I Love Lamp

I have been sitting here staring at my lappy’s screen for the past 15 minutes trying to think of a way I can sum up the weekend and the Brisbane Nerdfest™  in a few concise paragraphs, but given that I have the memory of a goldfish and the tendency to blather on about everything under the sun, you’re just going to have to put up with my ramblings.

Okay, starting with Friday… I re-discovered my local library.  Ah, joy of joys.  Have to say that being able to check out 7 books and not feel a single shred of guilt was the best feeling ever!  Yay!  I also caught up with a couple of the gals from college and got to be a lady-who-lunches for the day.  We went to Bulimba and found a groovy little shop called Thousand Island Dressing that sells awesomely price jewelry and some home wares (I love their lamps!!).  There was so much I wanted to buy but couldn’t. Bah!  Stupid money.

Friday night the bf & I went along with some friends to a Turkish/Middle Eastern restaurant called in the Valley.  Good atmosphere, good company, good selection of food… not bad, but not quite as good as my much beloved Ahmets (eyeballs , Jen & Enny… you guys are so blacklisted :P).  We only just missed out on the belly dancing when we got there much to my disappointment but the bf’s relief.   I think he lives in constant fear that one day, a belly dancer is going to pounce on him and force him to dance in front of a room full of strangers.

Saturday morning the bf & I braved the crowds at GC because the bf wanted a hair cut. Actually, it was more like lunch time.  A week before Xmas, a major shopping centre, a Saturday, and at lunch time.  Are you insane!? Parking will take us 5 hours alone.  But, then I had forgotten the freakish luck my bf has when it comes to finding a park.  We arrived at GC, and found a park instantly.  Right next to the shop doors. Undercover.  Some weird kind of carpark voodoo magic happening there I don’t know about I’m sure.  We also spent a whopping $200 on groceries.  (And it still feels like the cupboards are bare! What is up with that!?)

I fluttered around the house after we got home with a tummy full of butterflies, all nervous about Nerdfest™ .  Sat down on the couch to watch a bit of TV to calm my nerves, lost track of the time and subsequently ended up being late and leaving poor Jade to defend herself against the hoard all on her lonesome.

Finally I arrived at Nerdfest™  and was thankfully rescued from looking like a friendless git by Jade who took me over to the birthday girl, Jen & Enny.  Omg, I was so freaking nervous.  I don’t think I was even coherent, let alone brave enough to make eye contact or introduce myself to anyone.  I’m sure everyone noticed and must have thought I was really rude- sorry guys!!!!  I was so nervous I practically threw ’s gift at her and then nearly sat on Jade’s without realizing.  Oops.  I ended up being nervous the whole time we were there I think, right up until we walked out.  Nerdfest™  was singularly the most bizarre moment of my life to date. I mean, you guys know more about me than my RL friends do… and that’s a pretty big feat because I usually keep myself to myself in RL.  Kinda freaky deaky, man.

I should really have just got myself a cocktail (or five) to relax. 

I wasn’t sure who was who at first (save for D’Jen, & Jade)… Jen was as cute in real life as her profile pic online and has awesome taste in jewelry.  That goes for Jade as well.  I still can’t believe we have actually met face to face.  Jade & I have been trying to plan that for years… Trust D’Jen to come along and be all awesome-like and get us in the same room together!  I’m not sure what I was expecting with , but he turned out to be hilariously funny and also came across as a perfect gentleman.  Here’s what I’ll be getting him for his Xmas pressie, lol.   Natalie is waayy funnier and way cuter in RL than online, which I didn’t think was physically possible! She also has super-awesome hair. Her husband looks strangely familiar to me but I have no idea why?  Tokenwoman (not sure if I should use real name so erring on the side of caution here) was quite lovely in the few minutes I got to speak to her.  I have a bit of reading to catch up on her blog there…. And Enny… the guest of honor who I didn’t get to speak to at all!  Damn, and we had so much in common too! Well, okay, two things for sure, lol.

Seriously, you guys have no idea how scared I was… I think I must have gone into post traumatic stress or something because I actually can’t remember too much of the event and who said what to who. It’s kinda a blur… but I do remember how awkward and shy (how embarrassing!) I was so maybe that’s why my brain is shutting it out ?  I just have to rely on the other’s blogs to jog my memory.

I should have stayed at Nerdfest™  and consumed copious amounts of Dutch courage instead of pissing off to what turned out to be a disappointing work party.  What was first planned to be Karaoke and dinner and drinks morphed into 5 drunk women eating pizza and shrieking like banshees for about 4 hours straight.  Don’t get me wrong, while it was good to catch up with some old friends, the work party and Nerdfest™ could not have been more different.  Nerdfest™, socially responsible non-smokers enjoying conversation and soothing the nerves with a few well paced cocktails… And the other mob sculling beer, vodka, and champagne with corn chips, loud music and chain smoking and falling down stairs as much as they can as quickly as possible to reach their own personal nirvanas of sheer drunken oblivion.  It wasn’t terribly sophisticated.  Those drinking games just aren’t much fun with mineral water. So NOT my ideal way to spend a Saturday night.  Ahmets would have been much nicer. *sulks*

Sunday was a fun day.  I had a belly dance concert to shoot in Beenleigh (my god, it felt like the other side of the world driving there) which actually turned out to be a whole lot of fun, although with slightly depressing results.  I took along a friend of mine from college who is a bit cashed up as much much MUCH better equipment than me… and boy, could you tell in the photos!  I really need to upgrade my stuff if I’m going to keep doing this sort of thing regularly because clearly, the current kit is not cutting the mustard.

Anyway, so that’s about it from me. I hate leaving it so long in between posts.  Too much to wade through.

And for the record, I’m so glad that I’m not doing those Santa photos… I saw a Santa and a photographer today when I went to post some xmas cards and I’ve never seen anyone look more bored before in my life!