The music filled the air and the smell of barbecues lit and cooking wafted over the fences and into the backyards of many houses around the streets of Australia.

Meanwhile in other countries, bombs and guns are cutting short thousands of lives who will never see 2006.

Despite everything bad in the world, Australia maintains it’s custom of “she’ll be right mate” each new year. We should perhaps start taking a time out on the final day of each year and remembering those who didn’t make it, and praying for those who may not make it through the next year.

I hope everyone has a great 2006. I plan to.

I should mention that not only have I cleaned out the blogroll, I’ve added some new people to my blogroll, I have also done a stack of housework in preparation for that house inspection, which I want moved. Some blog links were pilfered from Steph and others I found when wandering around the blogiverse. I removed a couple of retired blogs aswell. Almost like a new year’s thing.

I cleaned out the office, removed all the boxes from the house from various trips to shops for heaters, kettles, cooking appliances and packages from MM over the last 9 months and dragged them all outside and stood on the boxes breaking them up and looking like a dickhead for the new neighbour that lives underneath my flat. He must be about 10, he looks it anyways. I ensured that the recyclables were in the right bins and that the balcony was swept. I need to clean the windows so I’ll do that tomorrow. I might vacuum tomorrow too.

I’m going to drink some bourbon and dry tonight, listen to Moby and chill out for the evening.

I had the day off today, so instead of being a good girl and making an appointment to go see the Dentist, I went shopping instead.

I returned some capri pants, I didn’t like them and thank goodness I had left the tags on. However, no receipt, so I couldn’t exchange it with something of equivalent value, i had to exchange it with it’s sale value. No worries! I found a great fitted denim black jacket for 13.95, marked down from $70 AND a blue and green knit jumper for 13.95, marked down from $50!! Fantastic stuff!

Then! I made my way to target, got credit put back on my CC, due to being overcharged for a knit cardigan 2 weeks ago, and went across to Myer with my $100 voucher and started searching for a coffee machine. However I am a coffee snob. I couldn’t look at anything less than $170, so I decided to wait for a better sale. I found a pair of hushpuppy shoes for $70 and purchased 2 innoxa products @ 20% off the marked price.

I was very happy with my purchases, I look good!

I also got a hand delivered rent inspection notice in the mail this week, so I spoke to the agents in their office, and the girl looking after me isn’t back from annual leave until next week. That’s when my inspection is. So I told the lady I spoke to I would email my agent, and advise her of the hand delivered rent inspection notice (dated 12/12/05, inspection date 06/01/06) and asked her to move it to Monday, 09/01/06.

ALSO last week, I forgot to say there was a domestic at one of the units, people screaming, doors banging and then you heard the crash of plate glass as a few windows got broken, more screaming, thumping of feet running across the balcony’s and down the stairwell. Then 2 carloads of cops came dressed up in their blue jumpsuit stuff searching for some bleeding man, whilst I saw 3 men walk upstairs, one of them carrying a baseball bat!

cool stuff! next time I might take photo’s

Well for me Christmas ended when I had to go to work yesterday and sit in the call centre waiting for people to call. I am taking in more books and a jumper. It was so cold! At least it’s still a public holiday, so I’ll be sitting again on my butt waiting for those calls. I don’t have any work to do as I finished it all last week. YAY. I was unable to shift swap at work so will need to have a late dinner with friends tomorrow night, so I’ll have to email them today to start getting it organised.

OK now to get to the meat of the post.

What did people get for Christmas?

I got 2 blue pots for plants, from my sister. Very nice.
I got her a vacuum cleaner and 4 candystriped Maxwell and William Mugs.

Mum and dad got me a leather travel document holder, a money belt and a travelling book light for those nights I’ll be reading in the dark.
I got mum a 10 Tenors CD, and dad a portable camera tripod.

I got X 30 DVD-R’s for him to do some burning
My mum’s nextdoor neighbour got me some chocolate.. mmm

So not a huge amount, but then my parents did help me get set up again after I moved out of home and got me a fridge and washing machine.

The point for me this Christmas was spending it with my sister and parents. Lunch would have been nice, except mum cooked pork *gag* which I had 1 slice. I had about 4 slices of ham. No chicken or turkey this year. Dad wants to get out of the habit due to birdflu scare and too many hormones in chicken these days. A little paranoid yes, but also he hates turkey as it’s too dry.

I might pick up some turkey if there’s any on Friday and make a turkey curry. I got a few christmas cards this year, one unexpected one and the rest were just as nice. New Years I won’t be celebrating due to needing to work on New Years Day. Can’t wait for that one.

I had mixed feelings earlier in the day when I had to go get a package from X’s house for my dad, and X crapped on about his mother. He didn’t wish me merry christmas and I got him a card, which I discovered was totally the wrong card for him, and had to ring him later to apologise over. He was telling me his mother doesn’t want him to tell his family about his news etc, she just wants one last normal christmas apparently. He bemoaned his lack of funds, a whole pile of things and I sat there and knew that this is probably the last Christmas I’ll see X.

I couldn’t get out of the house fast enough, and cried as I waited for the gate to the complex open. I drove down to the local park and cried for another 10 minutes. Not sure what I was crying about, but it’s the end of a few things for me.

