in eight days...

or thereabouts, I shall be boarding yet another plane to head off over the great worlds oceans to somewhere I haven't been yet.

Recent experiences again fulfilling me however there was still confusion and hollowness in my being. At least I can say I've dumped smoking, and on a professional note, achieved what I had wanted to in my time back. Health wise not so much, but the knocking on the head of the smoking is the beginning of course. I give myself permission to eat unhealthy shit for at least a little while. That will stop very soon indeed.

Woah, slightly deep, okay so hey it's 1:08am. (At least that first sentence in the last paragraph!) I am contemplating the fact that I have about a week left in my home country before going exploring again, I know I am still pretty broke and therefore have to find work straight away once arriving, which is kind of shite.

More and more so lately I have wished beyond anything that money was not the object that we are all constantly up against.

And also further can't stop thinking about what actual aspect of festivals / performing / the arts I would really want to be in. Whilst never pursuing the 'on stage' part of my teens, somehow it is evident that it is there, wriggling away deep down inside. The fucking wimp pussy part of me thinks that just being the supporter (producer, executive producer or otherwise) of others is a wiser idea. Perhaps the idea of failure is what I dread.

Then again it's the old thing of if you don't try how the hell would you ever know.

Come on brain, stop fucking around and get to the point would you??!

Indeed.

xx

hmmm... perhaps this doesn't even make sense... RANT!

Mission almost accomplished.... well, you know, not bad i say. not bad indeed.

so my original intention was to return to Australia with the idea of making festivals my full time working environment. And who woulda thunk it?! It's actually worked.

No doubt there have been a few stressful moments. Playing catchup financially is not fun, lack of communication on some organisers parts also not fun. Train lines being disrupted for upgrades JUST as I arrive somewhere, floods, etc etc.

In the reality of it all though, I guess those things are minor. My main problem is, I guess, that I decided a while back the corporate world is not for me. However I have also always had a regular pay cheque. 13 years of regular pay cheques in fact, give or take a few months. And therefore when I am not 100% certain when the next one will hit my bank account, get a little stressed.

It's really unfortunate that my stress is about money, considering how non-capitalist my brain feels about our world and the universe.

It's certainly occurred to me the easiest way to fix that stress is to beat the crap outta my credit card and get rid of it. It shall take some time indeed, but it's a big one for me. Definitely high on my priority list. Once it's gone I really can fully relax.

Whilst I recognise that we get paid exceptionally well compared to some other countries here in Australia, I can also acknowledge that we get ridiculously ripped off with most things here also. I guess I've always known that but not taken it so seriously as now.

As an example of a 'local' issue: The big wigs of capitalism can argue all they like for a GST to be put on imported items bought online and all that garb, but the truth is... why can we buy something for $2.99 including postage from Hong Kong when it costs $25 in a shop here. Markup? Taxes? What the hell? So why wouldn't people just import items independently from overseas, via online shopping. Besides, a GST on something like that will only add another 30cents, so it's really not going to do much. They think they are losing out. Well I tell you what, I've never bought anything except a mobile phone from Hardley Normal anyways. Guess I'm less of a consumer than some.

It kind of makes me think though that perhaps, finally, with all of the news local and international and the natural disasters and all, people really are beginning to take stock. Perhaps they're donating their money and their time and even giving away items they discover they don't really need, rather than going in droves to buy new stuff. For some people this has always been normal, for others maybe it's a new revelation. I'd like to think it's making more people socially aware, even though occurrences lately are pretty disastrous on a human and a natural environment scale.

ranty rant rant. that's all for now. xx

Banana Bread Recipe

om nom nom nom...

2/3C Caster Sugar

60G butter, softened

2 eggs

3 Tbsp water

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 3/4 C plain flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven 180C, line loaf pan with baking paper, beat sugar / butter until smooth and creamy.

Beat in eggs / water / bananas til well blended. Mix in flour, bicarb, salt, baking powder til just moistened. Pour into pan.

Bake 1 hour until top firm to touch and golden brown.

Allow to cool on side, 10 minutes, then onto a wire rack.

so far, so good...

it occurs to me that I could probably write quite a whimsical book sometime in the future about all the random stuff that went on at the various festivals i have worked on over the years.

so far since returning to Australia

- Falls Festival, Marion Bay - TASMANIA

- Sunset Sounds, Brisbane - QUEENSLAND

- Big Day Out, Gold Coast - QUEENSLAND
- RADelaide Fringe Festival (Gluttony), Adelaide - SOUTH AUSTRALIA

and next on the Agenda... Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Not bad for a few months work eh?! I'm pleased as punch.

Ow, punching hurts!

and, just because....

xo

packing...

would be easier if i had a scale!

indeed. the only thing with international travelling is what you accumulate I guess.

I never leave Australia with much. But always come back with little treasures and tid bits. This time, kind of unfortunately there was a trip to Mexico involved (ref. rather heavy hand made hammock). Mostly in recent years I have tried to come back with things I can certainly wear a lot or use a lot. The hammock is one of these things :)

xx

nervous...

flip flop stomach kinda right now...

it occurs to me that i will be living out of my backpack for some time to come.

so i'm just looking at the Open Universities Australia website at some possibilities for training leading up to my grand business idea. I'd like to get the business cranking in mid-2012 if possible, and though the training will take some time to complete, I think it would be worthwhile.

and that in itself makes me nervous. i've never completed any University course. i plunged head first into the business world at an early age and everything I know I have learned either at a short course or on the job. I mean I think i'm pretty knowledgeable in office administration, training and other things but actually looking at a Degree kind of scares the bejesus outta me.

I do want to get this travel out of my system (i mean, maybe it will never leave my system, but we'll give it a red hot go, eh?) and on the list for next year other than returning to Canada is FRANCE and VIETNAM. Oh and to annoy Mikey in the US as well at some point.

xx

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion feat. Beck - Flavor

THE BLUES IS NUMBER ONE!!!!!

wheeee!!

xo

so i was just reading...

....way back at the beginning of this blog. kinda for shits and giggles but because i was thinking, what on earth did i write so much about?! and now i see.

festivals. art. strange websites. playlists from my radio show. recipes. in-jokes. rants. the occasional vox-pop. and now, travel.

and i guess really, when i think about it, and after discussing it with various people over the years, you don't really change much as you get older.

mostly your ideals are the same. you gain more knowledge and maybe your theories or thoughts may twist, but all in all you are the same.

you are that same little nervous person when it comes to conveying feelings, steer towards certain music when your mood changes, offer an opinion or advice when you feel someone can use it, sometimes hold on to things for too long and let your brain steep on them, and basically never EVER raise your voice to anyone.

At least thats me.

I think in the last 5 years I have SERIOUSLY yelled at two people that I can think of. And that doesn't include someone who you may think obvious.

(calling Cint a shtcnt in Coles doesn't count)

One was a dude at a party for a friend in Brisbane who was leaving their job and invited us along. He was just an all round self-important douche. And he deserved a good 'look mate, you are a rude, arrogant, fuckwit' which is exactly what he got from me. My heart beat a hundred miles a minute at that moment, but damn, I'd probably say it to that particular dude again!

The other one was someone who recently got in my face whilst working at the Hostel. No biggie. Tiredness and retarded behaviour on their part.

I go through big phases of being creative and of being determined. I do lose faith in myself and my abilities sometimes. When deep down I know that I am quite capable of many things that I may never accomplish because of lingering doubt.

And when nothing makes sense there are the same handful of people I go to immediately. I have been very lucky with the close girlfriends I have that they are so open and we can always bounce things off of each other in times of doubt and trouble.

