17 December 2006

Christmas preparations - 17th December 2006

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Christmas is almost upon us, so we thought we'd give our avid reader (Gladys, the one that listens to Philip Adams) an update on our preparations for Christmas. Its a quick update however, as we're only getting 7 hours of daylight at the moment, so we have to do everything more quickly in order to accommodate 14 hours of sleep into every 24.


Seriously though, the sun doesn't come up now until 8.20 and doesn't stay up past 15.40! It isn't terribly cold, but its forecast to get colder through the week, so I guess that there is half a chance of a white Christmas. We have our fingers crossed anyway.

Yesterday we went into town and did our Christmas shopping for each other. This was quite instructive such that we now have a far better understanding of which shops have what sort of merchandise. My favourite shop was House of Fraser. It is a bit like a David Jones, but all the staff were dressed up as elves and Santa and reindeer etc. They still had that superior accent of a top department store however, so the result was both incongruent and amusing. House of Fraser also got my tick as they stock some nice wines, including the De Bortoli Noble One (a half bottle of which is now in our fridge. Note to self: remove botrytis semillon from fridge and allow to chill on the bench before consuming).

I have ordered a half leg of lamb from the 'high class' butcher at the end of the street. I asked the butcher if he had any tips on cooking the lamb. He said to get the oven hot and then put the lamb in for a couple of hours. I'm glad I asked as I would never have thought of doing that...

We created a Christmas 'shrine' in our lounge room to give the flat a little Christmas flavour. Lots of Christmas cards have shown up, and we have a nice little booty of presents to open on Christmas day. Maria has come up with some decorations for the table for Christmas dinner, and we'll post some photos after the Noble One wears off (around new years probably).

If we don't get to talk to you on or before Christmas day, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Now pass the brandy custard...

Fletch's Tips for New Employees
Resourcing is an awfully complicated business in a big organisation like a university. I have discovered a few 'rules of engagement' when making bids:

1) If you ask for what you need, you probably won't get it.
2) If you do get it, it will take at least 6 months.
3) 'Blue Sky' thinking is better than 'Down to Earth'. If you need a new chair, bid for a new 'Centre of Excellence' comprising offices, smart lecture theatres, performance spaces, cafes, and a 1000 seat theatre. You may then get yourself: a chair.
4) Everything in the world that you may wish to buy COULD have a research outcome. Just think laterally.

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