Lucubration Station

We just had a three day weekend.
The last one for a long time and without meaning to I managed to make it a great time. Friday night I closed the shop fairly late and decided it was a smart move to stay in since the next couple of nights would be busy. I caught up on some work and then decided hey, I'm going to go out anyway. Got all dressed up and then NOPE plans were canceled. I think that was the second time I'd done that this week and my mother looked at me like I was a loser. Great Job!
Saturday I wasn't working, which hasn't happened in quite a while. There was talk of the lifeline bookfest but I wasn't getting up at 7 to go in. I grumbled at my parents and went back to sleep, instead getting up a lot later and met up with Hayley and Devo for pancakes in the city. Cripsy had been talking about pancakes earlier in the week and I started craving. Hayley had never been to a pancake manor and was both excited and highly skeptical it could live up to the expectations she now had. Devo and I raved about the architecture of the old church it was in, knowing at least THAT was guaranteed to be awesome.



It was very busy when we arrived, a couple of birthday parties took the best tables. I was jealous of their balloons.
Hayley had the Vegetable Crepes and then some regular breakfast pancakes.

Devo ate more food than a man his size is scientifically able to consume.A whole bowl of Nachos, the mexican crepes, and some desert pancakes as well. Then when it looked like he was done, he finished off the very end of Hayley's sweet pancakes as well.


I got "THE ULTIMATE" which was a heart stoppingly delicious sweet cream cheesy thing. Completely delicious.

Two French crepes filled with cream cheese, sultanas, lemon juice and vanilla, served with raspberry coulis and vanilla ice cream

There was no way I could have eaten a second dish so I sat and chattered away instead. It was a pretty great meal and in a gorgeous setting and that really kicked off my weekend. After eating we went to a little Japanese goodies shop around the corner where Hayley got some new friends. A plushie seal in a duck costume and a plushie milk cartoon. I found a shop with some amazing jewellery to drool over. The store across the way was called Violent Green. Lots of local Australian artists and really funky I didn't ask any prices and got out of there quickly before I started spending money. It was very inspirational though, this was high quality artisan made stuff. My favourite was probably the pendant that looked like pencil shavings but was silver with enamel on the tips. I just looked it up and that one is $200 phew!
I dropped the kids off and headed home. I've been working on a housewarming gift for Nicklebot and Zap and wanted to finish it off before going out. I put Oldboy on while I worked, which I haven't watched in a while. What a brilliant story. (That reminds me, I really need to seek out Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance the other two in the trilogy which I've never seen.) I got the bulk done but knew there was going to be revisions needed. Emailed it off to my brother and began getting ready. Saturday night was Tim's going away bash. There was going to be clubbing starting at Jade Budda, I hate that place and Im not one much for clubbing anymore. However if theres anyone to go clubbing with these are the people so I decided that to get myself in the mood I needed my tutu on. I kept it on but at the last minute chickened out and put another skirt over the top. I found my way to The New Paddington House fully expecting to help with the unpacking and moving in. They wouldn't let me so I just found myself in the way for a while. In the time I was there the house transformed from a house with boxes in it to Nicklebot and Zap's house and already felt cosy and awesome. We finally headed off and as we made our slow way there a bad feeling started growing in my stomach. A sense of impending doom that quite heavily invaded my thoughts. There was some confusion over the exchange of money and after about 10 minutes of trying to work it out and thinking that someone had ripped someone else off we realised we were all retarded at maths, what the hell are we doing! everything was perfectly fine.
I parked my car outside Rack's place deciding that was the safest place I could think of and we made our way to the valley in the freezing cold. The bad feeling grew even more and I started working out how I could leave and get home safely before the shit hit the fan. With the black cloud over my head all the little dramas of the day and evening took on a much more sinister feel.
We arrived at Mono and Zap and I looked at each other with miserable foreboding in our faces. While downing the very essences of fun and frivolity we commented that we already knew it was a mistake. I haven't been to the Monastry in years, I remember when it first opened and the walls were decorated with curtains of metal chains and how my best friend worked across the road and had a great relationship with the manager. I remember coming here on Flirt nights where they had the number system for sending messages to other people in the room on a giant scrolling notice board. I think my friends just kept sending messages to each other about our butts.
I had been so wrong, the night was amazing. I danced my little feet off. We left around 4am and jumped in a taxi immediately. Nicklebot gave a glowing testimonial review of Zap and his awesomeness for about 95% of the ride when she suddenly switched and apologized to the driver for having to carry such a shit guy in his car. I laughed so hard my sides hurt.
Soon we were inside and loving the greatness of the house. Nickle was suddenly in her underwear and excited about the arrival of Toby and Hannam. I walked out to see Hannam and we both went "oh we work together" and put serious responsible faces on for all of 5 seconds.
Soon after I jumped into Zap's bed and slept forever.
Sunday I woke up and joined the conversations in Nicklebot's room till the other Toby shower up to collect Zap and was nice enough to drop me back at my car. I left home almost as soon as I arrived to join Devo and Hayley at Chermside for a video game shopping adventure. I ended up getting Animal Crossing for my DS, which I still haven't played because my DS is still packed away in a box somewhere. We feasted at Grill'd and I decided I had eaten enough for the rest of the weekend and was now in need of a nap. As I said goodbye the twosome walked off hand in hand. I immediately texted Rack to tell her they were gay for each other and she promptly responded "Gross"
I slept till 6 and then stumbled around like my legs were made of lead, they ached a ridiculous amount from the night before. After assembling some kind of outfit and straightening the fuck out of my hair I went to collect the rest of my crew as it started to pour rain. While at the bottle shop Hayley got into a conversation with a random customer about communists and trotskyites. We then sang You Outta Know at the top of our outraged girly lungs into Devo's earholes while he squeaked in protest all the way to the party.

