Hoping for heaven in 2007 ...

It's been that sort of year. I'm not going to talk about the season that was meant to be. As for Saturday's game, well, you can just read about it. I will say, however, that I had a good day, travelling down the freeway - I'm like so Melbourne now - with The J-Man from an earlier post. He's the one holding the sign that says "Ball" in this picture if you didn't guess. Before the match, we had fish and chips before watching the game from the seats normally occupied by Poppa Blog and myself. P-Blog, as he likes to be known, missed his first game at K-Park for the year and the other season seat holders were probably wondering what the hell I was doing inviting an opposition supporter along. Especially in the first half.











Indeed, it was a game of two halves. Melbourne had demonised Geelong, but then we moved up to the terraces at the main break and everything changed. The J-Man caught up with his family and I saw The Real K-Lenko (pictured with JB, above right) and his girl. All that was sour turned sweet. Steve Johnson was sublime and Nathan Ablett showed his potential. Even Tom Lonergan found form until he got crunched, later losing his kidney and put into a coma. Geelong's season, which had been on life-support for much of the year, was also over when the siren sounded. The draw with the Demons (pictured so eloquently by yours truly, above left) put paid to a promising season. Time of death? 4.45pm.

With this posting and that season in the books, here are some other sweeping dispatches: I'm trying to put the best tracks from Death Cab For Cutie on one CD. Any suggestions? On the topic of music, the sampler CD of great tracks proposed in the last post is neatly coming along and I've even changed The Song Of The Moment ... My Carlton North Experience is also going well, although I'm spending money like it's going out of fashion on you know what. I'm worried that my weight will soon balloon like Shawn Kemp so it's back to the binge drinker's diet of rocket salad this week for me. On a serious note, this is my fourth day without a drop of the precious amber fluid after a huge week. So what happened? Wednesday - Tapas and countless beers with Geezer. Bedtime: 1.30am ... Thursday - Dinner and drinks with my law-abiding colleagues here at the esteemed broadsheet. Bedtime: 2.15am ... Friday - Geezer put on one of his illustrious yet infamous dinner parties right next door in North Fitzroy where he invited people who basically didn't know each other and a great time was had. Bedtime: 3.15am ... Saturday - Footy then "a corporate box" at The Arena to watch the Geelong Supercats beat the Canberra Gunners in a grand final of some description. Beers consumed and spirits smuggled in (juvenile, I know) before heading out in G-Town. Geezer just happened to be there. Bedtime: 3.15am ... Sunday - Recovery, but not before I returned to Melbourne with Geezer and his rugby-playing, beer-swilling cohorts.

I know, there are some general themes developing.

You can find me at the crib. Your crib ...

Life out of a suitcase continues for yours truly after handing over the keys to the Murfuoso Mansion in Melbourne earlier this week and going north like 22 Jacks. His good mate from school, pictured here with JB on the night that five young lads had beers with Molly Meldrum and lived to tell the tale, picks up the slack from here out.

So after 10 days living it up like Ja Rule, I drove the Gilbomobile, which is more Ford Falcon station wagon than Goggomobile, to Carlton North where I'm a hop, skip and a jump from the number 96 tram on Nicholson Street. Houston, Texas - currently somewhere in Europe with his French lass - left a note to the Big Fella (that would be me) and a couple of momentos of his humour. The next six weeks will be fun, starting tonight with Geezer where tapas and hopefully some Spanish beer is on the menu.

It's also been a barrel of laughs catching up with Cousin Slugg, who heads back to London town at the end of the week. The old 403 crew (JB, the District Attorney - out of chambers - and Cousin Slugg) caught up for a few beers and pizza. Much delight basking in the glow of yesteryear in South Melbourne was had. Safe travels Slugg and catch you on the flipside.










And a week after The Other KL (who makes her pictorial debut on this here blog) and I decided to hang ourselves with my Geelong scarf after an insipid performance against St Kilda at Telstra Dome, the self-proclaimed Slugger and JB saw the Cats beat Sydney at KP last Saturday. There were jubilant scenes, but it's still a case of season over rover. Too little, too late.

