There are always these weeks during the challenge so I'm not too worried. Especially as we all know I've been spending the last couple of days playing Tour Guide rather than tossing stuff. Priorities, you know...
In:
* 1 Triang V House, 1 garden shed (eBay)
* 1 Hotel Costes Vol 10 CD (eBay)
* 8 items Triang Spot On furniture for house above (eBay)
* 17 other misc bits of vintage dolls house furniture (eBay)
* 2 hand knitted black washcloths: thanks to Taph's Mum
* 1 jar with black lid: thanks to Taph's Old Flame
* 2 file holders
* 1 AU marie claire, 1 US Vogue (subscription)
* 1 NRMA Open Road membership magazine* 16 part complete balls of wool and 2 knitted bits of jumper: Salvos Mitchell ($5!)* 1 black and white dustpan and brush, 1 black and white pencil case, 1 black and white salt and pepper shaker, 1 magnetic trivet, 1 Greg Johnson CD (gifts from The Parental Units)* 1 sale book from The National Museum shop* 1 pear from Bungendore Woodwork Galley
Total In this week: 61
Out:
* 13 Elle Decorations: donated to Lifeline Bookfair
* 1 bag: gift to Happy Spider
* 1 US Vogue: left in the work lunch room
* 1 Open Road magazine: recycled
* 1 Hamilton Mattress video, 1 bleach pen: given to Mum
Total Out this week: 18
Shake-it-all-about:
* Not a sausage
Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring/ Summer 2008: 55
And a shout out to The Metaphorical Magpie who played along for the month of September!
September stats:
* ANU Film Group: Two out of three ain't bad, even if one of those two wasn't on the original list. I saw Happy go lucky and Hard Candy (rescheduled from August) Cost per view is now $3.52.
* I completely forgot to go see Persepolis at a real cinema. But I did watch Penelope, The Wave and Hamilton Mattress at home. No doubt Persepolis will pop up at ANU Film Group next year...
* Reading: 1 book. A large pile of magazines (including 5 years worth of Elle Decorations I ripped and recycled.)* Parade of Houses finished up with my new Caroline's Home house, The Triang, The Tomy House, The Kaleidoscope House, and The Irwin Interior Decorator Set. I spent a lot of time on eBay (AU, UK, US and German) and Tradera looking for the final bits to finish the displays.* I made it to the Lifeline Bookfair (and how!), and the very next day flew to Melbourne for masses of culture.* Seven Things Spring/Summer started again for the year.
This month is just as busy:* The Parental Units arrive tomorrow for a 5 day visit (to coincide with the original opening date)* Then, of course, there's The Opening next weekend.* And floortalks the following week.* This month's Black and White Swap is up over at Swap-Bot. I'd love to have you join in!* As far as I can tell from my diary I'm only seeing one film at ANU Film Group this month. But I suspect that's wrong: I need to dig out the programme and double check...* Reading (if I get time!): I'm using "O" for "other" (ie: books that haven't fitted any of the themes I've been reading this year) and "other people's" (ie: books I've been lent.)* Seven Things Spring continues. Hopefully I find my rhythm as September was a little challenging on this front...* Finally, I celebrate 8 years as an Australian citizen later in the month.
A link to this article on the first Espresso Book Machine in Australia came round on the listserves last week and a colleague, who knew I was going to Melbourne, asked me to go investigate and bring her back a book...
So here we are in Angus & Robertson Bourke Street with our lovely operator, Peggie, who is showing us some example books including a Lonely Planet written especially for the machine:
From the menu of options I choose Espresso: Melbourne Coffee Stories for three reasons:
1. It appears to be free
2. It seems somehow apt to have the Espresso Book Machine print a book about espresso
3. It's not ugly, unlike many of the other choices!
Peggie fills the bin with paper:
and enters my selection into the machine (Mac based, for the beady eyed amongst you).
First, the insides are printed. This is pretty boring because it's just like a photocopier...
Then the cover is printed.
The insides are straightened on a bit of the machine that goes jiggedy jiggedy jiggedy (that's a technical term). You have to imagine some high speed book bouncing here:
The book spine is run over a hot glue roller
and lands on the cover.
The whole thing is pressed, flipped
and the edges cut to size
snippety
snippety
snip (more technical terms!)
Out the chute at the bottom (after some completely unnecessary disco light effects)
and, five minutes after we started, we have a newly born book:
And an impressed onlooker...
I can't wait until they decide to open the system up so people can load their own books up to print. Sort of like Blurb in your own back yard!
Posts.Wow.Who would have thunk it?I suppose I should mark the occasion with a giveaway or something but since life here's hitting crazyville status and will remain that way for the next two weeks I'll give up on that idea.For now at least.
Female Parental Unit: A little Gallah stalking
some wisteria
and a visit to Lawtons of Canberra/ Beyond Q secondhand bookshop in Curtin.
Eldest daughter: Discovery and purchasing of excellent black cotton knitted hoodies at Giordano DFO (which were cheaper than thought) plus realising sour cream and chive Grain Waves are available from a snack machine not two blocks from home.
was followed by a wander round The Pialligo Plant Farm where lustworthy pears were seen
(and attempted to be spirited away...)
Old Bus Depot Markets, Canberra Glassworks demonstration
(and another pear)
Blue Poles
and lunch in the National Gallery members' lounge.
and everyone's happy.
(which soon disappeared...)
* The Parental purchase of an identical handbag to mine.
(I think I'm flattered. But I'm too busy being relieved that we live in different countries so won't be seen together with them for more than the next few days!)
Since we were sort of half way there anyway, the next stop was Bungendore where I almost bought this intriguing "architect's model":
and had The Parentals rave about the work at Bungendore Wood Works Gallery and wonder how they could buy the house next to The Carrington and move in permanently, filling their house with furniture from across the road....
We also discovered a fabulous vintage/ retro shop Me and You 2, filled with beautiful retro furniture
and accessories
and a massive selection of vintage clothing
all at very reasonable prices.
And everyone's happy (if a little tired)
Let me explain. Before their last visit, Mum asked me if there were lots of native birds to admire.
And, so far, everyone's happy.
Especially me as they arrived bearing presents. Including Greg Johnson. No not in person (alas) but the next best thing: his just-released-in-NZ-last-month latest CD: