The · Chronicles · of · Procrastination

Yup, in QLD. Drove up, so have car and can get places. And go on cruises with the QLD sector of the different clubs. WOO!

Here until NY eve. I want to catch up with everyone.

Right. Rum calling my name. I'm off.

I am now leaving on Thursday and driving the 626 up. So... I'll be there earlier! HOW EXCITING! OH MY!

It will be good to have a couple of weeks to see everyone! I am so looking forward to it!

Photos of the pterodactyl outside Dubbo to come. YOU KNOW IT. Heading back the same way. Straight up the Newell.

Well, I have a new job to go to. It's working at a small centre at Monash University, searching for research funding, admin and academic/student advising. I'm very, very excited about it. Not only am I back in the university system, it's a great job, looks to be good people and the usual uni benefits that are full of the awesome.

It's a job where I won't be bored either. One of my roles is to write the synopsis for papers, editing papers and writing grant applications. That will keep me busy and interested!

I've had difficulty getting back into a uni down here because I haven't worked in any vic universities. Every job I've gone for I have had an interview for, but have missed out to someone who's been working on that campus for a long time. Now I'm back in the system it mean that I won't have difficulty finding a job if necessary again, and that I'll be able to take part in all of those uni type things I used to in QLD. Excited!

Seeing as I'll be working on campus from now on, I'm also going to do my postgrad. Looking at second semester intake (I don't want to do my famous 'taking on too much' thing) in either English Lit or Bioethics. I'm undecided. Whereas the subjects to complete the english lit one are all good (lots of shakespeare), bioethics is an area that's really taking off and one that I have enormous interest in. With the rise of nanotechnology and stem-cell research (the two prime examples that are being focused on in bioethics) it seems a good time to get into that area. I have a while to get my application in and sort out what I want to do.

I will be in Brisbane from Christmas Day through to New Years Eve. If anyone would like to catch up, drop me a line. It's looking to be a very alcoholic trip at this stage. I'm tempted to organise an MX5 club/OzMazda cruise. Particularly as one of the Sydney OzMazda kids will be up as well with his beast. (R32 GTR). And let's face it... I really am just the little cruise whore.

I think that's about it for now. See y'all in Brisbane! I'm off to enjoy my day off before new job starts. I think a drive to Healesville is in order... nom nom nom.

This has led to me being particularly mopey pants in the past few days. It came to a head today where I literally couldn't go back to work after lunch. All waily and things like that. The past month has been one of the worst in my entire life. It outranks that awful week at AustLit something shocking (because on the upside of that week, I was attending a Shakespeare conference). This past month has not really had any upside. Prior to this month, I said that that was the worst week of my life. It's got NOTHING on this month!

So I took this afternoon and tomorrow off. As stress leave.

Thankfully I did. As I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon at Mazda. Yes. Mazda. You heard.

So things are looking up. Plus there's go karting tonight with the MXfive crew.

Oh, I lie. There have been upsides this month. I'm booked to go to NZ next year. That is an upside. Unfortunately that's about it.

My BIG hope is that I get this job and I can start Monday. That would be super awesome.

Gave her a good wash on the weekend (two coats of polish and wax as well) so took some photos. The hardtop is back on, as I don't have anywhere else to store it right now. So without further ado, I present she who takes all my money and time.

Off to organise accommodation for the next trackday/piss up. Schwing!

There is no date set for this challenge. It will be one of those 'in the future things' entirely dependent on funds, if we're both still alive and I'm still stupid enough.

As rally mxfives are around (excuse the full spelling of five. Due to Wraith knocking a drink out of my hand I have no access to my five, six, equals and control key ON WITH THE STORY) I am going to one day in the future build one. To take on his Hilux in the GREATEST CHALLENGE KNOWN TO MANKIND.

It will be a rathter expensive process. However, it only has to last long enoug to beat his Hilux.

It will be done. My god it will be done. Greatest challenge ever.

I might go to bed.

My last payment was scheduled to come out last month. Hurrah! Yay! No more payments. Go forth and spend the money elsewhere.

