Freeloading Phill and ...

Strategic Dining

'Tis the season for much dining. And one has fully embraced the spirit of the occasion.

It began with a strategic lunch with Supervisor Grand Chief K et al where one made sure one was strategically placed near the sharing bowl of chips.


The next occasion was The Administrator's birthday lunch - strategically timed to be on a fasting day and therefore requiring the sacrifice of that particular days abstinence.


The next occasion was the strategic flying of the library flag at the divisional lunch in the park. Supervisor S and I were the only library survivors making it up the gastronomic beach to raise said library flag. One made sure to honour the absent with some good hearty feasting.


Occasions still to come include the library Xmas party evening lunch - sure to provide a wealth of strategic opportunities - and the councils Lawn Lunch lunch, which one strategically delayed one's holidays by a day to attend due to the strategic imperative to show good team spirit.


All in all it seems that the weeks ahead may also raise a need for some tactical naps to offset all that strategy.
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Finishing the F-ing Book

So one finished the weighty tome that is Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth last week.

The book was finished with no thanks to Supervisor Grand Chief K who proved herself to be a bad librarian by not excusing one from a strategy planning day so I could finish the last 75 pages and find out what happened to my characters!

Anyway onto the book.
It being the F of one's A to Z of Unread SciFi and Fantasy Authors on the technicality that medieval is close to fantasy - and indeed one can imagine a young George R R Martin reading Pillars and thinking "this would be better with dragons!"

One quite enjoyed it, and even found it to be educational- who knew there was so much melodrama about in the Middle Ages?
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Scenes from a Conference Month

So time has passed, as it always does, and one had a busy month of October - the International month of user conferences.

Having somewhat recovered from the inevitable accumulation of work not done due to being away at said conferences one is now in a position to recount the hazy remembrances that remain.

  • Organising, organising, organising
  • MCing two days of conference
  • Being caught once more in the late night bear trap with a Kiwi
  • The standard motivational back prodding via pen from Sis
  • Voluntarily stepping down as President making it the year for the ending of great presidencies
  • Taking the First Lady, Salsa Girl, to a much deserved dinner
  • Escorting the First Lady, Salsa Girl, to her train and thereby
  • An Early morning jogging session to earn free upgrades for life
  • Presenters and time wrangling for all that going long, short, and missing that occurs with public speaking
  • Being compared to Mr Prada in the fashion stakes
  • A short break before a second conference
  • A long awaited catch up with Alecto after nigh on a year of missing each other at various Library events
  • Late night mild food poisoning that has no connection to mixed drinks, it was the chicken I tell you!!
  • The joy of just sitting back in a conference one isn't organising
  • The stress of trying to keep new project ideas from entering Supervisor Grand Chief K's sphere of attention
  • And, as an afterthought, the wonderful networking opportunities which may have involved equally wonderful food and drink but one is not one to notice that sort of thing


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The End of Footy Parties

So the end of the footy season saw all the usual partying happening.

The first party was the traditional celebration of Salsa Girl's birthday. This year in the form of a Dinner and a Murder mystery. Our participants had a lot of fun - even with BestFriendSincePrep going on a murder spree - although one suspects that Baroness Badger was behind it all.
Salsa Girl herself won best costume, while Pirate Dave's inspector was a crowd favourite as he helped himself to the riches of body looting. FridgePower and Judge Mingus made a great effort to attend despite suffering from some sort of plague and FridgePower made a brave face of being murdered twice. In fact only Legion2 escaped being murderised - probably thanks to the protection of BestFriendSincePrep's real world wife the Lovely Lea.
All in all a great night and even Hulk's murderous upstairs screams about not going to bed enhanced the theme.


The second tradition of Footy's End was the Magic the Gathering night at Gavman's. Legion2, ElfBoy, Pirate Dave and oneself all made the pilgrimage to participate.


The main event itself was the traditional Grand Final Party hosted in inimitable style once more by The Wiggs. We were all excited for the match - Hulk made a flag to wave and even waived it twice before becoming bored and going off to explore the house. BestFriendSincePrep, MrRogers, and StumpyRudolph were all in attendance and concerned with the sweep results until we all became swept up in the Bulldogs victory and bet-winning margins lost all significance.
It was a wonderful emotional ride only tinged slightly for one by knowing that The Hellenic Hoofer would have been rejoicing ten times as much as any of us.
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The Miasmakat's Partay

Saturday last Hulk, Salsa Girl, and I attended the city venue birthday celebrations of one's gaming associate Miasmakat and her non-associated (well except via The Viking Hat GM's Geektogethers) gaming husband.

