Glad to see I'm not a lone wolf crying out into the night re: Splendour and their stupid ticket prices.
Below link resembles a lot of what I said in this post.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/music/why-arent-you-going-to-splendour-in-the-grass-20110727-1i01b.html
It was also anounced today (one day out) that Splendour are now offering two and one-day tickets for Saturday and Sunday.
Obviously still struggling to sell tickets. What a change from years past when it would sell out in a matter of a few hours.
Hopefully it'll cause a rethink for next year's event.
EDM.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A Travel Tale
I'm off to Melbourne this weekend. Hasn't quite hit me yet as I've been ill with the flu and busy at work. Just looked up the match day information for the Dees v Hawks game at the G though and can't believe I'll be there in a couple of days.
It's just the wife and I doing the trip. The little man's very kind grandparents will be looking after him so we'll be enjoying some extended 'husband and wife' time for the first time since....ummm...ahhh...since the son came on board I think. Wow. We are overdue then.
We did head to Melbourne last year for a holiday but the son enjoyed that ride as well then. Overall, the trip was great as we enjoyed some good weather in the various parks, cafes and zoos while also introducing the son to his first game at the G.
That trip will always be remembered, however, for the journey down. It was hell on earth and could easily be turned into a documentary on how not to organise yourselves, or on why you shouldn't travel with small children.
It began with the wife having a small traffic incident the week before we left. Not so much 'traffic' though. She ran into a stationary pole. The end result was that we had a rental car for the days leading up to the Melbourne trip which we'd arranged to dropoff at the airport before we left.
Our flight down was leaving at 10am from memory. We did wake early and get organised before throwing everything in the car and heading off. We thought we'd left enough time but low and behold, we struck traffic in the leadup to the Airport Link construction and moved about 200m in 15 minutes.
Once we cleared that traffic shortly after, we raced toward the car rental place and parked immediately while trying to get the attention of one of the attendants. One of them was dealing with another customer while another seemed to be checking his text messages on his mobile phone. While we waited, we unloaded the car and had everything sitting on the path, including our luggage and a baby car seat.
Finally, an attendant wandered over and did a rudimentary check of the vehicle before handing us a receipt. I was a little suspicious of his fuel calculation but with the flight due to leave in only 40 mins, I had to dismiss ideas of disputing it and took off for the terminal with all our luggage, and the wife carrying the son and the car seat.
Inside the terminal, we saw a massive queue snaking its way around the barriers. Our hearts sank but we joined the end of it before the wife headed off to try and take care of the car seat. For we had a plan for it. Having previously worked for the airline, the wife had a contact who said she'd be happy to mind the car seat in her office while we were away.
The son at this point decided he didn't want to just stand in line with me. With good reason I guess. Not exactly what a 15 month old finds fascinating. So he is taking off and running around willy-nilly. I'm trying to juggle him as well as the luggage, ducking under the barriers while also trying to make sure we keep moving along in the queue.
The wife returns looking a little flustered after struggling to find her old mate's office but has eventually managed to decamp it. Our rolled eyes meet as the son takes off again and she picks him up only to cop a stray elbow in the eye and her head rocks back accordingly. The son isn't happy about being constrained so lashes out and hits her in the side of the head. All of this in front of about 100 others lining up in the queue. Is this candid camera? Where are the cameras?
We eventually get to the end of the queue and manage to check-in with only minutes to spare as the flight is due to take-off in 20 minutes. I think the ground crew attendant took pity on us. We certainly would have made quite a sight in our stressed and confused states.
So then it was a mad dash to the Gate. And of course given the day we were having, it was the furthest Gate away. We ran like mad with the son in my arms and laughing manically thinking it was all a game. We arrived at the Gate just as they were announcing our names and within seconds we found ourselves on the plane and in our seats. Hallelujah. We'd made it.
You probably think the story ends there don't you? Well, it doesn't. But oh how I wish it did.
The son being so young meant he had to sit on my lap the whole two hours down to Melbourne. We'd also planned the flight time to coincide with his normal sleep routine so the thought was that he'd sleep a lot of the way.
Take-off was pretty good as he was fascinated by it all and was mesmerised as he looked out the window towards the ground below. Not long after though, all hell broke loose.
The son had only learnt to walk a couple of months before and was therefore enjoying, some would say revelling, in his new-found independence. He was not going to be happy then to just sit in my lap and stare out the window. He wanted to get up and about and wander and check everything out.
Alas, the food services and a bit of turbulence meant we had to stay seated pretty much the whole way. And the son wasn't a happy camper about that at all. For pretty much the two hours he screamed and squirmed in my arms trying to get away from me and utilise the two things extending from his hips, the newly discovered legs.
The noise was obviously bad but those around us were quite good as some of them gave us plenty of sympathetic looks. You could cetainly tell who were the parents and who weren't. But we felt bad nonetheless and wished we could be beamed up like Scotty right there and then.
So yeah, the screaming is taking its toll but the real issue, for me anyway, is the squirming and the pushing and the pulling. I'm not exactly a small man but even I was struggling to hold on to the son and keep him on my lap. My arms were fatigued and my back and neck muscles were in a constant contraction. In the rush to the plane, I also hadn't had an opportunity to take off my jumper so now I'm sweating like crazy with all the effort.
