Catch up.

*humphs* Yep, it's been a while, for a variety of reasons. The main one is that BRM has been hogging the computer of an evening - school work, so I can't get too pissed off, although Tuesday was his marathon email to Kate trying to figure out why she dumped him. *pulls face* He didn't get that upset about the prospect of losing me, that's for sure. But it's all been sorted - no more Kate - and we've had another 'clearing the air' talk, about a lot of stuff. It's funny, how easy it is to communicate with BRM. We know each other so well that we rarely get the kind of miscommunications he had with Kate. And it's a lot easier to talknow, because I feel more willing to stand up for myself.

What is it about being in a relationship that makes you afraid to be completely yourself for fear of upsetting the other person? In our case, it was BRM's depression - I was afraid to be 100% honest with him, even when I was hurting most because of something he'd said or done, because I was terrifed of coming home from work and finding he'd OD'd or something equally stupid. But even before the worst of it, I'd let him get away with stuff I wouldn't take from anyone else, because I loved him. *shakes head* My fault, but it's stupid what we do because we're in love.

*shakes self* But that wasn't what I intended to say today. I'm in a good mood, and I'm not going to lket myself get all bitter and hard, not today. ;)

Day off today, as this week is my first proper part time week since Peter's return. A catch up day in more ways than one - a metaphorical breather, to catch up with myself after an extremely busy month. I'm planning on riding over to Albury (about 10km) this afternoon and visiting the Flight Centre to make arrangements for DexCon, and the comic shop for #7 of Midnight Nation - I got #6 last week in Melbourne, but it's May now, so hopefully the new issue is out too. I'm pleased - something I put in this rough short fic I'm writing (one of the many!) turned up in #6. I'm good. :) But for the rest of the day it's R&R; I'm hoping to work some more on the last part of "Justice", as Frank hit me with the next section last night, just as I was going to sleep. Sneaky bugger is always doing that - I get ideas either just before I sleep, or just before I wake. I guess my brain slows down enough then.

Got Ashlan's and Yasmin's birthday fics to do too. *winces* Horribly late, but I simply haven't had the computer time. Managed to post to Epona's closed RR, at least, before getting chucked off yesterday afternoon. Although I didn't mind much - Greta came over for dinner after her yoga session, and I had ratatouille to make. Eggplant, zucchini, capsicum and mushroom in tomato sauce with lots of garlic and basil. BRM did the rice - my rice curse is still going strong, but at least Greta has the same problem! - and we got a nice bottle of Merlot from the bottle shop over the road. Very pleasant dinner, in all. Good food, good company, good music (Greta brought over a Crying in Public Places CD I'm itching to own now). Greta ended up staying overnight on our floor (thank goodness for the spare mattress!) which indicates she had a good time too. :)

A bunch of us (BRM, some of the bushwalkers and me) are going mountain biking on Sunday afternoon, and (at my suggestion) we're having a pizza night here afterwards. David's coming. *grins* I'm looking forward to it - I really like off-road riding at the moment, and with winter coming on, it doesn't matter if it rains - mud makes it just that bit more fun. :) I'm just a big kid at heart.

Speaking of age, six days until my birthday. Gah. Thirty-one. That's so not right. I don't want to be a grumpy old person!

No looking back now...

Got back not very long ago from Albury, considerably more in debt than when I left. The reason?

I BOOKED MY DEXCON FLIGHT!!!!!

*coughs* Ahem, sorry to startle you there, but I just had to get that out. :) It's costing me a bit - $2221.80 in all, including insurance - but gaddamnit, it's my money, and this is what I want to spend it on! I'm tired of being the responsible grown-up person, and feel the need to be a little reckless and immature. And since driving cars really fast is out since I don't have a car, this is how I'm doing it. *grins*

Here's the itinerary:

Departure: Melbourne Airport, 27th July, 7am.

[Ugh, not another early flight. This means I'll have to get to the airport by 6.30 at the latest, which means getting up at five. Double ugh.]

Arrives in Sydney at 8.20 am, which gives me plenty of time to check in for the 9.35 flight to Honolulu. The baggage gets transferred automatically, which is good; for those who saw my mega-backpack last year, you'll understand why. *grins* The less pushing through crowds I do in that thing, the better. ;)

Arrives in Honolulu at 11.40pm of the 26th (ooh, time travel!), and I transfer to the 12.45am flight to Toronto, which arrives at 3.40 of the afternoon of the 27th of July, after approximately twenty hours of travel.

[Twenty hours on planes. This is why practically the first thing I did upon arrival last year was demand a shower. To re-humanise myself.]