The friend base stretches far and wide, these days over many countries, and I am blessed in the way that even though years may go by, we can always reconnect with ease. Like no time has passed.

Sometimes I wonder where my energy goes. I know this is partially health based, but also I guess it's part of getting older. Certain days you'd think I was full of beans, literally. Other days you could be mistaken for thinking that perhaps I will shortly explode. Or implode I guess.

I say it's part of getting older because when you're young, in high school for example, your ideas of the world I guess are more limited. Once you're completely responsible for yourself, and out in the job market, your own property, all that kind of thing, you are exposed to more ideas and more people. Therefore you see the good and the bad. I tend to ignore the bad, at least the things they have to say to me personally.

Luckily I am mostly surrounded with sweetness and light.

Thank you universe.

xx

one of the most inspirational shows...

i have seen is a while is this one whilst I was working at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver.

had i more money at the time i would have certainly bought probably all albums or at least their DVD of visuals.

xx

ok so... it's almost time...

Yes. It's almost time to finalise my 2011 list and it's almost time to close this little travel chapter.

I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not really sure what I wanted to achieve here in Canadaland.

Okay so I kind of feel like I started out strong but then took a small step backwards again. This country really is huge and I feel like I haven't seen quite enough of it yet. So I will certainly be back, and if all goes according to plan I predict early May 2011.

Volunteering for the festivals when I got here was just amazing, met some great people, enjoyed the sunshine (and sometimes the rain), discovered more amazing music, and learned a couple of lessons...

like.... don't get so drunk that you give your cell number out to COMPLETE randoms!
well i guess a lesson learned is a lesson gained!!

Anyways, so if I had have stayed on that artsy path, the smart thing to do would have been to keep pushing to get paid arts based work here. But I didn't. I do kick myself a little for that, because it really has become more of my focus in the last two years.

I'm not saying that being in Banff wasn't fun, but I do think I should have left at the end of October like I had intended. It was great spending time with Leni the crazy cat and meeting the other fun folks up there. I still don't know how people do so much partying all the time, but I guess my idea of partying is slightly different somehow. Work 16 hour days at 3 day festivals, no worries! Too much to drink for me... results in a very long hangover. Well each to their own I suppose.

I have met some people who I feel are really important to me in both Vancouver and Banff, people that have taught me things, made me feel valued, or made me swoon. I could never forget any of them, and I hope to keep them in my life.

So back to Australia I will go shortly for the festival season and I will try, hopefully without fail, to do four months of arts based work and not have to fall back on any sort of lame temp job that I will end up getting stuck in for months and months like has happened in the past.

I do feel like I really need to concentrate on my health whilst I am back at home. Not that I have been feeling particularly bad (as in, don't panic or anything), but there are definitely still (stupid hereditary) things going on that are well within my control that I should be paying closer attention to. I hope with some advice and treatment back in Aus that I can start to do this properly and make some real life changes. Because it often does stress me out and sometimes makes me grumpy. And it's no way to be. By no means is it as bad as post-fally-downy-stairsy years, but sometimes it becomes uncomfortable.

Ultimately, well I'm still searching for the happiness within. I think we all are. And sometimes I feel like a stupid sad sack because I don't know what the ultimate happiness is or even should be. I mean who knows. I certainly shouldn't complain about circumstance because I put myself in the position I am in and only I can change it. We should all be wiser to remember that sometimes.

I guess I will know when I find it.

xx

back in VanGroovy...

after a 4 month stint working at the SameSun Hostel in Banff, Alberta, I have returned to BC!

Banff was pretty in the summer time, I managed to do some hiking around Banff and Lake Louise, get up to Jasper as well with Milen on the Moose bus one weekend, went to Calgary for the Calgary Reggae Fest, and also get down to Mexico with my old mate Leni.

I want to write much more about this... so let's save the rest of this post for tomorrow!

xx

But I will leave you with a link to this little gem, if you're on faceCOOL and like my little story, please click the LIKE button at the bottom!!

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/Stories/ViewStory.aspx?code=8f26fe6b4ed8ac5bac8965ac940caafb

the rain, the rain...

Alberta.

Well I've seen a little of it now and I'm told these are the best bits. Surrounded by enormous mountains it is kind of strange how some days it just seems the same old, and some days you feel in awe of such rugged pieces of rock thrust out of the earth by some kind of molten force somewhere far below us.

I just moved into my own room in a place close to work in Banff with some cool kids.

Last night we made sushi and had a dance party in our kitchen fuelled by a lot of red wine.

xx

BP Oil Disaster Response Line...

Just thought I'd re-post this email I received back from them. Make sure you make them know it's NOT OKAY.

"Unified Command for the BP Oil Spill Deepwater Horizon Response

to me

show details Jul 14 (2 days ago)

The following inquiry was submitted to Unified Command for the BP Oil
Spill | Deepwater Horizon Response on 07/13/10 21:47 (492203):
From : Joint Information Center
Date : 07/14/10 10:35

Dear Ms. Faye,

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. Every member of Unified
Command deeply regrets the impact this spill has had on wildlife and
the residents of the Gulf Coast. We are doing everything possible to
stop the flow from the well, contain spilled oil and minimize the
environmental impact and economic damage.

In the meantime, we appreciate your interest and concern, and encourage
you to follow our progress.

While ultimate responsibility for this terrible accident will be
determined in due time, right now all of us - Unified Command, BP, the
Administration, Federal, State and Local agencies and contracted
responders - are working together towards our ultimate goal of
environmental and economic restoration for the Gulf and its residents.

BP has assumed full responsibility for the spill, and where people have
legitimate claims for damages BP will honor them.

Regards,

Joint Information Center
Deepwater Horizon Response
------------------------------

-----------------------------------------
From : Julie Faye
Date : 07/13/10 21:47

The whole situation in the gulf is disgusting. I hope that your whole
company will be liable for all claims and all clean up costs.
Worst environmental disaster in years!
Makes me totally sick, I wouldn't even be driving a car right now even
if I hadn't recently sold mine.
I would volunteer, but certainly not through your organisation.

-----
If you have further questions or would like more information, feel
free to contact us via the link below.

https://www.piersystem.com/go/inquiry/2931/?i=492203"

I don't think they get it... it's not just people along the coast, they have affected the whole world by poisoning the ocean.

Douche-bags. xo

Festival it up folks...

well... i can walk 2.6kms with my massive pack on, in the blaring afternoon heat and not die. It's a start.

So I spent 5 days in Victoria on Vancouver Island for the Ska Fest. The fest was fun and I met some nice people and saw some great bands.

Katchafire and The Black Seeds represented our neighbours from the East (New Zealand) and The Resinators represented Australia.

My highlights were definitely the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Fishbone.

Off to Banff in about 10 days to work in a Hostel up there.

But before that, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival will help me pass the time.

xx

Terry Goodkind - I think you're pretty awesome...

yeh so I do... and I'm ridiculously behind with the series I know, I know...

So I just finished reading Chainfire... there are at least two if not more books beyond this I am yet to read, and have just seen a new Richard / Kahlan book will arise in 2011.

I also didn't know there was a television show made out of the story. I mean, come on, have I been living in a bubble?!

Oh right, I was living in Brisbane.

Chainfire was a great read, once again, I hadn't really recalled the final parts of the previous book, perhaps a re-read at some point in the future, but you know you always get those little snippets of past events whilst reading, therefore it all made sense.

And so it begins... a great battle I am sure is about to ensue. And yet I am at the end with the answers to the puzzle, but not the battle to proceed it. ARGH! I hate it when that happens.

So anyways I will order the book to arrive before me in Banff, but am on to Chris Carlsson's NOWTOPIA, which he kindly signed for me at the group discussion a week or so back.

