTF.

I mean,

W.

T.

A.

F.

Binge-watching something as intense as The Affair is ever-so-slightly traumatising. And probably not conducive to ever having any hope of a functional relationship.

Today, in a nutshell:

On the agenda for tomorrow:

NOTHING.

On the agenda for Saturday:

NOTHING.

On the agenda for Sunday:

NOTHING.


THIS IS AMAZING. 



No. Seriously. I know it sounds a little extreme, but the last time I had three days in a row where I wasn't actually required to do anything was early 2014.

Spent the day doing cross-cultural training with this lovely mob; which was alternately distressing and inspiring.

My workplace has established puppy therapy as a staff/student well-being activity.

I LOVE MY WORKPLACE.

Me, today.

At my own incompetence, mostly.

For the next little while, I'm channelling this book:

I think I can, I think I can... (make it to the end of the year without keeling over from overwork and exhaustion).

A 9 hour (yes, NINE) live reading of George Orwell's 1984 at Parliament House in Melbourne. What an epic day.

Networking with agents and casting directors is soooooo much more relaxed when you're promoting your nearly-graduated students instead of yourself.

Busy day prepping for our third year's agent's day performances tomorrow. So excited for them to strut their stuff!

When I was in Edinburgh in August, I went to a Book Festival event where a Jamaican guy read a chapter from his book about Bob Marley and I thought "hey that sounds like a good book, but I've still got 4 weeks left of travelling and it's too hefty to carry around with me, so I won't bother buying it and getting him to sign it, even though he's sitting in the booth right next to me drinking and would probably be totally down with signing it for me."

That guy?

He just won the Man Booker Prize.

I'm an idiot.

OK, OK, I get it universe. I need to slow down. Cut back. Stop saying yes and start saying no.

Exam DONE.

That was stressful.

Major time/life/work/balance rethink required...

I really have no idea what I'm writing about in this exam... I feel totally out of my depth.

Second time around at the Bowie Is exhibition at ACMI was just as brilliant as the first.

On a side note, I wonder if his verbasizer would help me actually write this frickin' essay?

What I SHOULD be doing right now is writing my final essay for my Lit subject.

What I AM doing right now is getting ready to head out to the Festival Hub to meet friends visiting from Sydney.

Doh.

Letting my lovely barista ply me with free Nutella donuts (because he's a sweetie and it's his cafe so he can do what he likes) is not going to help me lose this holiday weight anytime soon... 

OK so the bulk of *work* is done. Pity the same can't be said about my exam revision... 

This is going to be one of THOSE weeks that goes really fast, purely because I have SO MUCH TO FREAKIN DO, OH MY GOD CAN IT BE OVER ALREADY?

Essay submitted.

Now for the take-home exam.

Can we just fast forward to this time next week please when I'll be all done for the trimester?!

Really need to get this essay finished but feeling so tired that I feel sick. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

#3peat.

GO HAWKS.

Delicious dinner and catch up with an old mate in town for the grand final. Best way to start the weekend.

I have an essay deadline looming, but have zero motivation to complete it. 

Sod's law, huh?

Lay down at 1pm "for an hour", woke up at 7pm.

Heading back to bed again now.

Grrrrr, jet lag. Imma gonna give you this battle.

Made it through a whole day at work and even managed to pick up some food on the way home. Still going to be in bed by 9pm though... which is unheard of for me.

Lasted until 3pm at work then crashed. Hard. Jet lag sucks.

LGW - DXB - MEL

Long-haul flights are a killer.

Last real day of my six-week vacation... tomorrow begins the long journey back to Melbs. Boo. 

Of course, London, you turn on the most glorious sunset to farewell me. Twist that damn knife to remind me that I don't live in you anymore.

Bid farewell to my travel companion of the last six weeks this morning - she headed for Berlin and I headed back to Antwerp, via Efteling.

THEME. PARK. CHEESINESS.

Hilarious. So many roller coasters and kitsch rides, so little time.

