we be jamin

I woke up and got out of bed.
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWW
That’s the noise a house alarm makes when your forgetful housemate sets the alarm
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWW
with you in the house. You just have to imagine that sound projected in 130-decibel
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWW
surround sound. If you think that the WWWAAAAOOOWWWWs are disorienting through
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWW
this post, you should try have it going off in your head first thing in the morning (well,
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWW
10ish - I’d gone to sleep around 3am). My bed is against the same wall as the alarm
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWW
sensor for my room, so despite being a restless sleeper I only set it off by standing up in
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOOOOWWWW
it’s path. I dashed the twenty metres through the house and keyed in the security code
WWWWAAAAOOOOWWWWAAAAOO…beep…silence………..voices of neighbours outside.

I thought I’d better get outside quick and give the neighbours a reassuring nod. But as I was just out of bed, I needed to dress properly, so I ran back to my room, chucked on shirt and pants, and ran back to the front door…which I found locked, because when your housemate sets the alarm, he also deadbolts the door.

I ran back to my room, grabbed my keys, ran back and unbolted the door. I leaned out and gave my neighbours a reassuring wave.

Only later did I remember that I don’t know any of my neighbours by sight - I could have been anyone waving at them.

My mate Khushroo became an Australian citizen last night.

To help him celebrate, the guys in the office decorated his desk with an assortment of Australian flags, a copy of Advance Australia Fair, a meat pie and sauce, vegemite roll, and a beer. We also renamed him to sound more Australian - “Kevin” (or just “Kev” to his friends).

Kev still has a bit to learn about Aussie customs and culture - he came into work rather than chucking a sickie.

We have a new dog - a Bedlington Terrier.

The name on his badge says Jasper. But not wanting the dog to suffer due to my mum’s gay naming skills (like my poor brother (haha - BURN! - you know who you are)), I am trying to lead the push to have it named Flipper - a rugged name for a dog, reminiscent of the sea (which he took to swimming in immediately, unlike a certain dead dog I could mention…)

Update (25/2): The push for Flipper was unsuccessful, and the dog remains Jasper.
You win this round evil matriarch.

Both the day and the music were awesome.

I love the fact that Perth is so small that you can’t help but come across people you know. I bumped into my cousins and a number of friends that I have not seen in ages. I also ran into the K-Town girls from Rotto, and spoke for a while with J-Dawg (but missed out on seeing T-Dawg).
I didn’t hang with anyone for any great period of time despite going to the concert with Con, Joey, and Lara . With the buzz from everyone in a crowd, I prefer to get in the middle of the action in the shows I want to see, rather than staying close to friends. I think being up close to a band makes a big difference.

My three favourite gigs of this year’s Big Day Out were
Wolfmother, for which I was in the mosh area, about 4 rows from the front;
The Go! Team, for which I was in the front row against the barricade; and
Franz Ferdinand, which I started 50m from the stage at the back of the “D” area and made a game of surreptiously pushing forwards throughout the jam-packed concert whenever people were jumping around or being pushed by the crowd. If we were pushed forwards, I’d stay forwards. If the crowd staggered backwards, I held my ground. I ended up about five metres from the front and reckon I could have made it the whole way to the front if they had stayed for two more songs.

During the day I also saw The White Stripes, Iggy & The Stooges, End Of Fashion, Hilltop Hoods, The Subways, The Presets, and Gerling.