From the couch of TB

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My husband just bought one for me from Ebay *big smile*

A wonderful day with friends and family. Good food, good wine, good company. Best of all, not a ton of leftovers since people happily took food home and the rest I made up into platters for the play party at Edges, our local dungeon space.

Feeling like hibernating however am kicking butt into getting onto the treadmill. All this indulgence is not good for the fit of my favourite True Religion jeans :-)

A couple of fun catch ups planned this week and then up to the city for NYE and the Mission Control party. I booked a hotel a mere 59ft away (Rubrluvr says best hotel choice evah!) and they also have this cool tapas restaurant (Medjool) which we discovered quite by accident a while ago. So we get to meet friends, eat good food, pop upstairs to change and then head off to a kinky party. All rather perfect really.

Since life is not all about play (or rather it could be except I like to work too) I'm excited about a potential opportunity. My brother in law introduced me to a creative recruiter who thinks he has something "perfect" for me. Its who you know hey? Given the state of the market here I'm taking any advantage I can find!

Well Xmas turned out to be a bit of a shermozzle.

Got my laptop back the day before Xmas Eve - have found that several buttons on the keypad are not producing the symbol that's on their face. When I press the " button I get an @ symbol appearing. Very infuriating for a writter. Then when I press the @ button I get the " appearing. Any ideas on how to change that ?? When I press the end button I get a 1 appearing.

Cooked all night Xmas Eve ready for our Xmas Day lunch with friends. Had it all sorted and went to leave the house at 12pm when bang my front door handle fell off - completely. No way of reattatching it. House unable to be locked. Canceled Xmas lunch and watched all the food slowly go off because over the last few days I couldn't eat it all. Cancel Boxing day with my parents (yes oh my god my father asked me to come up) because I can't get up there and he won't drive down here in the rain.

I finally got part of the lock reattached on Saturday night so at least I can close the door. Got up on Sunday to go and see Avatar with Casey and wham - flat battery in the car. Luckily it was only that.

Got to movies and Avatar sold out so we book in for the next session - eat a fabulous big breakie by the beach and go for a drive in her new turbo charged car. But what happens.... the car stalls and won't start again. After a good time trying it slowly starts and creeps back to the Cinema just in time for the movie to start.

And doesn't Avatar rock!!!!

Then I had to cancel camping this week because of the rain : (

But I'm still smiling because you get to a point where the small things are good things because they're simply not bad things - lol

So the plus's...... Moby's new CD is fabulous, Book 3 is on its way although writers block is creeping in, I got the best Chrissy pressie, a TARDIS money box which at present holds $62 worth of 50 cent pieces and a beautiful calender although not for Xmas I absolutely love it (you know who you are darling - thank you!) and I'm celebrating NYE with friends down by the ocean watching fireworks and having a night picnic, then heading up to Bald Hill to photograph the blue moon.

So its all good, I'm still smiling and the crap the universe is throwing at me right now is being refused entry in my company - rotfl!!

Bringing new meaning to the concept of the Christmas "Nutcracker" *WEG*

Hard at work prepping for Christmas Day. Work those tiaras! :-)

Christmas planning being what it is, my partner in the kitchen for Christmas Day and I decided we must go food shopping in the city for gourmet delights.

So tomorrow we plan a late breakfast, braving 101 post rush hour (we hope) and then onto Patisserie Phillippe for hazelnut Bouche Noel & truffles, Bi-Rite grocery for cheeses, organic veggies and other grocery items with (amusingly) a stop at Dark Garden corsets in between to pick up a re-sized corset for the fellow kitchen goddess.

We have had such fun food planning, as she said its almost like scene prep for a big scene.

This morning my Fedex arrived from D'Artagnan with pates, vegetable terrine and a duck confit for the kitties (yes, they are spoiled). Later in the week comes picking up organic turkey breast and prime rib roasts and a few other things.