Final day in Amsterdam. My holiday is coming to an end and I'm already feeling those post-holiday blues creeping up on me...

Amsterdam, Day 2.

4 Museums:

Anne Frank, Van Gogh, Stedelijk and Rejks.

SO. FREAKIN. EXHAUSTED.

Amsterdam, you are lovely. Your Sex Museum is also quite hilarious. And disturbing.

Off to Amsterdam at sparrow's tomorrow and I have a ton of work to do beforehand... guess I'll be sleeping in the car!

At the farmers' market in Antwerp, you can choose any ten cheeses for just €20.  SO. GOOD.

Oh hallo, Château Blanc, my favourite Belgian chocolate shop. I have missed you so.

OK so that dinner nearly broke the budget, but it was worth it. Food porn galore.

Also, it's my faux-son's 7th birthday and I totally indoctrinated him into the Hawks family with his own jersey. He needs something to balance out being a Chelsea supporter.

Au revoir Paris; hallo Antwerp. It's been a while.

Finally visited Père Lachaise today and made a stop at the grave of Jim Morrison. After all, he was the one whose story inspired me to escape my stifling Adelaide existence and travel the world twenty years ago. I thought I owed him at least a thank you visit.

Just leave me at Shakespeare & Company for the rest of my life and I'll be happy as a clam.

Went to the flea markets, spotted the Olsen Twins.

Mic. 

Dropped.

Just kidding. We've agreed if that's the best we can do celeb spotting Paris then the place really has lost its mojo.

Arrivederci Italy; bonjour Paris. So sad to leave the former, so excited to be re-visiting the latter.

And then there were three and we discovered San Gimignano.

OH.
MY.
GOD.

Heavenly.

Our time in Tuscany is almost done. It's so relaxed here, even though I've had to work and do a load of study. Can't I just stay forever?!

Thought I was going to have a nice peaceful day to myself while the newbies explored Florence. Not to be. Oh well.

A return to Pisa for airport collection and I managed to re-take the 'holding up the Leaning Tower' photo. Sometimes, you just gotta be a shameless tourist.

And yes, I totally hashtag-ed that.

Where I spent my afternoon... 

Cinque Terre, Italy. Total Euro cliche come to life, lying on a sunbed on a pebbled beach. Loved it.

We've been playing a lot of Heads Up this holiday... is everyone useless at the 'Hey Mr DJ' round or is it just me?

Midway point of the Tuscan adventure - we've farewelled two of the gang and welcomed two newbies, who are both AWESOME.

Last full day with one of my favourite ladies, who I only see about every 7 years. God I miss living in the same city as her.

Siena Cathedral. We climbed almost all the way to the top of the dome in the background... STUNNING.

I'm so in love with Italy.

A day of doing nothing but move from the villa to the pool and back again, followed by an awesome dinner out in the local village, where the view is amazing and a bottle of prosessco costs just €11. Montaione (Florence, Italy) we heart you.

Day trip to Florence... climbed a bell tower (despite my fear of heights!), had the most amazing lunch, found a gorgeous leather handbag, walked across the Ponte Vecchio and ate the most enormous melon gelato. Love, love, loving Italy.

If you're going to spend half the day working, then it's preferable to do so when your desk is outdoors and your view is of the gorgeous Tuscan countryside...

That moment when your friend's friend, who you've never met but is joining you for part of your vacation, treats you like a piece of crap...

Bye Edinburgh... I'll miss you (again!). Tuscany here we come!

Library of the decade goes to the Edinburgh Napier University Sighthill campus library. Five floors, all with floor to ceiling windows that look out over Edinburgh Castle and Arthur's Seat. Also, my favourite thing ever - the floors are sectioned in to "Group Work - you can chat" on level 1, through to "Absolute Silence - no talking, no phones, no eating" on level 5. Needless to say, I was on level 5 and LOVING IT.

