Australian BookCrossing Convention 2007

This weekend, after months of planning and lots of work, was the 4th Australian BookCrossing Convention, in Melbourne. Being part of the committee that put this event together, much time was put into ensuring that the interstate and international guests had a good time, and experienced the weekend of expectations, to mingle with fellow BookCrossers.

Friday night we had pizza, and an author talk. Shane Maloney, creator of the Murray Whelan series of political satire and crime, spoke to us about character development, transformation into living personas, the effects of his characters on fans, and the occasions where going along with the notion that he is Murray has been to his advantage. He had also completed some research into the BookCrossing of his books, and related BookCrossing as an authors’ way of keeping his eye on his books, like a parenting role. Funny and charming, Shane was a hit!

Saturday morning had us walking around in groups around the city, releasing books and taking in some of the sights. Meeting at Reader’s Feast, who had sponsored us very generously, we listened to Mary tell of setting up a bookstore, developing relationships with bookbuyers and authors that would come in, and also of changing people’s lives through books. After this, the walk I led walked up to the State Library, before making our way to Carlton Gardens, one of my favourite spots in the city thanks to my daily walks to work through here, and then we trammed around to Federation Square to meet up with the other walks. We hastily put together a flash mob idea for a bulk, eye catching release in the city, and filed to Southbank, to leave a cluster of books along the ledge near the food court.

Many of us then had lunch in Southbank, with a group of us heading to the Blue rain café. Here at lunch I met a couple of the Melbourne BookCrossers I had been sending and receiving books from for quite sometime!

The evening was the traditional trivia night, with groups of BookCrossers going head to head, for knowledge and wit. The tables were randomized, and thus I sat with Queenslanders, New Zealanders, Western Australians, and Melbournians. And we had a ball! Our tables, named Wombles due to our mascot from Brisbane, we actually managed to come last! Thought we were so smart too! But had a great time meeting a new group, all of whom BookCrossing names have been familiar for years.

The Convention was based at Mary Kehoe Community Centre, in Albert Park, and getting here in Sunday morning to meet the caterers for brunch proved to be a challenge due to the Melbourne Marathon. Bronwyn and I made it eventually, and set up for the final event of the weekend. The Table of Temptation, set up from the beginning of the Convention was still well stocked, albeit with some doubtful quality.

An exhausting weekend for committee, and attendees alike, it was great celebration of a group of people into reading, passing on good books and recommendations, and leaving books out in the wild to serendipity.

Art After Dark

Jessie, Noodles and I attended the Guggenheim Collection in Melbourne last night, in it’s final days. We walked down through the city from work, across the Yarra to the National Gallery of Victoria.

The Collection was pieces from the Guggenheims around the world, but mostly from New York, and Venice, moving from the 1940s to modern.

The puzzling art, like a ‘blue curve’ being a shape of canvas painted blue, to a suspended wooden room, to a series of large orange blocks….all drew many funny comments from the people walking through.

The pop art I enjoyed the most, with a sculpture depiction of Michael Jackson and his monkey in a compromising position, use of recent advertising, the colour and piss take of much of our everyday images.

Walking through the rooms, there was one space used as an interpretation of an artist’s basement stair, the series of photos of miniature people, and then horizon landscapes, before the audio visual display. In here I sat and watch two screens at once, and then also kept my eye on the faces of people watching the screens opposite. Erotic and interpretive, these films were disturbing, and quite funny.

The last room featured a table of teeth from a range of people and animals, a hanging dummy, blood and gore, and lastly a pile of black licorice rods – of which you got to take a sample!

The Waifs

Last night, Jessie, Noodles, Trent and I went along to The Forum, after dinner, to see The Waifs. Having never been to The Forum before, walking into the foyer was like walking into an outdoor ornate theatre in Europe somewhere, with a rich blue sky overhead.

The theatre itself also featured the sky-like ceiling, making you feel like you were outside. Having not seen The Waifs live before, and after hearing good things about their live performances, I was very much looking forward to it.

Opening with Pony, the first song of their new album Sun Dirt Water, their set featured new and old, and older songs, with Vikki on the harmonica much of the time. The two sisters and Josh were amazing, despite Donna having the flu!

Finishing with Gillian, which is such a lovely song. They are such great story tellers, with Bride Train retelling the story of young Australian women being sent over to be brides for American troops during the war.

Favourites like Highway One and Lighthouse were great, and the all time homesickness song, London Still was awesome - I still remember the first time I heard it, sung by Dom at the open mic night at Peace Café in Phnom Penh!

Jenny’s 30!

Miss Jenny turned 30 on Friday, and I joined her for lunch in Hardware Lane to mark the occasion, with Mary and Jules. Preparations were in full swing for the evening ahead.

After work, I managed to find something to wear on the way home. A quick change and then a taxi out to Ascot Vale, and to Dreux Bar for Jenny’s 30th. A funky little bar, perfect for a gathering of family and friends for drinks.

Of course, being in the middle of footy finals, and having a work mate there, who’s wife is a friend of Jenny’s (small world!), I had a buddy to duck across the road to the dodgy Ascot Vale Hotel for the last quarter and a beer, before heading back to the bar for a jager bomb with the birthday girl.

Many more drinks, and some crazy and silly dancing, the night got away from us before we knew it…..and it’s all a little hazy in the memory bank now!

After walking down to another bar and inspecting the queue, the group hailed taxis and we found ourselves back at Jenny’s for vodka and silliness. No idea how long this went on for, but I know I eventually crashed at Jenny’s. Recounting the night the next morning, like we were 17 again was all very funny.

