where did the weekend go?

To Ayr apparently, where some female friends and I went bargain clothes hunting - good Australian brands, very good prices. I now have a LBD and two pairs of terribly impractical shoes. I also bought black truffles for work and some sheeps cheese. Then we had high tea at the Pantry door - good value for money.

Going south, Hemorrhaging money

I had been wincing slightly at the ~$2000 it will cost me to got to Melbourne in September for 5 days of WorldCon...roll on Science fiction :D
Then I added up what it will cost me to go to Sydney for a week in July to get to a conference that will be very useful for my research work (and teaching)...$3500. I'm not even leaving the country! It doesn't help that registration for this event is $1000 and I'll have to stay 7 nights in Darling Harbour area so I can network efficiently after conference hours. Its the general consensus that if you stay a long way away from the conference, you miss out on the most useful part - making contacts. Otherwise I'd be angling for that fold out couch of Andrea's. At least I don't have to pay for Sydney from my own pocket, just my own research pocket.

Ah - exceedingly long epic questline done

It took a fair chunk of my long weekend to do it too. I thought it just gave me the option to buy a white horse - but apparently, it gives it to you free :) There's 5G I've been saving up that is now able to be frivolously spent :D

Also as really cool gifties is a very nice cloak and a painting of Narmaleth for my cottage in the shire. Kin should stop round to have a look - its next to the keg that takes you to places in Moria where you can't get down except by plummeting to your death.