With a little help from my friends

After writing, I have returned to the top to add this warning: This whole post has pretty much been devoted to my cyber life – just warning you!

I think I need to dedicate this entry to all the lovely people who have made my day today so much nicer. I came in to work this morning pretty tired (insomnia strikes again!) and somewhat grumpy (caffeine hadn’t hit the system yet) and really not looking forward to the morning. Then so many wonderful people have just chimed in through the day (all electronically!) to make it so much better.


The first was when my friend Tristan had written an absolutely massive email chock full of information to help my sister, who he has never met, with one of her university assignments (sorry Alex – should have warned you that he is famous for ridiculously long emails!) I was sitting there thinking how nice that was and how lucky I am to have such nice friends. Then I get an email from Lui in America, who writes (and I am paraphrasing as I can’t be bothered going to get the original) “I am burning S2 as I type”. That’s right – Season Two and Season Three of La Femme Nikita DVDs (did you guys think I had gotten over that obsession – nowhere near, I’m afraid, but after buying Season One on sale at Amazon, I haven’t been able to afford the others) will be in my hot little hands very very soon. Lui has a friend who is coming back to Manila bearing goods next Tuesday…*cue very happy dance*. Of course, should any law enforcement officials be reading this (Jacqui – do you count?!?!), I do fully intend, at some stage, to buy the proper DVDs complete with little booklets and extra piccies of Michael! But for now, I cannot wait to watch the gag reels and outtakes that I have been hearing so much about since the DVDs came out and, (it feels like) everyone but me has seen them!! Lui is also going to be sending me episodes from Season Five of 24 as soon as they air in America – so I can start watching from late January next year – cannot wait. This is my hardest break so far – probably because I loved Season Four so much and am desperately worried that they are going to do terrible things to my fave characters next season.

Speaking of 24 – I bought Season Four from the charming pirates near my workplace (I still get the occasional twinges of guilt about buying pirated DVDs, but literally everybody here does it, including my Christian co-workers. I know that is absolutely no excuse – one of my colleagues in whom I confided my moral dilemma suggested I have a ceremonial bonfire before I leave and burn all the DVDs – still pondering that one) and the best way to watch that show is definitely with all episodes in your hand, so you can watch on demand. Poor Ange had to endure the sounds of shooting and Jack Bauer’s angst for a few solid weeks before I got through it all (there was about a week’s break at the three-quarter point when I became annoyed with the inevitable silliness) and I have loved not having to wait a week, or sometimes even a minute, to see how the cliffhanger’s are resolved (would sometimes finish and episode and watch the first five minute of the next one, just to see how they would resolve it before going to bed – I know, I’m completely tragic). Anyway – in my opinion, probably the best thing about watching 24 (and Lost as well) is the recaps about them at Television Without Pity. I need to figure out how to put a link in there to show you all the brilliance. Basically, it is a website that does snarky recaps of TV shows and is absolutely hilarious. So today at lunchtime, I sat at my desk and read through the final episode recap for 24 (cue usual hilarity) and then noticed that the screamingly funny guy who writes them has a blog! And that was it for me – I was lost (hee – geddit – Lost…oh nevermind. I crack myself up at least!). Have bookmarked it for future reference, but that was another delight. Just for laughs, this is how he describes the point:

I'm here because while there's no shortage of people hurling their least significant thoughts and feelings up on the Internet, none of those people are me. I'm here because I've got nothing to say, and by God I'm going to say it.


Then, I get an email from Diane with anther ten chapters of her story to beta read! So; fun reading over the weekend. And something else nice happened as well, but can’t remember what. I also got a few really lovely emails from the four corners of the globe that just made me reflect again on what lovely friends I have and how lucky I am.

Enough with the gushing!


Tomorrow is the Australian Rules Football Grand Final and due to Essendon’s season-to-forget, I, (again!) have no personal investment in it, although the West Coast Eagles are in it, so I think I will be barracking for them. We are going, for some reason, to a bar called The Danish Connection to watch it (think the venue where some of the AYAD’s watched a semi-final last week, “The Swagman Hotel” was probably more appropriate!) which will be fun. It is Sally’s (one of the AYADs) birthday so we will, after the game (for her birthday, she will be going to watch her very first game of Aussie Rules, being a rabid Rugby girl) be going out to celebrate that. I must confess, I am very tired (had another bad cold this week) and would probably like to be staying in tonight and tomorrow night, and basically all weekend, but that is unlikely to happen! Anyway – I am looking forward to the footy…shall be fun.

Okay – will try not to ramble on too much – more next week

P.S. - did you notice that I have learned how to link in this post, so there's a bit of an abundance! If only I could figure out how to get smilies into it!