When we arrived there was a few people there and it turns out some had already left! What bozos! My brother was quite hilarious drunk, and I soon followed suit. The house was filled with the funnest awesomest people I know and I had lot of great conversations and photo shoots. The G-crashing/Z-crashing and the debut of the D-crash were prime material. All the housemates wore co-ordinated flanno's and tom's recently re-dyed hair were the greatest fashion statements of the evening.



Rack, Tom, Crispy and I headed to the closest servo to stock up on chips and I stupidly bought mixed lollies which wernt eaten so much as used as confetti all over Nicklebot's room. When we returned it was like half the party had left even though it was still really early. There was a congregation in Zap's room playing keys



and a congregation in the Nicklebot's room hiding from the light. Thats about the way things stayed as people slowly left. Things ended way too early and I would have loved to keep going for many hours more but I knew I was getting up a bit early in the morning anyway so it's not so bad.

I awoke in the morning feeling grit underneath me and thinking it was probably dirt off peoples feet when they were clambering all over the bed. However it turned out to be grains of sugar from the lolly scattering. I was sleeping in sugar, excellent.
I somehow cleaned myself up and helped Nickel try to remember her most favourite Tim tales to put in a letter. I folded into into the most excellent paper plane and we jumped in the car in search of the airport. We arrived earlier than expected and reluctantly decided noodlebox was the best choice for breakfast. WRONG, I love that stuff but it was a definite mistake. Then it all happened and the goodbyes were said, photos taken and tears shed. I felt very much like an impostor as only a vague acquaintance. Nickle did an amazing job of seeing him off with dignity. I was pretty proud of her for keeping together for so long. When it comes my time to say goodbye to Rack forever, I just cannot imagine how I could possibly even speak.
We returned to the house and setup a pro entertainment center at the end of the bed.



Settled back and got smashed watching The Cat Returns and Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job till the early evening. I sobered myself up and cleaned up the kitchen as best I could. Who wants to clean when your in that state? sure as hell not I, so I made sure they had minimal work to do. There had been some red wine spills and I totally owned those suckas.

Pro Tip - Spill red wine on some fabric? This is what you do, AS SOON AS YOU CAN, fill up the kettle and start it boiling. Stretch the material out over a bowl or sink, so its held fairly taught and theres space underneath. Then hold the kettle up and pour from a large height. The higher the better, you want some force behind that water. Pour it through the stain and watch it just completely disappear.