The wife did get a chance to take the son for a walk down the aisle after the second food service. Of course, he charmed everyone and no-one could probably believe that this was the same child. Big smile on his face the whole time and absolutely loving the attention.
But as the descent commenced, it was back in my arms and the seat belt on. And it was on again. Only worse after he'd managed to get that taste of freedom. The screaming was unbelieveable now and a couple of angry swipes took some skin off the tip of my nose. My neck was so tense trying to keep him still that I imagined I'd never be able to turn my head again.
This goes on non-stop for about 15 minutes. I look out the window and see that we can now make out cars on the roads so surely we'll be landed in a matter of minutes. The struggles from the son continue and I sense the wife is shedding a tear from the torment of it all. I can't reassure her though as I need every ounce of my being to control the son.
We can now see the airport out of the left window and all of sudden there's calmness in my arms. I look down at the son and he's fast asleep. Yep, after two hours of flying and within only 60 seconds of landing, he has finally passed out and his snoring a little. You've got to be joking? Even a couple in the row across are shaking their heads at the 'murphys law' of it all.
So we've landed now and it's time to get all our stuff and disembark. Not such an onerous task. Except for when you have a sleeping baby in your arms and your $hit scared about waking them. Alas, we managed to get out into the terminal and collect our luggage which included our pram. I carefully place the son into it and the wife and I look at each other in utter disbelief.
We decide it's best to try and let the son sleep for a while without disturbing him too much. But where can we just sit still for a while and wait? Ah yes, the bar. So we wheel the pram over to the airport bar and take a seat, completely beaten and demoralised. In the end, we just ordered coffees and stared at the wall in front of us. The horror, the horror.
The son eventually woke up and we proceeded to the taxi line. The driver then couldn't fit the pram in his car. What tha 'ell is going on? I then started rearranging everything, including the driver's seat, and finally I am able to fit the pram components across different parts of the car. The son's fully awake now and we're really afraid of the 20 minute trip into town as he'll have to sit on our laps once again.
Alas, he's pretty good and we make it to our hotel. We dump the luggage on the floor and fall on to the bed. It's been six hours since we left our house. It feels like a whole day has already past in that time.
But as I said earlier, the rest of the holiday was great from then on. We did rearrange our flights back for two hours after the son's normal sleep time and ran him around like crazy for that time to tire him out. He slept most of the way back then but we were on edge the whole time. With vivid memories of the hellish trip down still in my minds.
Now, I do recognise that plenty of friends and family have done much longer flights with kids than that. Across the Pacific. Across Asia. Across the Atlantic. But hey, this is my blog and I'm telling my story.
Just waiting now for the movie to come out. Toddlers On A Plane. Maybe it'll be shown during our flight down this time. Or maybe I'll just quietly read a book and contemplate how different this trip should be.
Surely it has to be. Oh please god, let it be.
EDM.
It's just the wife and I doing the trip. The little man's very kind grandparents will be looking after him so we'll be enjoying some extended 'husband and wife' time for the first time since....ummm...ahhh...since the son came on board I think. Wow. We are overdue then.
We did head to Melbourne last year for a holiday but the son enjoyed that ride as well then. Overall, the trip was great as we enjoyed some good weather in the various parks, cafes and zoos while also introducing the son to his first game at the G.
That trip will always be remembered, however, for the journey down. It was hell on earth and could easily be turned into a documentary on how not to organise yourselves, or on why you shouldn't travel with small children.
It began with the wife having a small traffic incident the week before we left. Not so much 'traffic' though. She ran into a stationary pole. The end result was that we had a rental car for the days leading up to the Melbourne trip which we'd arranged to dropoff at the airport before we left.
Our flight down was leaving at 10am from memory. We did wake early and get organised before throwing everything in the car and heading off. We thought we'd left enough time but low and behold, we struck traffic in the leadup to the Airport Link construction and moved about 200m in 15 minutes.
Once we cleared that traffic shortly after, we raced toward the car rental place and parked immediately while trying to get the attention of one of the attendants. One of them was dealing with another customer while another seemed to be checking his text messages on his mobile phone. While we waited, we unloaded the car and had everything sitting on the path, including our luggage and a baby car seat.
Finally, an attendant wandered over and did a rudimentary check of the vehicle before handing us a receipt. I was a little suspicious of his fuel calculation but with the flight due to leave in only 40 mins, I had to dismiss ideas of disputing it and took off for the terminal with all our luggage, and the wife carrying the son and the car seat.
Inside the terminal, we saw a massive queue snaking its way around the barriers. Our hearts sank but we joined the end of it before the wife headed off to try and take care of the car seat. For we had a plan for it. Having previously worked for the airline, the wife had a contact who said she'd be happy to mind the car seat in her office while we were away.
The son at this point decided he didn't want to just stand in line with me. With good reason I guess. Not exactly what a 15 month old finds fascinating. So he is taking off and running around willy-nilly. I'm trying to juggle him as well as the luggage, ducking under the barriers while also trying to make sure we keep moving along in the queue.
The wife returns looking a little flustered after struggling to find her old mate's office but has eventually managed to decamp it. Our rolled eyes meet as the son takes off again and she picks him up only to cop a stray elbow in the eye and her head rocks back accordingly. The son isn't happy about being constrained so lashes out and hits her in the side of the head. All of this in front of about 100 others lining up in the queue. Is this candid camera? Where are the cameras?
