It's been a busy-ish weekend.
Yesterday I traded texts with Joni for a bit in the morning about skyping (we arranged to skype this morning). The next thing in the day was to try to find an open branch of the bank Joni and I have our checking account with so that I could deposit some funds with it. That didn't work out (couldn't find an open branch) and as it was a rainy day and I had no other plans I decided to go to the office and get some work done. That pretty well took up the afternoon until it got to just after 5pm. My sister and her husband had invited me over for dinner, so I headed back to Brunswick to get the car and drive out to their place. They've just finished renovating their Federation-style house and I was the first member of the family to see it, so I took one of the carefully hoarded bottles of Mandala wine as a housewarming gift. Their house now looks really special - much straighter and lighter. They've really got their value for money I have to say.
The dinner was great (paella, freshly baked bread and walnut pie). Jennie's a good cook and better baker, I should say. After dinner I walked her through the process of setting up skype and passing on the skype usernames for as many people as I could remember. I'd mentioned the recent trouble at work, and she probed me about whether I'd want to practice law in the US. Leaving the retraining required aside, I don't think I would. Even though I find law fascinating as an intellectual discipline, practicing law is something I really only find sporadically interesting. This move might be a chance to reinvent myself.
Which reminds me! I just realised that today - 4 March 2012 - is the tenth anniversary of me commencing my articles of clerkship, so I guess this means I can say this marks ten years working in the law for me. How 'bout that!?!
After dinner with Jennie and JP I drove back to Brunswick in the rain. I drove by way of Chapel Street as it was the most direct way I could think of that didn't take me through the CBD. Chapel Street is ... well, I usually think of it as Bourbon Street with its dignity intact. It has the very hip, expensive boutiques, many bars, nightclubs and restaurants, and it's certainly somewhere to go on a Saturday night. Considering the number of clearly semi-drunk people lurching across the road like booze-fuelled zombies it was probably just as well traffic wasn't moving so fast!
It was 1:30ish when I got to bed so I slept excessively late this morning. Before skyping with Joni and the girls I went downstairs and toasted some of the oat bread from Friday and put dairy blend on it (photo). Oh my word it tasted good! Earthy from the wholemeal flour, but also with the sweetness of the oats. Mmmm mmmm!
Skyping was great. The girls were in their high chairs, and Joni had set up the computer so the girls could see me and I could see them. I think this had the advantage of keeping the girls entertained so Joni could do a few things in the kitchen. The girls are so pretty, and Grace especially was being verbal. You could surely tell when she wanted (watermelon! Goldfish! Shrek!). They played with stickers for a bit, and drew in their little notebooks with crayons. Joni says they're enjoying being in daycare, and they do look like bigger girls now - I kind of think this was the right time in their lives to transition them from a nanny (which they had here) to a daycare. I love my little family a whole crazy lot. I'm one awfully lucky, lucky man.
After we'd skyped I decided to go to the office and get my files ready for tomorrow's case reviews. There's not a lot to convey, except that my brain was feeling the lack of a day off. Still, I got most of what I needed to done. The attached picture should give you some idea of the chaos my office looks like at the moment. The only drawback was that I was still there at 9pm, when one of my bosses happened to come in to collect some of her files and sprung me there. This was a black mark. I'm a firm believer that while it's great to work hard, you should never, ever, be seen to work hard. Oh well; damage is done now.
I came back here and heated up half of the tuna bake from the other night with some lentils for a late supper, then ironed some shirts, had a shave and a shower, and sat down to write this. I forgot to say that while I was looking for a bank yesterday I passed a discount book store and couldn't resist a look. Somehow, improbably, they had one of the latest volumes of Clive James' essays (The Meaning of Recognition) for $5.00. I couldn't resist it - I've always enjoyed his writing, so that disposed of my tram fare for the day! This, though, means I have a dilemma (or, strictly, a trilemma): Do I start the new book, or finish the two other half-finished books on my bedside table? Photo attached.
OK, it's time to turn in. Lot of work to do this week.
Hope your Sundays are good too. And yes, I know, I didn't get to Mass today. The second Sunday in a row. I am a bad Catholic. I need - need! - to get to a weekday Mass this week.
See you tomorrow.
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