Friday, July 5

[Generation X]

Last night was the final generation x karaoke... at least for the time being. It's a bit of an end of an era really. I haven't been a karaoke stalwart for some time, but 1999 was a different story. In its original long-closed crusty venue upstairs off gouger street (stix... oh, the memories...) we ruled the microphones week after week. And probably acted very inappropriately as well.

Last night Jess and I sang REM's Shiny happy people and we won a cinema pass for our efforts.

I have to go immediately because I am simply procrastinating on packing for my trip. I'll be posting all the latest news in my travel section while I'm away.

posted by pete at 12:59 PM .......

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Thursday, July 4

[A sudden turn]

I've been on the verge of a hissy fit all morning. Not because of anyone in particular; more because of people in general. Having left a trail of thinly disguised bitchiness in my wake, I've resolved to get a grip. Lunch with Melita will be a super way to reinvent my day.

One piece of good news is that everything is okay with the essay marking – I don't have to do it, thank goodness. The bad piece of news is that I'm at work after a restless night punctuated by the very loud slamming of doors.

posted by pete at 10:17 AM .......

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Wednesday, July 3

[Examined]

Really, I can't believe how bad I'm becoming. I actually left my exam early because I felt like going outside and talking. Who does that sort of thing? Instead of thoroughly checking through my answers and tweaking them into discursive excellence, I thought "hey, Pippa's outside, might go talk to her." Contrast this with my borderline-obsessive academic attitude of just a few years back. I used to actually study then. Not to mention complete tutorial work. But I think I'm happier now, so why bother changing anything?

After the exam I went for a beer with Josh and Pippa... then we went to Hungry Jacks. Being just short of the epitome of vileness (those stately arches claim that title), this fast food restaurant had not factored into my diet for a number of years. So I went the veggie burger and large fries. And who would have known it would be so delicious?

Finally, is it really cosmopolitan to walk around the business district carrying a soya flat white in a cardboard cup? I'm not so sure. I can't deny that I enjoy it – Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf kept me alive in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore – but it always makes me feel either borderline pretentious or just completely lame. But hey, I was walking around that nucleus of pretentiousness we call Rundle St with Deb this morning (instead of studying for my exam), so maybe it was just the day for it.

posted by pete at 9:05 PM .......

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Tuesday, July 2

[Rickety]

Blogger is so unstable at the moment. It's not publishing my name at the bottom of my posts. It simply says posted by at 10:21 PM, completely omitting my name. And none of my archive templates are visible to me yet.

But that doesn't change how much I love it!!

posted by pete at 11:33 PM .......

[As a student...]

I think I have a right to be thoroughly jaded with university. After all, I have been attending for nearly five years now. Admittedly, I'm part time this year, which is the best study decision I've made in recent times (up there with dropping out of engineering and choosing not to do honours) – but given that an exam is looming tomorrow I am still experiencing stress and exasperation. For some reason I just cannot be bothered anymore. The course material isn't particularly difficult, and in theory it should be interesting, but it just isn't. So that makes exam revision even more of a chore.

One of the things sustaining me (apart from this obvious procrastination) is the thought of coffee with Pippa tomorrow, and then I'll hopefully meet Jess later. The New Zealand trip is less of a motivating factor than you might think... for example I'm more interested in my brand new backpack and thoughts of fresh snow than I am in e-commerce business models.

Onwards and onwards...

posted by pete at 11:21 PM .......

[Time]

I should now make it clear that the time displayed on this blog is half an hour behind the actual time here in Adelaide. Blogger doesn't seem to recognise Australian CST.

posted by pete at 5:24 PM .......

[End]

I love these last few minutes just before 5pm. Actually, why am I still here?

posted by pete at 5:22 PM .......

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Monday, July 1

[iBook]

I love the computer I'm using at the moment. Clearly I need to save up and purchase a similar notebook. Because then when I've finished using it, I can fold it up and put it in a drawer. I'm not big on the aesthetics of computer equipment. This one is white. I love it.

Poor old Angela is complaining about the cost of parking at her work. $5 for a 4-hour shift. Seems outrageous. And she works at night so therefore it's unrealistic and unsafe for her to catch public transport. Now she's talking about popcorn.

posted by pete at 10:51 PM .......

[Germany and friends]

I'm disappointed that Germany lost the world cup final, but I did expect that to be the case.

I'm trying to set up blogs for my friends Lisa, Gossy and Janine, but things aren't going according to plan.

I should be in bed... did no study today whatsoever. Spent quite a lot of time in Brighton, which was delightful as always. Mum and Dad also visited, which was splendid... I don't see them all that often these days, as Jamestown is such a long long way away... I wonder where Sonia is – possibly in Hobart? Or is that in the next few days? Who would know?

posted by pete at 12:48 AM .......

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