We eventually get to the end of the queue and manage to check-in with only minutes to spare as the flight is due to take-off in 20 minutes. I think the ground crew attendant took pity on us. We certainly would have made quite a sight in our stressed and confused states.
So then it was a mad dash to the Gate. And of course given the day we were having, it was the furthest Gate away. We ran like mad with the son in my arms and laughing manically thinking it was all a game. We arrived at the Gate just as they were announcing our names and within seconds we found ourselves on the plane and in our seats. Hallelujah. We'd made it.
You probably think the story ends there don't you? Well, it doesn't. But oh how I wish it did.
The son being so young meant he had to sit on my lap the whole two hours down to Melbourne. We'd also planned the flight time to coincide with his normal sleep routine so the thought was that he'd sleep a lot of the way.
Take-off was pretty good as he was fascinated by it all and was mesmerised as he looked out the window towards the ground below. Not long after though, all hell broke loose.
The son had only learnt to walk a couple of months before and was therefore enjoying, some would say revelling, in his new-found independence. He was not going to be happy then to just sit in my lap and stare out the window. He wanted to get up and about and wander and check everything out.
Alas, the food services and a bit of turbulence meant we had to stay seated pretty much the whole way. And the son wasn't a happy camper about that at all. For pretty much the two hours he screamed and squirmed in my arms trying to get away from me and utilise the two things extending from his hips, the newly discovered legs.
The noise was obviously bad but those around us were quite good as some of them gave us plenty of sympathetic looks. You could cetainly tell who were the parents and who weren't. But we felt bad nonetheless and wished we could be beamed up like Scotty right there and then.
So yeah, the screaming is taking its toll but the real issue, for me anyway, is the squirming and the pushing and the pulling. I'm not exactly a small man but even I was struggling to hold on to the son and keep him on my lap. My arms were fatigued and my back and neck muscles were in a constant contraction. In the rush to the plane, I also hadn't had an opportunity to take off my jumper so now I'm sweating like crazy with all the effort.
The wife did get a chance to take the son for a walk down the aisle after the second food service. Of course, he charmed everyone and no-one could probably believe that this was the same child. Big smile on his face the whole time and absolutely loving the attention.
But as the descent commenced, it was back in my arms and the seat belt on. And it was on again. Only worse after he'd managed to get that taste of freedom. The screaming was unbelieveable now and a couple of angry swipes took some skin off the tip of my nose. My neck was so tense trying to keep him still that I imagined I'd never be able to turn my head again.
This goes on non-stop for about 15 minutes. I look out the window and see that we can now make out cars on the roads so surely we'll be landed in a matter of minutes. The struggles from the son continue and I sense the wife is shedding a tear from the torment of it all. I can't reassure her though as I need every ounce of my being to control the son.
We can now see the airport out of the left window and all of sudden there's calmness in my arms. I look down at the son and he's fast asleep. Yep, after two hours of flying and within only 60 seconds of landing, he has finally passed out and his snoring a little. You've got to be joking? Even a couple in the row across are shaking their heads at the 'murphys law' of it all.
So we've landed now and it's time to get all our stuff and disembark. Not such an onerous task. Except for when you have a sleeping baby in your arms and your $hit scared about waking them. Alas, we managed to get out into the terminal and collect our luggage which included our pram. I carefully place the son into it and the wife and I look at each other in utter disbelief.
We decide it's best to try and let the son sleep for a while without disturbing him too much. But where can we just sit still for a while and wait? Ah yes, the bar. So we wheel the pram over to the airport bar and take a seat, completely beaten and demoralised. In the end, we just ordered coffees and stared at the wall in front of us. The horror, the horror.
The son eventually woke up and we proceeded to the taxi line. The driver then couldn't fit the pram in his car. What tha 'ell is going on? I then started rearranging everything, including the driver's seat, and finally I am able to fit the pram components across different parts of the car. The son's fully awake now and we're really afraid of the 20 minute trip into town as he'll have to sit on our laps once again.
Alas, he's pretty good and we make it to our hotel. We dump the luggage on the floor and fall on to the bed. It's been six hours since we left our house. It feels like a whole day has already past in that time.
But as I said earlier, the rest of the holiday was great from then on. We did rearrange our flights back for two hours after the son's normal sleep time and ran him around like crazy for that time to tire him out. He slept most of the way back then but we were on edge the whole time. With vivid memories of the hellish trip down still in my minds.
Now, I do recognise that plenty of friends and family have done much longer flights with kids than that. Across the Pacific. Across Asia. Across the Atlantic. But hey, this is my blog and I'm telling my story.
Just waiting now for the movie to come out. Toddlers On A Plane. Maybe it'll be shown during our flight down this time. Or maybe I'll just quietly read a book and contemplate how different this trip should be.
Surely it has to be. Oh please god, let it be.
EDM.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Top Australian Albums
Spent a bit of time last weekend listening to Triple J and their Top 100 Australian Albums countdown.
I was quite surprised by the amount of recent Albums (last 2-3 years) that made the cut. But really, I shouldn’t have been surprised at all. It is meant to be a ‘yoof’ radio station so there’s probably heaps of voters who hadn’t even heard of Hunters & Collectors and The Cruel Sea and the Hoodoo Gurus and the like.