Next time I get the bright idea to study while I'm supposed to be on holiday, please whack me upside the head. This essay is killing me, when all I want to be doing is seeing EdFest shows and catching up with old mates.

Walked past the coffee shop in Edinburgh where JK Rowling (apparently) wrote much of the first Harry Potter book today. I've been there several times but it still gives me a little thrill!

My travel companion and I have decided that all the good looking men in Scotland reside in Glasgow.

Eye.

Candy.

Galore.

I feel like there is no such thing as this bloody shortbread press LB wants me to buy her in Scotland. Not a single bloody shop stocks them.

Four-show Edinburgh Fringe day... all fantastic in their totally different ways (but only three pictured here!)

We are killing it on the step front on this trip - averaging more than 20,000 steps (around 15km) per day. Of course, my feet have swollen to the size of watermelons and I have numerous blisters, but hey ho.

Back in beautiful Edinburgh. It's Festival season, so it's mad, but it's still gorgeous.

Jam-packed day at the V&A, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tate Modern and Donmar Warehouse. 12kms walked. Cream crackered.

Fellow traveller left her laptop in an Uber last night... cue visit to the Apple store!

Happy (would-have-been) 79th Birthday, Dada. x

Two early morning runs in three days... not exactly how I thought my vacation would kick off...

Love, love, love catching up with my cousin Sara. She's the best. (And her son, Theo, is the cutest kid ever).

Loving the Kenneth Rowntree exhibition at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Small, but beautiful.

I already know I'm the world's worst sleeper, but putting me on a 23 hour flight takes it to a whole new level. 1.5 hours sleep the entire time. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Next time Emirates offer to upgrade me to business class for an extra $1K, I'm going to take it.

Leavin' on a jet plane... Europe, are you ready?!

Managed to get most things ticked off the to-do list... except study. Must. Learn. To. Prioritise. It.

This assignment isn't going to write itself... but I'm so tired I can't even read anymore.

21 years ago today... that's almost half my life. Miss you, Dad.

Everything is taking three times longer than I'd planned it to. This does not bode well for having my assignment finished before I fly out on Thursday, let alone cleaning my house or finishing my work...

I may not have crossed much of my to-do list today, but at least I've packed.

#SmallVictories

I don't know quite what kind of magic my acupuncturist performed yesterday afternoon, but I've had THE most productive work-from-home day I've had in weeks. Let's hope it lasts into the weekend because I've got a shitload to do before I fly out on Thursday.

I think Trainwreck may just be my favourite movie of the year. Even if it does slide a little too close to home for me (or maybe that's why). 

Our 'virtual classrooms' for my Lit subject are the best. Having other's perspectives on a text is so useful. One of the only downsides of being an 'off-campus' student is the lack of interaction.

In bed at 9pm. I'm either getting sick (although I refuse to - I don't have time!), or I just need a night off from the craziness of work/study/work/study/work.

I haven't watched Q&A in months, but the minute I found out Neil deGrasse Tyson was on it, I was glued. The other panelists were brilliant too. Most intelligent, well-mannered, insightful panel they've had in years. 

OK, so I'm mostly organised for the holiday... now to get my shit together for work and study, so I can actually, you know, relax a bit while I'm away.

If you're a writer, you need to see this film. Even if you're not, you should see it. It's flawless.*

* I've never been a fan of Jason Segal, but his performance is exceptional. Plus, Anna Chlumsky and Joan Cusack are in it so you know, awesome women. 

When reading through travel diaries from twenty years ago leads to google searches for your long-forgotten travel companions; sometimes you come across disturbing information.

Diana and I shared a tent throughout our three month trek of Africa in 1996. We were instant besties. She was friendly, funny, adventurous, kind and level-headed, and took care of me in Zanzibar when I was so ill I barely knew my own name.* We caught up a few times in London on our return from Africa but then she went off travelling and I never heard from her again. Now I know why.

What a truly awful end for someone so full of life.