Oh... here is my 2010 list in case I have not posted it thus far... in fact I probably haven't... and you know, actually, I am not going so badly on some items:

1. Volunteer on at least 10 festivals - thus far, 1. Laneway (Brisbane), 2. Soundwave (Brisbane), 3. In The House (Vancouver), 4. Car Free Vancouver Day (Commercial Drive, East Van), 5. Vancouver Jazz Festival (starts today, my first shift is Sunday), Upcoming: 6. Victoria SkaFest (second week July), 7. Van Folk Fest (16-18 July), 8. Calgary Folk Fest (August)...

2. Get paid on at least 5 festivals - thus far, 1. Melb International Comedy Festival...

3. Pay 2K off credit card.... NEXT!!!

4. Lose 10 kilos... I have no idea how much I weigh so who knows

5. Travel to Canada, USA including Alaska.... part 1 complete!

6. Knock cholesterol down to 5.5 - yay hereditary illnesses!

7. Don't take jobs you don't care about!! - well i did one shitty job for the first couple months of this year but it was a means to an end (getting to MICF and getting OUT of Brisbane and getting TO Canada, so i kind of forgive myself for it)

8. Learn some french.... NEXT!!!

9. Plant some trees / learn about horticulture.... been researching this one... standby...

10. Read lots more books!! - 1. The Tale of Genji, Lady Murasaki (in progress) /2. Chainfire, Terry Goodkind / 3. Nowtopia - Chris Carlsson (currently reading)...

standby i said, standby...

foxtrot uniform charlie kilo... breaker breaker, do you read me?!

xx

things i've noticed about Vancouver...

There are LOADS of community gardens. They are everywhere. The lovely lady I am renting my head laying place from has one. They are just everywhere. And as you walk the streets you can often see into yards with fruitful gardens. Good on you Vancouver for trying to be super sustainable.

Also there are LOADS of cyclists. Which is also very cool. I mean not to the extend that they outnumber cars. But yeh it's pretty awesome. They do things like critical mass midnight bike rides and they had naked bike day here on Saturday. Hehe.

There are also quite a large number of homeless persons of all shapes and sizes, which makes me sad, and whilst I can somewhat understand it, I'd like to understand more why the help isn't getting to some of them. I think we all acknowledge that there will always be a portion of street persons who do want wish for assistance, but a few times i have seen the same lady with a particular sign, and it makes me kind of sad.

East Van is totally the place to watch the world cup right now if you're into that kinda thing. I mean I'm not but I may go watch a game or two, just to drink it up I guess.

Vancouver also has can and bottle deposit recycling like South Australia. Woo! (Why ALL Australian states don't have this I will just never know! It's up to 10 cents in SA, I mean catch up Australia!)

The weather is very unpredictable. We had a stunning sunny day here and a few hours ago it started to hail! I was kind of like hmmm... what's that... opened the blinds and low and behold it's bouncing off the window sill. Ha!

Buses are largely electric which is cool. I haven't been on the skytrain yet but I will eventually when I need to.

It is an expensive city, apparently one of the most expensive in the world. But it's all relative. It depends on how you want to live really. I'm more than happy in my current situation. Allowing me not to work and just concentrate on building my festival/arts network here.
Though there are little things you notice here and there that are more expensive, and then some less. Like berries of all descriptions are always cheaper than I have seen in Australia. But laundry powder is more costly, and I think toilet paper too.
The bus is certainly cheaper than Brisbane!! $2.50 for 90 minute transfer. There are other cheaper options I haven't quite sussed out yet like 10 trip saver type things and monthly passes.
If you wanted to buy a house round here though you'd be looking at a cool million but!

Canada, eh?!

xx

Canada, eh?!

Yes, it's even on t-shirts that... canada, eh?!

So I've been here a week and already worked a festival... www.inthehousefestival.com

What an interesting concept, strangely reminiscent of old parties in the suburb of Dulwich, South Australia, in which one time someone decided it was a good idea to light a flare and throw it onto the laundry floor filling the house with smoke!!

The weather held out beautifully for Saturday but Friday and Sunday were rainy off and on, causing a little havoc.

Moved much furniture, met nice people, had a laugh, had a boogie, stayed with a nice lady who has been doing exactly what i am now trying to do for the last twenty years (she, not i).

Vancouver is very pretty. It's easy to know which direction you are going because as long as you can see the mountains, you know it's North!

Bought another jacket to rival the ever popular 'kermit jacket'... similar in style but peach, and this time a bargain at $5...

Hopefully have found a place to stay for at least a few weeks, small studio space in the vicinity of Commercial Drive. Which, you know, is apparently one of the places to be in this town. A little bo-ho, lots of organic places, nice houses... so yay to that. Cross all available appendages that it all goes without a hitch.

Moving in that is.

xx

my friend the shazzy-cake...

hey that's weird.

anyhoo, my friend Sharon now has a new online store for her handmade kids clothing. You can find it here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sparklepanda

that be all. xo

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2010

I had the absolute pleasure of working in the Victoria Hotel with a bunch of awesome front of house, engineers and performers at this years festival.

It was my maiden voyage as a worker and I hope I held up my end of the bargain.

Here's a couple of random pics. xo

Rodriguez...

yes that's right, RODRIGUEZ... not of the vs gabriela variety but of 70's stoner folk rock guy.

Went to the Corner Hotel in Richmond last night, my first time there apart from picking up the ticket. The beer was relatively cheap, the crowd really huge and receptive and it was simply a great night indeed. Photos to come.

And at the end some girl near me said 'man, he only made two albums and he couldn't even play STREET BOY?!" which made me laugh.

back to work again tonight. only 9 days left of the festival. i may cry.

xx

2010...

Well hi 2010, thanks for stopping by, you sure are turning out to be a nice little year indeed...

Rodriguez C Gabriela - Sunset Sounds, Riverstage, Brisbane, Jan 2010

Amanda sliced and diced my hair at the end of February...

Played at X&Y once Tank arrived in Queensland...!!

And I packed up my little house in Bristanbul and headed for Melbourne Town...

thanks for being patient, dear readers, if there are any of you left that is... there will be more, real, detailed, crazy tales very soon i can tell you.

xx

*blowing the dust off the blog*

oh sorry blog... i keep telling you i will look after you like a puppy and i get so caught up in the universe and stupid other interweb based programs that i neglect you... accept my deepest apologies...

so recently... ok so this year totally blew for about the first three months for a variety of reasons... apart from having the complete misfortune of being involved with someone who had put too many holes in their brain and didn't understand the words 'common decency', fell out of work and was completely broke at the wrong time too... well i mean this is never for long but it was all terribly bad timing.

anyways, took me a wee while to understand and all, but the point of the whole thing was well you can't control other peoples behaviour, only your own. and the reality is that i walked away a little bruised but unscathed really. and truly have been having a WAY more fun time instead of hibernating with the one person all the time.

i mean shiz, it can be totally great hibernating with a special person, but starting to believe i was more like a convenient piece of equipment to prop up the ego and cop all of the negative rantinga bout the universe than anything else. shit happens eh?

and so more recently and quite by chance i met someone out and about in brisbane who evidently is a little bit special... has been completely upfront about baggage from the get-go, albeit brief, confessed to missing me after not really having been apart for all that long (i felt exactly the same, and said so, is it stupid?) and being simply happy in my company... and has now asked for time to get his focus back and sort out some aforementioned baggage. which is completely fine with me. it's way too important to be let lie so i would never stand in the way of anything like that. my door is totally always open to him and i am grateful to know an adult who just steps up and says it rather than fucking me around.

people who know me very well probably realise that i am a frikn prude, don't sleep around or waste my time too much with people that aren't worth my time (ooh, except that ex-one, my bad).