(Wow. Feeling a bit old now after that statement. Thank god it’s ages to my next birthday)
Anyway, I was reasonably happy that at least the Top 10 did seem to reflect Australia’s music history and included some Albums from as far back as the 80s. The whole thing has inspired me though to do up a list of my own Top Australian Albums. The obvious criteria being that I own or have owned them at some time. So here it is, in no particular order.
INXS – Kick
A big part of my early teenage years when I was really ‘discovering’ music. Am always transported back to those days when I hear the distinctive first chords of “Never Tear Us Apart” and can’t help singing along involuntarily whenever I hear "Need You Tonight". This album is the reason INXS achieved global success and were able to fill Wembley and a like.
Powderfinger – Odyssey No. 5
This topped the Triple J list and with good reason. I’ve talked about it before in my Top 7 Albums of all time post so I won’t rehash it again but will say that it was there for me when I needed it the most. "Waiting for the Sun" is definitely "My Kind Of Scene".
Hunters & Collectors - Human Frailty
An album that I discovered a number of years after it was released. It then became the resident ‘tape’ in my stereo for months after. The Hunters certainly were an underrated band that was willing to go ‘big’ on sound and experiment with jazz-funk at a time when it was all haircuts and synthesised keyboards. The haunting "This Morning" being the standout track.
Crowded House – Together Alone
I’ve owned pretty much all of their albums with the first self-titled one a mainstay of my early teenage years. Alas, Together Alone is my favourite as my ‘ear’ matured and took to the more musically diverse sounds on this album. Tracks such as “Private Universe” and “Distant Sun” are my favourites with Distant Sun my all time favourite CH track.
Midnight Oil – Diesel & Dust
Ah, the memories...lying on my bed with this CD playing and reading the inner notes. This Oil’s album introduced me to all sorts of social justice issues and led me to believe that music does matter. It had such an impact on me that I even used a song from it as a poetry project at school. Not sure if my teacher ever caught on that it was a song instead of a poem. It was “Dead Heart” by the way.
The Cruel Sea – The Honeymoon Is Over
The honeymoon is over. No truer word had been spoke at the time. This album hit the airwaves in my final year of high school and was my Schoolies soundtrack after my girlfriend of the time cheated on me. I sang the title track with a fair bit of gusto for weeks after but also loved some of the instrumental tracks on the album which made me realise music doesn’t have to have a singer.
Hoodoo Gurus – Electric Soup
Not an Album per se as this was a compilation put out in 1992. Contains all my favourite Gurus tracks though and opened up a few others to me as well. “A Place in the Sun” is my all time HG track while “Death Defying” takes me back to staying up late and watching Rage into the early hours and thinking I was so grown up.
Cold Chisel – Circus Animals
Yeah, there might be some raised eyebrows over this one due to the fact a lot of Chisel has been hijacked by the bogan element. But there’s no denying that a lot of their songs, on pure song writing and lyrics, tell some powerful stories and should be seen in a better light by a lot of my contemporaries.
This album in particular resonates with me as they decided to stuff the industry expectations and experiment a bit more with their sound. Quite ironic then that this ended up being one of their more popular commercial albums. “Bow River” the standout for mine. One of my favourite songs of anyones.
So there you go. On reflection, I realise now that a lot of these are from my teenage days. Perhaps because Australian music was largely what was available at the time through commercial radio and co.
It’s probably not until my 20s that I gained ‘access’ to a lot of international acts through listening to Triple J and being opened up to more diverse music while at Uni. My Top 7 Albums of all time post certainly had an international bent to it so there’s a theory as to why this list is so 90s oriented anyway.
So are there any that I’ve missed? Any other suggestions from you lot?
EDM.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tim Tams Are Safe
This link is a nice summation of the carbon price announcement and the policy's impacts. Was amazed at the media attention given to it yesterday with most of the TV stations going live and then putting on special programs into the night. It is a big deal but can only assume it was a slow-news Sunday.
This article does have a left-lean in its analysis of Abbott so it might not comfort some readers. And if you don't believe in climate change at all, well, it defintely won't comfort you.
But it does provide the most relevant facts and figures I've seen which the MSM (main stream media) are failing to deliver. As always, they're preferring to concentrate solely on the politics rather than treat the policy on its merits (or non-merits).
In the end, you have to remember the whole point of a carbon price is to have an impact. You want to discourage a certain behaviour and encourage another. Yes, that means a shake-up for how we think about things but the article does show that the hyperbole about 'end of days' and alike is very over the top.
Don't take my word for it though. Have a read for yourself and make up your own mind.
EDM.
This article does have a left-lean in its analysis of Abbott so it might not comfort some readers. And if you don't believe in climate change at all, well, it defintely won't comfort you.
But it does provide the most relevant facts and figures I've seen which the MSM (main stream media) are failing to deliver. As always, they're preferring to concentrate solely on the politics rather than treat the policy on its merits (or non-merits).
In the end, you have to remember the whole point of a carbon price is to have an impact. You want to discourage a certain behaviour and encourage another. Yes, that means a shake-up for how we think about things but the article does show that the hyperbole about 'end of days' and alike is very over the top.
Don't take my word for it though. Have a read for yourself and make up your own mind.
EDM.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Executive Decision - Just Doing It
Well, the decision has been made. The course is being plotted. And the arrangements are being arranged. EDM and family are moving up the coast.
If you've been a regular reader of late you would have seen this post that provided plenty of clues. Actually, they weren't exactly clues. More like flashing neon lights with a massive arrow pointing to a sign saying "I think they might move up the coast".