This party was sensibly held in the afternoon.

One had a proud father moment on the train journey in when metro announced "The next station will be Collingwood" and Hulk responded with "Collingwood? Good old Collingwood forever, ..." and sang the whole song replete with mid verse corr-blimey. I've definitely brunged her up right.

One will only be prouder when she destroys one in a board game some time in our future.

The party was a fun affair in an indoor tent room that involved a couple of hours of catch up chit chat, playing who is that person from 20 years ago, and also playing keep Hulk away from the cup cakes.


The party continued the next day with Sunday gaming wherein Miasmakat, BestFriendSincePrep and I proceeded to doom the world by failing to save it from a deadly bout of swine flu in Pandemic.
We were joined by Legion2 for the chaos of Stellar Conflict - aka the rubber band game - wherein BestFriendSincePrep snapped one of the said rubber bands thereby ruining an irreplaceable game component.

When Pirate Dave arrived we decided to save the world for a change by stopping the infected leaving the Dark Moon in my cooperative variant of the The Thing in Space game.

We rounded out the night by being caught attempting a pet store heist in Burgle Bros.

After so much fun failure Miasmakat's party weekend was called to close and we all* went to bed early for a good nights sleep.

*Nobody can prove that one played Magic with Legion2 until late!!

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Baby's First Footy

Having all but given upon the senior team making the finals - it's still mathematically possible that four teams will be disqualified! - I decided to take Hulk to her long asked for first footy match,  the VFL Magpies game on Saturday.

She gleefully donned the beanie and scarf and we were off on the train, which was an exciting event on it's own.

Arriving at the ground with the game already underway we explored the stands and watched some footy although Hulk didn't show very much enthusiasm for what was happening on the ground.

She did inform me, however, the Collingwood song goes like this dad, "Good Old Collingwood Forever..." and proceeded to belt it out for all around to hear.

Later, after much running up and down the grassy hills, as we were snacking on our footy foods and the Magpies scored 2 goals in a row she did perk up with the crowd and pronounce "This is exciting dad!"

As the weather turned a little colder we ambled for home with the match continuing behind us.

Checking the score as we neared home we saw that we (the Magpie we) had won and employed our usual Yay Magpies lift into the air.

All in all a good all-round experience - although some, such as Ms Magpie, may claim that taking a four year old to the footy is far too late a starting age.
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Holidays and Birthdays

Well it's been over a week back at the workplace and one had best document one's leave before the memories flitter away and one has to just make something up.

It seems a fortnight's leave was just enough to cover two birthdays.


Birthday the first was great grandma's 90th up in Bendigo. This involved a getaway of a few days in weather drenched Bendigo in a spacious motel - Hulk had her own room with 3 beds!

Of course there were many visits to Grandma J's and Hulk seemed to enjoy her time with her cousins. One would be lying to say there wasn't a little part of me that was glad it ended though. That little part is the eardrums - oh the screaming.


Birthday the second was, of course, Hulk's fourth.

It was, of course, Star Wars themed.

There was a fair amount of dressing up and at one point, when flanked by both Hulk and Salsa Girl, I did feel like I was in a new sitcom called My Two Reys. Of course Legion2 donned his Han Solo outfit and Doctor David and Grannie A came as suspicious "Jedi" clothed all in black!
There was much fun had with knock over the Tie Fighters, Pin the camera on the BB-8, pass the parcel, and an impressive BB-8 cake. There was also much pummelling with balloon lightsabers.

Still it is good to have the event over so I no longer have the pressure to maintain my diet in order to fit into my Jabba the Hutt costume.
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Scything through Productivity


So, one's new board game Scythe arrived the other week and is this month's choice reason for reduced posting.

It began with a late night unboxing, but not the sort of unboxing it is popular to film and provide on the you tubes. No, this one was a private affair with oneself revelling in the sights, sounds, smells and textures of the fresh cardboard, plastic and even resin in the privacy of The Gaming Garage.

The following night was absorbed by the sleeving of the cards for protection and the organising of the storage so all the gorgeous bits could go back into the box safely.

The third night was rudely interrupted by having to go to the footy with The Great Sandro and Legion2 to see the pies triumph over the ancient enemy.

The very next gaming night was consumed by the initial play of the game with BestFriendSincePrep taking the victory narrowly from Badger and Gavman and Legion2 somewhat behind and yours truly ending on a dismal score.