so i leave it as it lies, press pause as it were, and just keep asking the universe to assist him with his gear and me with my gear, and that we will again cross paths and be excited about each others company...

xxoo

how did i know...

that i would become less of a prude in my old age?!

haha, yes yes i know not that old particularly but you know, it kind of works in that sentence...

today i had the delicious Gabi stab me in the guts with body jewellery.

i want my tattoo designed by my best mate and tattooed by a lovely lady who shared my house with me last year.

i want to go out and see more music and i want to be more creative and sing a lot more.

and make random videos for youtube to share silliness with the universe.

i bought some cowboy boots.
and some more perfume.
thanks to the pennies from kevin that is.

however i do overall feel like i will not fuck up or fail myself this time and certainly won't forget who i am for the sake of somebody else.
about freakn time.

rock.
and god damn do i want that boy ;)
no not THAT boy... a different one.
xJ

ps. this is rocking my world right now...

can't sleep...

because i think i just worked something out...

as you get older you all recognise that time actually moves terribly quickly...

hence, the reason that my mind is still bouncing around like a yo-yo is that it feels like it wasnt that long ago.

when the reality of the situation is that its taking me just about as long as the actual 'relationship' lasted itself to get out of the funk.

sometimes i guess you think you know people... when in reality you dont know shit.

so i wipe my hands of it all. numbers have been deleted. i am giving up trying to be nice. etc. etc. and seriously trying to get on with my life.

so much has actuallly happened since then when i think about it. i have done heaps of stuff, fun stuff, hard work, and made quite a bit of progress personally.

besides that, i keep meeting rad people who i love and they don't need a sad sack around ruining their chi either.

he never ever saw me angry, few people do, it usually takes a lot for me to actually yell, but if i saw him now i'd give him a piece of my mind. tenthousand.

i mean you have to be pretty stupid to use your womans computer...

thankyou thankyou to s, s + c for all of your support. i love all three of you crazy ladies. lots.

xJ

jebus tapdancing ch-rist!

hahahaha! almost laughable what i discovered today.

isn't it funny when people have two sides, possibly a split personality, and obviously no respect for the woman who is supporting them.

and who in their right mind advertises for such 'relations' on myface? retards that's who.

so initially i freaked and went 'what the...?' and now i just think whatever dude.

seriously, had fun, no regrets, except perhaps i wasted time worrying about it for so long afterwards.

bwargh hargh hargh hargh hargh. loser.

his number deleted, associated relatives numbers also deleted. I've had enough and am looking forward to getting on with my existence.

applied for work at another festival today. have got two more lined up already for later in the year. looking good.

and i will get my proper contract for work this week, even though i can see we are in for a long tough time...

heading off to drink with my bestie and her bro and some visiting englishmen. i can tell there will be much beer and silliness. just what i need. looking forward to it.

have a gorgeous evening all.

xxJ (the amused)

life in bristanbul...

well i feel a wee bit more like me and a little less like sad sack confused julie which is particularly nice.

body is very sore, probably too much fluffing about on the laptop this weekend.

just had a quick phone convo with a mate who i have left behind in adelaide. kinda sad.

but yes, the last week or so we have been cooking lots, talking crap, walking home in the middle of the night, spending time with nice people and i have been working particularly hard.

xxJ

the globe...

random!

dark corners...

lampy mclamp lamp...

ez pez...

umm, i don't think the pool cue's on fire...

me and new roomie yvette...

all in all disappointed with the 20 bux we spent to see an 'intimate' show of the basics.... film when you wanna see the real band is a bit ripped off. not to say you guys aren't good but brian and i went for coffee and cake and returned and were still disappointed.

boo hiss.

xxJ

it's raining....

again!
see it would be good if we could all stand outside, blow, and move these clouds down to SA where they need it a hell of a lot. or at least blow half of them.

saw my ex lover and friend the other day. it made me kind of sad. because even though the whole thing really hurt, and i have been through every emotion imaginable in the past couple of months, i still miss my friend.

but because he is not willing to talk about it and seems only ashamed of the whole thing, i am not sure there is a point seeing him unless he changes his mind about discussing it.

so i mainly spent the weekend smoking, drinking and sleeping. not to excess or anything, but of course i am again distracted, worried about money, worried about myself, trying to get my motivation and my mojo back...

i think, overall, i am tired of feeling like shit, feeling drained and feeling confused.

i guess i know that it was nothing to do with me. troubled? yes.

xJ

where did you get that funk???

where did you get that funk....???

so many people got twitter accounts because ellen degeneres said so. hehe. that's funny.

so i'm still kind of in this funk because now that i'm a week or so behind in rent, with little cash, starting work again on monday, need a housemate, waiting to hear on melb comedy festival work application, lah lah lah.

on top of that my computer decided to shit itself but at the moment it's stable. which is terribly weird, they're sending me a new hard drive and everything but it seems ok since i got it to do a check disk thingy. damn technology. especially when i need it to look for courses and jobs and such and such.

anyhoo so cross your fingers and toes that a) i can eat for the next week, b) my sleeping goes back to normal and c) i can meet a non emotionally retarded man sometime soon as well. hehe.

much love,
xJ

fringey bits...

Monski Mouse spruking for the Puppet Palace

Leigh Stardust in between sets at the Garden...

me and shuzzbutt hanging in the garden...

Frehd Astarr - There's Something About Fairy - Rhino Room

xJ

struggling a bit today...

it's taking all of my willpower to refrain from being nice as well...

it's his birthday today you see. i would have spoilt him rotten today and been taking him to a-town for fringey goodness this week... instead i am going alone.

thought i didn't care, i obviously do. damn emotions!

anyhooooo... watching 'smart people' for the second time, as the first time i didn't really watch it properly, but as you can probably tell again i am not watching it properly! BUT i will say that i think it's quite a good interesting movie indeed, they're all a bit disfunctional. i like that.

can't wait til they fix the roof properly then i can set the bloody office back up properly!
well set it up PROPERLY for the first time i guess. starting to move in the right circles i feel... it's taking me a while but i know the year of the darned earth ox is upon us so it will not be easy for many of us.

oh and it's so darned hot again today as well, must be mid 30's at least... and not much air moving. quite unpleasant. yukky.

have a great day anyways folks!
xJ

pappy smurfday to Tor... pappy smurfday to Tor...

Sammi, Tor, Moi

we went for a little adventure to the Merthyr Bowls Club to have some bevs for Tor's birfday on Wednesday night... we had fun.

Sammi has loaned me a hair straightener so I'll have a play with it later today and see how random my self hairdressing skills are!

Have been playing on ebay, putting up some books et al. Also still waiting for my roof to be fixed and it's getting worse and worse by the day. Eek!

Planted some capsicum (pepper for you americans), basil and poppy seeds, hopefully they'll all come up trumps. Not going too badly for someone who has never grown Broccoli or Carrots before. I have had to erect a make-shift shade structure for the broccoli because they do get too much sun in the afternoon. Darn it I thought I had sussed it properly. Oh well we shall see how they go!!