Nonetheless, reading that post you can see clearly the thought process that has gone into this decision and all the contemplations and deliberations. It hasn't been an easy one though. So much to consider in looking to uproot your entire lives and try something different for a bit. Especially with the son in tow and the 'normal' family routines we have developed.
Alas, it came time to finally put up or shut up. Many of you would be familiar with our talk of 'doing it one day' so you were probably as sick of hearing it as we were of saying it. So yes it does seem like it was time to just give it a go. Especially in the ensuing years before the son starts school.
'The details', I hear you ask? Well, it's not a complete seachange as such. I will merely be taking extended leave at half-pay to allow for a 6 month summer jaunt at the beach. Means I'll be doing Daddy Daycare with the son while the wife takes on some part-time hours.
We'll also be renting our house out over that time as well. The plan is to return at the end of it all, but hey, who knows?
This way we still have the security of my permanent job if need be and we get to keep the house rather than trying to sell in this market. We'll still be mortgage slaves therefore but hopefully we can get someone else, the renters, to help with paying it off. On a small scale anyway. Depends largely on how 'beach shack' we allow ourselves to go up the coast.
So there you have it. We've been officially diagnosed with a bad case of seachangeitis and moving up seems like the only cure.
Looking mighty forward to our 'rehab' then. And sharing on this blog the future coastal exploits of Family EDM.
EDM.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Day In The Life Of A Political Staffer
6:55am: Alarm rings and I jump up and do 20 pushups and 50 situps. Got to stay fit with an election in the wings.
7:10am: Breakfast of black coffee and a grapefruit. Mens Health swears it'll drop the kilos in no time. Been having a lot of long lunches of late.
7:43am: Drive to office. I know the Minister asked that we travel by public transport to set an example, but hey, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
7:53am: Coro Drive backed up to the Regatta. Maybe the train would have been better. At least Campbell got rid of the bus lanes long ago so maybe I can sneak down the side.
7:56am: Pulled up by cop for reckless driving. Say to him "do you know who I work for?". He breath tests me as well. 0.03. Bit scary. Got to stop taking home beers from the office fridge.
8:18am: Arrive in office and say hi to Minister. She asks why I'm late. Think it best to not tell her about the cop. Tell her I had a breakfast meeting with a lobbyist. She gives me a wink.
8:31am: Scan the day's newspapers and see that the Minister isn't mentioned once. She won't be happy. Will give her yesterday's Media Monitors brief and hope she doesn't notice.
8:48am: Decide I need another coffee. Grab ******* and head for the lift. He waits for the door to close before telling me he's secretly seeing the receptionist. I realise this is important information. He's in the running for preselection. Plenty of people who may be interested down the track.
9:32am: Get back from coffee and take a call from the Premier's Chief of Staff. Apparently next week's Cabinet meeting will be held in the Premier's electorate and they need some good 'announceables'. I tell him it would have been nice to be told earlier. He replies it was announced six weeks ago.
9:33am: Put note in my iPhone to check Government media releases more diligently.
9:48am: Call DG to see if he knows of any 'announceables'. He says the **** Bridge is due to be opened that day. Brillant. Premier will get to wear a hardhat.
10:34am: Meeting with the Resources Council at their place. Even the toilet bowls are gold-plated. Note to self to take *** out for a few beers sometime and see if there might be a job for me if we lose the election.
10:59am: Interrupt meeting by claiming I need to take a call from the Minister. Step outside and talk loudly into the phone. Head back in after 5 mins and nod profusely so it looks like I know what they're talking about.
11:28am: Meeting concludes with me saying I'll talk to the Minister and get back to them. Pretty much how I end every meeting. Stick around though to chat with **** and see when he's available for a beer.
11:41am: Walk through mall on the way back to the office. Where did all these kids come from? Must be school holidays or something. Come up with an idea to amend the loitering legislation. That'll teach them.
11:46am: See ***** on George St and we decide to grab a coffee. I let him pay as he still owes me for leaking the Caucus vote numbers to The Courier Mail.
12:28pm: Get back to office and wonder where everyone is. Check the Minister's schedule and see that she's due to do an ABC radio interview at 12:30pm. No-one wants to be around when that blows up.
12:37pm: Minister calls me into her office. She's fuming after the ABC questioned her on a Budget announcement. "Why wasn't I told?" she yells. I placate her by saying it was the Premier's decision to include it. Minister will be too scared to raise it with the Premier.
12:38pm: Decide I better take a look at the Budget announcement. Seems like a pretty good idea.
12:58pm: Meet ***** down at Riverside and order a steak. Tell him I have to be back at the office by 3pm at the latest. He gives me a wink and laughs loudly.
1:13pm: First beer goes down nicely. Wish it wasn't a Monday.
1:41pm: Second beer even better. Especially as ***** then promises me corporate box tickets for the Lions on Saturday.
2:09pm: Why not? I'll have a third beer. ***** shouting so it would be rude not to.
2:29pm: Maybe another beer before I head back to the office. Ring office to say I'm stuck in a meeting. Apparently Minister is chasing me for a brief on the grants scheme. No worries. I'll whip something up on my iPhone.
2:53pm: Struggling to remember how many beers I've had. ***** swears its only two. Asks me about the grants scheme and whether they've been decided. I tell him they have but I can't give me any details. He orders me another beer.