Despite thinking that I would have to return such an obviously defective game I decided to give it another go Sunday last, with the same crew sans Gavman. And Lo and Behold it turns out it is an excellent game as I magnificently triumphed over all opponents.

One was rather relieved that the game was worth keeping now.

Although when I mentioned this relief Salsa Girl did give me one of those "as if any game would ever leave your collection" looks.
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Daddy-Daughter Weekend

With Salsa Girl away for a few days this weekend past naturally became a four day Daddy-Daughter weekend for Hulk and I.

Of course once he got wind of this BestFriendSincePrep naturally decreed it would be Daddy-Daughter-BestFriendSincePrep weekend with three nights of visits for gaming and other suchlike debauchery.

So, on the one night he did turn up, much gaming and bourbon fun was had - although one may have enhanced the other (as bourbon isn't usually such fun).

It was also Daddy-Daughter-Zoo weekend as we once more attended said institution to enjoy the attractions such as: chasing seagulls, stomping in the gazebo, climbing the frog statues, and accidentally seeing the odd animal or two.

All in all an excellent weekend that one wished would never end... or was that thought would never end
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An Excellent Expansive E Book

One has finished the most excellent third volume in the Expanse Series by James S A Corey - Abaddon's Gate.

A solid 4.5 stars that kept me wanting to read more. If you like hardish sci-fi and interesting characters then you shouldn't miss it. And as a bonus when the current TV series becomes a world wide hit you'll be able to snob "I read the book years ago".

And now that that's finished I'm ready to move on to my E book in my A to Z of Unread SciFi and Fantasy Authors quest.

Unfortunately there seems to be a dearth of E authors. Still, there were a few good suggestions. Mr Prada was first into the suggestion box, however one had already sampled a Ben Elton book in the distant past.

It would seem that the suggestion of The Bastard, backed up by MatrixMan, is the winner with Gardens of the Moon, a little Erickson number (that begins a decology!!), except there is a delay as one is ordering it in from a rival library service.

Therefore, in the meantime, one will proceed with Fantomas's tactfully presented suggestion of a Warren Ellis near future novel, an author whom one has read some graphic novels of.
The volume in question - Crooked Little Vein - also happens to be sitting on one's library discards pile at home, which is excellent for one's lazy book selection style.
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Looking for an E Book

Given that one is simultaneously close to the finish of both an excellent read and one of so-so qualities, and that said reads clear the on-loan pile, and that the to-read pile has nothing that matches the criteria, it feels about time to crowd source the next read in ones A to Z of Unread SciFi and Fantasy Authors quest.

Therefore I once again reach out to my you, my network of ever-loyal readers, in order to crowd source my E - or at least a short-list of Es.


The Rules

Titles should be in the sci-fi and fantasy realms, or speculative fiction if you prefer.

The Author's Surname should begin with the letter E, and they should be one who's wares one has not sampled before.
Unlike D, it seems that one has been avoiding E authors in the last 9 years and there are scant any of them recorded in one's reading sites. However off the top of ones head one already has Eddings, Effinger and Egan under one's belt.

Bonus points if the book is available in the work catalogue

Even more bonus points, and the win I guess, if you place your recommendation into one's hands.

Note: Amoeba is currently serving a one recommendation ban and is ineligible for participation. Pirate Dave has a suspended sentence for going backwards to C so is encouraged to make good.

Deep Game Thrombosis

So this Sunday last one hosted a board gaming day in The Gaming Garage.

It was quite the excellent affair with BestFriendSincePrep affirming his recently established 100% attendance record and Legion2 joining him for most of the heavy lifting.

Badger, Gavman, and Pirate Dave all made their contributions too- as did Commander Fry for the Magical evening.

A disturbing development, however, was the deep ache that developed in one's right shin in the afternoon in the middle of the 12 odd hours of seated gaming making it quite painful to walk.

Now that one has slept it off the only conclusion can be that one needs to cut down on the amount of extra walking Sidekick has been inspiring one to undertake,  as that must be the culprit.
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Apocalyptic Doom

One had the pleasure of dragging oneself through the wasteland this Saturday last to attend the existential crisis of young Doom.

As said crisis only lasted the few seconds of "what am I doing here ... having an awesome party!" one almost missed it by arriving at the apparently unfashionably late hour of 8.30 as things were winding down - young people these days.

In any case one did have the opportunity for much catchup with the likes of The Fungi Lady, Amoeba, Agent Smith (looking a little jaundiced as Mr Happy), and Camo Spice, before one's wine coat wore off and it became cold and late and time to head home (or alternatively be kicked out by Doom and Non-Gamin' Megan).

