Gomez at the Prince

Firstly, this night was to launch the Fitzgerald Foundation (for anyone interested, brain cancer is the biggest solid cancer killer of ppl our age - congrats to the organisers for a wonderful night!)

Emily Ulman and Dallas Crane were on first - they were good, although I was really there to see Gomez. In between acts, we were depressed with an informative slideshow about brain cancer, roused with an auction / raffle, then finally they brought out Ben, Ian & Tom.

It's understandable being a little hesitant of a band with guitars / sound effects playing acoustically, but I loved it. The only other time I've seen them was at a festival in Germany, but the more intimate venue really suited them. I'd somehow managed to curl up and have a nap (tired and sick after a record number of hours sleep on the weekend!) but when Get Myself Arrested came on, I was wide awake and bopping away.

They did an awesome version of Sweet Virginia, In Our Gun (with an amazingly energetic ending) and played one of my favourites, Love is Better Than a Warm Trombone. There was a great mix of new / classics and the guys took turns singing / drinking together and alone.

Hmm, now I wish I had tickets to see them at the Hi-Fi Ballroom!

Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good plane?

Because it feels AMAZING!

On the weekend, W & I did Stage 1 of the Accelerated Freefall Skydiving course in Nagambie.

- Friday night, I was worried;
- Saturday lunchtime, I was more worried - I'd just signed a form saying 'Skydiving is DANGEROUS' and our instructor spent 2 hours explaining all the parachute malfunctions that could occur;
- Saturday evening, I felt a little better - the 'drills' were finally starting to set in;
- Sunday morning, it was too late to back out now!!!

Being the lightest, I was the first to jump (yes, I was their test windsock), so there was no time to think about it too much. I changed into the jumpsuit and put on the pack - then was told to change into a different jumpsuit and different pack. I have to say, the cameraperson did try, but I wasn't a very good interviewee, giving only 1 word answers.

Before I knew it, we were up in the air. The experienced Supafly guys had jumped and I was backing towards the door. Once at the door, I just ran through the drills and with a mighty 'Arch thousand', I was out the window with 2 instructors holding onto either side of me.

The feeling of the wind against your face is unbelievable - I'm sure I looked like a goldfish, opening and closing my mouth, which was uncomfortably dry. The 50 seconds of freefall absolutely flew. I tried to take in the scenery while doing the drills, but too soon, it was time to pull the pin.

After a 'tongue-poke' to the left and right, at 4000 feet, I pulled the pin and shot up into the air (well, that's what it felt like, as my instructors were still in freefall).

With the drills still in my head, I tried to check the three S's (shape, size, slider), but got my head stuck in the lines trying to look up. I pulled my head out, then realised I hadn't checked the shape at all! So I squeezed my head back through, and suddenly, the lines untwisted and all was right. I'd had tangled lines (a common minor malfunction) and hadn't even noticed!

From then on, almost all my work was done. I located the arrow in the paddock and followed the directions from the target assistant to land. I was racing through the sky, but as I got lower, the wind was much calmer and I stopped racing. I was enjoying the view so much, I didn't realise that I wasn't quite going to make it back to the designated paddock... then I saw my instructor waving his arms at me - and he was nowhere near where they were supposed to land me! I had a slightly hard landing, as I was directed to flare too early, but very happy that I'd made it to the ground!

The rest of the day was spent watching the others jump and land - one guy didn't do any drills and instructors had to pull his pin; another girl used her reserve as the parachute didn't look right. W (the heaviest) was last and remembered everything, although he took home some painful looking bruises.

So now, I just have to find the time and money to go back... and do the whole 10 stages...?

Pictures are up!

I've finally attached photos to my previous posts, so go check them out!

Toilet self help?

I'm not sure if it's just the ladies that are honoured with this (a short survey indicates it may just be the ladies at Lvl 5, South Tower, Rialto), but I find it a little strange - our toilet doors are covered with self help articles.

It started last year when one place of work brought out 'health messages' - drinking water, eating healthily, etc. The next place went a step further and included signs on how to use the toilet - ie. don't stand on the seat. But now, I am bombarded with A4 length spiels on being a 'genuine person', improving self esteem and admitting I'm wrong... I may be wrong, but isn't this a little bizarre...?