I'm flying back out of Vancouver on the 16th of July - I'm catching the Greyhound on the 10th or 11th and staying with Lisel a couple of days. ;) I figured I might as well see some more of the place, if I'm spending that much money. Luckily there's a nifty bus deal which I can book as soon as I get there, or before. The plane eventually arrives in Melbourne at 9.50am on the 18th of August - I lose two days. Two days to recover from jetlag, and then back at work, which won't be too strenuous this time as it's lovely stress-free Wodonga Court. ;)

Because I'm leaving so early from Melbourne, I'm going to have to catch the train down the day before (there's one at 3.04, or my old stand-by, the 12.30) and stay the night. *naughty grin* I doubt I'll find a problem with accomodation, and if I'm extra lucky, I may score a ride to the airport, even 'though that sounds terribly mercenary of me. But hey, it's not like Michael doesn't get anything out of it. ;)

***

Enough of Dexcon plans, even 'though I'm practically bouncing all over the room. Added a couple of peeps to my "Friends" list - Mel and JB. *waves* Hope you guys don't mind. Laughed myself silly over Mel's PoiCon description - Lynxie's right, it does sound like a Pratchett version. ;) I'll give Yasmin a call tonight too, since I haven't been able to the last three nights - the phone's been tied up thanks to BRM highjacking the computer and the Net connection. :P He'd better pay some of the bill this month. Hopefully we'll be able to put on BushCon for Queen's Birthday weekend - that is, if Raph and Yasmin are able to make it here. I hope they can. I love having visitors, and ficcer visitors in particular. :)

Besides, it's beautiful country here. I was riding home along the bike path beneath the Causeway (that's the single main road linking Albury and Wodonga across the Murray River), and there was the most glorious sky. The sort of sky that makes me wish I could paint or draw or something. There was a big sheet of dark cloud, almost dark purple, rolling in across the horizon - we're in for rain, by the looks - and behind it the sun was starting its initial setting, when it turns the sky pink and palest gold... There was something stirring about watching the sky across the paddocks and over the tops of the trees as I rode, the same sort of feeling I used to get, watching the sky in autumn from the top of the hill behind our old farm. The countryside looks so serene, cultivated and tame, but with the north wind picking up and these immense dark clouds racing across the sky, you can feel something wild, something ancient, in the soil beneath your feet. It's the kind of feeling I imagine the Aboriginals had about this area, before being dispossessed - of course, it wasn't cultivated then! - that sense of something much older adn more powerful than you, slumbering beneath your feet. You do well to remember that slumbering giants can be woken.

*grins* Now I'm getting all metaphysical on yo' asses. Let's just say it was a lovely evening to be out on the bike, even 'though I had to race the light as I'd left my lights at home. :P

Quiet day tomorrow, I hope. I'd like to get some housework done - the place is a mess, with BRM on his own for a week. Not to be sexist, but why is it evey household with a dominant male presence is invariably messy? And I'm talking things like piles of stuff everywhere and sticky patches on the kitchen tiles and pubes everywhere in the bathroom. Although to be fair, BRM did mop the floors after I showed him the socks I'd been wearing in the kitchen - totally black after one evening. Only problem was it was at 6am when he was depressed over Kate. *rolls eyes*

Think I'll pop into chat for a bit. I feel the need to Net. :)

Up past my bedtime.

Aren't I bad? *grins* NaughtyRossi.

Rang Yasmin earlier, to make sure she was doing okay after the Week From Hell. Still no news on her results, stupid bloody university bureaucrats. Hopefully I managed to cheer her up some - I hate it when my friends are feeling bad, especially when I can't turn up on their doorsteps with chocolate and hugs. :( Still, I'll try my best to lure her up here for BushCon; me, Raph and Yasmin, set loose on an unsuspecting rural Victoria! *giggles* Or rather, me set loose, the other two huddling in front of the heater complaining about the June country winter chill. ;)

Between us we came up with a bizarre, yet entirely feasible, Subreality fic idea. A sort of follow-up story to "Closet". *smothered laughter* I won't give away the secret yet, but it's extremely funny. Or at least we thought so. :)

Damn, I can't believe I'm still hungry. I've had various nibbly things tonight - BRM's out, and I didn't feel like the full meal thing - and I'm still hungry. At this rate I'm going to end up a complete barge arse. Stupid metabolism tell me what to do. (/Homer Simpson) Must be retaliation for missing lunch and not having a big dinner yesterday. :P

Lessee, what else? Ooh, that's right, I went to the comic shop for the first time today in Albury. No new Midnight Nation yet - too soon - but I found a nifty Hellblazer/Books of Magic crossover in the Vertigo back issue box. $10 for two comics, but that's about typical for here; our dollar sucks warm sick through a straw. The books are good, tho', and already giving me some ideas. I liked the idea of John locking up his childhood innocence in a box and burying it, and then Tim coming across it. Most intriguing... *shoos away multiplying plot bunnies* Hmm, better not put that Black Eyed Susans CD on for a while - it's guaranteed to spawn Hellblazer fic, and I still have things I want to finish first. Like that bloody Excalibur fic I was working on tonight. At least I've had another breakthrough in the plot - I was stuck for a while.

*cocks head* Sounds like BRM is home. So much for me not logging on again tonight. :P