Oh... and I got a 280 phone bill for all the confused calls i made after shitty shitty bang bang with boy. grrrr. double grrr.

but i'll get a new phone next week with a bonus PSP so that will make me smile momentarily.

have a gorgeous day.
xxJ

on with the show...

so i've transplanted my two broccoli plants that were sitting in a pot getting big enough to move into the garden bed... we shall see. go broccoli go!!

seem to be about 3 carrots going great guns as well. don't quite trust growing things under the soil in the garden bed so am keeping these in their pot. yay.

might try germinate some basil. basil is goood.

new hairdo looks fab but of course i wet it this morning in the shower so it's back to whispy mcfly away randomness so i will have to work out how to keep it managed without buying expensive hair drying implements!

haha.
have a gorgeous day.
xJ

a change is as good as a haircut...

and i have a sexy new one.

so there!

mwa mwa.

xJ

torn in two again...

well well well... and what should little julie faye do in this situation. just leave?
that makes me feel like i would be running away from something that was out of my control.
very silly.

last night i finally actually had a cry. it didn't last too long though. i'm just sick of thinking about the whole thing. i still feel concern, but as previously mentioned, the whole thing is out of my hands. having been the person in the last 3 or 4 months that has seen him at his happiest and his saddest, how he could push me away so viciously is beyond me. and the fact i was defamed for it is quite hard to deal with, because i simply don't get it. i just don't. have never ever experienced anything like it and hope i do not have to ever again.

everyone has been wonderful and listened to my surprisingly logical rants about the whole thing, sorry that some of you are probably way sick of it but it was quite a punch in the guts. should i just start being a bitch and not nice to anyone or something?! i don't think so.

some of it seems quite comical actually, doesn't mean the whole thing doesn't suck.

hmmm.... was so ready to have someone in my life too. still am.

where's my freakn apology jerk??!

xJ

we shall see then...

Daily Libra Horoscope - 20th February, 2009
I think it was Ghandi (forgive me if it wasn't, I'm in an Internet-free zone and can't check!) who said that we should be the change that we want to see in the world. That's an amazing concept. Imagine. You want your partner to live more healthily, so you rev up your own diet to be more healthful. Or you want peace in the world so you make up with someone you're feuding with. Etc. And this is relevant to you today because? You have a chance to turn one very close (maybe even blood-) relationship around today. If not today, then very soon.
(from yahoo7, moonology.com)

not him though, definately NOT him.
xxJ

so anyways...

i don't feel regret, remorse, grief, sadness, i feel some concern somewhere in the back of my head, because there was obviously something wrong that i was unable to tap into. i feel that all the people that need to know the reality of the situation already know. except one.

he forgets that i'm the kind of sentimental person that keeps messages and photographs... why i didn't write here what was making me feel so much connection and joy is beyond me. i have written some of it down to remind me. and perhaps if i had actually shown it to him, he would have gotten it. well it's mine now and noone can see it.

i enjoyed my time with him mostly, learnt some things about myself, and that's never a bad thing. i kind of believe i am beginning to not like drama. i also believe the 'return of saturn' is really and truly upon me. whether you believe in the way the stars and the universe affect you is irrelevant really. after having a read about it i definately see it. the person i am now is probably going to be the person i will be forever. so don't get caught up in the drama and just keep moving.

i quite like to be generous. it will probably mean i can never save money but i'd rather be remembered for being generous than for being a prude or simply a receiver and not a giver.

i am simply progressing with my years goals and perhaps will do some more research soon... in fact i know i will. might just take some time.

have been enjoying the company of good friends. and trying to get in touch with others that were left by the wayside...

and the ultimate decision whether i am done with this city still looms.

xJ

can't say much more...

because the following words have been bounding around in my head in the last few days...

truth... karma... childish... gutless...

so i had a fun weekend, got completely trashed up at redcliffe at the RSL and afterwards at a mates place, i think i was the first one to go lie down. oh well. got a bit sunburnt yesterday sitting by their pool, but it was really placid and chilled with nice people and good conversation, exactly what i needed.

so now i have to do dishes as a friend is coming for dinner... and washing. boo hiss.

much love, xJ

lah lah

so... yesterday i hit the wall of shock about 11am and had to leave work. i tried to sleep but that didn't help cos i just didn't sleep.

because of the way he had been acting and reacting emotionally to things, curled up on my bed unable to move after a visit to his relative, i had believed everything that he had told me.
now i'm not sure he knows what to believe of himself. maybe he has told too many lies and they started to spiral when last week i started to question.

there is no point speculating, i can't help him now. i was willing to do so much, be so patient, be so caring, making sure he always ate, making sure he was entertained, making sure his dog was cared for sometimes in his absence... so i was used up... i'm not sure why.

i'm not saying i'm not convinced that what i shared with him didn't seem genuine, i wouldn't have bought it otherwise. he's either a very smooth operator or a very confused little bunny.
and yes there is nothing else i can do for him, nor would i want to now that i can see that he's been spreading lies.

there is nothing worse than a liar.
and i would hate for a liar to bring me down.

at least i have rediscovered the ability to write logically, with some emotion, like i often have done in the past so that i will remember all of this, remember to question much earlier, and not believe things said about friends of mine which seem questionable to me.

i am pretty exhausted, mentally, physically, haven't eaten properly in over a week, certainly haven't slept properly, but there is no point trying to work it out in my head, the whole thing is cruel. he had better stay away from me.

if he ever calls to try and apologise i will simply say 'that's nice, tell the truth' or perhaps as simple as 'you have said enough'.

doubt it, he's gutless and lazy.

and here ends the lesson.
and i guess the lesson is.... if something doesn't seem quite right to you, question it.
xJ

wow...

i have been pushed, pulled and finally pushed away by someone that i thought had cared quite deeply for me only to find that it was obviously not true.

whatever is going on in that brain has nothing to do with me and i cannot take it personally, however i am currently struggling with eating and sleeping and am in complete shock.

i hope that at some point he will feel remorse, regret, something, something that would make him as human as i.

i can't believe it, i simply can't believe it.
xJ

aqualung vs coldplay

AQUALUNG SHITS ALL OVER COLDPLAY!

That's really all i have to say.

xJ

saving money the julie faye way...

hi folks.....

well here's some little tips in case you feel like trying to save some cash...

1. if you're paying your mobile phone company a monthly fee for insurance to protect said mobile phone... and have a contents insurance policy for where you live... check whether or not your insurance policy covers 'accidental damage'.
   
   Mine in particular does and it turns out I've been paying $10ish a month for the last two years to the mobile phone co unnecessarily... i know that ultimately that's not much, but hey, $10 a month is $10 a month. Why pay two companys for the same service? Silly.
   
   So I cancelled it's arse.
   
2. check the connection rates and rates per kwh on your electricity and gas bills. if you have two companies providing your utilities, check if one will provide any discount for you to have both services with them. even if their quarterly connection fees and kwh pricing is the same, no harm in getting 5 or 10% off for having both services with them. besides, convenience of one bill would be nice. less paper and less time.
   
   i e-mailed a couple companys that i have services with and asked them some questions that i couldn't answers on from their website. hopefully they'll get back to me soon.
   
   well, i guess if they want to keep my business they will get back to me. poosers.
   
3. see if your bank offers a lower rate credit card. I was getting sprayed with interest every month in exchange for having a frequent flyer program connected to it. now the frequent flyer points were useful when i used to fly more often, but i barely use them now. turns out i can save 8% in interest by switching to a different one. (in my case initially that will be about $34/month)
   
   and so i have.
   
   if you have a service like this you are really seeing no benefit in, just get rid of it.
   
   by the way, flybuys is for chumps. it seems to be to follow what people are spending their cash on and is way hard to ever redeem anything. hence the reason i got rid of mine like 10 years back!
   
4. make your lunch.
   
   i am the first to admit I am crap at this. it's been quite humid and almost too hot to cook so i've not bothered, but consider that i work in an office, sometimes stop for a toasted sandwhich for breakfast, am obsessed with coca cola which is really expensive unless you buy it in bulk, and usually go out for a sandwhich at lunch. even tho it doesn't seem like much before you know it it's honestly $20 a day.
   
   so, in essence, i spend $100 a week just for lunch. which is totally lame. i am the first to admit it. I used to be really good at making big meals and taking them to work and am not sure why i became so complacent. this will change.
   