3:18pm: Realise I've emailed the grants scheme brief to ***** by mistake! Shit. He receives the email at the table before looking up and giving me a wink. What is with all this winking today?
4:01pm: Get back to office and look up Code of Conduct for Ministerial Staff. Doesn't look good. Will need to have a chat with ***** on Saturday at the Lions.
4:18pm: Call Minister's driver to see where he's at. He says he waiting for the Minister down at the Executive Building. Joint media conference with the Deputy Premier. Hope she's getting through it OK. Media have really been hammering her on the boat ramp scandal. Just glad I shredded everything weeks ago.
4:33pm: Minister arrives back to the office. Always amazes me why she needs the driver for trips down to the Executive Building. It's an eight minute walk away. Ask her how the media conference went. She says she wishes she'd never heard of that 'farking boat ramp'.
4:56pm: Take a call from **** at The Courier Mail. We talk about the good old days at Uni for ages. Hard to believe it was only three years ago. He finally asks for a quote on the Opposition's call for the Minister to be sacked. I tell him the Minister knew nothing and she has no case to answer. Get a feeling he's winking on the other end of the phone.
5:13pm: Walk into *******'s office to see him clearing his desk of papers. Hot date tonight or are those the boat ramp papers, I ask him. He winks back.
5:23pm: Premier's Chief of Staff calls to ask about the 'announceables'. I tell him about the bridge opening but he's not happy. Premier won't do any more hardhat photo ops after the Chaser boys took the piss out of her. Say I will look at some other options and get back to him.
5:25pm: Call DG and see whether he knows of any other 'announceables'. He says he's got nothing as everything went out in the Budget. Shit. Will have to really think about this.
5:29pm: Log off and ring for a cab. Will keep the car downstairs overnight. Don't want that bastard from the Treasurer's Office taking my park tomorrow.
5:43pm: Email Department GM and tell him Minister has directed that the Chamber of Commerce receive $400,000 in funding. He asks what for. Tell him its confidential at the moment but to start making the arrangements.
5:45pm: Ring ****** at the Chamber of Commerce and ask whether they had anything that might cost $400,000. She replies they were thinking of doing a State of the State report and that sort of money would come in handy. As long as its only good news, I tell her. Brilliant. I have my 'announceable'.
5:56pm: This bloody traffic. Someone should do something about it! Then remember we kyboshed the Budget submission for two extra lanes on Coro Drive to help pay for the Minister's election contingency fund.
6:03pm: Cabbie starts raving about the Government and calls the Premier a this and that. He then asks where I work. I tell him I work for a charity.
6:16pm: Get home and have missed the 6 o'clock news so jump on the net. No stories about the boat ramp scandal or the Minister so am relieved. Shouldn't be getting a call from the Minister after a few too many G & T's tonight.
6:49pm: Minister calls after her first G & T. Says we need a strategy to divert attention away from the boat ramp scandal, particularly as it's an election year. I explain I've been doing my best and have a few 'announceables' in the wind. Don't have the heart to tell her they're for the Premier.
7:06pm: Jump into shower and get changed for tonight's 7:30pm Branch meeting. Haven't read the agenda so hoping it won't be too full-on and we can just head to the pub early. Might drive down anyway in case.
7:21pm: Realise the car is at the office. Shite! Will have to call a cab.
7:32pm. Still waiting for the cab. Getting nervous as *****, the Branch Secretary is a real stickler for punctuality and is always putting me down as absent if I'm late.
7:41pm: Cab finally arrives and I jump in to find its the same cabbie as earlier. "Ahhh", he says, "what charity was it you said you work for?" I mumble something about for the protection of dodo birds and put in my earphones. It's got some truth to it.
7:45pm: Arrive at meeting and get obligatory 'eye raise' from the Secretary. She's still smarting over the fall of the Soviet Union so there's no making some people happy.
7:52pm: Quickly realise the main agenda item is to 'condemn the current Government for its rejection of workers' values and for its decision to sell some of the State's most important and iconic assets'. Shit! Why didn't anyone warn me?
8:09pm: All the oldies are jumping up and telling stories from the old days. If I hear "back in my day" one more time I'm going to spew. Lots of references to Bjelke someone and Gough someone. Do a search on my iPhone to see what the hell they're talking about.
8:13pm: Though as much. Couple of fossils from a bygone age.
8:19pm: **** walks over and whispers into my ear that we have to try and do something. It'll be all over the press tomorrow if one of the Government's own Party Branches is condemning it. I tell her I have an idea and give her a wink. I'll call in a bomb threat. She looks at me strange and walks away for some reason.
8:27pm: I get up and argue against the motion. Talk of how it will do damage to the Government and we can't be frustrating the hopes for re-election. I really put it on the line and actually start getting emotional. Had no idea I had that in me.
8:31pm: We break for refreshments and I head straight for ********'s cheesecake. Always makes these meetings bearable.
8:34pm: I pull the Branch President aside and tell him head office won't be pleased and that the faceless men will become very well-known to him if the motion gets up. He says he knows and that he tried to dismiss the motion when it was first moved but they were one vote short. Bloody late cabbie driver.
8:49pm: Debate resumes and I start texting a few of the heavies in the head office with an update. Replies come in thick and fast and I have to excuse myself to go outside. Grab some more cheesecake on the way.