Except they've just taken another payment out today. A payment which equalled my carefully calculated living money until the next payday. Carefully calculated living money which would ensure happiness, kittens, bunnies and Ralph Fiennes in my bed.

So now, not only can I not go to the Historic Sandown spectacle this year (sadly what has become one of the highlights of my year. Shhh. I don't get out much) it leaves me unable to even attend simple events such as the mx5 meetup that occurs each Thursday night. Thankfully I transferred some money onto my credit card last night (as after budgeting everything out, I thought 'Sweet. Dump X dollars onto card... done') so I'll be able to put fuel in my tank tomorrow and buy the necessaries. At least I'll still be able to visit people of the short variety and get to work. Woo!

Bindi... read... I'm coming over to bludge on your couch and steal your coffee. Heheheh. I'll bring cow, you clear the couch!

I'm sure we've all had something like this happen at one point or another, so we all know that it takes weeks if not months to claim the money back.

On the upside, I still have all my body parts to sell. I wonder how long it would take for ebay to destroy an add like that? What's more pressing is the matter of how much do I actually sell said body parts for? I have no idea what the going rate is so that I can set the minimum. I'm certainly not going to off a body part for the highest bid of 50 cents. How much would 50cent spend on body parts? These are serious issues.

I should write to that suave mofo Obama. He'd have all the answers. Oh, and congrats Obama. A momentous occasion to have a black president. Well done. Now drink up, reply to my email and resolve my serious issues!

Current Location:	Issueland
Current Mood:	aggravated

Maybe I'm boring. Maybe I was too sheltered as a teenager. Maybe I wasn't opportunistic enough, but it never occurred to me to egg something.

I think I even managed to forget the activity of egging until I was working the night shift at Vodafone in the city those few months back. There were 6 of us waiting for a tram on the outskirts of the CBD late at night, and some kids drove past and egged us. Later that night, as I was walking up my street, a different car came past and egged me again.

I know Tim has come back to his Hilux at the train station to find it egged. There has also been a rise in posts on the forums with people getting egged.

Why is there this huge rise in egging? What on earth does it accomplish? Certainly nothing for the egger. I've seen too many posts where an egg has chipped or cracked paintwork. Sometimes they're able to chase down the eggers though, which is highly amusing. Nothing like a handbrake turn and unleashing the beast to scare the shit out of the kids who thought they'd never get caught. Heheh.

Maybe I'm weird though, but I just don't get it. I see a dozen eggs and think 'mmmm. omelette'. Add some bacon into the mix and it's a regular breakfast party. I certainly don't see eggs and think 'Wow, that would look great on some paintwork/ a dealership!'.

Right. Back to that important magazine reading and forum whoring considering I'm at work. On a Saturday.

The quiet is starting to get to everyone. People are becoming quite snappy as the pressure bears down. Those of us low down the ladder are bearing the brunt, as we're the easiest to snap at. It's not phasing me (amusing me, yes) but I had to have a mini counselling session with a couple of others before.

I blame living way out in the sticks and my current extreme boredom at work on reading an issue of Street Commodores... and enjoying it. It was the last resort, as I've done all the puzzles in Women's Weekly and Take That (god I love those puzzles. I'm such a haus frau). I've never picked up an issue before, assuming it would just be bogan trash and although I've disgraced myself thoroughly at Fitzy's in Logan, I am far from a bogan. Lo and behold it's not that bad at all. Quite a good couple of articles in there.

Almost had to behead a group of students last night. A few of us matchbox car owners meet once a week alternating between a cafe in town and the dandys. It seemed a group of students doing circus skills had decided to gather and practice their circus skills at the same place. This is all very well and nice, but when the spot they've chosen to practice dropping battons, firesticks and other circus paraphernalia is right next to some quite loved (and often quite rare and expensive) beasts meet, it causes some concern. There were some VERY close calls.

Not to mention them deciding to lean against one of the matchbox cars as they couldn't be bothered going and getting a seat. Their utter disregard for anyone else's property was astounding.