5. well the other thing is... if there is stuff sitting in your house (or in boxes under other peoples houses) that you never use / read / play with but that are in good nick and someone else will appreciate more and use rather than having them sit under your house, sell them on ebay.
   
   i've been doing this for a while (i guess gumtree is another good option too) because when i spent 3 months in adelaide i was finally able to go through the 16+ boxes of stuff left at mum and dads. there were plenty of collectable books and such that i had kept for the 'collectable' reason but when i thought about it, they'd been sitting there for 4 years... and that's just stupid. mum and dad need their shed and i don't need to keep so much random stuff.
   
   anyways, i like ebay, people have been thrilled to get their hands on some of the music and books i have had stashed away, and it kind of gives me a feeling of satisfaction having sent it to someone who really appreciates it.... plus that little bit of spending money.
   
   be warned tho, you'll probably see something YOU like on ebay and spend some of that cash you earned. hehe.
   
6. i guess 6 should be quit smoking, but i'm not that worried about it.

more soon. i know that was all silly and self indulgent and possibly more like self-help, but i felt like sharing.

much love, xJ

holy blinding bat pellets batman...

not nearly as good as HOLY SNORKEL BATMAN but there you go...

it's been humid as a humid thing in humid day in humid land in the last 2 or 3 days. unpleasant to say the least. makes it hard to want to wear clothes let alone go to work!!

so been working again for equivalent of about 8 days because the chick i was meant to train was in a bus accident and was off work for a week so that was that. but i still made myself useful and worked nearly a full week this week.

went to dins at a local pub with chops last night and was in a great mood until i came home and discovered a $50/week rent increase sitting in my letterbox. let's just say not happy jan. a big hike in one hit!

anyways so now i am going through budgeting and seeing where i can cut costs so that i don't have to leave my glorious home.
hmmm...
xxJ

blip! there goes another year...

ok, ok, so it's taken me some time to type something of note. i know i know...
i haven't finished my list for 2009, in fact it's not started but it's bubbling in my brain.

it will most likely include:

*get paid to work on at least 3 festivals
*go to france
*get rid of / pay out your damned credit card

so i spent a few weeks in RADelaide before heading to Marion Bay, Tasmania to work on the Falls Festival. May I express my absolute DELIGHT at the gorgeous team there and all the staff that I was allocated who were all awesome, willing to do anything given, and worked damned hard in the crazy weather we had. thank you all so much! you are awesome beyond compare!

NICE RAINBOW!

more fotos and random things to come soon, promise.
maybe once the list is finished.

can simply say i am happy to be back in my lil abode and itching for more festival work.
and so happy to be back in baby's arms.

xxJ

of all the completely annoying things...

getting specific help from a particular australian telecommunications comany is like pulling teeth!

seriously, how hard is it to answer the simple question of 'does your network work in this area of australia because your coverage maps won't load and we have checked our browser settings?' - ridikkerous!

So i've been hanging in RADelaide for about 10 days now. I was over it within 3 days. no offence to any of the lovely friends here but it really is a crap time of year to try and catch up with anyone. everyone seems stressed and i would have rather been slothing around and organising my house than dealing with it.

anyways, off to work on a festival tomorrow for i guess nearly a week (over new years) which will be fun but not as fun as if the boy could have also been there with me :(

made some more jewellery, can't post the other one up cos it's a gift that hasn't been given yet!

anyways, trust everyone had a splendid kweznus and will have a safe and fun fun new years. see you in 2009.

much love, sugar and spice,

xJ

tell me, am i being productive??

maybe??...

ooh crappy pictures, still no digital camera only my phone...

been spending all my time with the boy before heading down to a-town tomorrow for about 10 days then off to hobart to work on the Falls Festival in Marion Bay. Way excited, it shall be fun fun fun.

much love to all, and smelly kwezbutt too.

xxJ

hmm, interesting week...

but i know that i have not lost my newest friend at all, so i feel fine.
calm.
how odd.
xJ

so i made it to thirty...

and it was a freakn scorcher of a day today... crispy fried julie.



anyways, i wish i had have been in adelaide for my birthday, it would have been nuts and fun as heck, but having a bit of a gathering next weekend instead on a non-school night.


so... a recap of thirty years in the life of me...


thought i was finishing high school with no issues then like term 4 of my final year get told my curriculum is all screwy and that i wouldnt actually get a certificate.


a year later got pissed off when they sent me a letter saying 'we want to know why people like you dont finish high school' and rang them going 'well get your freakn counsellors to sort their shit out...' and then they decided one of the subjects that i had done DID meet the new curriculum requirements and that they'd give me the certificate after all. tossers.


went on a cruise to vanuatu and noemea with a few girlfriends... oh i have never drunk so much in two weeks EVER before or EVER again!


put on so much weight and lost my ability to feel after dating a complete and utter wanker for like 4 1/2 years... ho hum...


got screwed by the government job i had had with much success for some time so ended up going into private enterprise... and then like back into another government dept. did temping, took some jobs that were supposed to be permanent and got made redundant from one and quit a few...


completed ten years or there abouts on community radio...


managed to interview some awesome people... richard terfry aka buck 65, adam hills, tripod, muffin and karen from brassy...


saw some amazing gigs... the number one gig still has to be elvis costello...


spent lots and lots and lots of time at the rhino room...


moved to brisneyland from radelaide kind of just for something to do, and seemingly got stuck in a rut.


went to america for a few weeks to visit my friend in colorado, go to disneyland and see new yawk...


found out what an anxiety attack feels like... didn't much like that and hope it never happens again.


went to malaysia, KL and penang with kirst and had a wicked fun time...



hmmm... more later but i will start a little "30 things i have never done..." listing...


I HAVE NEVER

1. eaten crab...
2. taken hard drugs...
3. jumped out of a plane... bungee'd or anything related...
4. ended up in hospital...
5. been on a motorbike...
6. gone on a skiing holiday... probably because i can't ski...
7. had a speeding fine...
8. sat in first class on an aeroplane...
9. done anything so embarrassing i haven't been able to show my face somewhere...
10. been married and therefore never divorced...
11. owned a dog...
12. owned a set of decks (you know dj record players)...
13. had my luggage lost on a flight...
14. set foot on the moon...
15. been to the outback...
16. had a magazine subscription to something terribly girly...
17. run a maraton (i can't really run)...
18. had a spray tan...
19. gotten a tattoo...
20. had anything other than ears pierced...
21. shaved my head...
22. written off a car (but i have hit a roo before)...
23. worn anything worth more than about $150... probably less...
24. eaten so much i've thrown up...
25. owned an album by delta goodrem (gag)....
26. owned my own home...
27. been so completely broke i've had to pawn anything...
28. not had a roof over my head...
29. won anything significant on the lottery...
30. been so calm... as i am now... (writing this nov 13, 2008)

much love, frivolity and fun in the pants.
xJ

very frustrated and very torn in two...

well you know... i'm not sure how much to really write about how i feel right now...

i can say i'm pretty darned tired for no good reason...

and that i'm completely torn in two as to where i belong... i like queensland, i do, but the people that know me and love me the most are nowhere near... and it makes me sad.

maybe its the turning 30 thing... i know i should go home and celebrate it with my friends but to be honest, how can i currently afford that... simply, i can't.

that really sucks we'd have such a mad time, indeed.

hmmm.... xJ

it's raining...

not men, but outside.

so curious things have been happening... annoyed online friends that i mention boys.... well i can't help that.

i have no idea what to write there are many things going through my head.

i am starting a months work tomorrow, temping. the only thing that worries me is the possible travelling time, because even tho it should realistically take me no more than 20 mins, the traffic here is so unpredictable it's hard to know. i guess i'll gauge it tomorrow.

we've churned through arrested development all three seasons recently at wilton street, now we're back onto starting at episode one of sex and the city. by the time its over i might have some cash to get house season 3.

the dvd collection is kind of getting out of control, it's not that it's a bad collection, but once you get stuck into a collection it's kind of hard to stop. it kind of makes me a big consumer doesn't it?

still desperately trying to go through and cull things. there's an op shop bag, an ebay box and a stuff to give to friends who have kids that are just awesome bag.

had a nice time slothing with a friend watching death proof for like the fourth time...

that's all for now.
xJ

FISAC world championships...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpfPh88D1eA&feature=related

check this out man. nuts!

go skipping everywhere!

xJ

Environmental Chaos...