8:54pm: Standing outside when a station wagon pulls up and eight people get out. They walk straight in and take a seat at the back. I recognise a few of them from Young Labor and they all give me a wink.
9:09pm: Time for the vote on the motion. Dismissed by six votes. Thank god.
9:28pm: Meeting wraps up after some boring stuff about booth assignments for election day. Fark that. I'll be at the Convention Centre in the tally room.
9:48pm: Finally at the pub with **** and ***. We strike a toast to the 'workers paradise' before *** asks me who Bjelke was. I tell him he was an old Premier that didn't have much of a need for Party Branches and their opinions. We all laugh and agree it would be great if that still was the case. Winks all round!
11:56pm: Stumble home and fall into bed before midnight. Pretty good for a Monday night.
* names have been hidden to protect the guilty
7:10am: Breakfast of black coffee and a grapefruit. Mens Health swears it'll drop the kilos in no time. Been having a lot of long lunches of late.
7:43am: Drive to office. I know the Minister asked that we travel by public transport to set an example, but hey, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
7:53am: Coro Drive backed up to the Regatta. Maybe the train would have been better. At least Campbell got rid of the bus lanes long ago so maybe I can sneak down the side.
7:56am: Pulled up by cop for reckless driving. Say to him "do you know who I work for?". He breath tests me as well. 0.03. Bit scary. Got to stop taking home beers from the office fridge.
8:18am: Arrive in office and say hi to Minister. She asks why I'm late. Think it best to not tell her about the cop. Tell her I had a breakfast meeting with a lobbyist. She gives me a wink.
8:31am: Scan the day's newspapers and see that the Minister isn't mentioned once. She won't be happy. Will give her yesterday's Media Monitors brief and hope she doesn't notice.
8:48am: Decide I need another coffee. Grab ******* and head for the lift. He waits for the door to close before telling me he's secretly seeing the receptionist. I realise this is important information. He's in the running for preselection. Plenty of people who may be interested down the track.
9:32am: Get back from coffee and take a call from the Premier's Chief of Staff. Apparently next week's Cabinet meeting will be held in the Premier's electorate and they need some good 'announceables'. I tell him it would have been nice to be told earlier. He replies it was announced six weeks ago.
9:33am: Put note in my iPhone to check Government media releases more diligently.
9:48am: Call DG to see if he knows of any 'announceables'. He says the **** Bridge is due to be opened that day. Brillant. Premier will get to wear a hardhat.
10:34am: Meeting with the Resources Council at their place. Even the toilet bowls are gold-plated. Note to self to take *** out for a few beers sometime and see if there might be a job for me if we lose the election.
10:59am: Interrupt meeting by claiming I need to take a call from the Minister. Step outside and talk loudly into the phone. Head back in after 5 mins and nod profusely so it looks like I know what they're talking about.
11:28am: Meeting concludes with me saying I'll talk to the Minister and get back to them. Pretty much how I end every meeting. Stick around though to chat with **** and see when he's available for a beer.
11:41am: Walk through mall on the way back to the office. Where did all these kids come from? Must be school holidays or something. Come up with an idea to amend the loitering legislation. That'll teach them.
11:46am: See ***** on George St and we decide to grab a coffee. I let him pay as he still owes me for leaking the Caucus vote numbers to The Courier Mail.
12:28pm: Get back to office and wonder where everyone is. Check the Minister's schedule and see that she's due to do an ABC radio interview at 12:30pm. No-one wants to be around when that blows up.
12:37pm: Minister calls me into her office. She's fuming after the ABC questioned her on a Budget announcement. "Why wasn't I told?" she yells. I placate her by saying it was the Premier's decision to include it. Minister will be too scared to raise it with the Premier.
12:38pm: Decide I better take a look at the Budget announcement. Seems like a pretty good idea.
12:58pm: Meet ***** down at Riverside and order a steak. Tell him I have to be back at the office by 3pm at the latest. He gives me a wink and laughs loudly.
1:13pm: First beer goes down nicely. Wish it wasn't a Monday.
1:41pm: Second beer even better. Especially as ***** then promises me corporate box tickets for the Lions on Saturday.
2:09pm: Why not? I'll have a third beer. ***** shouting so it would be rude not to.
2:29pm: Maybe another beer before I head back to the office. Ring office to say I'm stuck in a meeting. Apparently Minister is chasing me for a brief on the grants scheme. No worries. I'll whip something up on my iPhone.
2:53pm: Struggling to remember how many beers I've had. ***** swears its only two. Asks me about the grants scheme and whether they've been decided. I tell him they have but I can't give me any details. He orders me another beer.
3:18pm: Realise I've emailed the grants scheme brief to ***** by mistake! Shit. He receives the email at the table before looking up and giving me a wink. What is with all this winking today?
4:01pm: Get back to office and look up Code of Conduct for Ministerial Staff. Doesn't look good. Will need to have a chat with ***** on Saturday at the Lions.
4:18pm: Call Minister's driver to see where he's at. He says he waiting for the Minister down at the Executive Building. Joint media conference with the Deputy Premier. Hope she's getting through it OK. Media have really been hammering her on the boat ramp scandal. Just glad I shredded everything weeks ago.
4:33pm: Minister arrives back to the office. Always amazes me why she needs the driver for trips down to the Executive Building. It's an eight minute walk away. Ask her how the media conference went. She says she wishes she'd never heard of that 'farking boat ramp'.