The electorate demanded answers ...

Something new? Having too much fun? I don't know. I'm finding it's hard to write without using pictures from current events and having to work for a living, while many people I know are globetrotting around the world, despite terrorism showing its ugly face again. So to illustrate this dispatch, I'm using some images I secured from Cousin Slugg who's in town for a couple of weeks. The pictures are from the missing disc of cruising around America's west coast. Thumbs up to that, because like Nevada, JB has vision, all 28 years of it!

So what's been happening?

I had a major win last week, getting two stories about visiting various baseball stadiums published in the esteemed broadsheet. There is a main piece of about 1500 words and a breakout of around 250 words. It was such a huge thrill and - combined with my name in big, bold letters - I also got a picture byline for the first time. Maybe I could become a full-time travel writer, jaunting off to various parts of the planet and get paid! I'm going to try and recall a few stories from last year's adventures and see how it goes.

I just got my hair cut today - look out ladies - and I'm about to hit up the gym before heading to Melbourne for the first of my two housesitting gigs. It's one year ago today (August 12) since Rivjuando and Soule Sista got married and I'm looking after Murfuoso's awesome apartment as he's getting hitched on Wednesday to The Jeweller in Central Park, New York. Congratulations to both couples for these important milestones.

Then I'm housesitting for Houston, Texas in Carlton North, Victoria from next Sunday. It gives me a chance to immerse myself in Melbourne culture and escape Sleepy Hollow for a while. Geelong, the football team, continues to deflate and disappoint, but like many of the baseball fans I wrote about last week, I still go back for more. Tomorrow, a group of like-minded Geelong supporters - there may also be a Sainter in the mix - will go to Telstra Dome, which might provide some picture opportunities at least. It could also be the end of the season as I know it.

Other general musings: I filled up the work car (not the hire car, as pictured) with unleaded today at $1.38.9 per litre. Multiply that figure by 71 litres (I'm surprised I didn't have to flag down passing motorists a la Gary Ablett Junior a few weeks back) and you have a hell of a lot of money. Glad it wasn't me paying ... I'm really loving the new Billy Talent CD. Unfortunate title (Billy Talent II, which followed their debut CD, titled Billy Talent, duh) but a great sound ... On the topic of music, I'm thinking of making a mixtape, like Rivjuando and I did back in the day, and calling it Blog It: Songs Of The Moment, Volume 1. It will be a classic ... My diet has gone south and subsequently my weight is travelling to the northern reaches. Hence the gym, although my membership there runs out on Monday ... Work is going pretty well at the moment, I seemingly have a bit of direction, until February at least. I hope it won't take me that long to update my blog. But until next time ...

Sadly, Macca's doesn't sell Melbourne Bitter, even at 2am ...

I couldn't milk the Death Cab For Cutie picture any longer, so here I am early last Friday morning with my main man, Ronald McDonald. Thanks to AP for eating all my French fries and sending me this picture from her mobile phone.

To quote Custard, I used to think we had the technology. Well, now we do!

It was the beginning of a long and eventful weekend which included:

1. Going to the Northcote Social Club - again - on Thursday night for Emma Heeney's album launch. A superb night where I was joined by The Truth and later AP, who was good enough to let me crash in the 'Borough.
2. Good company and good beers on Friday and then having to catch the last train home to Sleepy Hollow.
3. The Truth's Unofficial Bucks Party on Saturday, which included beers at Molly Meldrum's house. And yes, Molly was there.
4. The return of Cousin Slugg and celebrating his visit with pizza at Armando's and a few ales.

The only bad part of the weekend was it had to end and the fact Geelong's season is now all but over, losing to the Kangaroos in Canberra by five goals. At least I can take solace in some amber fluid with Ronnie Mac. Stay tuned and I'll flesh this out with some more pictures and some insightful commentary. The only question is whether this beats my awesome weekend last month.