Where are you at?

Life is back to normal...unfortunately....no, not unfortunately...fortunately...I am a lucky bugger who has a pretty sweet life truth to tell...there's too much negativity and apathy in the world...there's no need for me to contribute to it further.

Life is swell.

We returned on Monday from our 'whirlwind' tour of South Australia that took us to Adelaide then Wallaroo then back to Adelaide and then to Tanunda in the Barossa and home to Melbourne once more.

It was a great trip, thanks for asking.

Wallaroo was fantastic...a beach house beyond your imagining...friends...a special someone...and the fact that we wasted close to 6 days there was simply topping. Only problem was, and I find that this is the case when holidays are involved...I eat.

Eat, eat, eat.

And it isn't necessarily good food...it's any food...cheeses, alcohol, biscuits, chocolate...we were in a supermarket and browsing through the bargain trolley and saw little plastic bags with Mars Bars in them....5 normal sized Mars Bars in one bag...for $1!! They went off in February but who am I to cast judgement on the quality of produce? What's a boy to do?

What's a James Antonas to do?

Being the bargain hunting cheapskating glutton that I am...I bought two bags...and devoured them over the course of the next 10 days...and also found out that frozen Mars Bars are fantastic. So...I gained about 3 kilos in the first four days...and probably another 2 kilos in the remaining time in Adelaide...which was nice.

So Wallaroo rocked...just an awesome vibe...and it was also Kirilie's birthday...something that she wasn't looking forward to...so I made her a birthday box...want to know how?

Take an empty box...cover it with butcher's paper, get some textas, pipe cleaners, crafty craft things, some glue, and James Antonas' imagination, stick it all together...and voila! The perfect age defying birthday box...filled to overflowing with presents...I was quite proud of myself...and the efforts of people at work who contributed to its secret completion during lunch breaks. She loved it...or she lied. I'm betting on the former.

Our return to Adelaide seemed more like the whirlwind part...trying to catch up with as many people as possible in a short time frame is always difficult...you feel like you're getting the shorthand version of a friendship when you only get an hour or so to catch up with person over a couple of months. Eh, so what can you do? (shrugs shoulders rhetorically)

One minor highlight was going to get measured for a suit to be hired for my brother's wedding in October. Now this is a dangerous activity if you take into consideration my tendency to weight gain and fluctuation (noted above) especially as the wedding is 3 or so months away...but I went to the Hire Department of Axel Beers in Francis Street and was so impressed by the guy who served me...he looked at me up and down...and came back with the exact size suit jacket for me to try on...perfect fit...then looked at me again and gave me the correct size in suit pants as well...they only needed to be taken up by a small amount...pretty damn impressive I must say...to be able to look at someone and pigeonhole their waist, shoulders, chest etc....especially someone as intimidating in their beauty as I am...it has been known to cause some people to burst into flames or spontaneously orgasm...it's that powerful.

Also going to Maggie Beer's Farm Shop was another highlight...I tried dukkah for the first time...absofrigginlutely delicious...it was a sample tray to taste...I went back...and back, and back, and back, and back, and then didn't, and then went back...and then said to the woman working there...'I might as well finish it as you're nearly closing'...and did. So yeah, good dukkah.

We also caught up with our respective families, which is always nice...especially now that we live interstate...the time you do spend together means more as it becomes less and less frequent...but kids have grown, relationships have developed, plans have been made, weddings have been organised...the whole shebang.

And here we are...back home in Melbourne. And for the first time in a long time...it actually feels like we've had a holiday...not a rushed jaunt to ol' Adelaide, but a proper time off and now we can feel refreshed to tackle our new life...in Fitzroy North!

Yes, you heard me right...Fitzroy North...maker of dreams.

With only a couple of weeks to spare we found a new home...and it's the one I posted about last month...the agent probably read it and went...'Wow, this is impressive...I would be doing a disservice to humanity to not give them this place, especially when he's so powerfully striking in those photo posts!'

And that was that.

Well, actually the only difference between our application and the other couple's was that we had lived together for 2 years...the others hadn't. But I'm sure the blog helped.

So we move in a week or two...excitement is building...but Kirilie still hasn't really seen the place...she's seen the outside, and looked in through a window at night...which was kind of creepy...and a turn on...but I digress. The point is...we have extra rooms, a courtyard, and it's in a perfect area...cosmopolitan suburbia...close to all the places we like...so we are extremely happy. And I know the place will meet all our expectations...however unrealistic they may be...because it's Fitzroy North...not Fitzroy...not Fitzroy East...Fitzroy North...where anything's possible.

One disappointment of the trip was the timing of it meant we missed a friend's show...James Cutler in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown...which I am quite miffed about because I had been hearing nothing but good things and now have heard nothing but good things...but unfortunately the timing of the trip was from his opening night to his closing night...but as my English teacher use to remark to me...them's the breaks.

Speaking of shows...my earlier post about the highway robbery of Seussical...totally unfounded...probably the best amateur show I've ever seen...of course the show itself is terrible...way too little going on for adults to sit through that much...but totally worth the price of admission. The sets, the lighting, the costumes...you could see where the money went...and as for Karl McNamara...perfect Cat in the Hat...probably the only role that will allow Karl to be himself on stage whilst wearing a cat suit...and that's a huge compliment...especially from me...so relish it Karla...relish it good.