I got home and put on a CD I got, the 10 tenors and got mum a copy aswell. I cleaned the house, prepared dinner finally getting excited and happy about my first Christmas alone. I got out some Wild turkey, ice and dry ginger ale and had dinner ready and went and spoke to a friend of mine, who wasn’t enthused or happy. Ranted about the commercialism, and I pointed out the reasons why I was happy to have Christmas this year (all about friends and family), and I had been looking forward to talking to him, and some other friends. A little crushed after that chat. I spoke to another close friend as she’s going off to Adelaide to see family, and she’s happy and excited.

So on a weird christmas eve night, I wish everyone happy holidays, whatever your denomination.

I got a hefty pay packet and nearly died when I saw the tax. My HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) was $100 this fortnight. Jesus!

Work is advertising employee assistance scheme.. might go to that, see how I feel in the new year.

I have moved teams at work aswell. Great opportunity I am sure. We shall see. I actually liked my last team leader and I don’t particularly want to swap teams. However, as it says in the Lord’s Prayer, Thy will be done.

I submitted some ball photo’s I took to work, and then read afterwards the prize is a DVD player (already have one) and some tickets for a concert at the Perth Concert Hall, now that sounds good. If i win, which I hope so - I’ll go to something cool. Maybe take my mum.

I am getting my friends back slowly. Coffee with one Friday night, Dinner with another next Wednesday.. maybe my dummy spit worked.

After the ball the other night, I remembered following some times when I have got totally shitfaced, most of these were at 3 parties. 2 of them were my own, and one was a friend who was turning 21.

Everyone at work thinks I am very straight, in the entire time none of them have ever seen me drunk and they got a good show. I’ve caught up with the gossip and apparently it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I am a riot when drunk. I made people stand on the red carpet and wave to people as they left the party. I laughed alot, I danced alot, I talked to people I normally don’t even know exist. AND I did it all without vomiting.

There is another time I did it all without vomiting when I was 21, going out with X, and at a cocktail party. A friend challenged me to a tequila drinking duel. Considering I had already drunk 5 B52’s I was up for it. We had to do lick sip sucks with a bottle each and keep going to the first one passed out. I finished my bottle, and the chick who challenged me passed out.

I hallucinated alot. I was walking around feeling like my feet were on pillows. Apparently I looked like a clown. I also have now an intense hatred of Tequila, which for the first 5 years, if I looked at a bottle I would feel severely like vomiting and would dry retch, now it’s just mild nausea and excessive saliva in the back of my throat.

There was my 30th.. I drank too much Canadian Club, it too has a similar effect on me as seeing a Tequila bottle. I let a friend sleep on my couch at home and she told me as X had got me a Limo for my birthday, that I should fuck him. YEAH SURE. That was embarrassing. Even moreso was when she spilt a glass of water I left for her beside the couch on herself and thought that she had peed on the couch. She woke up soaking and snuck home thinking she had done it! Haha.. ok so this is someone else’s drunk story, but damn I was off my face too.

My 3rd effort of getting shitfaced was at my 21st birthday party. I had a great time, my parents left behind half a case of champagne. There were people out the front of my place smoking weed, and out the back they were doing nangs. (nitrous bulbs, bulbing) There were about 3 parties in that street on that night, so there was alot of party hopping. We drank until dawn had broken and there were still 20 people passed out in my lounge room, in the back yard, and on a really old mouldy mattress out the front which they had dragged from under the house.

I woke up to sounds of screaming in the bathroom, something like.. “OH DEAR GOD NOOO” and I wrapped X’s dressing gown around me and went down to the bathroom. I could hear weird noises and I knocked on the door, feeling vaguely hungover.

“DON’T COME IN” The panicky voice of my housemate (one of 6) screamed.
“ok.. Dave are you ok?” I wrinkled my nose as this smell began to tickle the back of my throat
“NO, I WENT TO THE TOILET LAST NIGHT, VOMITED IN MY TROUSERS AND FELL ASLEEPAND NOW IT’S DRIED AROUND MY ANKLES!!” Dave seemed really upset..
“oh.. god that’s disgusting” I muttered.

My stomach turned a few times, and I began to wobble. I had to get out of there so I raced to the backyard avoiding 3 people on the way past and leaned against a tree, and out it came. Think of Linda Blair and the exorcist. A power chuck, a chunder from downunder.

Ah yes, and these are all reasons why I try to avoid drinking. Because they’re all bad.

I can’t save my friends. Our tightknit group of 10 is starting to shatter into a billion pieces and I can’t stop them from going off in different directions.

We’ve been friends for years, and suddenly in the last 3 months, it sucks. No one was talking to eachother, everyone has the shits with eachother, except i haven’t upset anyone or dated anyone or broken up with anyone. C and T broke up, but after he met and hooked up with an old friend Y, who used to date M, who broke up with her to go out with V. D is seeing P, who Y still has the hots for P, and she has an issue with M since she thinks he cheated on her with V. D had a huge fight with C because she didn’t like T.

I sent an email to everyone today, and have got back two replies. Guilt from one who thinks that she has nothing in common with us, but forgets that she and I have been friends for a long long time. D wrote back to me and it kind of made it seem like it’s my fault we don’t talk.. Maybe it is.

I think I need new friends. If my friends abandon me, I have very few people I have a connection with.