Happy Birthday, Jenny. Hope you had a great one!

Across The Great Divide

Last night, Melissa and I went along to Rod Laver Arena for the Across The Great Divide gig, and tour of both Silverchair and Powderfinger, all around Australia. Having bagged out gigs at the tennis centre for the lack of view and poor sound up in the seats, I demanded floor tickets if I was to go, and that’s what Lissy got – and they were great!

Making our way down to the floor after a drink, we found a posse where we could most avoid tall people, and got ready for the much anticipated show.

Silverchair up first, and a ripped Daniel Johns and his band gave it their all on stage. Sadly, while Johns’ musical performance was brilliant, he just struggled to engage the crowd, with no chatter for at least the first four songs. Clearly hadn’t learnt too much from that performance down at Pyramid, at one point working hard at gaining crowd participation he reach a chorus and called out “hopefully you don’t need help with this one”, hoping for a crowd singalong….which was met with a sold out stadium that simply did not know the words! Very bewildering, really, considering how long this great Aussie band has been around.

Johns pulled out all the tricks, except his ability to engage with his audience, he played his guitar with his teeth at one point….. Pulling out the huge numbers at the end of their set, Silverchair finally got the crowd reaction much desired, with Straight Lines and Freak, to finish.

A short interval, before the boys from Brisbane come on stage, with Bernard sporting a new haircut. Opening with the first track of Dream Days At The Hotel Existence, they rocked from go to whoa! Massive numbers like My Happiness, On My Mind, Lost and Running, These Days received a stadium chorus, and so did many of their other unreleased tunes. A haunting Black Tears solo by Bernard was amazing, showing the range of his voice, showed us where this tour’s message lay.

Beaches by the three acoustic guitars of the band started the encore for Powderfinger, again showing off their talents, before coming back out with Silverchair for a combined rendition of The Who’s Substitute.

Such a great gig!

The tour’s message is about reconciliation, and left us with a clip of people talking about their views on the need to say sorry, and the plight of the aboriginal people. Take a Chair, Lift a Finger, was that lasting note of the evening.

An End to the Finals Run

Another nervous wait till match time this weekend, although with more confidence that I had going into last week’s match, the Hawks met the Kangaroos at the MCG for the Semi Final. A night match, the gang gathered at Transport for a beer before walking along the Yarra to the match.

Taking our seats in the Southern Stand in the Hawthorn member’s section, we completed the anthem ritual, before the bounce.

This week, however, no matter what the lads did, nothing seemed to work for them, and the match slipped away all too soon. Glimmers of hope with a Buddy goal at the beginning of the final quarter, these were soon dashed with the rush of the blue and white, who were too good on the night.

After such a great year, it was so disappointing to end like this, especially after last week’s high hopes and emotions. Commiseratory drinks at Young and Jackson afterwards, the mood was somber as we re-lived the skills errors, the umpire decisions, the misses at goals, and the never ending courage of one Campbell Brown.

In the end, getting to the Semis is a massive feat, and if anyone told me that that’s where my beloved Hawks would reach at the start of this year, I would have been very pleased. Proud and passionate, I am, as always. But shattered that the 2007 dream is over!

Buddy Awesome

Arriving at my first footy finals match since the 2001 series, I was too nervous to eat, let along sit still! I joined Mum, Melissa and Jessie, Clinton and Noodles while they were having lunch, but all I could manage was a beer!! This was a big day! This was one of the reasons I had come home, and it was happening. And yet, the Hawks were not expected to do any good against the Crows in this Elimination Final.

Another beer inside the Telstra Dome, with the others joining me (even Mum was on the vodka), in attempt to quell the nerves as we took our seats on the top level, and prepared for the match. Standing for the anthem, with the massive cheer at the end, it was game on.

Looking shaky for the first half, the Hawks were hanging in there for the match. Working hard, taking risks, making mistakes, and pulling off the near impossible. Beers at every break for a nervous spectator experience in the outer.

The last half was more stressful than any day at work, or any near miss for a flight, with the usually soulless Telstra Dome seeming to come alive with a big crowd, of clustered supporters for both clubs. Amusing banter as I haven’t heard from others for sometime, coming from behind us, the match on the grass was electric.

Seven goals to the lad Buddy Franklin, with the final kick happening in the last minute of the match to put the Hawks in front. The collective jump to our feet, arms raised, voices at full stretch was experienced around the ground for the brown and yellow, as the Hawks advanced to the next round of the finals!!! The moment the siren went was another highly emotional moment, with screams and hugs all round.

Lagered up from the tension during the match, and in full hyper mode, our gang made our way to the bar one level down, to watch the last minutes of the last quarter again on the screen, and enjoy some celebratory beers. Joined by Jenny, we re-lived so many moments, and were loving it!

Moved along from that bar, and the Dome, we walked up Bourke Street to the Royal Melbourne for the next phase of celebratory beers, and jager bombs, the entire bar erupting into the Hawthorn Team Song at random intervals.

More drinks later at the Turf Bar, and my memory starts to grow hazy. I know we were watching the other match, and still drinking, and recounting specific plays, goals, Changa and Brown heroic moments…..but I know that I eventually ended up on a tram home.

Buddy great game, Buddy sensational finish, and Buddy exciting to be through to play on in the finals! Woke up to watch the footy show, finding that my voice had diminished to a whisper…so worth it! On top of the Buddy world!!! Hee, hee.