Holidays Bizarro and I Think I'm Alone Now

So, I just have to say, it never feels like Christmas in Sydney. When I walk down the street in my tank top and shorts and see Christmas trees and sleighs and random reindeer signs and Santas, I feel like it's some warped joke. No offense, but it's kinda creepy. Don't get me wrong. I don't miss the freezing weather or the snow and shovelling and ice and all that, but I guess I need that stuff to get in a Christmas mood. And snow and icicles are nice to look at when you're safe and warm inside your centrally heated home, with a hot mug of cocoa and marshmallows. But then some bastard opens the back door and you feel that freezing draft and the momen is ruined, well, you know. ;-)

I would really really like to be going home for Christmas this year - after my Thanksgiving talk to my relatives, I'm missing them more now. Unfortunately I didn't find out until too late that my office is actually shutting down for two weeks, so technically I have enough time to jaunt home for Xmas. However, the chances of finding any flights that a) exist and b) won't set me back in debt for the rest of my life - are pretty miniscule.

Christmas in Oz has never been a very big deal because hey, it's warm and we can go to the beach, and I don't feel like I'm missing Christmas as much, because it doesn't actually FEEL like Christmas. I've always been lucky enough to have some 'orphaned' friends to spend it with. (i.e. friends who have no family in the country/state/Sydney.) But this year all my orphaned pals are going home to the U.K. or the U.S. or Melbourne or Brisbane, or anywhere but Sydney, so yes, this will be the first Christmas I've ever spent alone. Weird!

I would love to take a little holiday somewhere, because a) I could use a holiday and b) it would make me feel slightly less pathetic about spending Xmas alone. I guess it's a matter of being able to find un-booked flights that won't break my bank. If all else fails, I'm going to go to the beach and torture celebrating families with my albino white skin. ;-)

I'm having dinner now (butternut pumpkin soup with roasted capsicum - yum - okay, okay, I can hear my family/yankee pals gagging, but it's really good!) to prepare myself for the night of dancing that lies ahead.

We're going dancing at Caeser's which is this 'mixed' club that is friendly to everyone - straight/gay/whatever. On the one hand, it's nice to know that I can dance as much as I want and not one guy in the place will try to grab my butt, however, going to the ladies' room is always an adventure. I don't know if I blogged about this before, but last time I went, I got hit on every time I went to the loo.

My funniest trip to the bathroom had to be when I came out of the stall to wash my hands and there were a couple of fairly butch women blocking the hand dryer. I politely said, "Hi, um, excuse me, but could I please get to the hand dryer?" The biggest and butchest one looked me up and down, smiled and winked, and said, "Sure thing, sweetheart." Then she slammed her elbow into the dryer to turn it on for me. I jumped - I mean, that HAD to hurt. But she just grinned at me and said, "Yeah, they call me the Fonz!"

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I Think I'm Alone Now

Thank GOD!

I've had guests at my place (Butterfly Backpackers) for about the last 6 weeks. And now they're all gone! Yippeeeeeeeee! It's not that I didn't enjoy having people visit, but it is so nice to have my pad all to myself again. Last weekend was especially crazy. I had Lisa, Tim, and Josh crashing at my place. Just a tad insane!

So, rewind to last weekend. I spent Friday dancing at this place that Chad was DJ-ing at. Okay, Claudine is going to kill me, but I just have to tell this story, cause it still cracks me up. I got an e-mail from Claudine saying Chad was DJing at Starbucks on Friday. I was like, "Huh. Wow. For real? Like, as in THE Starbucks? As in' Dr.-Evil's-Secret-Lair-Can-You-Pass-Me-A-Frappuccino'
Starbucks?" I tried to imagine us drinking Frappuccinos and Mochaccinos and huge lattes, while getting our groove on on the dancefloor. Claudine wrote back and was like, "ooops, I meant Star Bar!" I was mildly disappointed. (Just kidding!)

Anyway, Lisa and I went dancing at Star Bar with Claud and her pals while Chad was Mr. DJ - it was a fun night and we met some interesting people that night.

Saturday was, of course, Homebake. It was madness. My phone was useless most of the day and I couldn't get in touch with Claudine until like 5pm. I kept randomly running into friends and then hanging with them and then losing them again. With 25,000 people, it's not difficult to lose people. Except people you want to lose. I found myself a Homebake stalker - some 40-something guy who kept finding me at different venues. What a tool! 25,000 people and this bastard manages to find me. I kept telling him about how I was supposed to catch up with my 'big beefy strong muscular (albeit non-existent) boyfriend but I think he was onto me. Or just didn't care.

But I did catch up with Miss Claud and Ben and it was so good to see them! We ran into Matt on the street after Homebake - how random! - and he invited us to go dancing, but our feet/backs were pissed off at us for standing/dancing for 12 hours! Plus, I had shoeprints on my legs from where people had stepped on me during the all-day/night music festival. Miraculously I had no bruises, just shoeprints! I know I'm little, but I take up matter and space too, people! ;-)

Anyhoo, the evening ended with deep conversations at Hyde Park until the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday we went out to celebrate Josh and Evan's birthdays. I was so tired I was just walking in slow motion. Was up until 5.30am Fri and Sat night, and I guess I'm OLD because my body now HATES me when I do this, when it used to just be mildly disapproving. ;-)

Anyhoo, enough babbling - guess I better find an outfit to dance in. I mean, I meet see The Fonz, after all. Hahahahaha!