PLEASE, K-Rudd, don't let us down and don't put forward such a low target...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/05/2356828.htm

PLEASE, local governments, take a step forward, don't be afraid to try something new in your area to encourage those who live around you to use their cars less, recycle more, plant a couple of trees, and the like.

BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL... your 'green waste' collection policy is shocking, do something about it. At least monthly would be acceptable. Once every two years is not!!!!

xJ

there has been much socially conscious debate around here recently...

and i like it!!

so what i was thinking is how many things in this house are actually second hand or recycled... now lets see furniture wise...

the bed thats here came from corinna before she went back to cana-dad-ia...
my music cupboard came from the next door neighbours who no longer wanted it...
my dresser cost me $8 from the op shop around the corner...
this desk i'm working at was choppha's sons...
my futon i bought off of Ken - its a real 60's base on it, totally classic... i think one of the bean bags came from him too...
the 'department of foreign affairs interrogation chairs' also came from the op shop around the corner...
as did the lil lounge table...
glass shelves came from a shop that closed down around the corner and the cylinders holding them together came from reverse garbage...
the fridge was the spare bar fridge from the manse...
zara gave me two little side tables / stools before they went back to the UK, a fan, plus a whole bunch of wine glasses, placemats et al...
my record player came from my old boss who i used to work at tafe with many years ago...
the microwave was the old neighbours as when they pooled their resources obviously discovered they didn't need two...
the hall cupboard seems to belong to this house for ever and ever...
cupboard that our tele sits on was from a different antique/op shop around the corner...

things that aren't particularly recycled is only really...
i can say i DID buy the round comfy chair from freedom for an exhorbident price, but it is rather comfortable... plus a foot stool thingamo...
my push bike...
clothes racks... a pedestal fan... the stereo... oh the dvd shelving...

not bad i reckon...
and anyone that ever house-sits for me will not need to bring a single piece of crockery or entertainment... hehehe. lots of board games a-go-go. wheee!

hmmm... interesting anyways.
how many things in your house are 'brand new'??
xxJ

Taken Out

is this like the lamest show ever put on australian tv or WHAT?!

i'm sorry the host is awful and it was boring as heck.

blerk.

wilton street says NOOOOOO.

xJ

this may be what your local supermarket is throwing out daily....

and this only scratches the surface of what was actually there...

completely fresh food, untampered with...

what i want to know is why the frock this isn't being donated to shelters etc... community groups... anything...

lame.

stand up, ask questions...

xJ

the ladies of wilton street ask why...

WHY... is the kettle so badly designed?

WHY... did kurt russell cry like a bitch? and / or go on a psychotic rampage?

WHY... did anna overmilk the tea?

WHY... doesn't anna banana have dwarfism?

WHY... did she put her foot out the window? it was very irresponsible.

WHY... did anna lick his face?

why? because house always needs a definitive answer.

xJ

Stereo Total are AWESOME!!

At the Gallery of Modern Art, South Brisbane.
Thanks for bringing them back!! whoop!!

xJ

played tetris with the car...

and won.

am in melbourne town now having drive n over from RADelaide yesterday. didn't phase me much the driving except count of ONE tailgating truck driver already.
frock you truck driver. if i'm doing just over the speed limit don't sit on my arse, wait a whole 3k's until theres an overtaking bit and overtake me so you can get a ticket and ride up someone elses arse if they have to stop in a hurry.
t.c.b!!

heading off to sydney tomorrow. kirstys about to force me to go to bikram yoga. think i might vomit.eek.
xxJ

ok so once again i've been slack...

and i can't remember half the stuff i've been doing... let's go backwards...

last night i had dinner with my aunt and uncle for my aunts birthday at the buckingham arms where they have a massive smorgasboard. tasty.

then i just came home with the intention of going through last of crap lying around and sorting out... well i only got so far with that, i got distracted by adam sandler movie on tele.

i WAS going to go to the gov but i've really spent a whole lot of cash since i got paid the other day on boring necessities like bras. yay.

during the day yesterday i went to mum and dads so dad could check out the car and my sister and i went to mclaren vale to medlows and scarpantoni (necessary before leaving this town) to buy chocolate and lots of it and wine.

friday night had dinner with a different aunt at cafe michael 2 on rundle st, then on to the uni bar for Your Motive For and Raw Ether (didn't see Fear in Dakota who i think played last). Saw the lovely ladies as follows... (and some gents too but they don't get pics taken of them, hehe)

Tracey and Eva...

Fiona and Heidi...

Yours truly and Fiona...

Great, great. Trotted off for a quick drink at Rhino before having to trudge half way across town to meet the boys again in my big boots and caught a cab home.

Thursday night Loz and I went bowling... now i got a 135... NOT GOOD ENOUGH. 141 or bust!

Earlier in the week haven't done as much, been temping still.

to be continued...

xJ

we are fam-i-ly...

This is my Nan, shes in the second half of her 80's (get THAT) and is truly awesome.


xJ

I Am Legend

yep... my dad was totally right... this movie whilst having me practically on the edge of the seat for the entire thing... had quite a sucky ending!

you gotta give credit to will smith tho cos i mean he was acting to himself or CGI for a whole lot of the film, and that can definately be challenging. much like emile hirsch in into the wild...

last night we ate til we could not eat any more at Jerusalem on Hindley Street... Philo, Carol, Sam and I... and I must say great conversation, great company and great food... what more could you ask for in a dinner gathering?! not much!!

thanks so much guys. love yas.

xJ

yes, its still winter...

and may i say brr in the brr brr in brr day in brr land!

haha.
so last night i went again to the purple room of mirth for bodacious comedy with trav nash as the host, rob hunter, angus and others doing spots and dave callan as the feature.
whoop!
and discovered best new drink ever which is vanilla absolut vodka with ginger ale. yum yum.

also was in the vicinity of one of my old great friends however didn't get much convo out of him. besides i couldnt be bothered actually. funny that. how things change!

a side note somewhat unrelated to the above: if you can't give out good karma at every opportunity why bother opening your mouth?!

hmm, what else... oh yes i have a twin... well kind of. phil has the same shoes as me AND the same 'please dont feed the models' shirt however in green. to this i say 'what on earth is the third thing?' - woah. is he really a girl or am i really a guy? were we seeded by the same postman? ewww. jokes.

today i went up to the hills to see Vars and play board games for a bit. played scrabble and articulate. fine holiday fun.

apart from that... oh a few days ago i met with a temp agency to do their testing and speak to them about getting a few weeks work. hopefully something will come up. even a few days here and there will top my cash back up.

so about a month to go in the great adventure. i have accomplished some things... sold some shit, gave away some shit, finally consolidated my super into only two accounts, started on the exercise regime, saw death proof!!!, learnt the new radio panel, played some new board games, and other stuff and things.

i'm really torn about SA and QLD you know. strange that. though i think my body the way it is with all its wacky bone and joint issues CANNOT permanently handle the cold.

i will definately be back in brisneyland for the forseeable future... probably quite a long forseeable future.

xJ

Moooovies...

yes i seem to have wasted a lot of time watching some on the weekend... well not wasted i suppose however...