I am so looking forward to hosting Christmas again, I missed it last year. Its family and orphans so if you're local you've probably already had your invite to dinner and/or our open house. If not, do let me know.

Borg Teddy, Ariel, Rubrluvr, Pixel & Mozart wish all our friends a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous 2010. XXXXX

Within the soft hues of an ancient room
The spirits of muso's long past wafting through the yellow lights and burgundy walls.
Their resonance echoing around you
Captured by the heavy frame of the room,
Welcoming you.

There comes a sound so clear, so pure,
Slicing through the air in crisp arcs.
Spilling over you, it leaves its trail of warmth like spring sun
Calescent to your skin.

Soft and true her voice takes you within as it cascades over notes
And settles into your being.
Creating feeling, creating emotion and tender memories.

As the remnant cords of muso's past are stilled to silence,
The room breathes as if one,
All of us holding on to the pristine lightness of that sound.
The sound of a soul; sharing spirit, sharing essence
Sharing quality,
With a composed and graceful touch.


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Katie Noonan at the Bulli Heritage Hotel - sublime!

Dislike them.

Always crappy food, (although this one was at one of the Gongs top restaurants), overpriced not so good wine (I mean who would pay $50 a bottle for a cold climate wine from Nowra???) and food orders mixed up.

Felt for the carnivores, they insisted on going to this seafood restaurant but their entrée was prawn cocktails which had 3 prawns on a plate and a tablespoon of seafood dressing in a bowl and a scarping of creamed lettuce across the plate. Cost = $19.50.

I had a mushroom risotto which was way too oily but I got through it, I was hungry. Cost = $26.00. The same price as the meals with half a lobster included. This is why I hate restaurants without vegetarian options.

The deserts were beautiful though, even if they were straight out of Master Chef. I recognised the dishes from the Master Chef website - lol. Still they were extremely yummy except the crème brûlée failed. Under the crisp top, it was runny like milk. The girls sent it back laughing. I told them to ask for straws.

Thought it funny that I was sitting with my back to David Stratton, from At the Movies. I do love that show. Didn't tell him a distant relative was sitting next to him although I kind of wanted to. But he looks so much like my father, its uncanny. They must have inbred in Wiltshire and sent the rejects down here - lol.

But Xmas parties... just a big booze up really. The boozers all left the restaurant before half of us had finished eating. I work with good people but the Xmas party divides us. It doesn't bring us together. We come together better in other ways.

I went off to another party rather than the pub with the others, had a great time :)

Crawled into bed at 4:30am.

When will the silly season be over?

I'm old and tired from the partying - lol

Total suck IMO, I thought we were beyond this kind of gender inequality :-(
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Am feeling strangely calm today although I had an awful week at work. Xmas is busy for us and clients are... well lets jut say Xmas isn't a happy time for a lot of people. Makes for a strange juxtaposition.

Had Ms Fi stay with me for a while - was gorgeous having her here. I really enjoyed the company an conversation and laughter. Had A&C over for dinner this week, again, loved the company and laughter. Was reminded that we all sound like the "old guard" of the scene. When it used to be fun and no one took themselves too seriously. I miss those days but it's only us who can bring them back ;) hint hint .... hehe

Head out last night to see a few bands. Was quite good. I love seeing new bands and hearing new music. Katie Noonan was on the bill and I got to chat to her afterwards. Her new material is amazing. Still not as beautifully melancholic as her old george days but it was more in line with the style of music she made with the george boys. I saw her workshop the songs about 4 months ago in Marrickville (at a secret location that fabulous muso's use) and to see hear the songs now post album tapping was interesting. They're more polished and had interesting new elements.

I miss Tyrone though : (

Am looking forward to having 2 weeks off over Chrissy.

Book 2 is finished and I'm thinking of starting book 3.

Writing and photography are supplying me with lovely creative outlets right now, am enjoying that very much. Jut wish my laptop was back from the repairers : (