Thunders! Lightnings!

I've been watching the angry sky with the lights off. It's nice to be home on a Friday night with nothing to do but relax and enjoy the storm outside. I have Beth Orton, Jeff Buckley, Songs Ohia and a cup of hot chocolate (with maybe a tiny nip of Absolut Vanilla), and I couldn't be more content.

Sydney does some fantastic storms. It's been really hot today, and the atmosphere got heavier as the day drew to a close. It's half past eight now, and a little storm's been raging to clear the air for about half an hour. I watched it draw closer on the bureau of meteorology's rain radar thingo, and I'm glad for the lower temperature.

I'm staying home tonight because it's been another big week, but I will be going out tomorrow to see C.W Stoneking at the Metro (see, I have a life, honest!). He's a self-described "hokum" musician. Basically it sounds like early Appalacian jazzz, lots of horns, guitar, piano, banjo. If you have a few minutes free you should look him up on Myspace. I'm going with my High Tea Ladies; Jess and Leah, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Cripes, I've had a busy couple of weeks, it's been AGM Central. I've done Telstra and NRMA, as well as Idol and CIA and dealt with eleventh-hour script changes from phalanxes of secretaries. I ended up working just over sixty hours last week, and this week wasn't much better. Mum and dad said they saw my credit on CIA, which was pretty cool. I still haven't got around to watching a whole episode, but hopefully I can correct that sometime during the WHOLE WEEK I get to spend in NZ over Christmas. I'm flying out on the 20th, and back on the 28th, so that's heaps of time to hang out in Pohangina - to meet the pigs and say hi to the sheep, chooks and cats. I'm so looking forward to it.

It looks like the whole damn family will be there - last time we did that it was so good. There's something about Pohangina that makes everything special. Mum's cooking is the best, and it's so peaceful and beautiful out there. There's always something else to explore, or some new project to have a hand in. I'm so proud of my parents for making the place so magical.

I'm still chasing clients on the John Cleese thing - I may be doing the Asia leg, the Australian leg, both legs or no legs... but noone has much to tell me at this point. I'll have to keep rattling their cages though, because the Asia dates are just over a week away. Also, the grand finale of Idol is next week - thank goodness. They've asked me to be on standby - if it's good weather they'll be outside the Opera House and won't need me; but if it's not, they'll be in the Bennelong restaurant. I'm hoping it's fine - I will have an enormous Sunday lunch and thoroughly enjoy having two days off in a row if so! Just one more Idol Sunday in the studio.....
I will miss the catering though, they've been really good. I swear I eat better on Idol nights than I do the rest of the week.

So yeah, I've been working hard, but I'm on the home stretch now. Brian (the manager under Murray) at work has been looking after me as much as he's able - making sure I bugger off early or sleep in when I need it. I'm looking forward to looking back (it makes sense, trust me!) on my starting anniversary at how much I've learned and how far I've come - I've made some good contacts, and I think I'm starting to build a solid reputation in Sydney. I can't wait to see where it takes me...!