All work and no play...

Well readers, sorry for the huge gap between posts. As you can predict from the time of year it is, preparations for the June festival are in full swing, and this is the busiest time for the year for me at work. I have a brief day of respite today (my first day off in over a month!) before the craziness continues… So, here’s a quick update on the last few weeks:

Jana’s visit was all too brief, and she left for London after only about a week. Noreen did a bit of travelling and my work got busier and my hours of sleep per evening grew shorter. Noreen returned to Sydney for a few days before heading off to Japan, so we got to hang out a little more which was cool. We went to see an Aussie singer, Lior, at the Enmore, who was great, really good rapport with the crowd. Australian musicians don’t have a great following elsewhere in the world (apart from, say, Kylie or INXS) but there’s some real talent here and it’s nice for me to discover local musicians, especially as international musicians rarely extend their tours to this part of the world!

Noreen and Carmel being groupies


Noreen also took me to a Hazara wedding, of someone in her extended family in Sydney, which was a fascinating experience. I did feel a little out of place, but it was really interesting to see such a well-preserved culture right here in Sydney, and it took me out of my very white wealthy Eastern Suburbs existence, which I think was healthy. I live under the impression that Sydney is not a very multicultural place, but this is because I live in Bondi and work in Surry Hills, and rarely venture West of the city, to the more mixed areas.

The bridal table


Realistically I just haven’t had 5 minutes to do anything. My day consists of getting up and out and in the office by 7am, after about 5 hours sleep. I’ve been working right through until midnight most nights, then crawling in to a taxi home, and back again the next day. The fruits of my labours were recently witnessed when I went to see the proofs of the program guide at the printers. V exciting!

Me and my colleagues putting in our earplugs before going on to the printers floor

On the press

Checking the proofs very carefully


I’m going to put a story on the festival website so you can all check out my thrilling work life!

This weekend I’ve made a pact with myself that I’m not allowed into the office. I’m going to do a little work from home tomorrow but today I woke up after 8 hours sleep (miracle!) and went for a run on the cliffs. I’ve not done any exercise for ages so it was really exhilarating. The weather is turning really autumnal at the moment, and Sydney in autumn is my absolute favourite. Deep blue ocean, clear blue skies, crisp cool air and a warm sun on your face – beautiful.

The next few weeks will be a rollercoaster of work and trying to keep up with sleep and looking after myself. I’ll try to do some vaguely interesting things and blog about them so you don’t get too bored!

I’ve been following the developments of Jill and Adam’s gorgeous baby Gracie Vaughan with interest. I don’t feel so far away when a young life is so well documented – the wonders of modern technology… Keep em coming.

cx