* Malaria, giardia, dysentary, bilharzia and severe dehydration. All at once. It wasn't pleasant. Thank god for Diana taking me to hospital, realising said hospital was a filthy cesspool of disease, and tracking down Dr Mario, the Italian doctor in Stonetown who loaded me so full of medication in his private clinic that I was able to continue our trek a couple of days later. I owed them both big time.

So. Many. Cockwombles. 

I don't even know where to start... except to say Adam Goodes is the best kind of person, while Shane Warne, Dermott Brereton, Jason Akermanis, et al, are the worst kind.

COCKWOMBLES. The three of them. 

I do feel like I'm the only one who actively contributes in our Virtual Classrooms for my Lit subject this trimester. Why bother 'attending' if you're not going to even answer the lecturer's questions? Puzzling.

You know what? If I have my office door almost completely closed and you can hear me typing away furiously, then you should probably assume that I'm a bit busy. Which means if you come barging in demanding I drop everything and pay attention to you without so much as an "excuse me - may I interrupt for a moment?", I'll probably be a bit snarky.

Al. Gore.

I do love my workplace.

(I also loved that I was a mere 6 rows from the front. Fangirling like a mofo.)

Note to self. If the weather looks like it might be a bit dodgy, then it will be, so dress accordingly. Also, wear a cap when going for a 6km walk. That way when it rains, your glasses won't get (as) wet.

Avoidance is my middle name.

(Too many demands on my time, too scared to tell people 'no')

As much as I'm excited for the extra percentage it gives us, I can't take much joy in Hawthorn's 138 point win over Carlton. I really can't. It's like beating a toddler at Trivial Pursuit.

My acupuncturist put me onto this site today... it's terrifyingly me.

http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html

Goddamn Instant Gratification Monkey. Always leaping around, even now as I write this.

The upside of this balayage malarky (three hours in a salon isn't exactly my idea of fun), is that I don't have to wash my hair nearly as much as I used to. Perfect for those mornings when I sleep through the alarm (like yesterday. and today.)

My local swim centre keeps the temperature of the indoor pool at around 30C. Ugh. It's almost worth braving the freezing weather to use the outdoor pool.

When you suddenly realise that it's only 3 and a bit weeks until you leave for your 6 week vacation and you have a crapload of things to do before you get on that plane...

Things I was supposed to do today:

• Work
• Study
• Work

Things I actually did today:

• Defrosted the freezer
• Hoovered
• Mopped the kitchen floor
• Went grocery shopping
• Returned my library book
• Cooked a roast lamb dinner

Procrastination is my middle name.

Obnoxious, I know, but an 89 point win by my Hawks over the Swans really does call for a little Joshua Lyman...

My accountant is the loveliest, kookiest man on the planet, but he makes a horrible cup of coffee. 

Still, as long as he gets me a decent tax return, I'll put up with it once a year. 

Ah-maaaaaaaaa-zing.

Two hours of glorious (solo) exploring. Love, love, loved.

My study looks like a disaster area and we're only 3 weeks into the trimester. Aarrggh.

Having some tradie drilling into the brickwork of the neighbour's kitchen a mere 20m from where you're attempting to work (for most of the day) got me like:

This weather is so foul that it bent my supposedly unbendable brolly on the walk home from work. Gave up on it, pulled the hood of my puffer coat up and got home rather waterlogged. Not fun. 

If I want to have any chance of fitting into my summer clothes for my vacation (which is less than 5 weeks away), then I need to start doing a lot less of this:

And a hell of a lot more of this:

Saddened to hear of the death of the actor who portrayed possibly my favourite of all the minor characters in The West Wing - Roger Rees (aka John, Lord Marbury, Earl of Croy, Marquess of Needham and Dolby, Baronet of Brycey, England's ambassador to the United States).

A delicious dinner at Merchant with fabulous friends; and a waiter who was straight out of a Wes Anderson film (possibly Jason Schwartzman in disguise with dodgy facial hair and glasses)

Apt:

Note to self: when using mobile app to b-pay the gas bill, check you're paying your current provider and not the one from three years ago. I forsee a world of pain to get that money back.