Confetti - British comedy flick about a wedding magazine running a competition for the most original wedding. completely classic characters and generally a laugh.

Fight Club - Do i need to explain this? The First Rule of Fight Club... you do not talk about fight club...

1408 - oh well first of all it has John Cusack AND Samuel L Jackson (looking rather debonaire as he ages i must say)... that room was so MEAN to Cusack in the flick. Just really great though. Except i didnt quite get the end bit... did i miss something? well worth the watch. more a thriller than a horror...

Deathproof - oh. my. god. if youre a chick feeling down and you want to feel the girl power... get this out. its freakn awesome. featuring some of the worlds best stunt CHICKS, a completely awesome car chase or two, and a little bit of gore (well it is tarantino what do you expect). WICKED. i was not disappointed. just loved it. the very very end made me laugh my ass off. great!

have a lovely day.
xJ

saturday snotty night...

hehehe.

well judes came over so we made some pizza and mooched around watching some black books and fry & laurie as well as outtakes cos you should ALWAYS watch outtakes!

judy showing off her cheapo FABULOUS make up bag

and just general chin wagging really.

"just one question before i pack...

when you fuck it up later do i get my money back?"

Aimee Mann

so today i can consider going to radio to play with philo, but to me i sound husky, even tho judes sez no no you dont.... i guess my ears are blocked. besides its not really wise to talk into a mic for two hours and pass on your sickness to others... blergh.

but i kinda wanna go and play. waah.

anyhoo, so i'm going to mum & dads for the next day or so to de-cattify as well as de-neighbourfy. luckily julz dad lives close by and can come and feed the kitties for a day.

i think we'll be playing cards, watching battle of the choirs (i used to do a lot of choir stuff), maybe doing some sewing, watching mooFies, blah blah blah. general chillness. i guess dad has to go to work tomorrow but i'll try and get him to wag a day. cos he should. haha.

i should take life on mars season 1 with me so dad can watch it. looking forward to when ashes to ashes comes out on aussie tv. interesting. i hope it doesn't ruin it.

cos john simm is the shite and so is liz white and so is OUR GOV! GO GOV!!

ooh and hopefully we'll be able to dub off some of the random old home movies off my vhs tapes cos i brought a whole heap with me but i kind of want to split them up into dvd 'tracks' so that you can just watch one thing and not have to watch like 2 hours of something else to find out 5 minutes of something else... if that makes sense i have no idea. lets blame the sickness.

Get Smart comes out at the cinema this week. ace bro tafe. can't wait.

cos i love steve carrell in the pants.

indeed.

xJ

ps. oh heres an old pic of kirst and i that she sent me from our trip to asia last year... sexy beetches. haha.

damn you winter!!

well... yes i've been sick since about wednesday... which is annoying. primarily because i haven't been sick in so long. but i guess that's winter for you isn't it. it's not so bad i can't get up or anything. but i hate blowing your nose over and over and over and thinking 'how much more crap can possibly be up my nose?!'

so this has made for a very uneventful week indeed. tho thursday night i did go to the gov to catch up with nicki and see koz play (not that i actually saw that much of her, i was bailing home at the time she started!). may i say, dear gov, though you are excellent, the service is still awful there. always has been, obviously always will be.

tonight i'm supposed to go to the g-man's place for a hat party, but at this point it's not looking good. i'm hoping judy jude will come and keep me company and watch some moofies or something...

has been disappointing i haven't been able to do my exercises the past few days. cos i feel like i was making some headway and getting some momentum with it. oh well will just have to push it next week i guess...

haha, the doctor on j tv did a karaoke version of inxs and ended it by putting his belt around his neck.. oooh harsh. i dont think the audience got it.

great to see new episodes of futurama by the way!!

about freakn time.
i need to probably go and eat something not that i feel like it but its stupid not to put nutrients into your body when your sick.
so i bit you adieu.
and hand you a tissue.

xxJ

we're goin' down down down down to kitty town...

so i'm living in kitty town...

pauly is being surprisingly friendly of late and purry and paws me going 'aww come on pat me'... so i oblige sometimes but right now its just annoying me. hehe.

because i've been playing on e-bay.

have slowly been going through all the boxes of stuff that were left at mum and dads for all this time. i know they will be grateful for the space.

So there are some things I've decided to see if I can sell. probably easier to take to a trash & treasure market but its winter and i'm sure that less folk go to these markets at this time of year. anyways...

i dont know how you can find me on e-bay (cos really i'm an e-bay virgin until like a week ago when i bought new headphones for my mobile phone)... but if you can, well more power to you i suppose.

so i guess i'll put up a few things over the next few days and just see if there is any interest at all...

on the topic of the psychotic neighbours... well i've just about had a gutful. sometimes its kind of scary you know. its damned obvious this guy is a dealer, I have no idea why the cops havent been able to bust him before. and his woman is a nutcase. if she could just HEAR herself maybe she would understand what a slapper she is. doubtful, i think she's fried her brain with chemicals.

so yes we shall see if i can last the distance in this house. cos i am supposed to be here to chill, not to deal with psychos. they really bother me and i'm sure the adjoining neighbours and businesses feel the same. you can't feel happy about a dude doing deals practically in your parking lot can you?

short of all this though... congratulations to scottie tha damn hottie for i'm sure another splendid brisbane pride march and fair day... wish i could have been there to help. waah!

be seeing you brisneylanders soon-ish i guess. whoop!

anyone with any ideas/contacts for arts related things, please pass them on. i refuse to work on something shitful that i dont care about any more. money is irrelevant when there's no satisfaction in a job y'know.

blah blah.
pay it forward. pay it all forward.

xJ
ps. if you like bowling and your in adelaide with some spare time, i'm always up for a game!

blerk!

cheeky look before going to see Eddie Ifft last Friday.

I'm keeping this one cos it looks ace.

xJ

is it too cold for the beach...??

the answer is yes... especially if you have a beanie that doesn't cover your ears.

however the mighty Zeus needed a walk so I went with Koz for a rather pleasant time.

Here's Koz (in all her fashionable 'i can tie my scarf around my head' glory) and Zeus down at Henley... lovely.

seaweed city. hehe.

(hey blogger whats with the double spacing crap when i put photos in huh?)

see y'all.

oh, operation 'buff-jules' as michelle calls it is going rather swimmingly.

xJ

RADelaide...

well what can i say about RADelaide...

last week i bowled a whole lot of strikes in a row in a game of bowling but of course messed up the last one which would have given me a mega score, and of course bowled the last ball as a spare. boo.

had lunch with vairi at the dulwich bakery. oh dulwich bakery i love you.

saw the sex and the city movie with my sister.

saw Eddie Ifft and a whole bunch of local comics including Phil Cowie and Jason Pestell at Rhino.

Got very hammered with da boys soon thereafter.

went to the House of Chow for Bec & Mel's birthday last night and had a banquet. very tasty and very filling. then up to Woody's for sitting in front of a fireplace and Beetlejuice.

that be all.
xJ

interesting...

now, i'm a people watcher... i would probably like behavioural theory or something if i could be bothered... but...

the neighbours across the road are spastic. grow up both of you, keep your potty mouth inside and at a low decibel woman, i. don't. want. to. hear. it.

honestly it might not be so sad if it wasn't for days at a time.

tickets to the retard planet for you.

mwargh hargh hargh.

xJ