Wankery

So I started TAFE last week. It was pretty good. Both lecturers (lecturers? they're more like tutors) both tutors were good humoured middle-aged men who knew what they were talking about so at least I won't need to have a nap on the bus to class. I also walked home from both classes, which is a solid achievement. Google Maps says it's about 3.6km from TAFE to home. I'm going to see if I can reduce my current time of 40 minutes to 30 minutes by mid-semester break.

In other news, we had our photo shoot of Robyn McLeod at KPMG on Wednesday. It was a near disaster. For starters, it seemed as if the communications manager, Rebecca, had no idea what a photo shoot entailed. We were setting up in the foyer (last week we'd come for a scout and indicated that the lounge there would be a good place to take the pic if the weather was foul, which it was on Wed) and because all the rooms were booked out and there were some events going on it became a kerfuffle. She remarked that she didn't think a photo shoot was going to be "such a big production", indicating the single camera on a tripod and the single flash umbrella.

Anyway, let's just say that a waiter walked into shot as we were finally away and when Robyn nicely mentioned that they were conducting a photo shoot he spoke back to her and said "I'm just doing my job, like I do everyday". About five minutes later some dude from within the room came out and gave Rebecca a serve for not clearing the shoot with facilities (which she should have done because it had been planned for several weeks!) even though we weren't being any noisier than the people walking past the room and we weren't in their way at all. In fact, we waited for them to enter the room before we'd even set up. Some people have a stick up their arse, I swear.

I felt bad for Rebecca because she had to cop it for the rest of us but I had done all I could in terms of giving her details of what we would be doing and including a timeline and location. I mean, why else did Amanda and I go to the building the previous week to check out locations? She kept saying things like "I'm going to get into so much trouble" and no matter how much I tried to assuage things she made it clear that it was pretty much my fault for bringing it upon her. Anyway, Robyn was great. She gave a good, if interrupted, interview and we managed to set up for two shots so eventually we got what we went there to get.

Then I went to see 'Jumper' at Greater Union in the city. Don't see it, it's pretty bad. Very one-dimensional, weak plot, don't care about any of the characters.

On Friday I went to lunch with Gloria Ko, which wasn't too exciting. She doesn't have much in her life except a marketing job and a husband she barely sees because of her marketing job.

Ass and I then went to Betty's Soup Kitchen before we went to see CODA at the Oxford Arts Factory. I swear she's changed a lot since she a) turned Christian; and b) hooked up with Amir in Texas. I wanted to know about her thoughts re: why religion thought homosexuality was wrong (hey, we were on Oxford St and I knew Mardi Gras was coming up), and she couldn't give me a satisfactory answer. Basically the crux of her argument was "because Jesus said so", which just doesn't cut it when you don't take Jesus' word as, well, gospel. Hmm.

The Oxford Arts Factory was a scene of wankery, too many unoriginal people trying to be trendy. CODA only played for a little over an hour and not that well, either, though there were a couple of new pieces in there. I hope they go back to The Vanguard for their next gig. I hate the east. Surely I've mentioned how much I hate the east? By the time we got back to Town Hall Station it was 1am.

Nothing much else to report. I finished chapter 16 of my novel today because we have writers group on Wednesday. I'm quite happy with it. There's probably about eight chapters to go but I'm going to have to add some more events to the chapters before it as well. I'm maybe halfway there in terms of first draft.

Pretty full week coming up. Tomorrow is the only night I have off until next Sunday. Am debating whether I should spend it doing essential reading, non-essential reading or writing for profit. Or none of the above.