I feel like I did a lot today, but I also feel like I did very little (read: not enough).

Grrr.

My colleague is heading off to NYC and DC tomorrow for a 4 week fun-cation.

So. Envious.*





* Until I remind myself I'll be on fun-and-littlebitofwork-cation in Europe next month and then I slap myself for being petty.

Last trimester's Lit lecturer used to give us between 3-6 discussion questions per week.

This trimester's lecturer is giving us 28. TWENTY. EIGHT. IN THE FIRST WEEK. FFS. This is going to be a tough class.

An excellent evening's entertainment... Breathe, Woman! at VCA; followed by Love and Information at Malthouse. Melbs is the best.  

Hello, my name is M and I am a shopaholic.

I mean, today, I walked along Chapel Street and in every store was like:

Sigh.

Must. Hide. Credit. Card.

My Literature lecturer admonished me for reading too many biographies in today's tute. Can I help it if my first thought on reading Wuthering Heights was "WTAF was Emily Bronte exposed to as a kid to come up with those characters?!?".

Spent the morning doing a Career Planning workshop with my work colleagues. Realised that this is the first manager I've ever had who is actively encouraging us to think about our careers, even if it means working elsewhere. Such a novel change from the passive-aggressive, don't-even-think-about-improving-your-circumstances managers I've had in the past.

Well at least I crossed two (of the fifteen) things off my to-do list today...

Ugh. So much procrastination.

There really isn't one, single, likeable character in Wuthering Heights*, is there? I want to slap them all for being narcissistic arsehats.





*This trimester's set text, unfortunately

Had such grand plans for today, but ended up doing sweet FA.

Oh well. Sometimes you've gotta have one of those days.

An awesome two days with my Goroka family doing digital storytelling workshops at ACMI. They're amazing.*

* My Goroka peeps and the ACMI facilitators. So much knowledge shared. 

Trimester 1 BA results are in:

ENCO100 - 82% (Distinction)
ENGL101 - 85% (High Distinction)

Not too shabby for someone who hasn't done any formal study for 15 years!

Hello my precious...

My PNG family came to Melbs armed with my favourite treats. 

#HappyMands

Still reeling from yesterday's reading revelation.

So. Much. Reading.

*help*

Trimester 2 info released today.

Subject A: 3 x set texts and 66 readings 

Subject B: 0 set texts and 38 readings

That's a whopping 104 readings, in addition to the three set texts. And I'm going on a six-week vacation bang in the middle of the trimester.

AAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!

So. Much. Reading.

So. Little. Time.

My friends have the greatest "here's what I bought you while on my Hawaiian vacation" gift-giving skills. 

Crying with laughter. Well played, Lulu.

Last lazy Sunday for some time... a sleep in, some reading, a 6km stroll around the neighbourhood and a roast dinner. Perfect set up for the next two months of madness (read: back to study).

A massive birthday brunch with some of my favourite people, some lovely phone calls from faraway friends and a lazy night at home. Not a bad birthday at all. 

Needed to be out of the house for three hours while it was de-moulded... so went to the movies and saw this. 

Sobbed like a child at Bing Bong's final scene.  Richard Kind is the master of pathos, even in animated form.

It was always going to end in disappointment for one of the B siblings. Thankfully it wasn't my turn. Nice win Hawks. Sorry Crows/Brutha. 

Come on Aussie $. Creep a little higher, will you? I'm off to Europe soon.

I always knew I was a terrible sleeper, but my new Fitbit is showing me just how truly useless I am. Ugh.

All our Euro trip is now booked - and we're staying on a houseboat in Amsterdam!!!

My travel companion says this be us:

WORD.

This fourth season of Veep is actually funnier than the past three seasons combined. And they were f***ing funny.

#BingeWatching

Half the house is clean. Obsessively, wiped-down-every-single-blade-on-the-venetian-blinds-twice and pulled-out-furniture-so-I-could-hoover-behind-it kind of clean. I'm knackered. 