If someone's rear window was smashed, or panels/paintwork damaged, I highly doubt the students could afford to pay for it. MX5s aren't the most prestigious, exotic, expensive etc etc etc etc cars in the world, but we all love ours and would be gutted if something went awry. A lot of people have invested considerable money and time in their beasts. We have everything from daily drives through to Autosalon compeitors turn up.

What is normally a lovely quiet night out, with some decent cheap food and coffee was quite nerve-wracking last night. I guess we've all passed that point where you want to go out and listen to screaming drunk students.

And god damnit! In my day, they would have been inside pretending to write an assignment and procrastinating on livejournal! GIT OFF MA LAWN!

Can someone identify this area of Brisbane for me?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saboteur/2515866964/sizes/o/

Mine is here: http://s359.photobucket.com/albums/oo37/littik/

Another is here:

http://s214.photobucket.com/albums/cc225/sp_bling/Mazdakhana%2008/

Once another member gets his sorted out I'll post up the link to his too.

Once the skidpan photos are organised I'll post a couple up.

Arrived in Albury at about 5pm on the Friday night. We all had a bit too much to drink which made for some amusing pranks. Met all the NSWmen I hadn't yet met, and caught up with the others. An uneventful drive up except for scaring the shit out of some P plater in an excel that was swaying rather alarmingly all over the road. I cured her fatigue with my rather loud air intake. Heheheh. That and there was a woman with no pants and no teeth crouched in the driveway of a service centre. She turned and grinned at me. I stopped with my mouth hanging open in horror. It was... interesting. Welcome to Euroa!

Saturday we bummed around and had a bit of a dodgy day/ car washing day/ 'oh crap we forgot xxx, let's go get it!' day. A fairly relaxed one, considering Sunday was going to be so huge. Early to bed, cut down the beers and all that jazz.

Sunday was amazing. This was the day we were running a Motorkhana at the Shepparton DECA grounds, a big driver education centre with a very decent skid pan. It was absolutely ripping to get Seniorita out there and slide that tail around. It was very well organised and there were no idiots, so there were no casualties on the human or mechanical side. I may have converted a couple of people to MX5s when I let a couple of the guys take her out. All I heard the entire time was 'OH GOD I WANT ONE' heheheh. Had a ride in an old, old Skyline Executive which has recently been bought by some of the NSW crew as a first car for someone. Saggiest suspension and an absolute barge. I spent most of my time in it airborne. Wicked fun.

There were some great cars there. The Audi RS4 (3rd place overall), the EVOX, Supras, R33 and R34 skylines, Silvias, one of the finest RX7s I know, and a whole heap of matchbox cars (MX5s). Most amusing moment was the EVOX being beaten by a Mazda 2 and the race to watch was the EVOX vs Audi RS4. Great stuff.

Had dinner at the pub in Shep that night which was probably not a wise move, as the drive back to Albury was then a long, long while after. I know after competing and being in the sun all day I was buggered, but some people went home to Melbourne or even Sydney.

Had a co-pilot on my way back who is rather good at tuning stereos (nerdy mcnerd :-D) which I am very much not. So he tuned mine for me. It's sounding grand at the moment. :-D. It would have been an uneventful drive except for the idiot in the Mazda 6 (NOT a club member thankfully) that decided to just merge on top of us to get around a truck. Emergency braking was done and all was fine thankfully.

A few more beers sitting around last night and then home today. Woke up to a cooked breadfast and one member had washed all the numbers of the cars so we didn't have to do it (cops just love pulling over people with race crap on their cars to see if they 'need' to defect them). Popped by one member's factory on the way over to drop off some stuff he left up there and to pick up my new brace for the engine bay which will go on either today or tomorrow.

Heard an amusing story on why everyone who drives an MX5 needs a decent roll-bar. Long story short, hilux mounts an MX5 (amusing babies ensue). The only thing stopping it from crushing the driver in its wake was the roll bar. Its wheels were on the roll bar, and the driver looked up at the engine undercarriage. Driver walked away. Heh.

Back home and ready to upload some photos soon. Here's one which sums up the end of the day (skid-pan time) quite nicely.