: strip searched, Australia-Feeling party and other stuff ::

an interesting 2 weeks...Jen I have not dropped off the planet, heres the update...

went to Luzerne (beautiful lakeside Kanton an hour and a half from Basel) for the Australia-Feeling party...a group of excited suisse with a soft spot for australia organise a bi-annual party to celebrate all that is australian and try to bash party revellers with package holidays...biggest dissapointment (after fosters and VB being only beer available, kebab skewers of national treaures and fifty cent supporters on the menu and the fact the party reminded my of backyard bonfires from 10 years ago) was the didgeridoo band with an aboriginal name that was infact a white hippy dude from Byron Bay...don't get me wrong, he played it really well and infact with a techno/drum bass backbeat it rocked the party - I just felt ripped off that they were ripping it off...

a new mate from work had to drive his car from Basel, Switzerland to Newcastle UK...last week we had a 5 day weekend...With no other plans I decided to go along for the ride and visit my mate Gareth in London...crossing the Basel/France border we were strip searched to bare ass by French authorities...As I walked into the interview room, one of the two authorities in the room said, "I speak a little French"...my reply was something along the lines of..."well we are not here to talk are we"...first time I have been completely strip searched and coincidently was also the first time I smoked a cigarette (after the event) since last year...nerves on end...

won two tickets to the Brit & Irish cinema festival over here - off to see Shaun of the Dead tonite...

hanging with Gareth I ate so much fried chicken and drank so much Guiness that I will be dieting for the next 6 weeks just to get back to where I was before the trip - would forgoe beer too, but with my old norwegian room mate back this weekend I don't think beer can be avoided...there is always next week...

hung out with Gareth's AFL team in london, many pints drunk and codshit discussed by all - I realised just how much I miss not being around "the fellas"...

...Kath and Kim are a riot in the UK and will be on prime time telly there in future...

...went to the Camden Markets (just awesome, if in London, can't recommend it enough) and picked up 2 pairs of shoes...

...found the apple computer store and sunk the final nail in...I will be ordering a 12 inch powerbook this week - awesome machine....

and that's about it for now...