New haircut and colour, new boots, delicious lunch with one of my fave people and an early night.

Treat Yo Self Friday FOR. THE. WIN.

Got meself a fitbit with my birthday cash from the Mater. After more than a decade of not wearing a watch, it feels reeeeeeeaaaaaaallllyyyy weird.

Getting a High Distinction for my essay on Pride & Prejudice got me like:

Take-home exam submitted.
First trimester back at uni after 12 years done and dusted.
Guilt-free sleep is on the agenda.

And a whole new hair do in a posh salon awaits me on Friday morning. #treatyoself

HURRAH!

Pondering what to do for my "oh-my-god-I-survived-my-first-trimester-back-at-uni" treat. Because, in the words of Pawnee's dynamic duo, Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford:

It's amazing what three solid hours at the library with no internet access and no distractions will achieve.

Pity they're closed tomorrow for the public holiday.

Ergo, I am not a bitch.

Well, not today, anyway.

LA-ZY.

That moment you discover that you had an old copy of an assignment question and left out a key section but it's too late to do anything because you submitted it two weeks ago:

Hellooooo 4 day weekend.

(Pity I have an exam to prepare for, but still. 4 day weekend!!) 

The old lady across the hall set off her fire alarm/panic button earlier. I thought it was just someone's smoke detector battery going flat until no less than six strapping firemen busted their way into her apartment. I feel a bit bad for not being a better neighbour, but then I looked at the firemen and was like, hellooooo boys. Come visit anytime you like.

That's my tax dollars at work, people.

Sometimes my OTT organisational skills even make me nervous.

I've just taken delivery of all my textbooks for Trimester 3. Which starts in November.

NOVEMBER.

My house is making me sick. Literally. Rising damp. Thank god for a "yep, let's just get it fixed whatever the cost" landlord.

Had such grand plans for today... but the only even remotely productive thing I did was laundry. Oh and a roast dinner. Sigh. 

Essay submitted. Lectures x3 caught up on. Exam revision started.

Excellent day's work.

It's taken me almost as long to properly reference this damn essay as it did to write it. The downside of academia. Ugh.

New artwork for my office, as designed by the Belgian bestie's six and a half year old son. Love them both to bits.

Since when did it become acceptable to sit in the library munching away on a bag of crisps (Arsehat A) and chatting away on your mobile phone (Arsehat B), whilst those around you are trying to study quietly?

Infuriating.

Yet again, plan to go to bed early but still beavering away at midnight.

Ugh.

Why is it I get my second wind around midnight when I know I have to be up at 6.30am to go to work?! So. Annoying.

Also, discovered a major damp problem in the front corners of my bedroom. Wonder if that's contributing to my feeling very average the last couple of months?

Hurrah for Ireland!

Time for Australia to step up. If we can get entry into Eurovision (and place 5th - snaps Guy Sebastian), then surely we can get marriage equality.

Distracted from essay writing by Eurovision. Just as well I got an extension on this assignment...

Ordered one pizza. One pizza delivered.

Charged three times.

That's a bloody expensive pizza.

Lesson learned? Don't eat pizza.

Sometimes the actors you're watching are so amazing that you forget they're still students and don't graduate for another six months. Cloudstreet at VCA was one of the most exquisite pieces of theatre I've seen in a very long time. 

Love it when the Radelaide bestie comes to visit... we get to stay in posh hotels with lovely, heated, indoor swimming pools, which is the perfect way to recover the morning after after a huge concert.

A little older (all), a little fatter (Tony), a little more bald (Gary), a little (ok, a LOT) more grey (Martin), a little more haggard (John) and... no. You're eternally young, Steve.

I know this much is true.

Cracking night at Rod Laver Arena with the Radelaide bestie seeing the heartthrobs of our youth.

Gif keyboard got me like:

But all my friends be like:

#SorryNotSorry