4:56pm: Take a call from **** at The Courier Mail. We talk about the good old days at Uni for ages. Hard to believe it was only three years ago. He finally asks for a quote on the Opposition's call for the Minister to be sacked. I tell him the Minister knew nothing and she has no case to answer. Get a feeling he's winking on the other end of the phone.
5:13pm: Walk into *******'s office to see him clearing his desk of papers. Hot date tonight or are those the boat ramp papers, I ask him. He winks back.
5:23pm: Premier's Chief of Staff calls to ask about the 'announceables'. I tell him about the bridge opening but he's not happy. Premier won't do any more hardhat photo ops after the Chaser boys took the piss out of her. Say I will look at some other options and get back to him.
5:25pm: Call DG and see whether he knows of any other 'announceables'. He says he's got nothing as everything went out in the Budget. Shit. Will have to really think about this.
5:29pm: Log off and ring for a cab. Will keep the car downstairs overnight. Don't want that bastard from the Treasurer's Office taking my park tomorrow.
5:43pm: Email Department GM and tell him Minister has directed that the Chamber of Commerce receive $400,000 in funding. He asks what for. Tell him its confidential at the moment but to start making the arrangements.
5:45pm: Ring ****** at the Chamber of Commerce and ask whether they had anything that might cost $400,000. She replies they were thinking of doing a State of the State report and that sort of money would come in handy. As long as its only good news, I tell her. Brilliant. I have my 'announceable'.
5:56pm: This bloody traffic. Someone should do something about it! Then remember we kyboshed the Budget submission for two extra lanes on Coro Drive to help pay for the Minister's election contingency fund.
6:03pm: Cabbie starts raving about the Government and calls the Premier a this and that. He then asks where I work. I tell him I work for a charity.
6:16pm: Get home and have missed the 6 o'clock news so jump on the net. No stories about the boat ramp scandal or the Minister so am relieved. Shouldn't be getting a call from the Minister after a few too many G & T's tonight.
6:49pm: Minister calls after her first G & T. Says we need a strategy to divert attention away from the boat ramp scandal, particularly as it's an election year. I explain I've been doing my best and have a few 'announceables' in the wind. Don't have the heart to tell her they're for the Premier.
7:06pm: Jump into shower and get changed for tonight's 7:30pm Branch meeting. Haven't read the agenda so hoping it won't be too full-on and we can just head to the pub early. Might drive down anyway in case.
7:21pm: Realise the car is at the office. Shite! Will have to call a cab.
7:32pm. Still waiting for the cab. Getting nervous as *****, the Branch Secretary is a real stickler for punctuality and is always putting me down as absent if I'm late.
7:41pm: Cab finally arrives and I jump in to find its the same cabbie as earlier. "Ahhh", he says, "what charity was it you said you work for?" I mumble something about for the protection of dodo birds and put in my earphones. It's got some truth to it.
7:45pm: Arrive at meeting and get obligatory 'eye raise' from the Secretary. She's still smarting over the fall of the Soviet Union so there's no making some people happy.
7:52pm: Quickly realise the main agenda item is to 'condemn the current Government for its rejection of workers' values and for its decision to sell some of the State's most important and iconic assets'. Shit! Why didn't anyone warn me?
8:09pm: All the oldies are jumping up and telling stories from the old days. If I hear "back in my day" one more time I'm going to spew. Lots of references to Bjelke someone and Gough someone. Do a search on my iPhone to see what the hell they're talking about.
8:13pm: Though as much. Couple of fossils from a bygone age.
8:19pm: **** walks over and whispers into my ear that we have to try and do something. It'll be all over the press tomorrow if one of the Government's own Party Branches is condemning it. I tell her I have an idea and give her a wink. I'll call in a bomb threat. She looks at me strange and walks away for some reason.
8:27pm: I get up and argue against the motion. Talk of how it will do damage to the Government and we can't be frustrating the hopes for re-election. I really put it on the line and actually start getting emotional. Had no idea I had that in me.
8:31pm: We break for refreshments and I head straight for ********'s cheesecake. Always makes these meetings bearable.
8:34pm: I pull the Branch President aside and tell him head office won't be pleased and that the faceless men will become very well-known to him if the motion gets up. He says he knows and that he tried to dismiss the motion when it was first moved but they were one vote short. Bloody late cabbie driver.
8:49pm: Debate resumes and I start texting a few of the heavies in the head office with an update. Replies come in thick and fast and I have to excuse myself to go outside. Grab some more cheesecake on the way.
8:54pm: Standing outside when a station wagon pulls up and eight people get out. They walk straight in and take a seat at the back. I recognise a few of them from Young Labor and they all give me a wink.
9:09pm: Time for the vote on the motion. Dismissed by six votes. Thank god.
9:28pm: Meeting wraps up after some boring stuff about booth assignments for election day. Fark that. I'll be at the Convention Centre in the tally room.
9:48pm: Finally at the pub with **** and ***. We strike a toast to the 'workers paradise' before *** asks me who Bjelke was. I tell him he was an old Premier that didn't have much of a need for Party Branches and their opinions. We all laugh and agree it would be great if that still was the case. Winks all round!
11:56pm: Stumble home and fall into bed before midnight. Pretty good for a Monday night.
* names have been hidden to protect the guilty
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