I just got back from my first book club and it was a roaring success! I had not read the book but wanted to get a feel for what kind of discussions they have and who goes to the meetings. Every month a girl chooses a restaurant to go to and a book to read. The place we were at tonight had all $12 mains which is very good value especially when you consider the portion sizes. I had one of my favourites, pork belly! It is a big mix of girls from all different backgrounds but all mesh one way or another. There was even another fellow Yank. And she very kindly invited me to her Halloween party on Saturday!!! I am so happy! I have been very disappointed the last couple of weeks when it became more and more clear that Halloween was really not a big deal here. This was particularly hard to accept when it is on a Saturday this year! Now I just have to find a costume! Also the same girl arranges monthly drinks for American expats in the city so will be joining that group too. Oh and for those who are curious the book I have to read for November is the 1985 Booker Prize winner called The Bone People. It is apparently a New Zealand classic. I am hoping to find it at my library this weekend. Book club aside I am reading for myself My Cousin Rachel which is a Daphne Du Maurier book. I was one of the few people in 8^th or was it 9^th grade who liked her book Rebecca. I am so far enjoying My Cousin Rachel.

Tomorrow night I am going to the Little Creatures Brewery for dinner. I have really enjoyed their beer since I moved here so looking forward to dining there. I have been told they do good burgers which is great because I have been craving one badly!

Spring has finally sprung here! We have had lots of sunshine the last couple of days with lots more to come. It is meant to get to 30 (86F) on Saturday so I am going to go have lunch with a friend down in St Kilda by the water. Usually this would be a nightmare because the area would be packed with people having the same idea but it is Derby Day so supposedly it will be a little less manic! And speaking of Cupness (they love their horses here!) I learned today at work that I will have Tuesday off work for Melbourne Cup. Kind of an awkward day to have off but looking forward to getting up to no good on Monday to take advantage of the following day!

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I really, really did not want to buy any books whilst I was living out here. They are so bulky and take up so much room. But when I found out I could get the newest Stieg Larsson book for $20 I really, really could not resist! Fingers crossed it will be here for the weekend or maybe not because it might make me cancel all my weekend plans! As excited as I am for it to get here I am also very sad that it is the last one I will read in this fanbloodytastic trilogy. I never ever have been a crime fiction reader but oh my goodness did this trilogy get me hooked. I missed the Harry Potter boat (I tried!) and certainly never going to get into Twilight. So tack Stieg for a fantastic trilogy in a genre I would never usually considered. You are sorely missed!

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It is days like today that it is very hard to be living in Australia. My wonderful Hogmanay (Scottish New Years) hosts are getting married today in Scotland. And let me tell you these know how to throw one hell of a party so I am very, very sad to be missing it. Later at the end of the year one of my dear friends Michelle is marrying her best friend in Alabama. Once again I will have to miss it due to my current location. And miss being a bridesmaid in this one!

Alright now on to some good stuff. Had a good week here in the Southern Hemisphere. Spring continues to not quite get in to gear. I read in the paper today that Victoria has gotten more rain in the last 3 weeks then they did in the first six months of the year. This is pretty big news as they have been in a drought for about 10 years now. The restrictions are still really high none the less. For now I am enjoying a fairly lush city but fear my desired birthday picnic will be on a very dry and brown patch of grass.

On Tuesday night I went out to dinner with my friend Dr Proffitt's parents who were in town from the UK. I had never met them before so it was a nice evening. We went to a famous Italian restaurant called Pellegrini's that I had been recommended by a few people. It is this wonderful 1950's coffee shop that has pretty much not changed a day since it open. The food was hearty and homey. Also they have no liquor license so we had a delicious watermelon spritzer. Friday night my friend Lynn and I went to a famous venue in Melbourne called The Forum to see the NYC electro act Fisherspooner that were playing as a part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Not listened to a lot of them since senior year of high school but it was still fun to see them. Sadly I had taken a disco nap before the gig (did not start till 11:45) that did not become effective till after I got home and had me up till 3 in the morning. At least it meant I got to talk to some of my fab friends in NYC who were at work. Yesterday Lynn and I went to a very unique exhibition that is part of the Arts Festival too. It was Peter Greenway's digital interpretation of the Last Supper. You can read more about it here! http://www.melbournefestival.com.au/program/production?id=3505 It was a very interesting idea and something I am glad I saw. After we headed towards my neighbourhood to have Mexican food at a wonderfully named Trippy Taco....! I suppose its better then Crazy Homies in London....! It was vegetarian Mexican food which was a bit odd but oh so delicious. We managed to sit outside in one of the few rays of sunshine this week eating our very fresh tacos and ice cold cervesas (Dos XX for me). Today I took myself to a local fete that a school was hosting! Very unfancy but entertaining none the less. I also picked up some fantastic earrings for 10cents each in their TrashnTreasure room!! After I headed to a few of the vintage stores near me that are always closed when I get home from work. I picked up a fantastic vintage Laura Ashley dress for $10 and cream t-strap small heeled sandals!!! The latter is particularly exciting because I never find vintage shoes that fit. I think this takes me to about five pairs I have found.

In pub quiz news I did not make it on Wednesday as I was too tired from work (lame!) but hope to go this week but it does conflict with a Swedish networking event. Will make a decision on the day I think. Saturday is my housemates birthday so we are all going out for Moroccan food in a fun area called Fitzroy.

Have a wonderful week all my dear friends in the Northern Hemisphere!

