Facing the Book

I've gotten onto Facebook recently (think a cross between MySpace and those Classmates.com websites, without the wankiness of the former and the stalking of the latter). I started going there as I was invited by three of my university friends who I haven't heard from in 5 years. So I go, and there's nostalgia, and horrible old photos, and it's fun. Then I start looking up high school people. That's an unexpected surprise as I recieve happy remembrances from people who I figured wouldn't know me from Adam. It's all great. Then I spot someone from high school. A past flame, as it were. A first flame, if you take my meaning. We weren't "flames" for very long, and stayed friends for quite a bit after. So I send her a message to add her to my Friends list. And she accepts. No biggie. Now comes the interesting bit.
Once someone is your friend, on your main page you can see all the activities your friends have made in the past 24 hours. It's usually trivial. "So-and-so has added Stone Temple Pilots to her musical tastes" and "whatshisface is back at home", etc etc. Well, the day after adding this flame person, I log on and see two activities (which came about ten minutes aftershe accepted the Friend invitation) which confused and then oddly enough, make me angry.
"This Person (no names, please) has changed her Status to 'In A Relationship'"
"This Person has changed her photo" (to one with a guy in the picture, from her previous, which was her and her girlfriends out at a birthday party.)
What the fuck? I really don't give a shit, but am I some drooling stalker over here? (sorry to channel Christopher Moltisanti, but it had to be done)
My response is to roll my eyes, and go tell my Tanja that I love her, but she's at work. a Text will have to do.

So, yeah.

So I got a birthday parcel from me ma today. I know what you're thinking, my birth was not until the 28th of the month, but me ma seems to have gotten with the postal program after our Christmas-in-early-March-debacle. So I opened it early. Now, Mom has this thing where she likes me to call when I get stuff, so she can hear me open it. I don't get why, but the one time I didn't olbige before caused heartbreak and gnashing of teeth. But I didn't call her today. Because then I'd be busted for opening it early. So I'm going to call her on my birthday. And say i've kept it and am opening it then.
Little white lies, come back to haunt you.... [/Sammy Hagar]

Fruit Art

Hey hey.

Ok, HouseWarmAid happened. Much smalled turnout than I expected and quite a few of the "confirmed coming for sure" people didn't show up or call or anything. I'll make with the frosty stare thing when I get back to work. An up-note was the oddest housewarming gift I've ever recieved, from Mel and Shae (as always, Blurty people please go to Blogger):

A Domo-Watermelon. I'm afraid to eat it.


Also, Tanja and I were watching 20 to 1 Best Videos (Tanja was ever so pleased that A-Ha's Take On Me made #8), and saw that a Peter Gabriel vid with a ton of Stop Motion animation made first place. As if! So, while she was off having a shower, I whipped up this little moment to show that no, he doesn't deserve his #1 spot (click to open... may take a second):

How do barbers get paid???

Really. Is it by how many pairs of scissors they wear out? Commission per snip? Or do they just bag up all the hair and then weigh it at the end of the week?
The reason I'm asking is because I'm trying to figure out why "trim the sideburns and the back so I don't look scruffy but leave the top and most of the sides because I'm growing it out" becomes "ruin two months of studious hair growth in ten minutes by thinning it without asking me and chopping off huge bits under the pretense of 'blending'".
Where's that monkey? I want something to shoot.

You see what happens?

Ugh. See, this is what comes from trying to arrive on time! I came in at 9:15, thinknig to log in at 9:30 and being all ready and everything. Then I sent an email to Tanja, who replied "Don't you start at 10:30?" Bugger. So I pottered around, bought some cinnamon doughnuts and a scratchie lotto ticket (won nothing). And now I'm back at work. My body clock is an idiot. Tanja gave me some excellent advice:
"Recommend switch brain on in the morning."
And an ambiguous phrase:
"God you are your own worst tool!"

Addendum.

