Melbourne - 2nd to 16th Dec

So here's where we find a few minutes of spare time, and try to fill in all the gaps in our blog. Photos will follow when we're back at home and have access to them ;-)

So we fly out from LAX on the evening of the 30th Nov, loose the 1st of Dec crossing the dateline and arrive in Melbourne totally p1ssed off. That's what you get from a) flying United (nobody should ever fly this airline - we never will again), and b) stoopid security regulations transiting in Sydney.

On the United flight the food was terrible, stale frozen bread, completely molten butter terrible service, no sound on the first movie, no vision on the other three movies, no entertainment consoles and generally just a pain in the arse. So we have now endured 16 odd hours of this, arrive in Sydney where we all have to get off the plane, go out through security, up a flight of stairs and through security again to get back into the very same gate lounge in order to get back onto the very same plane. So the guy looks through our bags and it turns out that the two bottles of grog that we bought in the US duty free cant be taken onto the plane, even though they've just been on it for 16 hours. Offering to drink some out of each bottle did not really appease young Mr Mohammed the security guard. We yell at each other for a bit before we compromise in getting the bottles into a backpack and check them, crossing our fingers. I then demand to see his supervisor, who is not the brightest spark and cannot tell me anything about why we are subjected to this stupid proceedure. Happily the head of Sydney Airport Security happens to be just nearby and she foists me off onto him. Our conversation goes something like this:

• Me: Why are you subjecting people to this ludicrus process, given that we have all just come off of an international flight and will be getting back onto the same plane.
• Him: It's a government regulation
• Me: Which regulation
• Him: I don't know
• Me: Then how do you know it is even a governement regulation
• Him: Well the government sends us these things
• Me: So the government sends you 'things' which you don't really know what they are and you as the head of security in a major Australian airport find that this is 'good enough'
• Him: Look we're just following the governement regulations
• Me: But you've just said you don't know which regulations, so how can that be true. You're just pissing people off unnecessarily after long flights.
• etc...

It turns out there is no one you can complain to about this and no one who will be able to tell you which regulation this is covered by. *sigh* It feels so much like 1984 again ;-)

So anyway after a very painful start, Anya was kind enough to collect us and our belongings (Thanks Anya) and drop us off at Julia's place where we were staying (Thanks Julia) while she is in London. We unpacked a bit and got ourselves cleaned up and went out to Lamb's go Bar for a spot of serious drinking with a whole bunch of people. A very fun night indeed.

Caught up with a whole lot of people for dinner and drinks and breakfast and drinks. Waaaay too much drinking on this trip. We had morning tea with Tim, Emma, Joshua and their latest new arrival Olivia. Was very cool to catch up and see them all and good timing with their new baby too ;-)

Over the weekend we went camping. We were going to go up to the Cathedral Ranges, but given that they were pretty much on fire we went the other way out to Brisbane Ranges National Park. This place isn't too bad at all, very close to Melbourne, toilets, tank water, good fireplaces and campsites. Would have been nice if it had been less than 40 degrees celcius, but what can you do. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to get out there and join us, was a good toasty time had by all. For future reference, the best way to get there is up the freeway to the Fiskville CFA exit and come in from that side - much quicker than driving all the way across the park, and paved roads too.

I hooked up with my old manager from IBM and finally returned their laptop and got the rest of the money they owed me out of them. An hour well spent on that front.

We also ate at Cafe Armenia - which not only still exists but in newer and better premises at

Cafe Armenia
179 Booran Rd Carnegie
(03) 9578 8151

Well worth a visit, helps if you speak Russian, but the new staff member has a reasonable grasp of English too.

Saw Tim D's new house and two gorgeous puppys. Got the car serviced and basically ran around like crazy.

It was way good to be back, unfortunately also way too short. Was great to see so many of our friends and have such an awesome time with them all. Thanks guys - we miss you again already!