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From the age of 11-13 I was a massive Boyzone fan. My walls were covered in their photos. I was a member of their fan club. I bought Smash Hits and Top of the Pops religiously. I even got to meet them a few times at Wembly when my fathers friend arranged for us to go backstage. The first time there were hundreds of us and I remember Ronan signing a birthday card a girl gave him! Brian Mae was also backstage at that gig who was so, so nice! Not quite sure what he was doing there though! The second time there were only about twenty of us. And I remember how shocked we all were at how fit Mikey was. I also remember gushing to Stephen that I was so excited about the work he was doing with Disney. A few months later I rediscovered my brothers Pulp album never looked back! I do remember friends calling me when Stephen came out as he had always been my favourite. I feel like a huge part of my tweens has died today at the news of his death. And as everybody keeps saying he was so young!!!

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I have had a wonderful weekend so far. I had been going out a lot during the week and fancied a night in and it turns out my roommates did too. We ordered pizza, watched I Love You, Man which I enjoyed (and still adore Paul Rudd) and I got myself some Coopers which is a fantastic beer from South Australia. It was exactly the kind of evening I wanted. And one of the rare times when the three of us are all in doing something together. I have come to notice this week that these girls probably will not be my life long friends but are great roommates. It feels really great to have such a nice home out here.

Today has been our first sunny warm day in a few weeks. This meant I was able to hang out my laundry to dry which I love. I also sat out in our garden and finished Memoirs of a Geisha. I read it as slowly as possible as I did not want it to end!! I know the film is meant to be terrible but I still kind of want to see it. This evening I am going to meet a few of the Swedish girls from a few weeks ago for dinner and drinks. Tomorrow afternoon I am meeting my dinner companion from Tuesday for brunch! I don't need to tell you again about my love for brunch. It will be hard to decide between eggs benedict and pancakes!

There was finally some press coverage of the clone stuff I did but unfortunately the article they have submitted online does not have the same photo as the print edition! This is very annoying as my pod is in the photo!!! I have emailed asking for a copy of it. We shall see.

I don't want to get too excited but it looks like I might have finally found a pub quiz out here!! My friends went to one last week and I insisted I join them from now on. I am going for my first time on Wednesday. I would love to have regular quiz back in my life.

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Today marks three months in the Land Down Under! So much has happened in that time it is hard to digest. 25% in to my journey as my father said on Skype earlier. I am sure the time will go faster and faster as time goes on. I worked out the other day that I have six visitors coming through January-early February. I am so, so excited to see them all but also don't want it it to come too fast! I think you all get what I am trying to get across.

In other news I had delicious tapas last night with my friend Lynn. We had chorizo, calamari, manchego, aubergine (eggplant), quail and a few other things. Drool at their exact descriptions here: http://www.anada.com.au/downloads/menu.pdf. My dinner companion is leaving for New Zealand in a month so we have one other dinner planned before she leaves at a well known Australian restaurant. I can't remember the name right now otherwise I would send you linkage to their menu. Tomorrow night I am meeting up with a friend of a friend at a bar in town. It is located on the second floor of the rooftop bar building that Amanda Panda and I went to on her last night in Melbourne. Looking forward to exploring another floor.

I picked up Memoirs of a Geisha earlier this week and am devouring through it. I totally missed reading it when it first was big but oh my goodness it is wonderful. No wonder so many of my friends spoke so highly of it. It really grabs you in. I love reading it during my breaks at work because I am able to completely escape in to the world of the book. Still waiting to hear back from the book club...going to email them now actually!


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Anybody want to tell me how on earth it became October 2nd? No you can't work it out either eh? Spring is here but you would not know it as it has been chilly and wet. But I know I should not complain as soon enough I will be melting.

Been at my temp job for three weeks now. Unfortunately I don't really like it as I am not really cut out for 40 hours a week in front of the computer. I just don't like clock watching. But it pays well, will look good on my CV and allow me to do many wonderful things after. And well really it is pushing me harder and harder to find a non typical office job that pays well. And one girl is quite nice and we have made plans to do go see a film in the next couple of weeks.

I had a wonderful evening last Friday when I met up with ten Swedish girls that I was put in touch with through a friend of a friend of a friend. We went for a meal in St Kilda which was an area I had not really explored. It was not the best night to experience it as the weather was miserable. But I can imagine in the summer it is great. None the less I am still glad I chose where I live. Far toooo many backpackers and such in the area. Anyways back to my dinner. They were all very nice and complimented my Swedish (hooray!). I hit it off with one in particular who I am hopefully getting dim sum (yum cha here in Melbourne) with soon. Also I am going to a Swedish networking night at the Swedish church this coming Wednesday. At this rate I will be fluent! One last Swedish thing I have to talk about is the Millennium Trilogy. Somebody on the tram yesterday was reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and it got me thinking OH MY GOD the third one must be out in English now! It then dawned on me it probably won't be here in OZ for yonks. Must do some more detective work.

Today I did not have to sit in front of a computer all day. Today I was a clone. Today I took part in the Melbourne Fringe! You can read a little bit about what I got up to here: http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/toys and hopefully in the next couple of days I will have more links and such to show to you. It was a totally unique experience and something I am glad I was able to be a part of. And I got loads of free clothes at the end of it! This evening I went to a mutual friends flat for drinks (they host monthly drinks at their place!) in the heart of the CBD. Absolutely stunning views of the city and lots of sushi going round! Hopefully I get invited to more when the weather is better and we can enjoy the festivities from their fab roof terrace.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

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