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Five Things Make a Post
Apr. 16th, 2014 12:46 am1. We leave tomorrow for Brisbane to defend our title at the Australian National Band Championships. After tonight's rehearsal, we're feeling pretty confident.
More importantly, it'll be a fun trip full of new and interesting things to see, even if we don't actually win.
[1a. It's a sign of how focussed I've lately been on the upcoming Championships that I'd completely forgotten, until I saw what this post was next to on my friendslist, how annoyed I was when I realized it would mean missing Swancon. It would happen in a year when the Guest of Honor was somebody I particularly wanted to meet. I hope those of you who are going have a good time.]
2. After poring over various lists of new and interesting things to see in Brisbane, the one I really have my heart set on is the Lone Pine Koala Santuary. (More for the platypodes than the koalas, if I'm honest, though I expect I'll also look at the koalas while I'm there.)
3. Another new and interesting thing is that it'll be my first experience with commercial air travel: several hours in a Boeing, with all the attendant luggage hassles and waiting-around-between-connecting-flights and so on, when my only previous experience with air travel was a brief sightseeing trip in a plane that seated about eight people. That wasn't too bad, except when something happened that reminded me there wasn't anything solid holding us up, but it remains to be seen what kind of force multiplier will come into play when the time stretches in hours.
4. The Brisbane trip turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back (that's kind of a violent image, come to think of it; are there any less unpleasant alternatives?), and I have bought my first mobile phone. Yes, my first. The shop assistant, who is about my age, was appalled when I told her. It's actually not been that much of an adjustment; I've owned personal digital assistants of various kinds for many years, it's just that this one also makes phone calls and does text messages.
5. Despite the mobile phone, I don't expect to be on the interwebs much while I'm away, so this is probably the last you'll be hearing from me until I get back.
More importantly, it'll be a fun trip full of new and interesting things to see, even if we don't actually win.
[1a. It's a sign of how focussed I've lately been on the upcoming Championships that I'd completely forgotten, until I saw what this post was next to on my friendslist, how annoyed I was when I realized it would mean missing Swancon. It would happen in a year when the Guest of Honor was somebody I particularly wanted to meet. I hope those of you who are going have a good time.]
2. After poring over various lists of new and interesting things to see in Brisbane, the one I really have my heart set on is the Lone Pine Koala Santuary. (More for the platypodes than the koalas, if I'm honest, though I expect I'll also look at the koalas while I'm there.)
3. Another new and interesting thing is that it'll be my first experience with commercial air travel: several hours in a Boeing, with all the attendant luggage hassles and waiting-around-between-connecting-flights and so on, when my only previous experience with air travel was a brief sightseeing trip in a plane that seated about eight people. That wasn't too bad, except when something happened that reminded me there wasn't anything solid holding us up, but it remains to be seen what kind of force multiplier will come into play when the time stretches in hours.
4. The Brisbane trip turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back (that's kind of a violent image, come to think of it; are there any less unpleasant alternatives?), and I have bought my first mobile phone. Yes, my first. The shop assistant, who is about my age, was appalled when I told her. It's actually not been that much of an adjustment; I've owned personal digital assistants of various kinds for many years, it's just that this one also makes phone calls and does text messages.
5. Despite the mobile phone, I don't expect to be on the interwebs much while I'm away, so this is probably the last you'll be hearing from me until I get back.