My newish love of beer is tempered by the fact that beer-drinking leads to beer-drunkenness, which I find deeply unpleasant. Vodka-, tequila-, and wine-drunkenness are pleasant and fun. It's merely the drunkenness that beer places upon me tends to make me stupid and incapacitated. And ridiculously hungover the next day.
It's this (and other) circumstance that caused me to cancel on poor Ted for the Sounds Like Chicken concert on the 3rd. That, and the fact that though the doors opened at 6:30, the band had 5 opening acts, and the real band would have taken until 11:30 or so to be on stage. And I had to work at 9 the next morning. And I didn't want to be the prick who, halfway through the set, had to prevail upon Ted to give me a lift home. So no SLC. Oh well.

Beer Cravings

I've been getting wicked beer cravings lately. I mean in the middle of the day and the middle of the week. Not cravings to be drunk, but cravings for a beer. And for the most part I've been giving in. I mean, I've had a 2 Litre bottle of Pepsi Max in our fridge since we moved in, and most of it's still there. Because I've been having beer at home. And now it's 10:56 am. I'm at work. And I want a beer.

Does this make me a burdgeoning alcoholic?

Damn you, punctuality!

Typical. Bloody typical.

I turn up for work 15 minutes early, due to some fancy train maneuvering. I arrive at the lobby to find out the elevators and doors aren't working. Most people had been there since 7. So I hung out for 20 minutes. And then the doors worked again. I only missed 6 minutes of my shift, damnit! I wanted some on-the-clock bludging! Damnit!

At least it was slightly better than that time Ted jumped in the elevator and said "Wouldn't it be funny if it stopped?" And then it stopped. For an hour.

Deadlines

Ok, Telstra said the internet'd be connected after the 24th. Craig checked the order and it says "ON the 24th". Then Tanja got a message saying the 21st. It came on the afternoon of the 23rd. Thank you Telstra. For making us laugh at deadlines. Again.

And when it rains, it pours. I go from having no shirts to do to having near a billion.

Han-r: Needs 4 shirts. All with gothy skull-with-butterfly wings designs in silver on black shirts. Fairly simple. The original deadline was the 25th, but she's agreed to 2 on the 25th and two later. Did those two last night. Need to buy more plastic for stencils before I can do the other two.
X Quabed: The boys needed a bunch of shirts (10 to be precise) but were too poor at the moment to buy the good quality. Meh, I don't blame them, but it makes for tough shirting when their logo is a big yellow oval with the band name on it. The name is easy, but getting a smooth oval of paint of a thin cheap tshirt is tough. It takes two or three coats and a crap-load of waiting. Craig helped me with some of the shit-work, and now all the ovals are done. Now all I have to do is organise with the band to meet up and get my money and their shirts.
Dave: Poor Dave. He asked me for a Cowbell shirt ages ago on my MySpace, but it was a time when I hadn't checked MySpace in a week. Now he's sent me the thumbnail and I've printed the stencil, but then I ran out of stencilling plactic. So he has to wait more. Argh. Poor dude. He'll think I'm stalling.

Plus I've got two and a half blanks for Craig (although he's happy at the moment with his 8 new shirts that he won't miss two more in the short term).

I've taken to wearing a bandanna at work because as my hair grows longer, it becomes more and more of a pain. Usually I'll wear a fedora outside, but I can't wear a headset over it like I do a cap. So on goes the bandanna. My boss has taken to "reminding" me that I have a hanky on my head. Two or three times a day even. Aussie humour at it's finest. Up there with calling someone with red hair "Bluey". Oy.

New and Old

So we're in the new place now, and it's shaping up to be really nice (a lot sooner than I expected, too. I was expecting a month of half-unpackedness). We get the 'Net at home on the 24th, so still waiting. Undertaking a big t-shirt job, and hoping that I can get it finished (and at a decent level of quality) in time for the 27th. Pressure.

And we had a School Day at work. Everyone's in their old uniforms. I didn't have one, so I made due with a white shirt, my Shaun of the Dead tie, grey slacks and a maroon hat I bought from St. Vinnie's. Considering I never HAD a uniform for school (not being raised in a fascist regime), I think I did ok. I feel like a dork, thoguh, and people gave me funny looks on the train.