Amoeba and Agent Smith looking suitably wasted, er wastlandish

All in all a great way to spend a post-civilisation Saturday night.
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The Lion, The Witch, The Wardrobe, and The Hulk

So, after an abandoned attempt to read the overly wordy Greedy Dwarves Pull A Heist aka The Hobbit, this became the evening reading for a couple of weeks between Hulk and I.

It was an enjoyable read with pictures spaced every few pages to satisfy Hulk's need for the visual.

I found it none too wordy (something one has never been fond of especially when a point is laboured on and on to the distraction of the reader and the loss of any sense of the direction the narrative was headed ... Now where was I?) which proved quite handy for keeping a young one's attention. Mostly.

About one's only complaint is that Aslan doesn't do much to make him worthy of being as awesome as we are told he is, and his great sacrifice is one he knows will cost him nothing. Oh and when he comes back he plays chasey with the children for a while before rushing off to save those at the ongoing battle!

Still one is not sure that Hulk picked up on that or the subtle sadness of the ending where the children leave their established adult lives in Narnia - including implied spouses - to tumble back out of the wardrobe.

Still a fun read and we are interested in tackling further volumes in the series.
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Going Back to my Old School

This Saturday past Salsa Girl, Hulk and oneself returned to one's old primary school, Viewbank Primary, for it's 50th anniversary celebrations.

Of course we first visited BestFriendSincePrep to see his new house which is located quite nearby - and by new house I refer to the one he has been in for nigh on three years without having us over.

Eventually we made our way up to the school and explored the grounds to see what had changed - and the large amount that was the same. We also had rather a futile attempt to locate any old class mates in the throng, which proves that any occasional bouts of laziness one may exhibit are generational in nature.

We did run into Handy Dad revisiting his school committee days, Freeloading Mum, Legion 4, and numerous members of the BestFriendSincePrep clan.

Hulk enjoyed herself exploring many things and even the obligatory trip to the library was made - although one was sorely disappointed to find the reading mezzanine space was now given over to several dozen computers.

All in all a good day spent marvelling at how much things have shrunk since the late seventies.
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The Double Feature

So a passel of events full of exciting happenings have occurred in the past month. However one has been too bazy (noun: to be simultaneously busy and lazy) to document them so those wondrous potential posts shall be forever lost to the sands of bazyness.

Instead I shall post forthwith about my  Friday last wherein one attended not one but two picture show theatres - and most likely completed one's yearly quota for release time viewing.

Picture the first was an afternoon group bonding exercise organised by Supervisor Grand Chief K, and attended by the rest of one's supervisory coterie: Supervisor S, Big J, Lord of the Small Fries, and  Alltogether Heather. The entertainment in question was Brooklyn. Twas a charming tale of Irish immigration to the USA and love against the odds and may have caused some welling up due to it's beautifully shot visuals and not at all for any emotional reasons, no way.

Afterwards there was a group discussion of the film over a drink and some snacks.


Picture the second was in the evening and was the similarly themed Deadpool. Organised against all odds by The Fungi Lady,  and attended by a cast of near thousands (if one rounds up aggressively) including Duff, Amoeba, Doom, Non-Gamin' Megan, and Twin Trouble. This one was a charming tale of a possibly Irish immigrant in the USA fighting a battle for love against the odds. It too may have caused some welling up and outbursts due to it's beautifully constructed crude absurdities.

Afterwards there was a group discussion of the film over pancakes.


In conclusion, despite their broad surface similarities, you should find them both to be good in their own ways.
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That guy on the train

So one's acquaintance Freewheeling Bill was commuting the other day when he became aware of some nearby discussion.

Piecing the various snippets together he realized that some poor fellow had neglected to zip up that morning and the women seated in front of him was having difficulty not noticing.

Glancing about Bill was unable to ascertain the fellows whereabouts- until he glanced down and realised that he himself was "That guy on the train".

Bill was incredibly surprised that it could be him - as he rarely remembers to even wear pants these days...
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New Year, New Start


Now that the holidays are over its time for one to unleash the full extent of one's work ethic.

Henceforth I shall be:

  • posting on this new regular schedule
  • applying myself nose to the grindstone to the many outstanding work projects on my various burners - back and further back
  • keeping to a regular exercise regime commenced with a hearty session this very morn


I know it will be hard to keep to this commitment until my next set of holidays but I'm confident I can stick to it until they begin on Friday afternoon.
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